Read John 4:1-54.
Think for a moment about the last time that you were really thirsty. Do you remember how desperate you were for a drink of water? Do you remember the relief you felt as you finally drank your water and your thirst was quenched? There is a problem, however. You can drink all of the water in the world, but you will eventually be thirsty again. Today, we will see that Jesus offers water that will never leave us thirsty. We are going to talk about a conversation He had with a woman about “living water” that would quench her thirst forever.
In John chapter four, Jesus was in a town called Samaria. Now, there is something you need to know about Samaria in order to fully understand this story. Samaria consisted of people who were not fully Jewish. Part of their heritage was foreign. Because of this, Jewish people saw Samaritans as unclean and impure. They did not associate with Samaritans. Many times, Jewish people would do everything they could to avoid passing through Samaria as they traveled. Now, back to our story!
Knowing what we know about Samaria, imagine the shock everyone must have felt seeing Jesus sitting down at a well talking with a Samaritan woman. He looked at her and asked her for water. She responded, saying that she was surprised that Jesus was asking a Samaritan woman for a drink. Then, Jesus spoke words to her that must have changed her life. “If you only knew the gift God has for you and Who you are speaking to, you would ask Me, and I would give you living water” (John 4:10). Naturally, she asked the question, “Where can I get this living water?” Jesus told her that anyone who drinks from His water would never thirst again. Naturally, she responded by saying, “Give me this water!” (verse 15).
After asking for water, Jesus said something strange. “Go and get your husband” (verse 16). Notice her response: “I don’t have a husband” (verse 17). Jesus was bringing up an area of pain because He confirmed that what she said was true. She currently had no husband but had had five husbands in the past (verse 18). We don’t know why she had had five husbands. It could have been because of divorce or because they had died. Whatever the case, she had a complicated past full of shame and grief. As Jesus brought up her past, I imagine that He brought it up with compassion and sadness for everything she had gone through.
As they continued their conversation, Jesus revealed to her that He was Christ, the one who had come to save people from their sins, disobedience toward God. Suddenly, this woman left her water jar, telling everyone about her encounter with Jesus. Because she told people in her village about Jesus, many of them came to believe in Him.
The Samaritan woman could not keep her faith to herself. She knew her story, and she told others about what Jesus had done in her life. As a follower of Jesus, you, too, are invited to tell your story to other people. Your story is simply the story about what God has done in your life. In order to tell others your story, it’s a good idea to have it written down so that you can tell your story well and explain it clearly. Take some time today to write down your story. Your story can include what your life was like before you started following Jesus, how you came to begin following Him, and what your life has been like since you started following Him. It does not have to be long and complicated. In fact, you should aim to tell your story in two minutes or less. Simply, tell your story of how Jesus changed your life.
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