NEWS & THOUGHTS ARCHIVE

The Water of the Word

Evangelist Bob Sanders
March 1, 2008

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John 4:7-10 “There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.” 

Having a divine appointment with a Samaritan woman, Jesus took the more direct route from Judea to Galilee. Having arrived at to city of Sychar, Jesus sat down by one of Jacob’s wells while the disciples went into town to acquire food. The sun had rose high in the sky and almost all of those that needed water had come and went in the cool hours of the morning. Only those that were considered the outcasts of society came at such a time as this. It was not the righteous of Sychar that Jesus came to meet, but a woman corrupted by the sin of this world. What a blessed comforting truth to know that Jesus “came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mark 2:17). That means that He came for you and me; “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). 

It was not long before a woman of Samaria arrived at the well to draw water. Jesus broke the silence by asking her for a drink of water, “Give me to drink.” Jesus used the natural element of water to enlighten this woman to the supernatural life giving water of God’s Word.

The Revelation of the Water vs. 10

Jesus not only introduced the subject of water, but He began to reveal this divine water. The first thing that we notice is the revelation of the substance, “living water.” When she arrived at the well, this Samaritan woman did not even know that this water existed. Life had educated her to the need for this natural element called water and the hardships attached to acquiring it. But, it was not the natural aspect of life that Jesus was concerned with! Jesus had come to meet her spiritual needs and only “living water” could do that. What a glorious day when the deadness of man’s spirit is made aware of its spiritual needs and the only substance that can satisfy that need!  

Within the statement that Jesus made is the revelation of the source, If . . .  thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee.” It would be a miserable state to be made aware of your need and not be given directions to only source that could meet that need! The first thing that Jesus revealed is the person of that source, “he would have given thee.” The Lord Jesus Christ is the only source of this “living water.” While there may be multiple sources of natural water, a well, a river, or a spring; there is one and only one source of “living water.” In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Jesus also reveals the petition of that source, “have asked of him.” Just as Jesus asked her for the natural water, she must ask of Him, to receive the “living water.” James said, “ye have not, because ye ask not” (James 4:2). God said, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not” (Jeremiah 33:3). Jesus also given one of the most precious truths about this “living water”, the price of that source, “he would have given.” This “living water” was purchased for all men by the sacrificial death of the Lamb of God! Man has no ability to earn it or appropriate it! If you are to acquire it; it must be given to you by the one who purchased it; God Himself! 

The Samaritan woman discovered that she needed “living water” that came from but one source and it is freely given to those that will ask. 

The Rewards of the Water vs. 14

The Lord not only revealed to the Samaritan woman that she had a need for this water and where to acquire it, but the rewards of this water. There is one very important truth revealed in verse 14! There is the reward of consumption, “But whosoever drinketh of the water.” If the water is to meet the need, it must be consumed! Salvation is more than possessing the knowledge that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for the sin of man. It is not our possession of the truth, but the consumption of truth by faith. It is taking in of that truth that yields its rewards. Jesus told this Samaritan woman of the rewards of the content, “shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” This “living water” contains satisfaction and sufficiency. The spiritual thirst of man can only be satisfied by the “living water.” Many other wells and sources may be tried, but they will all leave the individual in the same despondent and unsatisfied state. But, once a man has taken a refreshing drink of this water, the well takes up residency in the individual. You no longer have to seek the source of satisfaction for the source now lives within you. 

The woman discovered that she needed this water and one drink would satisfy all her needs. 

The Request of the Water vs. 15

Having discovered the need as well as the source and sufficiency of meeting the need; the woman requested the “living water.” Her request reveals two needs that all men seek to be met. The first is refreshment, “that I thirst not.” While all men may not know what it is and how to satisfy the need, all men have a thirst that only the Living God can satisfy! Jesus said, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37-38). The second thing that she desired was rest, “neither come hither to draw.” She was wearied with the continual trips to the well and the labor of continually drawing of water that could not ultimately satisfy. All men desire a rest from the endless labors of life and that rest is only found in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).  

Did she get the water that she needed? I think there is evidence that she did. “The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city.” John 4:28 The question that we need to ask ourselves is; “Have we had a drink from the well of living water?”

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