John 4:1-39
Hi everyone!!
Lets have a look at John 4 today where Jesus meets with a Samaritan woman. He tells her “Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst – not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life” What a promise!!
It starts where Jesus is traveling with His disciples – its lunchtime, he’s hot, tired and needing a drink. The women is drawing water in the heat of the day, women’s work, tiring, thankless, invisible – – –
Jesus throws aside social and cultural conventions, as He tended to do, to offer this woman the water of eternal life – Himself. He offers her acceptance and inclusion and forgiveness – as a Samaritan woman with a questionable past it was a cup new to her – and He reveals to her that He is indeed the Messiah! Can you imagine that moment – no wonder she left her water pot behind – she runs off to tell everyone she knows all about the Messiah she has just met.
This is the bit that got me thinking – here is this women with nothing to recommend her and nothing really in her favour in life who goes off and tells everyone she can, that she has met Jesus. Amazing. She could have let so many things stop her – a sense of shame or inferiority or even her “socially improper” conversation with Jesus at the well the disciples had been so shocked about. (v27) But she didn’t!!! She was too excited – she had her eyes on the prize – the living water Jesus and nothing else mattered, not her past, not her mistakes, not her gender not social propriety!! Verse 39 says “Many of the Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “ He told me everything I ever did” No elaborate language, no religious arguments or discussion, she just shared what had happened to her and it was enough to change that community.
We can put ourselves in the picture – we don’t have to be fearful or second guess ourselves or try & be perfect or be something different or better than who we are right now in order to make a difference – doing that is a bit like drawing water in the heat of the day – hard, tiring work and we are thirsty again a little while later. He chose us! We can just be ourselves, live what Jesus has done for us and keep drinking from His Living Water.
For a little more – have a listen to this beautiful song by Christian artist Misty Edwards – this song was originally sung prophetically in the International House of Prayer in Kansas City in 2011. This is the shorter recorded version. A song from Jesus point of view. Just click on the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLYB0F4Uzeo
Have a wonderful day
Tracey xx