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Jesus Offers Living Water

God continues to do things among His people. It may not be huge numbers. It may not be the kind of success people think. But the success is in the hearts of those who grow in the Lord Jesus Christ. Some of us will be criticized. Some of us will be cheered on. Either way, we stay the course.

And the course is this: we might have some flaws, we might have some talents, but it's all about the King. It's all about Jesus and what He's done for us. When He takes over your life, there's nothing else that satisfies. There's nothing else that satisfies.

Pictures of Jesus from John's Camera

The Gospel of John is an awesome camera roll, a photo album full of pictures of Jesus. As we continue to scroll through it, John chapter 4 presents us with a new snapshot: Jesus the Soul Winner. This is the account known as the woman at the well, and we'll cover the first 30 verses.

As we go through it, keep in mind how excited this woman was when she met Jesus and found salvation, and how that excitement would permeate her for the rest of her life. That's many of us.

The Passage: John 4:1-30

Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. And he had to pass through Samaria. 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. It was about the sixth hour.

A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 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." The woman said to him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock." Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water."

Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." 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 now have is not your husband. What you have said is true." The woman said to him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship." Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am he."

Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, "What do you seek?" or, "Why are you talking with her?" 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?" They went out of the town and were coming to him.

John 4:1-30

Jesus the Soul Winner

In John 4, Jesus is presented as the great soul winner. From Nathanael at the very beginning of His ministry (John 1:45-51) to the thief on the cross at the end of His earthly ministry (Luke 23:39-43), Jesus was simply bringing sinners unto Himself. He genuinely cared for the fallen and was willing to reach out to all who crossed His path, no matter what the cost was. This story is no exception, and once you understand a few things from that culture, it becomes even more powerful.

In these verses, we can watch Jesus doing that which He does best: bringing sinners, like you and me, to salvation. As we join Jesus while He speaks with this poor, lost, sinful woman, each of us should be taking a look at our own lives. If you are saved, let this be a cool reminder of how Jesus arrives in the lives of the whosoevers and the whoevers like us.

No Man Cared for My Soul

Some 3,000 years ago, David cried out:

"No man cared for my soul."

Psalm 142:4

You may feel that way today. You may think that no person on this earth truly cares about you or what happens to you. However, the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ, cares. In fact, He cared so much that He willingly left heaven and proved His love by dying for your sins on the cross.

So deep is this sacrifice, so deep is this substitute, that once you've tasted it, it's kind of offensive when people make Jesus out to be your buddy. "He gets us." No, it's much deeper than that.

"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Romans 5:8

As this passage unfolds, allow the Lord to speak to your heart, and then follow Jesus as He leads. He cares, and if you give Him the opportunity, He will show up.

Let's learn from the Savior's example. The whole Word of God, the whole Spirit of Christ, longs to teach us these things and longs to reach a lost world. Following His example in reaching the lost is far better than any program or course you can take. It really is. So let's go hang out with Jesus as He meets the woman at the well, and let's see the great soul winner.

Point One: The Meeting with the Sinful Woman (John 4:1-8)

In these opening verses, Jesus is shown in His compassion and His humility. While Jesus was God, He was still a man. He was still human, and He had the same kinds of trials and problems in life as we do. Here He demonstrates His care for the lost.

He Is Seen Walking

First of all, notice that Jesus is seen walking. This is evidence of His chosen station in life. Don't miss that. He could have afforded anything He ever wanted. He could have chosen to have all kinds of chariots and all kinds of different things. Instead, He chose to walk in the dust of the dusty trail right alongside the common man, as a common man. That's always been cool to me.

Jesus knows what we face in life. This is why He has such compassion for the lost.

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin."

Hebrews 4:15

He Is Seen as a Willing Savior

Verse 4 declares that Jesus "had to pass through Samaria." Most Jews went dozens of miles out of their way to avoid going through the land of the Samaritans. So great was their prejudice and their hatred of these people, who were a mixed race of Jews and Gentiles.

It was these very people that James and John, elsewhere in Scripture, asked Jesus if they could call fire down from heaven to consume (Luke 9:54). Jesus nicknamed those two the Sons of Thunder (Mark 3:17). You could spend a long time explaining how much these people hated each other. It was extreme.

Jesus, however, was unaffected by the prejudice of the Jews. There was a woman who was going to be called to salvation, and Jesus was determined to see that she had the opportunity to be saved. If you get your mind around what's going on here, you'll realize that you too can be saved. And many of us who are saved know it was a long shot, but here we are.

Jesus loved them, and we are now commanded to love them as well. If Jesus would reach out to the most hated people of His day, then it is up to us, His children, to tear down every wall of prejudice and reach people regardless of where they are or where they come from.

Notice that Jesus was willing to go out of His way to reach this poor lost woman. It teaches us that regardless of where we go, God can still reach out and touch lives, especially our lives, regardless of where we are. Just ask Jonah (Jonah 1-2). Or how about David? He states this great fact:

"Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me."

