Well-drawn or Spring-fed?

 

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.” (John 4:19-26 ESV).

 

We live in an area where it is necessary to drill a well and pump our water from one of the aquifers in our area. Often, I meet people who are not familiar with the difference between well water and spring water. Well water is drawn from an underground aquifer, while spring water flows naturally to the surface. Because well water is sourced from groundwater, it may contain more minerals than spring water. This can be a good or bad thing, depending on your needs. Our water is particularly full of minerals that necessitate the “softening” of the water. Most of the water in Israel during Jesus’ day was well-drawn.

 

Our reading today takes place at such a well. The picture I’ve attached is believed to be well known as Jacob’s well from this story. Of course, it was enshrined hundreds of years ago. We shall see some unusual imagery about water from this story.

 

Jesus reaches out to a Samaritan woman—and that is surprising because Jews did not usually associate with Samaritans. But Jesus’ purpose here, even though he was tired and thirsty, was to share the good news of eternal life so that more people could learn the truth about God, who loves them. Jesus asks the woman for a drink of water, and her first reaction is to say, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” And Jesus, the master teacher, gives a response that can sound in some ways like a riddle. He talks about “the gift of God” and something called “living water,” and he invites the woman to wonder “who it is that asks [her] for a drink.” He now certainly has her attention, and she is curious about this “living water,” where it comes from, and if it has anything to do with the water at the well.

 

So, Jesus explains that the water he is talking about is spiritual. He also says that it comes from him and that it will give people eternal life. The woman soon also learns that Jesus is the Messiah her people have been waiting for. And in amazement she rushes away to tell her townspeople, and many of them become believers (cf. John 4:28-30, 39-41)! This is the story for us today. Jesus still offers the water of eternal life to all of those who have become believers in Him! Neither spring water nor well water can give us that. It only comes from Jesus!