Digging Deeper: A Thirst Only Jesus Can Satisfy
7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” . . . 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”
John 4:7-12, 15 (ESV)
A THIRST ONLY JESUS CAN SATISFY
A woman comes to a well to draw water, unaware that her life is about to change. Jesus, as He often does, breaks from the cultural norms of the day. He—a Rabbi—initiates a conversation in public with a woman (v. 7), something a self-respecting Jewish Rabbi would never do. I am sure the woman was taken aback at first, but her response to Jesus signifies her willingness to engage with this stranger. She knows the long history of disdain that Jews have for her people; nevertheless, she continues the conversation. She senses that the man speaking to her is no ordinary Jewish Rabbi.
Quite often, those who encountered Jesus interpreted His words through a temporal lens, while Jesus was speaking of the eternal. When the woman asks why Jesus would request a drink from her (v. 9), He redirects the conversation, beginning to open her eyes to who He is and what He has to offer (v. 10). However, she continues to misunderstand His meaning. She can only conceive of physical water, and her questions reflect that confusion. She notes that Jesus has no bucket with which to draw water and reminds Him that this well is special, built by Jacob. She knows of no other source of this living water (v. 12–13). Even after Jesus explains the true meaning of the living water He offers, she remains confused. She asks for the water, not as a pathway to eternity, but as a means to quench her thirst and relieve her from the daily burden of drawing water from the well.
Barclay’s Study Bible notes, “In every man there is this nameless unsatisfied longing; this vague discontent; this something lacking; this frustration.” The woman’s response is not unlike our own when we are thirsty—when things are not going our way, and we seek relief. We long for an ice-cold glass of water to soothe our parched throats, yet Jesus offers the only water that will truly satisfy. Even though the woman at the well is initially focused on her physical thirst, I believe her continued questioning reveals a deeper, spiritual thirst longing to be quenched. As we will see, Jesus is just beginning to transform her life.
Diggin Deeper (er):
Matthew 5:6; John 6:35; Revelation 7:16-17.
Phil Meade is a father of three, and grandfather of five. He has a Masters in Theological Studies from Liberty University, and lives in Acworth. He has led various small groups throughout his more than 20 years attending NorthStar Church. He recently retired after 33 years as a pilot for Delta Airlines.