John 4:11-14 - Living water

4:11

Even though we know what Jesus was talking about, the woman did not. We forget that without the work of the Holy Spirit our minds are blinded to the things of God. Someone can speak the truth but that is no guarantee that anyone will understand. However, we should also remember how this incident ends. The woman did believe, she did recognise who Jesus was. Even in working in our own lives there may be a significant time when we just don’t see what God is doing or saying, but He persists and at some point the light finally comes on.

The woman looked at the situation in a natural way and applied natural reasoning. The reasoning was fine, it was the presupposition that was wrong. The well that we think this incident occurred around was between 100 and 150 feet deep.

4:12

Remember that we said there was great animosity between Jews and Samaritans, and that the Samaritans were regarded as not proper Jews. However, the Samaritans still laid claim to having roots back to the earliest days of Israel.

The woman’s answer is implying that Jesus is thinking too highly of Himself. Similarly people will often think that claims we make for Jesus are making too much of Him.

4:13,14

Jesus now makes it plain that He is not talking about natural water. The water from the well would last for a time, but then a person would need more the next day. Now we don’t go to the well for water anymore, we just turn on a tap, but we do go to Jesus for practical needs: health, money etc. We need to be aware that these needs are not eternal, they are not what life is really about. Jesus has something far greater for us. Jesus gives us a water that if we drink it means we will never thirst. What does He mean? Well have you noticed that if we have a practical need, or some situation or circumstances that are causing us problems, we pray to God, He answers, but then a short while later we are worrying about something else? The satisfaction of that need or the resolution of that problem has not given you life. Now these things do matter (Matt 6:32), but they are not what defines our life (Matt 6:19-21,25,26), though they may try and deceive us into thinking they do (Matt 13:22). It is knowing Jesus that truly gives us life. Knowing Him that enables us to live. Moreover, it wells up within us, producing eternal life in us, and flowing out into other people’s lives as well.

Let us make sure we seek from Jesus the true living water.