The interaction between Jesus and the woman at the well which is recorded in the fourth chapter of Saint John’s Gospel is one of the most famous stories in all of Scripture. While we may not be able to closely relate to the details of the woman’s life, the conversation that she had with Christ is pertinent to our lives today. Today, find out what it means to experience eternal satisfaction by taking a drink of everlasting water.
The story of the woman at the well having a conversation with Christ appears in only one Gospel account, the Gospel of Saint John. That’s not all that surprising, as Saint John’s authorship tended to focus more on Christ as the Savior of the entire world, and the availability of salvation to the Jews as well as the Gentiles.
In John’s writings, he also made it a point to focus heavily on the teachings of Christ. The Gospel of John contains multiple parables while also focusing on Christ’s Lordship through the recording of many miracles.
However, it’s interesting that only one Gospel writer chose to record the story of Christ and the Samaritan woman at the well. While we don’t know why the Holy Spirit only prompted Saint John to write this story, we do know that it was put into Scripture for a purpose.
The purpose is found in the fact that we have more in common with the woman at the well than we would care to admit. If you’re familiar with her story, that statement may make you a bit uncomfortable. Our similarities with the woman at the well don’t necessarily focus on the details of her sin. Instead, we have a lot in common with her because she, like us, spent her entire life trying to quinch a thirst by going to the wrong source.
No matter how much we’d like to say that we’re different from the woman at the well, the fact remains that we often go to the wrong places looking for satisfaction just like she did.
Today, ask yourself a simple question: “What is my well?” She thought she would find satisfaction by sneaking to the well in the middle of the day while there was no crowd, and we try to find our satisfaction in relationships, careers, promotions, and any other number of things.
When you identify what your well is, it becomes much easier to follow her example, put down your waterpot, and make the decision to take a drink of everlasting water.
John 4:6-8 (TPT)
Wearied by his long journey, he sat on the edge of Jacob’s well, and sent his disciples into the village to buy food, for it was already afternoon. Soon, a Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”
Many people often point to this verse as a sign of Jesus’ status as 100% human while also being 100% divine. Truly, it is amazing that God in the flesh was “wearied by his long journey.” He and the disciples had been walking for many miles over the course of several hours, and He simply needed a break. However, He purposely chose to take that break in Samaria. Some translations say that “He had to go through Samaria.”
This is where we start getting into the intentionality of Christ’s mission that day. First of all, His need to go through Samaria was a missional one. No one “had” to go through Samaria. In fact, most Jews took longer routes to circumvent the area, as they didn’t want to have anything to do with the Samaritans. When Scripture says that Christ had to go through Samaria, it was because He knew that He would meet with someone there who needed Him. It wasn’t a geographic, travel-based, logistical need. It was a purpose-driven need.
Secondly, take note of the time of day in which Jesus interacts with the woman. “For it was already afternoon,” is the way that John records it, and John would know. Remember, Jesus had sent John and the rest of the disciples into the village to buy food. Sadly, Jesus knew that the disciples would probably have something to say about the woman who He was waiting on at the well. With the disciples on a lunch-trip, Jesus knew exactly who He was waiting for.
It’s odd that anyone would be drawing water in the afternoon, as it was the hottest part of the day. In Biblical times, the women did draw water every day, but most of them chose to either do so every morning before the sun came up, or every evening after the sun went down. Drawing water in the middle of the day would include a struggle with a waterpot that likely weighed 40 or more pounds when filled while also battling the heat of the sun.
The woman came to the well in the afternoon because she needed to avoid the crowd. You see, she had a reputation. Had social media been available in Biblical times, this was the woman that people would have been making posts about, even if those posts were passive-aggressive.
John 4:13-14 (TPT)
Jesus answered, “If you drink from Jacob’s well, you’ll be thirsty again, but if anyone drinks the living water I give them, they will never be thirsty again. For when you drink the water I give you, it becomes a gushing fountain of the Holy Spirit, flooding you with endless life!”
The woman was looking for something to quinch a physical thirst, but Christ operated on a spiritual level. This is proven in the next part of the conversation. After telling her to go and get her husband, the woman opts for a half-truth and tells Christ that she isn’t married.
John 4:17-18 (TPT)
“But I’m not married,” the woman answered. “That’s true,” Jesus said, “for you’ve been married five times, and now you’re living with a man who’s not your husband. You’ve told the truth.”
And here was the juxtaposition of the conversation. The woman was solely focused on the natural realm. When Jesus asked for water, she said He had nothing to draw with. When Jesus spoke of everlasting water, she didn’t understand. When He told her to go get her husband, she opted to point out that she wasn’t married. At the same time, Christ was working in the spiritual realm.
When He asked for water, it was because He was leading into a conversation about finding eternal satisfaction for the soul. When she said she had no husband, Christ already knew. She went to the well of relationships to find her satisfaction, and it never went the way she wanted it to.
Five times she had been married. Five times she had stood in front of her family and friends (if she had any left by that point) and pledged her love and loyalty to a man. And five times the marriage failed. There were five sets of divorce papers, five examples of telling people what had gone wrong. She was the talk of the town for all the wrong reason, especially now that she was living with a man out of wedlock.
Her well was love and affection. What’s yours? Some of us try to find satisfaction for our souls in money and possessions. Some of us do our searching in our career fields, as we pursue fulfillment in a paycheck. Others look for satisfaction in random romantic encounters and failed relationships.
The woman thought she was going to the well, but in all actuality, she met The Well. She met the Source of Living Water. She met the One who could satisfy her soul. By the end of the story, she had thrown down her waterpot, and ran back to the city to tell everyone who she had met. Friend, when you recognize that your way of satisfying your soul isn’t enough, you’ll do the same. Whatever you’ve identified as your well, His way is better.
A Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, help me to overcome the temptation to continue seeking satisfaction in the things of this world. Help me to find my fulfillment in You. In Christ’s name, Amen.