The Woman at well – If you only knew

John 4

In John chapter three, we see a very religious, highly educated, clean living man come to Jesus at night. He was seeking answers and the two of them had a very serious, very productive conversation. In chapter four, we read that Jesus was having an exchange with someone who was quite the opposite. There, the Lord spoke with a woman in broad daylight who had no religion, morals or education, and who was a social outcast.

Now first of all, it was an incredible thing, even a shocking thing that Jesus was talking with a woman. Rabbis would never teach the law or speak of spiritual things to a woman. There is a line from the Jewish Rabbinical writings which reads, “Blessed art Thou O Lord Who has not made me a woman.” (Ouch.) Secondly, the Lord was talking to a Samaritan. And we know from what the Bible and history teaches us that the Jews and the Samaritans really hated each other. Third of all, we understand this woman was ostracized from society. We know that because she came to the well alone and in the heat of the day. Typically the women in town would come early in the morning, before the blazing sun rose. It was a daily meeting place.

But this woman was there at a time of day when no one else would dare come.

So, not only was she a woman, not only was she a Samaritan, but she was an immoral, Samaritan woman. Why would Jesus talk to her? And yet, he did. He must, “…due to the necessity lying in the nature of the case”, so Mr. Strong in his brilliant concordance has it. Someone said that if we had Google Earth back then, you could click on it and go down, down, down until you got to Jacob’s well and at that moment, as you zoomed in, you’d see only two heads. Just those two, in the heat of the day, our Lord and the woman of Samaria. This was a divine appointment. Jesus sat down at the well. We know he was weary and he was thirsty. And although he had needs, he was focused in on her needs. “There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water”, we are told by John, and Jesus asked her for a drink. She was stunned because of two reasons we mentioned earlier; she was a woman and she was a Samaritan. That she responded to his statement with a question, and I’ll paraphrase, “Why are you, a Jew, asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”, enlightens the reader that she got the entire race/ gender/religion/thing. Life had certainly taught her that much. She was astounded that this Jewish stranger would even acknowledge her; much less ask her to do something for him. The Lord responded with a statement that piqued her curiosity. “If thou knewest the gift of God…thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.” The Lord was showing her that she was actually in need of something greater than a simple drink of water from the well. In fact, he was offering her water that only he could give. So she was puzzled. She responded by stating the obvious because she was still thinking of the physical world around her. “You can’t do that because this well is deep and you don’t have anything to draw with so how are you going to give me a drink of water?” Then the wheels started to turn. His words began to take effect in her heart and mind and she stared at him. “Art thou greater than our father Jacob?” Jesus didn’t answer that question. Rather, he knew exactly what she needed to hear. He was about to turn the conversation from courteous to confrontational. He was about to address her sin. Why? Because if she was going to be genuinely converted, and experience the life-changing miracle salvation alone can bring, she was going to have to come face to face with her sin.

That’s always the prerequisite for salvation. To admit, whole heartedly, without blame or excuse, that we are sinners and we have sinned against God. That we are, by our very nature, entirely opposed to him.

Now there are those who find that troublesome. Many just want the benefits of salvation; they want to be satisfied just like she did with water that would quench her thirst forever, yet they are unwilling to agree with what God says about their sinful condition. Sadly, there are those who are blind even to their blindness. I was like that before I got saved. But the Spirit of God kept confronting me through the preaching of God’s Word and by the lifestyles of those around me who were genuine converts of Christ. When at last I saw my poor lost condition I fled to Christ. People must be confronted.

So here was the bombshell. Jesus requested that this woman, who was so eager for the water, bring her husband to the well. Boom! One minute they were talking about something so simple. Just a drink of water. Then, straight to the heart. The woman at the well responded with complete transparency, “Sir, I have no husband.” Can’t you picture her dropping her head, a blush coming over her complexion? I love her already for her humility and ache for the pitiful, hollow existence she had known in a world without Christ. Yet, she was sincere and trusting enough with this complete stranger to let him in on her terrible secret; she had lived a life of blatant immorality. Jesus immediately let her know he was aware of this. “Thou hast well said I have no husband.” You just told me the absolute truth. “Thou hast had five husbands and he whom thou hast now is not thy husband.” No doubt it was shameful for her to hear those words, but you have to remember, the Lord was at work and drawing her. If she was going to be converted she had to admit what she was.

