John 4: 9
“The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?’ (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)”
Of all the ways that Jesus could have started a conversation with the woman at the well, it is hard to imagine one that would have had the same effect as asking for a drink of water. John’s parenthetical statement, “For Jews do not associate with Samaritans” speaks to a kind of cultural prejudice that was every bit as prevalent and strong as any we know today. Yet here is God, in the form of Jesus, asking one of his least worthy creations for a drink of water.
What do you suppose the woman was thinking or feeling? Was she bitter or angry about the cultural history of rejection by the Jews? Was there a touch of sarcasm in her reply to Jesus? Even so, there must have been a touch of curiosity in her response, too. Why would this Jew, obviously a teacher or rabbi by the clothes he wore, ask her for a drink?
Then there is the matter of his attitude. Jesus did not demand a drink, or order her to give him some water. She might have expected that from a Jew. Instead, Jesus broached her defenses with a simple, humble, question: “Will you give me a drink?”
Q: How does God’s approach to each of us individually resemble his approach to the woman at the well?
1.) He knows we are each unique individuals and seeks us out individually.
2.) God knows we are hopelessly dead in our sins and meets us where we are, as we are. He does not require we meet some unattainable standard of righteousness before He will approach us.
3.) It is a one on one encounter. God does not send another in His place. He delivers the truth to each person with authority.
4.) He comes to us humbly, speaking the truth in a way we ourselves conclude we are unrighteous, worthy of judgement.
5.) He delivers the truth to each in a way there can be no denying His revelation.
6.) He reveals to each the way out of our path to destruction, repentance and giving our hearts to Him as we humbly accept His sacrifice for our sins.
7.) God allows each person to exercise their free will regarding accepting or rejecting His gift for each of us.
8.) He equips and empowers each believer to His will as a believer.
Good points Ron. It’s interesting that the woman did nothing (no works) other to confessing guilty to the sins that Jesus kindly pointed out.
And God has made this available to everyone through Jesus!
Pretty amazing isn’t it Robster. Eternal life through Jesus is freely available to all, yet the majority will reject.
One of the points Ron hit,..He meets me where I am at and gives me the option to believe or not,..what a gracious God we have,..to be there for us when we fall on our faces with His hands wide open and to allow us to get right with Him,..I may have not been at Jacob’s well but I am certainly blessed that He has met me where I was when we met,..so grateful that He met me to and vise versa,..I am honored to be able to learn from such a teacher as Jesus,..for some reason He seems to keep popping up in a lot of my conversations with people in one way or the other,..for that I am grateful for His name to be glorified and a seed to be planted,..
Keep up the good work at proclaiming the gospel and making disciples baptizing them in the Name of The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit,..teaching or at least hinting around to the fact that we should obey what has been commanded, starting with loving God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and then loving others as I love myself,..not easy but God helps me get it done,..
God Bless you Brother John. It’s great to know we will be spending eternity together.
Thank you all for your comments today. As we study John together I continue to be deeply touched by our Lord’s compassion and love for his creation, and by all of your comments and insights. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts here.