The spiritual need of mankind is evident. This is a familiar story of the woman at the well as Jesus revealed himself to her. He went to every part of Galilee during his ministry. On this particular day he felt it needful to go through Samaria. This part of Galilee was not on good terms with the rest of the Jews. During the reign of the kings there was a lot of intermarriage with other nations. The Samaritans came from this mix of race and culture. They felt the Messiah was promised to them as much as the other Jews felt he was to them. The truth is that Jesus came to be the Messiah for the Samaritans and Gentiles as well the Jews. We fit in here because a Gentile is any non-Jewish bloodline.
However, as far as the Jews were concerned the Samaritans were the last of the line when it came to Jesus. You may feel you’re in last place as far as your chances with the Lord are concerned. Jesus put us all at the head of the line. Anyone can be saved. Salvation won’t come by religion or ceremony; it is through Jesus Christ.
At the hottest part of the day Jesus sat on the well. The disciples went into town to buy food. The Samaritan woman came to get water. Jesus asked her for a drink. She debated with him about the well, water, and the Messiah. His goal was to set her straight. The conversation takes place in John 4.
Woman of Samaria
- How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
Jesus
- If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Woman of Samaria
- Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
Jesus
- Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Picture it with me. This woman, hot and dusty, goes to the well. This is what Jesus saw, but he also saw into her being. He saw her past. He saw her need. She knew the history of Jews and Samaritans and her first question was why Jesus (a Jew) would ask her for water. Jesus told her that if she only realized who he was she would ask him for water. His water was very different from her water. His was living water.
She didn’t think Jesus could help her because he didn’t have a bucket to draw his water. That’s our mistake. We feel Jesus is not enough. Surely it’s not enough to believe Jesus died for sins. Surely it’s not enough to ask him to forgive us. There has to be more to it. Wrong. Jesus is enough! We don’t need a bucket or another well. The world has lots of wells to offer, but they only satisfy temporarily. They will not satisfy the soul. Jesus told her his water would quench her real thirst. His water turns into a spring of water of eternal life. The problems of your soul cannot be solved by human means. They can’t be solved by religious means. We have a life. We have a past. We have now. What condition is the well of your soul in right now?
This woman came to the well every day. The water helped for a little while. Inside each of us is a thirst that seeks happiness, and it can’t be quenched but one way. This woman had five husbands and was living with a man then. She had a messed up life. Her needs were great. She is the illustration of a searching life. If you’re looking for some person or some thing or some possession to give you peace, you won’t find it. Drop your bucket anywhere you want, but know that in a little while the thirst will be back. You may excuse your sin. Society may call it by another name and pat you on the back. What does God say? This woman had gone through the rituals of religion. She looked toward the mountain and prayed. On this day he met Jesus. Until we drop our buckets into him, we will continue to thirst.
Jesus is here today. Recognize him. Listen to his voice. He drank the cup of our wickedness—your cup, your sins—on the cross of Calvary. He is the gift of God. Our life well is deep, but Jesus doesn’t need a bucket. He is the bucket. When the woman realized who Jesus was, she sat her bucket down. She believed him.
Come to Jesus just as you are. No matter what you think your soul looks like, Jesus can purify and quench the thirst in your soul. All you need to do is trust him. When you take Jesus as Savior, your sins are forgiven. You don’t get a drink of water, you get THE WATER.
This old gal’s life was fixed. She could face the day. You can too if you let Jesus satisfy the thirst of your soul.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 