by Martha June

I love water, and I drink it frequently. I like it hot, and I like it cold; even lukewarm water does not bug me. Maybe it’s because I am dehydrated, or I am just in a constant state of thirst (or perhaps both). Regardless, I find myself at some sort of water source frequently. So did the women we see in John chapter 4, famously known as The Woman at the Well. (John 4:7). I have found this story both the source of a challenge and encouragement over the past year.

The story begins with Jesus, weary, sitting by a well.

“So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus wearied as he was from his journey was sitting beside the well…”

I love that the Bible points out that Jesus was tired. I also love that it shows his every move is deliberate; even in his humanity, Jesus was strategic. Including where he chose to quench His thirst. Shortly after he arrives, a woman comes. Jesus asks her for a drink of water (John 4:9). She responds, shocked. And “Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” (John 4:10). In other words, the well she was drinking from was stagnant. And He knew a better well. He was the better well.

Jesus pointed out that water, considered the life source of all humanity, was not enough for her. And this well could not provide the woman with the life she sought. If you’ve read the story, you know Jesus called out two “wells” to this woman that would never satisfy her. One was relationships; the other was religion; Jesus simply said, “Come to me for this living water.” So I ask you, what well are you drawing your life from? Is it relationships? Empty religion? Something entirely different? I’ve drawn from the well of friendships, bible studies, food, work, and social media. And every time, I find myself empty, stagnant, and void of life.

If you have found yourself drawing from a stagnant well, Jesus asks you to come to Him. Not out of shame or obligation, but because he created you to be satisfied by Him and Him alone. He alone knows the depths of you; he alone knows what you need. And coming to Him will alter your life. Like it did this woman. My favorite part of this story is this verse, “So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, ‘Come see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” (John 4:28-29) Christs’ living water, His spirit, quenched the woman’s thirst. She left the old well of religion and relationships without the water from that stagnant well. She found her fulfillment in Jesus. Not only that, but the living water she found in Christ energized her to tell her entire village about the savior of the world.

As Christians, it can be easy to fall into the trap of saying we don’t need Jesus daily because we already have his Spirit. And while we do, I think Jesus chose water as his illustration to show us tangibly how essential this living water is. It’s crucial, just as physical water. So what is stopping you from going to this well every day? This living water is a gift. The Bible is a gift; the presence of God is a gift. We can go to the Lord directly, because our savior and mediator has paved the way. Christ is the water, a living moving gift that will overflow from your life into the lives of other people. A gift that keeps on giving. A well that won’t run dry, and a river always moving.

Will you go to the well every time you need a drink?

Sincerely,

MJ

P.S. yes, you read that correctly. I drink hot water, and love it!