Some lost people would do well to be like her and when the Lord speaks to their hearts they should answer, “Sir, I have no life. I know that because I’ve seen those who possess something so real, so genuine. I know the image I desperately put out there, but in truth, deep down inside me, I’m empty. I have no life. I’m existing.” He was so kind and loving; he spared her the shame and embarrassment of relaying all the sordid details.

By then her eyes were opening and she realized she was speaking to no ordinary man. She asked a question about worship. “Where does one go to worship? Do we worship here or in Jerusalem?” Why would she ask that? Could it be that she was taking a good, honest look at herself, and in so doing, she realized what a mess her life was? And if, by doing so, she concluded that she was a sinner, she knew what sinners had to do. They had to go make some kind of sacrifice somewhere. So where should she go to do that? She needed to know. Jesus spoke to her for a little while about true worship, worshiping God in spirit and in truth. The woman, truly seeking then, endeavoring to sort it all out, spoke to the Lord about the Messiah. And how she knew that when he, the Christ, would come, he would tell them all things. He would reveal everything to them. It was then our Lord disclosed something to her that he had chosen not to reveal to others. “I that speak unto thee am he.” What an incredible, pivotal, significant moment.

Now here come the disciples. Here come the boys. They’ve been shopping. They’ve been at the grocery store. Can you picture them coming with all the sacks of food, talking, getting ready to eat lunch? When they arrived at the well, they ignored the woman and decided not to ask Christ what she was doing there. They were hungry and eating was all they had in mind. Presumably they took no notice that she left her water pot and quickly headed back to the city. No one thought to call after her, “Hey! Your water pot!” Just another silly woman and a Samaritan to boot! What of it? So they started spreading the picnic. “Okay, we got the bread and the fish, Peter wanted to try this new honey loaf with cheese…what about the figs? Did anyone remember the figs?”

Ever have something like that happen to you? When someone who just misses spiritual things altogether holds you hostage with their trifling babblings? Like, right after a powerful preaching service, when you’re so absorbed in what you just heard; sober, contemplative, and introspective. You’re miles away when suddenly your musings are cut short by someone who wants to know if you’ve heard Aldi’s has bananas on sale for 39 cents. Or, that if you bring a friend to the Tupperware party Thursday night, you get a free mini Tupperware bowl key chain. And as you’re sifting through the frivolity you just can’t help but think, “Did you not hear what I just heard? Well this is the scene. Master eat something. Jesus said, “I have meat to eat that you know not of.” (The word meat there is that which nourishes or refreshes the soul). The disciples didn’t get it. Befuddled, they looked at each other. Who brought Him food already?

At the same time the woman reached the city and was so passionate and compelling she convinced the men of that city to follow her back to the well where they would meet her Christ. At the well Christ continued, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me…” Jesus essentially told the disciples, it was as simple as lifting up their eyes, and that in so doing they would see the fields surrounding them, just waiting to be harvested. And in what could not have been more perfect timing, the Samaritans were coming down the road, following the woman of Samaria. The one who humbled herself before a complete stranger, confessed what she was, what she needed and became a convert of Christ. Many of the Samaritans believed on him as well. They wanted Him to stay longer and he did. The Lord stayed for two additional days and many more believed. And we read over in Acts chapters eight and nine that there was a strong church in Samaria. Amazing.

In closing, just one thing more. As the people gathered around Christ, they let her know, “Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves…” course, Christ gets all the glory. We wouldn’t even be breathing if it wasn’t for the Lord. But was there not even a drop of the milk of human kindness coursing through their veins that they could’ve at least thanked her?

Some people will just never amount to much in the eyes of others. This poor, sinful woman, made so many terrible choices in her life which led to a scandalous reputation. But one day, she made the wisest choice she could have ever made, a decision, the Scriptures tell us, few ever make. And if you can just put yourself in this scene for a moment, can you just see the excitement on her face as she looks on from the background, testifying to each one who was saved, “See! I told you! It is him! It’s the Messiah! I can just picture her walking down the road with all of her new brothers and sisters in Christ. Rejoicing in her salvation.

Thinking about all the changes she was going to make in her life. Getting up that next morning and going to the well with all the ladies. Surely moving out of her current living arrangement.

For everything changed for the woman at the well. And all because Jesus Saves. And that my friends, will be the everlasting anthem in the song of the redeemed.

Thanks for reading,

Liz