João 4
F.B. Meyer · Citado em PreceptAustin
João 4
Meyer - Our Daily Homily - If thou knewest the gift of God…. - There are wonderful contrasts here! He who gives rest sits weary on the well-head; He who was the Jews’ Messiah utters his deepest lessons to a woman of Samaria; He that gives living water asks for water from the dark, cool depths that lay beneath them. God’s best things are gifts. — Light, air, natural beauty, elasticity of the spirits, the sense of vigorous health, human love, and, above all, his only begotten and beloved Son. Among all other gifts is there one to be compared to this? The living spring of eternal life, which Jesus opens up in our hearts, and which so greatly differs from the pit of outward ordinance, is an altogether unspeakable bestowment. Nothing can purchase it. If a man would give all the substance of his house for it, it would be utterly contemned. It must be received as a gift, or not at all. God’s gifts must be asked for. — “Thou wouldest have asked, and He would have given.” This is the law of Heaven. Prayer is a necessary link between the Divine hand that gives and the human heart that receives. We have not, because we ask not. There is nothing in our Lord’s words of the dreamy and languid pietism which refuses to ask because it will not dictate to the perfect wisdom of God. If we had fuller knowledge we should pray more. — “If thou knewest … thou wouldest ask.” If thou knewest who He is that stands beside thee, in thy hours of private prayer — if thou knewest all the possibilities of the life of prayer — if thou knewest what gains would accrue to thee on thy knees, thou wouldest give thyself to prayer, as though it were the main object of thy life. Anne Ortlund - Fix your eyes on Jesus and not on the church - Have you noticed how when you "talk church" to Christians you don't know, you've immediately built a wall between you? But if you "talk Jesus" -- if you fix your eyes on Him -- you're united? The Samaritan woman who talked to Jesus at the well (John 4) fell into the "talk church" trap. Jesus was talking about "living water" -- Himself -- and she didn't know what to make of it except that it must be related to organized religion. So she brashly waded in: "Our [Samaritan] fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem." See how when we "talk church," we put labels on each other and we're immediately divisive? "You Jews, we Samaritans." "You're charismatic, we're not." "You're Lutheran, we're Baptist." "You worship on Sunday, we worship on Saturday." "You raise your hands, we never do that." "You're independent, we're denominational." "You're formal, we're informal." "You ordain women, we don't allow that." And on and on. No church is good enough to be on a level with Jesus. No "denominational distinctives" are important enough to overshadow Him. No cause, no creed, no baptism, no party, no ministry, no customs, no rules, no doctrine, no doctrine teacher, no movement, no movement leader, no local pastor, no vision, no specialty -- no aspect of Christianity, whatever it is and however good it may be, can be on a par with the firstness of Jesus. Ray was asked one Sunday to preach at a church in San Diego, no far from where we live. He and Nels and I got the brilliant idea of going for the weekend and incorporating the preaching into a little mini-vacation. Settled in our motel on Saturday, we bought a newspaper and discovered that Sunday afternoon the San Diego Symphony Orchestra was going to be giving a free concert on the campus of the University of California at San Diego. It sounded great. So after Ray preached, we dropped by a cafeteria for some lunch and then headed for the campus. We hauled a blanket out of the trunk of the car, and spread it on the grass in the sunshine -- along with thousands of others. Some had obviously come, as we had, from church; the guys peeled off their coats and ties, and the gals kicked off their heels … Some had just as obviously come from the beach; they had on their cut-offs and thongs or their bikinis and bare feet … Some got out their beer bottles … But when the orchestra began playing, nobody thought any more about how each other looked or what each other did. We were all concentrating beyond ourselves; we were all caught up in the same beauty. For Christian unity in the midst of Christian variety, fix your eyes on Jesus. Prayer: O Lord, we Christians tend to get confused in the midst of diversity! Like Peter on the Mountain of Transfiguration, we start to build three tabernacles, or more. Father, to make my heart broad, keep my vision narrowed. Help me to look up and see no one except Jesus (Matthew 17:8). In His matchless name, amen. (Fix Your Eyes On Jesus - Chapter 41 - Anne Ortlund) Question: What did Jesus mean when He spoke of living water? Answer: Jesus uses the phrase “living water” in two instances in the Bible. The first instance is found in John chapter 4. Jesus was tired and sat at a well while His disciples went into town to buy food. A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus asked her for a drink. The Samaritan woman was quite shocked because Jesus was a Jew, and Jews simply hated the Samaritans. Of course, she had no idea who Jesus was and asked Him how He could ask her for water since He was a Jew. Jesus ignored the question and went right to the point, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water” (John 4:10). Notice that He does not say that He is the living water, but that He would give living water to her, and when she received it, she would never thirst again. Of course, that does not tell us what the living water is! For that, we must go to another passage of Scripture. In this case, Jesus is in the temple surrounded by a throng of worshipers. He suddenly cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scriptures