Psalm 139:7-10

He's always there. He's omnipresent.

He Is Seen Tired

Next, notice that Jesus was tired. This demonstrates His humanity. As God, Jesus never tired, but as a man, He was prone to the same physical weaknesses that we all are. It is no coincidence that Jesus was worn out right now. He was on a mission, and Jesus was always on a mission. That mission is clearly stated:

"For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."

Luke 19:10

He Is Seen Waiting

He's walking. He's weary. He's tired. He sits down by the well. The disciples go off to get food, and Jesus is seen just kind of hanging out, lingering here, waiting for the woman to come His way. He knew she was on her way. He had a wonderful gift He wanted to give her, and she never thought of meeting a Jewish rabbi at the well. That was not even going to cross her mind in the world she was living in. But Jesus knew she was coming, and He patiently waited for one more sheep.

Along the way of life, Jesus positions Himself directly in our pathway. You've seen it. I know you have. We cruise through life without much thought of God or His plans at times, and then out of the blue, Jesus is there, right in our focus. Right in our faces. Right there up in our grill. He establishes these crossroads in our lives to bring us to salvation, and I thank God for those strategic crossroads in my life.

The Woman Came Alone at Noon

According to verse 6, it was about the sixth hour. What does that mean? According to the Jewish clock, this would have been around noon. Jacob's well was a half mile from the village. For the woman to be drawing water at this hour would be an unusual occurrence.

Normally, the women from the villages would gather together early in the morning, when the day was still cool. They would go to the well together and catch up on the gossip of the day, spending time talking to their friends. So it seems the other women of the village would have nothing to do with her. Five marriages and a live-in is probably a telltale sign. She probably came to the well alone to avoid the insults and the attacks from the other women. The reason for this is evident in verses 16 through 18. She was hated even by her own people.

A Social Outcast and a Spiritual Outcast

In reality, this lady is no different than any other sinner who has ever walked upon the face of the earth. Like all sinners, she had problems far removed from just being a social outcast. The problem all sinners face is that we are estranged from God. The Bible makes it crystal clear that it is our sin that stands between us and a relationship with the Lord.

"But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear."

Isaiah 59:2

It was bad to be a social outcast, but she was a spiritual outcast as well. Think about that for a second. If you have never received Jesus as your personal Savior, then you too, like this woman, are lost and undone without the Lord, and you need to be saved by the grace of God. Until you come to Jesus, you will be an outcast spiritually from God.

That's what makes it so hard for some of us who recognize we were outcasts. When Jesus welcomes us in, it's such joy, but a lot of times we're looking over our shoulder: "Do we really deserve to be here?" I thank God for the reconciliation that is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. He bridges the gap between a holy God, who cannot be around sinful man, and us.

"There is but one God, and there is one mediator between God and man, that is the man Christ Jesus."

1 Timothy 2:5

It Always Comes Down to You and Him

Keep your picture around the scene now. Notice that it is just Jesus and the woman. All distractions have been removed. None of her five ex-husbands are present. Her live-in is nowhere to be found. None of the women who so intensely hated her and her lifestyle are to be found here. It is just her and Jesus.

Ultimately, it always comes down to just you and Him. In the final analysis, it isn't going to matter what you did in life, who you impressed, or who you offended. What will finally be of importance is what you did with Jesus. That's it.

The ultimate question of life is this: "What think ye of Christ?" (Matthew 22:42). That question determines whether your name is in the Book of Life or not. In the end, all that will matter is what you did with Jesus when you had the opportunity.

As you look back over the days of your life, how many times have you been brought face to face with the Lord Jesus Christ? How many times has a person decided to say no to His call? And this question must be answered: how many more times will He call the person who keeps saying no? Because the more you say no, the more you harden your heart.

God gives us a great example of this in the book of Exodus. Pharaoh hardened his heart (Exodus 8:15). Pharaoh hardened his heart over and over (Exodus 8:32). Then finally, what does it say? God hardened Pharaoh's heart (Exodus 9:12). And when God did that, his cork was sunk.

It's simple and it's hard at the same time. If Jesus is trying to get your attention and wants to save your soul, do not put Him off. Don't harden your heart.

Those of us who are saved by the grace of Jesus Christ, let's celebrate and simply be obedient, doing the work we're called to in spite of our flaws, in spite of our talents, in spite of anything. Do what you can with what God's given you.

Point Two: The Discussion with the Sinful Woman (John 4:9-26)

During the time Jesus conversed with this woman, they talked about several things. Jesus is seen here patiently leading this woman to a place of salvation. That's what's going on. So listen in and observe their conversation.

