Jesus left Judea and returned to Galilee. It was a long walk, and at noon he took a break at a well in Samaria.
There he found a woman drawing water from the well.
It was taboo for Jews to talk to Samaritans. Jesus was also a Bible teacher, and no rabbi was allowed to speak to a woman alone.
When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”
Jesus was alone with this woman because his disciples had gone to the nearby town to buy supplies. The woman was surprised that Jesus spoke to her.
So the Samaritan woman said to him, “How do you, being a Jew, ask from me water to drink, since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jn 4:9 LEB
Jesus answered and said to her, “If you had known the gift of God and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me water to drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” Jn 4:10 LEB
Are you a little religious, virtuous and idealistic? That's a good start, but there's more. Many pastors preach humanistic philosophy, and their listeners have nothing more than vague ideas about God and eternal reality.
Are you a Christian? Do you expect an eternal future in heaven? That's good. But if you knew what Jesus wants to give you here on earth, you would pray from the heart and expect miracles.
Are you entangled in drug addiction, prostitution, pornography or the occult?
The woman in this story was despised in her society, but she may not have been to blame.
The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband,’
for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” Jn 4:17–18 NRSVue
In this society, only the man had the say. Five husbands had rejected her? Why?
Was she unable to bear sons?
Had she been sexually abused and was unable to satisfy her husband?
Was she extremely depressed, traumatised and moody?
How could she survive as a woman who had been divorced five times? As a beggar? As a prostitute?
Jesus did not look at her sins, but at her need. He simply loved her.
Jesus died on the cross for you and your sins. He simply loves you.
No matter where you are, Jesus wants to bless you.
When you entrust your life completely to Jesus, God's Spirit comes and dwells in your spirit.
Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, Eph 3:20 NRSVue
Why do we expect so little from God? What is your problem?
Have you failed? Jesus can give you strength and wisdom to live a new life.
Are you caught up in a colourless, decent religious routine? Jesus freed the decent Jews of his time from their religious treadmill. Jesus gave his disciples a new life filled with joy, freedom and adventure.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. Jn 10:10 NRSVue
Are you addicted to pornography? You can never enter God's heaven with pornography, but Jesus can set you free.
Jesus was tortured on the cross. Through his suffering, he took the punishment for all your sins upon himself.
If only you knew how God can and wants to help you, you would cry out for God's help and have a new life.
