exposure to living water

Meals with Jesus
Exposure to Living Water
John 4.1-.42

In the forth chapter of John Jesus moves his ministry from Judea back to Galilee (John 4.1-.3). In order to do this he has to go thru Samaria (John 4.4). Now Jews of this time usually took the long way and bypassed Samaria because of the racial tensions between the Samaritans and the Israelites. Jesus on the other hand takes the short cut thru Samaria because he had to. Why did he have to couldn’t he have taken the long way? No and the rest of the chapter answers the question.
On this journey he stops at a well near the city of Sychar while his disciples went into town to buy some food (John 4.4-.6 & .8). While he sits there, a woman walks up to the well to get some water. Jesus asks her for a drink (John 4.7). She answers with bitterness “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” John explains her responses by stating for his readers that Jews and Samaritan don’t associate with each other (John 4.9).
Jesus doesn’t really answer her question instead he does what he came to do in Samaria. “If you new the gift of God and who it that asks you for a drink, you would have ask him and he would have given you living water.” (John 4.10) This doesn’t answer her surface question but it answers questions and desires she has deep inside of her but she doesn’t realize that yet. Instead she wants to know if Jesus is greater than Jacob the patriarch who dug this well (John 4.11 & .12). His answer is yes but it is more complicated than that. “”Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4.13 - .14) Yes I am greater than Jacob because the water I give quenches the thirst of the soul forever giving you eternal live!
She wants this water but doesn’t realize that exposure to Living Water can be dangerous.
First, living water exposes out sins. (John 4.16-.18) She asks for the living water so she won’t have to come back to the well and Jesus tells her to get her husband. BAM! Sin is exposed she isn’t married to the man whom she is living with. Jesus knows this in fact he knows that the she has had 5 husbands.
Next the living water creates tension in her. (John 4.19 - .20) She knows that her sin has just been exposed and she just admitted to it. Now she is uncomfortable and isn’t sure if she really wants this living water. So she tries to change the subject and talk about who knows the truth Samaritans of Jews.
Jesus knowing that she is trying to dodge the living water tells her the truth. (John 4.21-24) The truth is salvation is coming from the Jews. The truth is a time is coming and has come when people will worship not on mountains or in temples but in spirit and truth.
The exposure of her sin, her tension and the truth has created in her a desire to know the messiah. (John 4.25) Jesus satisfies that desire by telling her the ultimate truth; that He is the Messiah, the Christ who will explain everything! (John 4.26)
Now she has the living water and wants to share it. So she runs into town and testifies to the living water. You can imagine the town’s people. Here is a woman admitting to sin and telling them she has found the Messiah. The power of her unchanged and testimony draws them out to meet Jesus. (John 4.28 - .30)
While she is in town the disciples show back up and offer Jesus food. But Jesus has also found satisfaction by revealing His Good News to a woman who desperately needed it. He did his father’s work, which fills our deepest hunger and need. (John 4.31 – .38)
The town’s people come out and meet Jesus and listened to his many words. Because of his teaching they come to believe for themselves. (John 4.39 -. 42) The living water has done its job to them; exposing sin, creating tension, revealing truth, creating desire, providing satisfaction and finally they now testify to the power and truth of the living water.
Have you let Jesus’ living water do it work on you? Has it exposed your sins? Has it created tension in your life? Have you see the truth is reveal? Have you felt the desire for the Messiah? Have you felt the satisfaction that comes from Jesus Christ? Have you testified to the truth and shared the living water with your neighbors?