THE FOUNTAIN OF LIVING WATER

The unveiling of God’s Word is a priceless treasure and we should always yearn to learn more about our Lord and His plan for our salvation.   With that in mind, a study of scripture about Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well opens up a wonderful world of information and revelation.   Many of us have read this 4^th chapter of  The Gospel According to Saint John  many times, but this time we pray that the Word will come alive and we are enlightened in a spiritual fashion on this magnificent story of redemption.   So grab your bible, and please take the time to commit to reading the references as you join me in this excursion. If it takes more than one session, then so be it. I think you will find it worth the effort.

Let us begin with  Verses 1-3  which tells us that on a particular day Jesus was on a trip from Judea and headed to Galilee.  Verse 4  goes on to say “…He must needs go through Samaria.”    A basic knowledge of the geography of Israel is necessary to understand that for Jesus to travel directly from the region of Judea in the south, to the region of Galilee in the north, He had to go through the region of Samaria which was in between the two.   But taking the most expeditious route was not the real reason that Jesus needed to go through Samaria even though it is reported that Jews normally avoided this direction because of longstanding animosity with the Samaritans.   Without a doubt we know that His meeting with the woman at the well was not by chance, choice or careful consideration, but by divine predestination.   Our Lord had a mission to accomplish on behalf of His Heavenly Father even though He was on His way to another location.   

But that is what Jesus does.   He doesn’t neglect the needs of one to attend to the needs of another.   He is the ultimate multi-tasker and is in no way limited from graciously dispensing His mighty power to all He comes into contact with even while on His way somewhere else.   Just like He stopped to heal the woman with the issue of blood on His way to the synagogue ruler Jairus’ house to resurrect his dead daughter. Or like when He stopped in Jericho to restore sight to blind Bartimaeus and to dine with the sinner Zaccheus and offer him life eternal as He was on His way to His triumphal entry into Jerusalem.   And just like these needy ones, Jesus is not too busy to stop by and provide for all of your needs at just the right time.   For me, He has done it time and time again.   How about you?

Nonetheless, let us go back to Jesus’ journey to Galilee where He would perform the 2nd miracle of His public ministry in the city of Cana.  This is the same place of His 1st public miracle where He turned water into wine at a wedding feast. Measuring the distance from Jerusalem (in Judea)  to Cana (in Galilee)  was approximately 70 miles. And since a day’s journey was estimated to be approximately 25 miles, it was most likely that this trip would have taken 3 or more days.   Just remember that planes, trains and automobiles did not exist at that time so to move from one place to another over the landscape required animal or people power, with the exception of wind-powered sails for sea travel.   So if you weren’t in a boat or a cart or on the back of a mule, horse or camel, the most popular mode of transportation was walking.

Verse 5  records His arrival in the city of Samaria which rightfully belonged to the Jews because it was an inheritance passed down from Jacob to his son Joseph.  (See Gen 33: 18-19 and Josh 24: 32)   The water well spoken of in Verse 6 was in the city of Sychar (also called Shechem) which was approximately 35 miles from Jerusalem.  Therefore, Jesus most likely had been travelling for more than a day so when He arrived at the sixth hour (noon) on the second day He was, as expected, tired.  This verse emphasizes Jesus’ humanity by showing that He was subject to all of the carnal conditions that we are.  When He was thirsty, He wanted a drink.  (John 19: 28)    When He went without food, He was hungry. (Matt 4: 2)   When He was sad or moved, He wept.  (John 11: 32-35)   When faced with the prospect of physical torture, He was apprehensive.  (Mark 14: 34-36)    

But most importantly of all was when He suffered on the cross in our place, He was not shielded from any of the pain.   He was emotionally abused by His own disciples who deserted Him, and psychologically terrorized by those who wrongfully had placed Him under arrest.   He felt every cruel slap and punch to His face and body.   He was hurt badly by the sting of the sharp thorns that penetrated into His head as they beat Him over the skull with a stick.   He endured the horror of a savage whipping which ripped the flesh from His back and spilled His precious blood.   He fully experienced the unbearable agony of having spikes mercilessly driven through His hands and feet.  And finally, He was ruthlessly left to hang and suffer the excruciation of a slow suffocation as his tormentors watched in amusement.   Isaiah 53: 5 says it all,  “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.  The chastisement of our peace was upon Him and with His stripes we are healed.”

