A,7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away to the city to buy food. 9 So the Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You, though You are a Jew, are asking me for a drink, though I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus replied to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
11 She said to Him, “Sir, You have no bucket and the well is deep; where then do You get this living water? 12 You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well and drank of it himself, and his sons and his cattle?” 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never be thirsty; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.”
Observations
Woman at the Well- Breaking Down Racial and Cultural Barriers
Verse 7,8 Jesus speaks directly to the woman at the well who is a Samaritan, ignoring Jewish social and religious customs. Orthodox Jewish men would not speak to any woman in public, including their own wives, sisters or daughters. But Jesus pays no attention to this Jewish custom and engages with this woman, for God’s desire is to make Himself known to all people.
An orthodox Jew would have considered any food from a Samaritan unclean. Eating or drinking from the same vessel would never happen. So the fact that Jesus was willing to drink from the same cup as this woman and His disciples went into Samaria for food, show these barriers were coming down.
The Samaritan woman’s reaction to Jesus speaking to her reveals her shock of being addressed by a Jew for the hostility between the Jews and the Samaritans went back centuries. When the Assyrians took Samaria captive, the Assyrians deported the Jews and replaced them with a collection of peoples from within their empire. These people intermarried with the Jews that had remained, and were called Samaritans. They were considered half pagan by the Jews, who had retained their purity. (See 2 Kings 17).
Verses 10-12 Living Water
Upon hearing that Jesus could give her living water, the Samaritan woman thinks He is speaking literally. To a Jew, living water meant moving water like the water of a running river or stream. So she asks Jesus if He is claiming that He can supply her with water from a stream. If He could do this, He indeed would be greater than Jacob, who could not find a stream and had to dig the well.
But Jesus is speaking spiritually. He refers to this living water as the “gift of God”, emphasizing the free-ness of it. He does not say that He is living water but that He gives it freely and that whoever drinks this living water would never be thirsty again. Jesus is pointing her to God, to the coming of the Holy Spirit. Jesus emphasizes this again later in John 7:38, “Whoever believes in me, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” For more on a discussion of what Jesus meant by living water, click here.
In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit was always connected with empowering various people and also the prophets. But the indwelling of the Holy Spirit was temporary. The permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit did not happen until after Jesus rose from the dead. For more on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts, click here.
Verses 13-16 Digging Deeper
Jesus tells the woman that the water He gives will become a source of eternal life. When we believe in Jesus the Holy Spirit enters into us, bringing us an overflowing abundance of life, wisdom, guidance, comfort. The Holy Spirit empowers us to fight against sin, guides our minds, gives us new desires, and wishes to lavish us with His gifts (Galatians 5:22-23).
Application
1.) Jesus Driven By Love
By traveling directly to Samaria, instead of the long way around, Jesus ignores the cultural and racial barriers of HIs time. He sees souls, not nationalities, genealogies, or religions. He sees human beings made in His image and of great worth. Love drives His actions.
Take a few moments to ask the Holy Spirit if there are any incidents which reveal hate, pride, discrimination or prejudice toward anyone. Ask Him to show you if you carry negative feelings or stereotypical beliefs based on race, sex, religion, culture?
Jesus consistently models great love towards people from all cultures, groups, all religions, all genders. Because we are created in His image, we have GREAT worth. You have great worth.
2.) Jesus Gives Life Freely
I love the term ‘Gift of God’ that Jesus used to describe the living water that He freely gives. He loves us while we are still sinners with no prerequisites. We do not need to clean ourselves up before He offers us this gift. In fact, we can’t clean ourselves us without the Holy Spirit. Sure, we can establish awesome 10 step programs to control addictions, we can build discipline in our minds and bodies to help us sin less, but we cannot create a new heart within ourselves. Only the Holy Spirit can do this.
Are you reluctant to come to Jesus because of the things you’ve done or your inability to stop sinning? The Samaritan woman had a very long pattern of sin. But her sin did not disqualify Her from being offered this free gift of God from Jesus. And neither does your sin. Jesus offers eternal life to anyone who will accept. So what is preventing you from accepting this gift?
You have incredible worth, no matter how much you have sinned. Jesus is always waiting for you. He is knocking at your door of your heart. His power, His life giving Spirit, helps you fight the very sin you hate and even the sin you love. You cannot change your own heart. Only His Spirit can give you a new heart, with new desires, and a new life.
Respond to Him now by asking Him to forgive you, to lead you and to give you a new heart with new desires. He is more than willing to give you abundant life now and in the life to come. We receive the Holy Spirit by simply placing our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior (John 3:5-16).
For more on the topic of the Holy Spirit, click here.
For more on accepting Jesus as your personal Savior, click here.