John 4:11-12 - Lesson #37

The conversation beside a well continues, between a Jewish Rabbi and a Samaritan woman. We need to be reminded how unusual it was for this conversation to even take place. If we miss the severe tension between the Jews and Samaritans we miss the main point of this section of Scripture. It is not an exaggeration to say the Jews despised the Samaritans. It is said the Pharisees would pray that no Samaritans would be raised at the resurrection. And later in the Gospel of John, we will see the Jews insult Jesus by calling Him a Samaritan with a demon (John 8:48).

But Jesus, a man on a mission, the Son of God come to reveal and declare the glory of the Father, broke through the established boundary lines of His day and offered this woman an eternal gift - the gift of living water.

John 4:11-12
"The woman said to Him, 'Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?'"

Jesus had appealed to her curiosity by speaking of living water, but as was the case with Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman completely missed the Spiritual implications and focused purely on the realm of the physical. To her, living water meant water from a moving stream - water which was almost always superior to the water of a stagnant well. And if this Rabbi could produce living water, she was interested.

However, this must be a weak offer because she sees Jesus without anything which would hold water. So she proceeds to question His sincerity, "Are you greater than our father Jacob...?" This was a question with an implied answer of no, and was also used to establish the Samaritan claim to Jewish ancestry - a "Who do you think you are?" type of question.

Having eyes which are focused on the physical keeps so many people from responding to the call of Christ. Many people in the world are focused on simply trying to survive, wondering when their next meal will arrive. But many others are so entangled in their "stuff" that any thought of Spiritual matters have been pushed far, far away. They may attend church every week, maybe even read the bible - maybe even study! - but the Word of God has no impact on their life! "He who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful" (Matthew 13:22).

We must not allow our physical circumstances to consume, control, or define our life. We are called to a life in Christ - a life of eternal joy which has nothing to do with the comforts of this world. Let's begin the process of untangling our life so we can receive His gift and truly drink.