In Verses 7-9, Jesus encounters a woman who had come to the well to draw water. His disciples were not there because He needed to have a private, up close and personal conversation with her. He asked her for a drink to quench His thirst, but instead of offering hospitality, she immediately displayed hostility by saying,  “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.”   In other words she was saying, "WHAT ARE YOU ASKING ME FOR?"    Now, how many times have we had a similar response to someone who has asked us for help?    How many times have we reacted with hostility instead of hospitality to someone in need?    How often do we convince ourselves that  “IT AIN'T MY PROBLEM, ASK SOMEBODY ELSE.”   This verse, using metaphoric present-day automotive maintenance terms, is a very good dipstick to check the oil level of our love. Is the pan full, the fluid clean, the engine lubricated and running at peak efficiency?   Or is that bright red low oil light which warns us of occurring damage, and/or impending breakdown, lit up and staring us in the face?

As we continue to read, there are two questions that become very obvious:   (1)  How did the woman know Jesus was a Jew, and   (2) Why do the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans?   Even though they both were residents of Israel, she admitted and was obviously able to detect that there was more than just a gender difference between Jesus and herself.   And why would two fellow national citizens have such contempt for one another?   To answer both questions we’ll have to take an excursion through the history of Israel because in order to understand many of the things discussed in the New Testament, it is very important, as well as interesting to be able to relate to where they came from and how they got there.   So if you’re ready, let’s go!

We'll start with Noah’s Ark after "the great flood" where the area now called Israel was settled and named the "Land of Canaan" by Noah's grandson, Canaan.   Nearly 400 years later, God directed the patriarch Abraham, who lived in another country (present-day Turkiye or better known as Turkey), to leave his home and go live in this land of Canaan. (Genesis 12: 1 & 5) The “deed” to this land was then given to Abraham by God Himself in Genesis 13: 12-18.   So Abraham’s family occupied the land and multiplied through his son Isaac and then his grandson Jacob.   Jacob had 12 sons through whom the 12 tribes of Israel were named.  But Jacob displayed favorable treatment toward one of his young sons, Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers but later miraculously became the  #2 man of the most powerful nation on earth which at that time was Egypt.   

In time, because of famine, Joseph’s estranged family eventually left Canaan and went to live with him in Egypt where their population began to multiply rapidly. This frightened the Egyptians who eventually placed them in bondage.   Many years later, God used Moses to lead them out of Egypt back to Canaan but Moses didn’t make it all the way so God chose Joshua to lead the conquest of the land and return possession back to the Israelites.

The Jews then reoccupied the land of Canaan, but were sometimes disobedient to God.  As a result of their disobedience they were periodically assaulted by other nations.  Consequently, they would call on the Lord for help, so God provided several military, civic and spiritual leaders called Judges to deliver them.  Eventually, they didn’t want judges anymore but wanted a king to rule over them like other nations had, so they got what they asked for.   Saul of the tribe of Benjamin, was chosen as the first king of Israel and the capital was Gibeah. But due to Saul’s disobedience, a member of the tribe of Judah named David was chosen by God to replace Saul as king.   David went to a town called Jebus, conquered it and renamed it the City of David. It eventually became known as Jerusalem and was made the capital of Israel.  Of course, David’s son was Solomon who continued the reign, however, after Solomon died, civil strife caused the nation of Israel to split into two kingdoms, a northern kingdom which retained the name Israel but whose capital was changed to Shechem, and a southern kingdom which took the name of Judah but retained Jerusalem as its capital.

Hang in there! We're coming to a critical juncture!

The northern kingdom lasted approximately 200 years (to around 722 BC) going through 19 kings, virtually all of them evil in God’s eyes.  Through violent regime changes, the capital city was changed to Tirzah and then Samaria.  Finally, due to their disobedience, the northern Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the nation of Assyria.   After plundering the capital city, the Assyrians removed the people and took them to other lands and then repopulated the city of Samaria with people from other nations.  When the new inhabitants did things not pleasing to the Lord, He sent lions among them to kill them.  In fear of their lives, they sent for a captive Hebrew priest to teach them how to fear the Lord and although they tried to act like they were God’s children, they kept doing the things they wanted to do.

Judah (the southern Kingdom) went through 20 kings, most of which were evil, but a few which obeyed God.  Therefore, they lasted for almost another 150 years longer than Israel until around 586 BC, and once again, due to disobedience were conquered, this time by the nation of Babylon who destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the temple.  As with Samaria, the inhabitants of the capital city were taken captive, this time to Babylon.  All except the poorest of the poor.  God chose the poor people to be the ones who would maintain residence in His holy city and the land He promised to Abraham.

