A Spring of Living Water
Chapter 4 of the Gospel of John shares one of my favorite stories in the Bible. In this chapter, Jesus travels to a town called Sychar in Samaria, which was very unusual for Jews in this time. Jews abhorred the Samaritans, and would travel far out of their way to avoid stepping foot in Samaria. (For great background on the history of the Samaritans, click here.)
However, Jesus traveled to Sychar for a very specific purpose: to meet with an adulterous woman who needed Him. Jesus encounters this woman at a well and asks her for a drink. During this exchange, Jesus says, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
To fully understand what Jesus is saying here, we need to understand what it was like for the Samaritan woman to collect water at the well. Every day, she had to walk a great distance to the well to gather water for the day. Because of her sinful lifestyle, she had to go in the heat of the day (when there was no one else there) rather in the morning with the other women.
Furthermore, water in this time was not the crisp, chill, and clean water we are accustomed to in the 21st century. Water drawn from a well could be dirty, due to dust or other contaminates dropping in. It likely tasted stale from remaining stagnant in the well for a time, and it could run out during dry spells.
On the other hand, Jesus is promising a “spring of water.” A spring is ever flowing, replenishing itself day after day with refreshing, clean water. Jesus is not only promising everlasting water; He is promising better water.
All of us have a thirst in our souls. All too often people try to quench this thirst with the water the world offers, such as money, romantic love, prestige, entertainment, material things, food, or alcohol. But, none of these things will truly satisfy. They find themselves quickly dissatisfied, yet still craving more.
On the other hand, Jesus promises perfect water that meets our need immediately. It is the best water. Once we’ve tasted it, we will never want the world’s stale, dirty water again. Our thirst is completely satiated, creating fertile ground for the Holy Spirit to cultivate good fruit.
If you’ve never experienced Living Water by coming into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, I invite you reach out to me here. I would love to share with you how you can experience forgiveness of all your sins (past, present, and even the ones you haven’t committed yet) and eternal life through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ (not doing a bunch of religious stuff). I would be honored to help you find answers to your questions, and share with you how my life has been forever changed by His Living Water!
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN SUBSCRIBING TO FIND OUT WHEN A NEW BLOG OR PODCAST IS AVAILABLE, CLICK HERE!