said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:37–39, emphasis added). Here Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the living water. External influence of the Spirit had always been given in the conversion and sanctification of the Old Testament saints and prophets, but the gift of the Spirit who would indwell believers had not yet been received (Acts 10:44–45). So, though many people say that Jesus is the living water, Jesus Himself intended the phrase to mean the Holy Spirit who dwells in believers and seals them for salvation (Ephesians 1:13–14). It is the ministry of the Spirit, flowing out of a heart redeemed by God, that blesses believers and, through them, brings life and light to the world. GotQuestions.org Question: What is the water of life? Answer: Water is absolutely indispensable for human life. The average human body is more than 50 percent water. Water is also refreshing, whether it is used to drink or to bathe or swim in. In developed countries, water is often taken for granted. But in many nations the lack of clean water is the primary public health problem; even when clean water is available, it takes significant time and effort to get it. The concern for clean water was often primary in ancient times as well. Water is so critical to our existence that it has become a symbol for life itself. There is a Brothers Grimm fairy tale called “The Water of Life” in which a dying king’s sons attempt to locate “the water of life” so that their father can live. Similar scenarios are common in literature. Spanish explorer Ponce de León is said to have been on a quest for the “Fountain of Youth” in the New World. Of course, he died without ever finding it. There is no “water of life,” that is, water that one can drink or bathe in which will grant eternal life, healing, or perpetual youth. The Bible uses water as a metaphor in some places, and it does speak of “the water of life.” John 4:10–26 is sometimes called the Water of Life Discourse (the counterpart to the Bread of Life Discourse in John 6:22–59). In John 4, Jesus is sitting at a well in Samaria when a woman comes to draw water. This would have been a daily task for her and would have involved significant effort and time on her part. Jesus asks her for a drink. This simple request was significant because Jesus was publicly speaking to a woman (see John 6:27) and a Samaritan woman at that (John 4:9). The woman asks Jesus why He is willing to associate with her, assuming that most Jews would not stoop to ask a Samaritan for a drink. Jesus uses the occasion to turn the conversation in another direction. Jesus answers the Samaritan woman at the well, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water” (John 4:10). The woman wonders how Jesus can provide this water, especially since He had no means to draw it. In fact, didn’t He just ask her for a drink? Jesus answers, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13–14). The woman misunderstands, thinking that, if she could get this water, she would not have to spend any more time laboring to get water daily from the well. At this point, she is thinking that Jesus is talking about some kind of magical water that would meet her physical needs. Jesus turns the conversation from physical needs to spiritual needs by telling the woman to go and get her husband. She responds that she does not have a husband. Jesus says, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true” (John 4:17–18). In saying this, Jesus puts His finger on an area of sin and shame in this woman’s life. The water that He speaks of is not to quench a physical thirst, but a spiritual thirst—a thirst that has manifested itself in this woman’s life by a series of broken and sinful relationships. The conversation ends with Jesus telling her plainly that He is the promised Messiah, and she goes and tells the whole town to come out and listen to what Jesus has to say. The water of life that Jesus spoke of is a metaphor for spiritual washing and refreshment, which this woman needed more than she needed the water that she drew from the well each day. In John 7, Jesus mentions this water of life or living water again. “Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive” (verses 37–38). Once again, Jesus uses the physical to point to the spiritual. People need “living water” to give life to their spirits more than they need water to give life to their bodies. Here, we are told that the “living water” Jesus offered is really the Holy Spirit. He is the one who will be able to cleanse and satisfy the thirsty spirit. Finally, the water of life is mentioned in Revelation 21—22, which tells of the blessings of those who will spend eternity with God in the new heavens and new earth. In Revelation 21:6 God says, “To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.” This is a picture of bountiful spiritual supply. Revelation 22:1 expounds further: “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” A final invitation is issued in Revelation 22:17, “Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.” We need not understand the references to the “river” in the New Jerusalem literally. The picture is of a place where God lives with His people and meets all of their needs. In ancient times, a city with a continual supply of fresh, clean water would be considered a great place to live. The abode of God and of the believer for all eternity is pictured as having a pure, clear river running through the heart of it; in other words, it is a place where no need will be left unmet. It is not necessary to wait for the new heavens and the new earth to experience the blessings of the water of life. Because the Holy Spirit comes to live within the believer, the Christian can experience a taste of this now. The Holy