They Talked of Wells (Verses 9-12)

Jesus asked her for a drink, and as verse 11 points out, He had no means to draw water. She responded with amazement that a Jew would ask for a drink from a woman, much less a Samaritan woman. It was considered inappropriate for a rabbi to speak to a woman in public.

Then Jesus offered her something incredibly cool. He offered her a drink of living water. And what did she do? She did what a lot of us do. We confuse the spiritual and the physical, straight up. Salvation is not a transaction that can be explained in human terms. It's a spiritual transaction. At this point she wasn't ready for salvation. She was even a little sarcastic. But Jesus was taking her in that direction. Do you see it?

While other rabbis would never have spoken to this woman at the well, Jesus was not afraid of any social stigma, nor did He care for the common religious practice. Jesus was just going to be stone-cold honest. And how many of us, when we're stone-cold honest, find out that our culture gets a little sarcastic toward us? Jesus was willing to reach out to her in an effort to win her, despite the personal cost to Himself.

That's a huge lesson for us as Christians. We are to reach beyond all man-made barriers, to be faithful to our calling, and to work together to share the gospel and make His name great any way we can. That way God will bring the lost to Himself.

So then, what the lost do with Jesus isn't up to us. It's not up to us to close the deal. It becomes His deal with them. We are faithful and do what we do, and then God is the one who brings the sinner to Himself. If you win somebody to Christ through an argument, that person will leave their salvation on the floor over an argument as well. It's a spiritual deal sealed by God Himself.

They Talked of Water (Verses 13-15)

Jesus told her she could drink from Jacob's well every day, and she was still going to get thirsty and have to come back and draw again. This is supported by two verbs in two different verses that have different tenses. Check this out:

• Verse 13: The verb drinks is in the present tense. It implies a continual, ongoing action.
• Verse 14: The verb drinks implies a one-time action that has ongoing results into the future.

To simplify this, Jesus was saying to this woman, "You can drink all you want from Jacob's well, and you're still going to get thirsty. However, I can give you a drink of living water, and you'll be satisfied forever."

That's the nature of salvation, isn't it? You can drink the pleasures of this world like this poor woman did, and you'll still have to keep finding more and more ways to satisfy yourself. However, one trip to the fountain of living water forever satisfies the thirsty soul, because it's done. It's finished. It's locked. Coming to Jesus will forever meet the needs of the life and of the heart.

There's nothing that promises us an easy ride here on this planet or that things are going to get better. God's sovereignty still reigns. But we hold on to the one piece we know is true: our soul has been satisfied by living water that cannot be taken away from us.

They Talked of Brokenness and Sinfulness (Verses 16-19)

She was still confused. She was still mixing the physical and the spiritual, and still being a little sarcastic with Jesus. So, in an effort to awaken her spiritual need, Jesus plainly touched what must have been one of the sorest spots of this woman's life.

When you come to Jesus, you come broken. You recognize your sinfulness and your need of a Savior. If you just try to add Jesus to what you've got going on so you can be a better salesman, a better homemaker, or make a better jump shot, you're missing the point.

He pointed out her sinfulness, and I can imagine the guilt this woman must have lived with day after day. I think she was in constant turmoil because of her sins. Why do I say that? Because she was coming to the well at noon. I imagine her sins tormented her.

To some, it might seem cruel of the Lord to point all this out, as if He just dimed her out right there. But until sinners know they're lost, they don't have a desire to be found. Thus, conviction is of vital importance. Without it, I don't think people can truly be saved. I think we get a lot of false conversions when we play it the other way.

Note that God is not nearly as afraid of revealing your sins to you as you are of having them revealed. He will do whatever He has to do to bring you to repentance. Whether you agree with Jesus or not, His tactic got her attention, and now she was ready to admit that Jesus was someone special. In verse 19 she makes that connection: "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet."

They Talked of Worship (Verses 20-24)

Since they were on the topic of religion, the woman proceeded to show Jesus that she was no slacker in that area either. She'd been to Sunday school a time or two. She tried to start an argument about the proper place of worship.

Jesus simply ignored the jab and told her that true worship is never found in external rituals as substitutes for God. It can only be found in the spiritual worship of the Lord. That's a huge point, and I don't want you to miss it. Worship comes from His indwelling Spirit.

There are billions who give themselves to external forms of worship today in an effort to get close to the Lord, and these things will never work. At best, they'll give you a little emotional high for 10 seconds. It's not real. Worship is not some ritual or form. Worship is a state of the heart that exalts a great God.

Even in our singing, sometimes in the very same song, it can be beautiful for a minute, and then we're just mumbling around. It's still glorious. It's glorious to be gathered with God's people in a small building. It would be glorious to be in a cathedral with 20,000 people too, but not better. Do you follow? The heart exalts a great God, and we become so little.

It's just like this: as long as I get to be in the room, that's enough. At the big wedding feast, I get a little piece of cake. I don't need the whole cake. I just want a little piece. I'm lucky to be there. As are many of you.