This situation existed until Persia came to power, conquering both Assyria and Babylon, and took over all of their possessions, including the land and people of Israel and Judah. Sometime afterwards, God caused Cyrus, the king of Persia, to allow them to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple that the Babylonians had destroyed.   As a result of King Cyrus’ decree, a 3-stage return to Israel began with Zerubbabel, continued with Ezra and concluded with Nehemiah.   Now it gets interesting as we come to the point where the animosity between the Samaritans and the Jews begins. 

Zerubbabel’s 1^st return was for the purpose of rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem.  When he got there and began the project, guess who came down and wanted to help.  If you said the Samaritans, you are right.    As far as the Samaritans were concerned, not only did they occupy Israel, but they had adopted the God of Israel as well.   But as you will remember, the foreigners who were placed in Samaria only half-heartedly served God.   They were claiming membership in the Jewish family, but the obedience which would have gained them admittance was absent.  Realizing this, Zerubbabel declined their offer of assistance.  This infuriated the Samaritans and they contacted the king and caused the rebuilding of the temple to cease.   But praise God, He later allowed the project to be completed.

After Ezra leads the 2^nd return, Nehemiah comes with the 3rd group and he is charged with rebuilding the walls of the city.  As this project began, guess who comes along to oppose it.   That’s right, the Samaritans.   Not only do they ridicule the project, they threaten to attack, they endeavor to discourage, attempt to extort, try to trick them into compromise, employ slander tactics and resort to treachery.   But even after all of this, their plans failed and the walls were rebuilt anyway.

So now we understand where the bitterness between the Jews and the Samaritans evolved from.  All of this occurred approximately 500 years before Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well, and as we see from her attitude, those feelings hadn’t changed in all that time.  But be that as it may, in Verse 10, Jesus breaks the cycle of hatred and doesn’t respond to her with the same ugliness, but His soft answer turns away her wrath.  In fact, Verse 11 shows how His loving offer of life turns her hostility into curiosity.

In Verse 12  a very interesting thing happens.   The woman questions Jesus' authority and claims membership in the Jewish family by stating that Jacob was her father.  She must have forgotten that she has already acknowledged she is not a full-fledged Jew, but a Samaritan.  And therein lies the truth.  The Samaritans were not original Jews, they were people who were brought from other lands to occupy that part of Israel.  And it didn’t matter if they married Jews, tried to act like Jews, dress like Jews and worship like Jews, they were not Jews.   And they did not qualify for family membership because of their disobedience starting with those original invaders which you can read about in 2 Kings 17: 20-41.  Jesus Himself verified their non-Jewish status when He sent His apostles to preach the gospel only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel which did not include the Gentiles nor the Samaritans at that time.  He said,  “Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”  (Matthew 10: 5-6)

As for us, we can act like those Samaritans sometimes.   We claim to be in God’s family but keep a foot in our previous life’s household.   We go through all the motions, say all the right things, but really there are areas in our lives where we are disobedient and have not rejected all of those things the Lord has directed us to reject, holding onto the things we want to do in spite of direction to the contrary.   It’s such a shame that we have a tendency to exclude ourselves from membership in God’s family by our own actions when it could be just as easy as it was with Ruth the Moabitess who gave up her pagan heritage to choose life with God, and whose faithfulness not only placed her in the family, but led her to become the great-grandmother of King David and in the direct lineage of Christ Himself! 

But back to the woman at the well.  In Verses 13-14 Jesus explains that the water He is offering is spiritual and supremely superior to the water she came to draw from the physical well. In Verse 15 her interest is piqued to the point where she wants this water right now. But though she still claims privilege through inheritance, Verses 16-18  reveal her true nature and whose child she truly was.    In this passage we see the wisdom and virtue flow out of Jesus and score a direct hit as the woman was compelled to admit in Verse 19  that He was undeniably someone very special.   Then in Verses 20-24,  Jesus completely destroys her old way of thinking and reveals the truth about who the real children of God are and what makes them His children.   And after all of this drama, she finally breaks down and confesses faith in a coming Messiah  (Verse 25),  not realizing Jesus was the prophesied Messiah that she believed in.   That is until the meek and lowly but high and holy Jesus humbly but powerfully introduces Himself to her in Verse 26  and changes her life. WOW!

