By: Dumebi Onoh
Bible Reference: John 4:1-42
I must admit that I began this piece with the impression that I would be zoning in on the Samaritan woman; drawing parallels between her and people like us. But after a bit a struggle, I soon realised who this was really about- Jesus Christ Himself. In an enthralling piece of Scripture, the mystery of Jesus Christ being fully God and fully man comes alive in an incredible way. He mirrors our human state on one hand and stretches out the other as a solution to our sorry state. This story is a reflection of the redemptive power that Jesus Christ brings to all who believe in Him.
Jesus knew the Pharisees had heard that He was baptizing and making more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize them- His disciples did). So, He left Judea and returned to Galilee. He had to go through Samaria on the way. Eventually, He came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jonh4:1-5 (nlt)
The story begins with rejection and the possible imminent danger that Jesus faced in Judea which spurs His journey to Galilee, through the Samaritan village- Sychar. The rejected Jesus made a journey through a rejected region and there, He encountered the one who was rejected by the rejects themselves. She was the woman at the well. The geographical detail in verse 5, to me, is something like a speedbump. John isn't one to include unnecessary detail unless they highlight how much better he was than Simon Peter (just kidding!) At certain moments, one must acknowledge the gift of the Holy Spirit in facilitating one's understanding of the Scripture and this, for me, is one of such moments. What better location for Jesus to show forth His love for the cast-away than Sychar; near the additional parcel of land that a father gifted to his especially beloved son Joseph- the one who was hated by his own brothers.
So, now I ask this: 'When Israel's people failed to accept Jesus as God's Messiah, did they make themselves separate from God forever?' No, certainly that is not true! Because of their mistake, God is now saving Gentiles. God is doing that so that Israel's people would become jealous.
Romans 11:11 (EASY)
Comparing a variety of versions and translations, a singular sense of necessity is conveyed in describing Jesus Christ's journey through Samaria. I can hazard two guesses for this, and hope that He had to fulfil by travelling through Samaria. Or maybe Samaria was simply the shorter route. Whatever Jesus' reason was, it is impossible to ignore the humility that Jesus exhibits as a Jew plying these Samarian roads. Jesus Christ rejects ethnic bigotry, getting His hands 'dirty' as He stretches it to the people of Samaria through this one woman.
Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, 'Please give me a drink.' He was alone at the time because His disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, 'You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are You asking me for a drink?' John 4, verse 7 (nlt)
The contrast between the two was glaring. A Jew and a Samaritan; a man and a woman. What was the meeting point? The well to which rejection and weariness had brought them both.
Jesus replied, 'If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water...anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.' John 4, verses 10 & 13-14 (nlt)
Thirst is a funny thing. At times, you have no clue just how thirsty you are, until you're halfway through your fifth bottle (or in her case, fifth marriage). Other times, one is able to temporarily suppress the gnawing sensation with water substitutes, and though these substitutes often share in water's same liquid consistency, only water has the capacity to one's thirst. Science reveals that thirst is an indicator that the body needs to replenish the fluid without which it cannot properly function. For thirst to never again be experienced, the body must come to a point of producing its water from an internal source. Not that this kind of self-sufficiency is possible in human beings, but as Luke 1:37 lets on, with God nothing shall be impossible.
On the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has
said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." John 7, verses37-38 (nkjv)
In what I consider one of Scripture's grandest romantic gestures recorded; even more iconic than the guy with the boombox from that 1980's teen drama (not my direct recommendation), Jesus makes a desperate cry to all those who thirst. He announces His sufficiency and promises a supply that lasts a lifetime of eternity. How deep that well must run.
But Sir, You don't have a rope or a bucket,' she said, and this well is very deep. Where would You get this Living Water? And besides, do you think you're greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and animals enjoyed?' John 4, verses 11-12 (nlt)
Our Lord's sufficiency runs deeper than our oldest, most trusted well and water drawing mechanisms; yes, even those ones that have been handed down to us. Sometimes, we find ourselves running to tangible and intangible things outside of God to give us strength, joy, peace and hope. All these are nothing compared to what our Heavenly Father- our Source- gives us through our Lord Jesus Christ: Living Water.
The woman said, 'I know the Messiah is coming- The One who is called Christ. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.' John 4, verse 25 (nlt).
In this story, a tired Jesus Christ, through this conversation, makes known His mission on Earth by exposing the need for a lasting solution to sin, and then revealing Himself as the very solution for all who believe:
Then Jesus told her, ' I AM the Messiah!' John 4, verse 26 (nlt)