Old Testament: Exodus 17:1-7
New Testament: Romans 5:1-11
Gospel: John 4:5-42
Psalm 95
“The Woman At The Well” from John 4:5-42
The woman at the well had been looking for a man who could fulfill the longing in her soul. She had five husbands and was living with boyfriend number six. She was the woman people whispered about as she walked down the street. So instead of going to the well with the other women, she got water at the hottest part of the day when she would be alone. Then she meets Jesus. When Jesus asks for a drink, she’s shocked that a Jewish man is even speaking to her. When Jesus says his water will never leave her thirsty, she thinks he’s talking about actual water and is willing to do almost anything to stop carrying a heavy water jar to and from the well.
But Jesus continues the conversation, wanting her to see that her real needs are spiritual not physical. When he asks the woman to get her husband, he is trying to help her recognize that her hunger will never be satisfied physically. Jesus exposes our sin, not to shame us with it, but to free us from it. Just look at the freedom the woman at the well experiences by the end of their conversation. The same woman who let shame dictate her schedule drops her water jar and runs toward the town. By leaving her water jar at the well, the woman symbolically leaves behind all the ways she’d tried to satisfy her soul before meeting Jesus. She had found living water, and she would not thirst again.
Tom Pachen
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