Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10 WEB
Chapter four of John’s gospel begins with Jesus’ awareness that his success at winning new followers upset the Pharisees. In an effort to avoid conflict with religious leaders who opposed him, Jesus left Judea and headed back to Galilee. The route taken for the journey placed the Lord among the Samaritans. John describes Jesus encountering a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well as he stops there to rest.
The Samaritan woman came to the well to draw water. But Christ saw the spiritual thirst that plagued the woman. When Jesus asked her for a drink, she responded in a way that indicated suspicion of his motivation. John 4:9 records her incredulous response as she says, “How is it that you, being a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman? WEB” Because they were not pureblood Israelites, Samaritans were shunned by the Jews of the day.
For this reason and perhaps because she was used to strange men trying to chat her up, the Samaritan woman was skeptical of Christ. But the Lord immediately put her at ease with his comments about “the gift of God” and “living water.” The Lord revealed himself to her as the Messiah. Jesus demonstrated his omniscience by telling the woman a good deal of her life story. He addresses her spiritual thirst as he revealed knowledge of her sinful lifestyle.
Rivers of Living Water
When the woman left astonished, she enthusiastically shared the story of her encounter with Christ among her fellow Samaritans. Because of her testimony, many Samaritans put their faith in Jesus. Addressing the spiritual thirst of his new found followers, Jesus stayed two days with them. They marveled at his teaching and recognized him as the Messiah, the Savior of the world.
The gift of God Christ spoke of is salvation through the grace of God by his sacrifice for our sins. The living water Christ spoke of is the Holy Spirit of God. This is made clear in John 7:38-39 which reads, “He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, from within him will flow rivers of living water.” But he said this about the Spirit, which those believing in him were to receive. For the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus wasn’t yet glorified. WEB”
Prayer: “Father God, thank you for the testimony of your holy word. Thank you for my salvation in Christ. Help me to share the truth of the living water that pours forth from your Holy Spirit. Guide me to effectively share the truth of the gospel with the world. In Jesus’ name – Amen”
Yesterday’s Devotional: Go and Bear Fruit
