The Woman at the Well

What barriers have you faced, or are still facing, that make it hard for you to fully embrace the life-giving faith that Jesus offers you?

John 4:1-42

You too can have a transformative encounter with Jesus, and have your thirst quenched forever.

One of the most well-known stories in the Gospel of John is the Samaritan woman’s conversation with Jesus at the well recorded in John 4:1-42. What this woman thought would be a typical day as she went to draw water from Jacob’s well turned out to be anything but typical!

Jesus could have taken the longer route to get back to Galilee which avoided travelling through Samaria. This was the route most Jews chose for it was well known just how much animosity there was between the Jews and the Samaritans. But, on this occasion, Jesus had to go through Samaria (John 4). It would appear He had a divine appointment to keep!

And as Jesus conversed with the Samaritan woman, who had come to draw water, unusually in the hottest part of the day, it was clear that the religious, social and relational barriers she had faced daily had left her with a deep thirst. But rather than run away from Jesus, the Samaritan woman chose to stay and converse with this man before her who told her everything she'd ever done and yet still graciously offered her living water that would quench her thirst forever!

Jesus didn’t use His intimate knowledge of the Samaritan woman against her. He saw the sin and shame that she was carrying, and the scars that she bore on her heart, and offered her redemption and a new way of living. And through her personal testimony, many others went on to receive the gift of salvation and a hope-filled future.

What barriers have you faced, or are still facing, that make it hard for you to fully embrace the life-giving faith that Jesus offers you?

Just like the Samaritan woman, you too can have a transformative encounter with Jesus, and have your thirst quenched forever.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Gwenda