We don't need anything but His Spirit and a willingness to give glory to our God. That's the point. And because of that, He has a covenant with us as our substitute: while we were yet sinners, He saved us. And then we covenant together to live for Him.

They Talked of Wisdom (Verses 25-26)

Now she displayed an openness to the words of Jesus. She revealed that she was concerned about salvation and about the things of God: "I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things." Do you see it?

Then Jesus simply revealed Himself as the supply she needed: "I who speak to you am he." This is what He does for every single sinner.

• He doesn't come to you as a judge to condemn you. He never condemned this woman.
• He doesn't come as a bully to force you to come to Him.
• He doesn't come as a buffet table, offering you many choices of what salvation is going to be true for you.

No. He simply comes as the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6), and offers Himself to all of us as the only way of salvation.

To understand and grasp this truth is the purest form of wisdom known to man. It's at its absolute purest. In these verses, Jesus gave this woman all she needed to make a decision about her salvation. You could stop at this point, and if you don't know Jesus, you would have enough information to come to Him and be saved. But if you do know Him, this is the point where you should have a deep joy that you are soundly saved.

Point Three: The Conversion of the Sinful Woman (John 4:27-30)

Now let's see what she did with what she learned, and how we can do the very same thing if we're lost, or celebrate what we've already done if we have salvation.

It Was Immediate

In the first part of verse 28, as soon as Jesus revealed Himself to her, she responded in faith, and her salvation was instantaneous. There's no mourner's bench. There's no praying the sinner's prayer. There's no holding on. There's no 12-step program. She trusted Jesus in her convicted, sinful state, and she was instantly redeemed.

It will work, or has worked, the same for us as well. When a sinner comes to Jesus and places their faith in Christ, the transformation is immediate. We are immediately changed from a dead, lost sinner into an eternally alive child of God.

It Was Transforming

And what a change took place. It was incredible. In her excitement, she ran off and forgot all about why she even went to the well. She just left her water pot behind and took off for the city. She forgot the plans and the pull of the old life. She came to the well for physical water and discovered spiritual water, and now she was so jacked she took off running to tell others. When she met Jesus, her life was forever changed.

That is how salvation works. When the sinner comes to Christ, an immediate transformation takes place. It goes far deeper than just getting our souls saved. We are changed in our totality. Why do I say that?

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

2 Corinthians 5:17

So complete is this that we are actually called new creatures. Do you remember the story of Zacchaeus? He climbed the tree to see Jesus, and when he came down, his whole life was changed (Luke 19:1-10).

It Was Compelling

She ran to the city to tell others about this man she had met. She felt compelled to tell others about the salvation she had just experienced. So what will salvation do? It gives you a message that you want to share and a heart to share it. How you do that doesn't matter. God will create creative ways in you to find a way. Once you've been delivered from death and hell, you want to help others find their way out of that sin as well. You just do.

Why She Went to the Men

Have you ever wondered why she went to tell the men of the village? Think about it. She knew them better. After all, the other women wouldn't even go with her to the well. Why would she go talk to them about religious matters? The men, on the other hand, knew this woman and could probably see the change in her character.

For whatever reason, the fact remains that she was an instrument used of the Lord to bring many to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Just read the rest of the chapter and see what happens (John 4:39-42). While sinners don't get saved by our witness, God can take our words and work His conviction in the hearts of people.

The Difference Jesus Makes

What was it that took this woman from being a hardened sinner, dead to spiritual things, and transformed her into a powerful witness for the Lord? It can be summed up in one word: Jesus. He makes the difference in any life He touches, and we cannot quantify that with words. The difference is so immense that those of us who have tasted it can't explain it.

A Taste of Grandma's Cookies

I want to explain to you the joy of eating one of my grandma's chocolate chip cookies. She passed away in 1993, almost 33 years ago, and I can still taste them. I can explain it to you. I can tell you the ingredients. I can point out everything, and you can have a knowledge of that cookie. But until you've tasted it, you don't know what I'm talking about.

When Jesus touches a life, He makes that kind of difference. Has He touched yours? Has He redeemed you from your sin? If the answer is no, now is the time. But for many of us, the answer is yes. We know that Jesus has touched us. We have tasted Him. We have drunk the living water, and we know that it's good for all of eternity.

Walking It Out

That's why we gather: to honor Him, to make much of Him, and to worship Him. There is absolutely nothing more important than where you will spend eternity, and all of that rests upon what you decide, or have decided, about Jesus.

From there, the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7) becomes something we can walk out in the midst of our circumstances. That's called our sanctification process. It's staying in His Word. It's staying in communion with Him. It's lamenting to Him about the problems we face and praising Him for the joy we get. And it's always better to do it with true brothers and sisters who want the same thing: to make His name great and to come to Him any way we can.