I Thirst.
Return with me, if you will to the Gospel of John, specifically John 4. If you’ve missed the previous posts in the series, you can find them here and here.
In the last post, we observed the internal struggle of a woman from Samaria.
Why is this Jewish man at the well at Noon? Why is he talking to me?
He speaks of some “living water.” What does he mean? Is he greater than Jacob?
Now back to the text. Verses13-15.
Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”
Have you ever been thirsty? I mean, really thirsty? There are times in my life, for example, after exercise, working in the hot sun, etc., that I have believed I’m thirsty. But I don’t think that’s the thirst Jesus is speaking about. In fact, earlier in the chapter, he speaks of “living water.” It seems the water that Jesus speaks of is eternal. This is much different than any water with which I’m aware. That must be true for the woman as well. This is an entirely different concept of water.
As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. - Psalm 42.1-2
Jesus mentions this isn’t just water; it’s “a spring of water welling up.” Students of the Bible may recall earlier in John’s Gospel “life and light” (1.4) and “eternal life” (3.15). In other words, this is not the first time he has used words describing deep concepts. And it won’t be the last. Check out John 10.10. Jesus isn’t just offering life, but abundant life. It’s safe to say this “water” Jesus speaks of leads to action.
Let that sink in for a second.
Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet…”
Isn’t the Word of God good? What I mean is, in this narrative we see who Jesus is and who the Samaritan woman is. He’s willing to change her life for eternity. She’s interested but has to overcome some traditions she might hold dear. He’s patiently waiting for her to respond to his invitation. She’s not forthcoming with who she is, until Jesus tells her what he knows.
Sound familiar? If not, read the entire text again. In a sense, we are the woman.
We’re ashamed of our past. For that reason, we attempt to avoid others and just get through life. She was drawing water at a time she wanted desperately to be alone.
We’re limited by what we know. We place culture and traditions over that which is ultimately true. For the woman, she was taught about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But she thought them the penultimate. She might think she was thirsty, but Jesus would redefine what it meant to thirst.
The psalmists seemed to understand this kind of thirst.
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. - Psalm 63.1
Do you thirst?
A couple of quick notes:
1. I’m grateful that you read. Please encourage others to read what you find helpful. You can share The Meandering, restack a post, or comment (there’s something about algorithms). All of those would greatly help and encourage me.
I’m going to try something a bit new on Saturdays. So look for an email on the weekend that will give you an idea of how the week has transpired. T-48 hours.