At that very moment in Verse 27, Jesus’ disciples came upon them, and guess what?   They were just as amazed that Jesus was talking to this woman as she was when He had spoken to her.  And although they didn’t say anything, they still had a lot to learn.  In fact,  Luke 9: 51-56  tells us the story of Jesus when He was making His way to Jerusalem prior to His death, burial, resurrection and ascension.   His messengers went ahead to Samaria to make ready for Him on the trip but the Samaritans did not receive them so James and John asked Jesus if He wanted them to command fire to come down from heaven to consume them.  Looks like James and John were infected by the same hostile disease that afflicted the woman at the well.  Jesus rebuked them and let them know that He didn’t come to kill, but to save.  And whether they liked it or not, that offer of salvation extended even to the Samaritans!   They had to understand that being righteous is not where you are from, but whose child you are.

This is supported by two stories told by Jesus we are familiar with involving certain Samaritans.  The first is the one where a man is robbed, stripped, beaten and left for dead.  He is intentionally overlooked by a priest and then a Levite.  But a Samaritan had compassion on him and tended to his needs.  Jesus had just gotten through telling a lawyer that in order to obtain eternal life you had to love your neighbor.  Which of these people met that requirement?  Certainly not the priest or the Levite.

The second story is when Jesus healed 10 lepers,  and at least one was a Samaritan. Guess who was the only one to come back and thank Jesus for His mercy?  That’s right, the Samaritan.  Jesus told him that his faith had made him whole.  It doesn’t matter if you’re of the original vine or a grafted branch.  God is no respecter of persons and seeks such to worship Him!

Verses 28-30  tells us that the woman was so excited about what had happened to her that she left her water pot and went back to the city to tell others of her incredible encounter with Jesus, saying  “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did:  is not this the Christ?”   This prompted the Samaritans to come out of the city to see Who she was talking about.   And as this was happening, Jesus began schooling His disciples on their mission priorities in  Verses 31-38.  They didn’t realize that they were just as clueless as the woman when she thought Jesus was talking to her about natural water.   His own disciples were oblivious to the fact that He spoke to them of spiritual food, not natural food.    He was more than just the Fountain of Living Waters, He was also the Bread of Life.   And while He was informing them that His own spiritual nutrition and hydration needs were to fulfill the will of His Heavenly Father, He was also preparing them for carrying out the principles of the Great Commission which He would soon teach them after His resurrection.

And what is the Great Commission?    It is a mandate from Jesus to His followers to spread His teachings by making disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey His commands, as found in  Matthew 28: 19-20.   It says, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:  and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”  It's all about the saving of the soul!

Verses 39-42  then gets to the conclusion of the whole matter.  Those dear Samaritans whose hearts were open to the gospel not only believed what they heard, but more importantly when they came to know Jesus personally, could verify and testify to the authenticity and veracity of what the woman reported.   They enthusiastically proclaimed,  “Now we believe, not because of thy saying, for we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.”    AMEN!

So as we come to the end of this study, I pray that you now have a better and deeper understanding of what actually happened at that well so many years ago, what led up to it and how it shows that we all must be of a contrite and humble spirit, believing on the Lord God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.   Be determined to establish and maintain a personal and intimate relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ as this is the most important thing we can do before we die. And the sooner the better.  Don’t ignore His continuous loving offer of everlasting life, but acknowledge His divine existence, submit to His perfect will and willingly sacrifice your life for Him as He has done for you, faithfully enduring all trials, temptations, persecutions and sufferings so that when a new heaven and a new earth appear we may experience God's glory as He declares,   “It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.   I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.”  (Revelation 21: 6)

Believe that Jesus undeniably and verifiably is that heavenly fountain of living water and that by faith you can immerse yourself in His overflowing goodness and say,   “For with Thee is the fountain of life:  in Thy light shall we see light.”   (Psalm 36: 9) You are a creation of God and your soul well knows Who He is so seek Him with all of your heart, basking in His peace because all is well with the soul of God's people.  

And what manner of people ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness? Like these people:    “And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes?  and whence came they?   And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest.   And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.  Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His Temple:  and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more;  neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.   For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters:  and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”   (Revelation 7: 13-17)

All glory to our Potentate Who powerfully performs the promise of preservation for the precious and peculiar people Whom He has purposefully purified. So joyfully accept our Savior’s invitation to complete fulfilment as He says, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.   He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”   (John 7: 37-38)