When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." John 4:7-10
The dialogue now begins between Jesus and the Samaritan. While the woman came to draw water, Jesus came to draw her into curiosity and conversation with Him (not condemnation).
In verse 10, it says, "If you knew the gift of God..." The word knew in Greek means understand. We need to understand the gift of God, and this passage helps us understand. This week, we'll examine two elements of what we need to know or understand about God's gift:
The gift of God is a surprise.
Jesus is reaching out across religious (Jew and Samaritan), social (male and female), and societal (righteous teacher and moral and social outcast) boundaries. He blows through those prominent, deeply entrenched blockades and says, "Let's know each other." To the Jews, Samaritans were scum. To males, females were property. To the righteous, the social outcasts could not be mingled with. And Christ surprisingly crossed over each barrier with divine ease.
The highest purpose of the Samaritan woman's heart that day was to get physical water. She wasn't praying in her closet. She wasn't chastising her heart to be more pure. She wasn't purposing in herself to "do better." She was surprised because a Man met her in the most unlikely place and unexpected way, and she wasn't even looking.
Christianity is a matter of grace, not performance, pedigree, attainment, status, or distinction. She was the last likely person for Jesus to speak with, and the conversation was a complete surprise to her and divinely appointed by the Father.
The gift of God is the ultimate satisfaction.
Living water comes by grace, but what is it? We need to understand this concept of "living water" and study it more because we have easy access to water, so the analogy seems less potent in Western culture. But our bodies are made of water. Our bodies need water more than they need food. We can live roughly three weeks without food but only three days without water. Jesus is communicating He has living water that our soul needs more than our physical bodies need water. Consider that for a moment. Of all the desires, yearnings, urges, appetites, and cravings, He has something that satisfies you more.
Listen, friends, I have blatantly and unabashedly contested this "ultimate satisfaction" truth with God recently (because I still hold unbelief in my heart, and I have pretty intense desires in life!). However, I have found when I question and doubt Him the most, He is not shaken. My fears and doubts don't scare Him. Time and again, He ascends over my unbelief to show me that He is more than enough.
Living Water
Now that we've outlined these verses' surprise and satisfaction aspects (which we'll discuss in future posts) let's know or understand more about this concept of living water, which is the gift of God. Living water isn't a subject we can unload in one blog post, but I will share some meaningful quotes and analogies that have spoken to me recently.
My boys love The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. In the book, there's a quote that reminds me so much of what Jesus was speaking of when He spoke of living water (apologies if you're not a LOTR nerd, Ringer fan, or Tolkienite):
"Pippin glanced in some wonder at the face now close beside his own, for the sound of that laugh had been gay and merry. Yet in the wizard's face he saw at first only lines of care and sorrow; though as he looked more intently he perceived that under all there was a great joy: a fountain of mirth enough to set a kingdom laughing, were it to gush forth."
The part I bolded is an (imperfect) picture of what it means to have "living water" in you. It's not just a well you draw out of; it's a fountain that bubbles up no matter the junk you throw on top of it. Whether you try to toss on the mess of family, heave on the dark path you're traveling, or push on the sin you've hidden...the joy bubbles flow on through. When you've chosen to follow Christ, including all your past, present, and future failings, you will undoubtedly have moments where Christ wells up within you, even in dark nights of the soul. And it will both surprise you and satisfy you.
We now understand more about the surprise, the satisfaction, and the living water, but you're still a messed-up woman at the well (and so am I). Let's step back and think about Jesus and the Samaritan woman again. We know Jesus is resting from a journey around lunchtime (it's hot), and we see this woman came to draw water. Every other "socially included" woman draws water early morning or evening when it's cooler, and the women go together. So, this woman is clearly alone.
Essentially, Jesus gets the woman alone. How did He get her alone? Well, she got herself alone. How? By screwing up her life. That's why she's alone. That's why she's isolated. But you see what He's done? He's used her screw-ups to get her alone. He has redeemed her mistakes so she can be divinely interrupted by Him.
When you screw up, it gets you alone with Jesus. It makes you ask, "Is this the path I want to travel?" It's hard to hear when we're busy with friends, high on life, or drinking from the world's fountain of success. But when we're alone—when our screw-ups and unwise decisions have brought us to a place of isolation—Christ can speak to us in whispers of grace.
Father, I thank you that none of my hang-ups, bang-ups, or blunders can undo your grace. Speak to me when the silence steals my voice. When my soul feels like a cold, dark night. Surprise me. Satisfy me. Meet me where I am and show me this gracious living water. Amen.