John 4:11-15

John 4:11-15

The woman said to Him, “Lord, you do not have a vessel for drawing the water and the well is deep.  Therefore, where do you have this living water?  You are not greater than our father Jacob, who gave the well to us and he himself drank from it as did his sons and livestock?”  Jesus answered and said to her, “All the ones who drink from this water will be thirsty again.  But whoever should drink out of the water that I will give to him, he will never be thirsty into eternity.  But the water that I will give to him will become in him a spring of water bubbling up into life eternal.”  The woman says to Him, “Lord, give to me this water in order that I should neither be thirsty nor come here to draw water.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Imagine the woman’s shock when Jesus asks for a drink without a bucket or something else with which to draw the water.  This isn’t like western American where there are faucets and public restrooms with free access to water.  In those days, if you journeyed you also brought something with which you could draw or else you probably weren’t going to drink much.  That could spell danger in that part of the world after a few days.  From a physical understanding of the situation, the woman has every reason to be confused.  Here is a man who seems to be challenging the wisdom of Jacob and his descendants, yet He didn’t even bring something with which He could drink.

Have you ever been in a spiritual situation where the physical clues didn’t seem to add up?  What usually happens in those kinds of situations?

Second Thought:

In spite of this, Jesus is speaking of words that were not unfamiliar.  It was typical for religious people in Jesus’ day to speak of thirsting for God’s ways – much like we do today.  Any person with a spiritual inkling should have been able to follow Jesus’ words.  Clearly this is a woman who is brand new to the spiritual game.  What is really neat about this story is that Jesus doesn’t back away just because she’s new and untrained in theology.  Instead, He forges on ahead with her.  He’s not afraid of what she doesn’t know.  He’s not afraid of whether she’ll eventually understand.  He pursues her anyway.

How has Christ pursued you?  Would you say you are religiously trained?  What are the benefits of being trained?  What are the potential hindrances to being formally trained?

Third Thought:

There is an interesting pattern to take note of here.  It is actually the same pattern that Jesus goes through with Nicodemus.  Jesus makes a statement and it is taken incorrectly by His listener.  He then challenges His listener into a new understanding.  There are some lessons that cannot be taught.  They must be discovered instead.  Understanding that Jesus gives living water to those who believe is one lesson that is best understood through discovery rather than understood through logical teaching.

What are some lessons in your life that you have learned more easily through discovery than through learning?  Why can these be more difficult to learn?  Why can these be more easily remembered once learned?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 4:16-26