In the passage below - the Samaritan women comes to the well in the middle of the day - the hottest time of day - probably so no one else will be there. Jesus had sent His disciples off to do another task so He could be alone with this woman. We see how personal Jesus is with her. He doesn't use words to embarrass her - just facts - the way He views her life. She knew when He spoke to her that their encounter was unusual since Jews never spoke to Samaritans - let alone a woman all by herself. But GOD... saw her not as the sinner she was - but as one forgiven - with new life - one with purpose. God always see us as the finished and completed work of His Hand. She realized immediately that His Words were worth listening to.
John 4 (selected)
4 Now He [Jesus] had to go through Samaria. 5 So He came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as He was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 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.)
10 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."
11 "Sir," the woman said, "You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can You get this living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"
13 Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
15 The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."
16 He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back."
17 "I have no husband," she replied.
Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."
19 "Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."
21 Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
25 The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us."
26 Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am He."
The Disciples Rejoin Jesus
27 Just then His disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, "What do you want?" or "Why are you talking with her?"
28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" 30They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
Many Samaritans Believe
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." 40 So when the Samaritans came to Him, they urged Him to stay with them, and He stayed two days. 41 And because of His words many more became believers. [emphasis mine]
Don't miss the fact that this woman had such a bad reputation in that town that no one would listen to a word she said [before her encounter with Messiah, Jesus.] But as soon as she responded to His Words - she then had words worth listening to. In fact, the whole town listened and believed! That's the transforming power that can only come from God Himself through the power of His Holy Spirit. The woman's testimony now gave Jesus an audience (who sought Him out).
Isn't that what Jesus desires from our lives? To live a transformed life so that others will seek Him out - as He draws them to Himself.
Give me more of that living water every day! I want to stand under the fountain and drink it in!
Choosing JOY while bathing in God's Word [the ones worth listening to],
Stephanie
John 4 (selected)
4 Now He [Jesus] had to go through Samaria. 5 So He came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as He was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 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.)
10 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."
11 "Sir," the woman said, "You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can You get this living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"
13 Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
15 The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."
16 He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back."
17 "I have no husband," she replied.
Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."
19 "Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."
21 Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
25 The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us."
26 Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am He."
The Disciples Rejoin Jesus
27 Just then His disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, "What do you want?" or "Why are you talking with her?"
28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" 30They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
Many Samaritans Believe
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." 40 So when the Samaritans came to Him, they urged Him to stay with them, and He stayed two days. 41 And because of His words many more became believers. [emphasis mine]
Don't miss the fact that this woman had such a bad reputation in that town that no one would listen to a word she said [before her encounter with Messiah, Jesus.] But as soon as she responded to His Words - she then had words worth listening to. In fact, the whole town listened and believed! That's the transforming power that can only come from God Himself through the power of His Holy Spirit. The woman's testimony now gave Jesus an audience (who sought Him out).
Isn't that what Jesus desires from our lives? To live a transformed life so that others will seek Him out - as He draws them to Himself.
Give me more of that living water every day! I want to stand under the fountain and drink it in!
Choosing JOY while bathing in God's Word [the ones worth listening to],
Stephanie
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