There is a beautiful story in the Bible, that many of us are very familiar with. It is the story about Jesus meeting the woman at the well. This woman was a Samaritan. Jews had no dealings with Samaritans, in fact, they were hated by the Jews, probably even more than the Gentiles.
The rabbi’s would travel around Samaria to go north, although the distance would have been much shorter by traveling through Samaria. They went out of their way not to go through Samaria, because of their extreme dislike of the Samaritans.
Not so with Jesus, He came up from Judea, traveling towards Galilee which is north of Jerusalem. Jesus did not choose the longer route in order to avoid contact with the Samaritans. In fact, He had a divine appointment with that woman at the well. “But He needed to go through Samaria.” John 4:4.
Jesus knew exactly what He was doing, this divine appointment was foreordained and was God’s plan. Jesus arrived at the well around noon time i.e the sixth hour shortly before the woman would come to the well to draw water. It is interesting that the woman was all by herself, normally the women would come early in the morning to draw the water. Some believe that the woman came in the later part of the day because she was somewhat of an outcast in her village. As we learn later on in the story, she had several husbands and she was living with a man that she was not married to.
Why did Jesus go out of His way to meet this particular woman? Even she was baffled that a Jew would talk to her.
“Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? “Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, “but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:9-14.
At first the woman did not understand that Jesus was talking about spiritual things to her. At this point she had no idea that she was talking to the Messiah, the true and living God in the flesh. This woman had no idea that this encounter with Jesus would change her whole life and the life of many more Samaritans that came to faith because Jesus went out of His way to meet the women at the well.
What can we as believers learn from this story today? The religious leaders of Jesus’ days would go out of their way no to come in contact with the sinners and avoid them at all cost. What about us? Are we willing to go out of our way to meet sinners, those who do not yet know Jesus? Or are we more comfortable living in a Christian bubble, no contact with those outside the church? I wonder how many divine appointments we may have missed. Jesus went out of His way many times, in fact He sought out the sinners and even dinned with them. He cared about those who were lost.
Should we not have the same heart as Jesus did, telling people about Jesus and the promises of God that can change many peoples lives? Our testimony as believers and the love of God can change the heart of many, if we are willing to go out of our ways and to meet people like the woman at the well. Because of Jesus’ testimony about Himself to the woman at the well, many people of that city believed in Him and were saved. Salvation had come to them because Jesus was willing to go out of His way.
I pray that we have the same urgency and compassion that Jesus had. What the world needs is Jesus. The world needs to know about Jesus, not religion but the forgiveness, salvation and eternal life that God promised to all those that believe by faith. A loving relationship with the living God. Let us be the messengers of light to a lost people and a hopeless world.
“But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” that is, the word of faith which we preach: that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:8, 9, 13-15, 17.
Amen Don,unfortunately many believers live in a bubble, a “Christian bubble”. Jesus went out of his ways to meet the sinners and minister to them. Most unsaved people are not in the churches but outside, in places many don’t want to go. How will they get the good news of forgiveness and salvation if no one is going outside their bubble and proclaim it? I pray that you, myself and many others will have divine appointments, to meet people like the woman at the well.
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Lord, give me Your heart for sinners. I do not want to miss divine appointments by staying in my comfort bubble.
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Amen, that He is.
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Woman at the well is one of my favorite teachings in the bible. Jesus is so awesome.
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Listen, Freddy, the Lord gave me this message the other night, and He has told me to share it. From time to time, He uses me for things like this..and so I’m doing what He has said to do. Please reveiw it and then pass it on, reblog, whatever, after you have prayed over it. Thanks.
http://lynleahz.com/2012/07/01/an-urgent-prophetic-warning-from-god-given-me-june-29-2012/
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I have had the privilege of going out on 143 evangelism outreaches in the last three-and-a-half years with Faith Assembly of Orlando, FL’s team. It has been a blessing to see what God has done. Great message in this post!
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oh that woman with many husband, who probably went to the well on that hour to avoid the gossipers and being condemned, only to meet the perfect man!
the imperfect woman now turned evangelist, told Jesus to the entire neighborhood
oh what grace does to us sinners.
lovin’ your post freddie 🙂
– grace and peace
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Hey Freddy! You better come visit me at my blog, you stinker (hugs). This is a wonderful topic. Thanks for sharing, hon.
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Thank you for sharing. It’s a well done documentary. There is a Jewish belief that the word of God has 70 layers of truth. This film although well intended, uncovered maybe the first two layers. There are in my opinion deeper spiritual meanings to the word and what Jesus said a did in His short ministry here on earth. Many people look just at the surface of things, but never explore the immeasurable depth of God’s word. I’m not saying that I have a deeper understanding per say, but some of the stories shown in this documentary have a deeper meaning e.g the wedding at Cana and the fruitless olive tree. In other words, there is more to the story than the first or second layer.
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Thank you my dear sister, I hope that you are doing well. Many blessings.
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Thank you Brother James, wishing you a blessed day.
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Excellent commentary. There is much depth in wisdom in this story that is usually missed.
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Life & Time Of Jesus Christ is a fabulous documentary that I watched today on http://topdocumentarystream.com/the-life-times-of-jesus-christ/ Interesting!
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Wonderful post!
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Awesome Larry, there are many other songs from the past that were taken from scriptures e.g the Birds, Supertramp etc. God’s word is proclaimed even in secular music and it will not return void. Have a blessed Sunday.
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Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul, and Mary wrote a song entitled “Jesus Met the Woman at the Well.” Although I was an agnostic at the time, it was a song I listened to over and over again. It wasn’t until later that I realized the story was taken out of scripture.
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