Devotional - John 4:11-26

Passage To Study:

John 4:11-26

[11] The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? [12] “Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” [13] Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, [14] “but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” [15] The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” [16] Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” [17] The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ [18] “for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” [19] The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. [20] “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” [21] Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. [22] “You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. [23] “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. [24] “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” [25] The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” [26] Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

What are the facts of the passage?:

The woman misunderstands the question and immediately turns to the antagonism between their two peoples.
Jesus' answer makes clear that He is not speaking of literal water. He tells her of water that satisfies permanently. He tells her of water that springs up and becomes a well of spiritual health within the soul.
The woman, quite naturally, wants what Jesus offers.
Jesus turns the conversation to her need to acknowledge and repent of her sin.
The woman perceives that Christ is a Prophet. She then tries to turn the conversation back to the religious dispute between the two peoples.
Christ tells her that, ultimately, those differences don't matter. What matters is that one be a true worshipper. He clarifies by emphasizing that true worshippers don't merely worship at an external place. They worship in spirit as well as in truth.
The woman makes one more attempt to put Christ off - she says the Messiah will soon come and then every thing will get straightened out.
Christ tells her, essentially, that this is exactly what first happened, He is the Messiah!

What do those facts mean?:

What we see here is a magnificent example of keeping a spiritual conversation on target. The woman continually tries to change the subject (not maliciously at least until her last response) and Christ patiently and consistently redirects her attention back to the real issue - her sin and need to repent and be saved.

Note also that she is finally reduced to admitting that she is really simply resisting the truth. It is interesting that this encounter is left unresolved.

How do those facts apply to my life?:

I need to learn to keep my witnessing conversations on target and not allow the conversation to be hijacked by the unredeemed.

What should I do in response?:

Be aware that this is the natural tendency of the unsaved. Build into my spiritual interactions with them this awareness and act on it when they behave as they will. I should try and graciously stick to the topic and see to it that I am presenting the truth. I need to resist getting pulled into useless arguments about things that don't matter.

Day

The Samaritan Woman (Part 2)