Spirit within the believer will quench every spiritual thirst, as long as the believer will simply take what the Spirit has to offer and follow the Spirit’s leading on a moment-by-moment basis. In summary, the water of life is a metaphor that speaks of the Holy Spirit’s work in the life of the believer, providing spiritual cleansing and constant refreshment. GotQuestions.org Question: What can we learn from the woman at the well? Answer: The story of the nameless Samaritan woman at the well, recorded only in the Gospel of John, is a revealing one, full of many truths and powerful lessons for us today. The story of the woman at the well follows on the heels of the account of Jesus’ interaction with Nicodemus, a Pharisee and prominent member of the Jewish Sanhedrin (John 3:1–21). In John 4:4–42 we read about Jesus’ conversation with a lone Samaritan woman who had come to get water from a well (known as Jacob’s well) located about a half mile from the city of Sychar in Samaria. This was an extraordinary woman. She was a Samaritan, a race of people that the Jews utterly despised as having no claim on their God, and she was an outcast and looked down upon by her own people. This is evidenced by the fact that she came alone to draw water from the community well when, during biblical times, drawing water and chatting at the well was the social highpoint of a woman’s day. However, this woman was ostracized and marked as immoral, an unmarried woman living openly with the sixth in a series of men. The story of the woman at the well teaches us that God loves us in spite of our bankrupt lives. God values us enough to actively seek us, to welcome us to intimacy, and to rejoice in our worship. As a result of Jesus’ conversation, only a person like the Samaritan woman, an outcast from her own people, could understand what this means. To be wanted, to be cared for when no one, not even herself, could see anything of value in her—this is grace indeed. But there are many other valuable truths we glean from this story. We learn that: 1) Only through Jesus can we obtain and receive eternal life: “Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life’” (John 4:13–14; cf. John 14:6). 2) Jesus’ ministering to those outcasts of the Jewish society (the Samaritans) reveals that all people are valuable to God and that Jesus desires that we demonstrate love to everyone . . . including even our enemies (John 4:7–9; Matthew 5:44). 3) Jesus is the Messiah (John 4:25–26; 1:41; Matthew 27:22; Luke 2:11). 4) Those who worship God, worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23–24; Psalm 145:18). 5) Our testimony about Jesus is a powerful tool in leading others to believe in Him: “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I ever did.’ So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, ‘We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world”’ (John 4:39–42). Additionally, we learn from Jesus’ dialogue with the woman at the well three absolute truths about salvation: 1) Salvation comes only to those who recognize their desperate need for the spiritual life they do not have. Living water can be obtained only by those who recognize that they are spiritually thirsty. 2) Salvation comes only to those who confess and repent of their sin and desire forgiveness. Before this immoral woman could embrace the Savior, she had to concede the full burden of her sins. 3) Salvation comes only to those who take hold of Jesus as their Messiah. For the absolute truth is that salvation is found in no one else (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). GotQuestions.org (Bolding added) Cyril Hocking - John 4:10–15 SIR, GIVE ME THIS WATER WHAT IMPOVERISHING IGNORANCE can compare with that of not knowing the most gratuitous ‘gift of God’, the Lord Himself? What amazing pity brought Him within the reach of this Samaritan woman with the request that she give Him to drink! How poor He became to make poor sinners rich in knowing Him! How real was His testing, in this instance that of bodily weariness and thirst, in order to seek, to save and to satisfy the lost! As this double cycle of the dialogue already opened by the Lord develops, His control of their conversation made even the woman’s evasive responses serve to deepen her discovery of who He is, vv. 7, 26, He is the Giver of living water, v. 10. The shallowness of the woman’s thinking is exposed by her occupation with the great depth of the well, and in her noting the absence of any jar with which the One she respectfully addresses twice as ‘Sir’, vv. 11, 15, might draw and deliver its water. His claim was preposterous; was He indeed ‘greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well?’ Jacob in Samaritan tradition had ‘given us this well’, though the scriptures remain quiet about it. The simple answer to her incredulity was ‘Yes’, as He is greater than Abraham, greater than Melchisedec, greater than Moses, greater than Aaron, greater than Solomon. However, how little she would have been profited had He made such a bald claim. His water becomes within every recipient a well of water springing up to eternal life, v. 14. Jacob had not hewn a broken cistern that had no water. However, all those who came to its unfailing supply of ‘this water’ needed to return again and again; its thirst-quenching property was short-lived. Not so with the life-giving, soul-satisfying water which the Lord gives. The Samaritan woman turned to the One who had asked, ‘Give me’, seeking now of Him, ‘Sir, give me’! Her mind was still dull; such water would satisfy her thirst, and remove the need for constantly coming to draw! She has no thirst for the One who is ‘the fountain of living waters’, or for His gift of eternal life. This He must yet create before she will receive ‘the water of life freely’, see Rev. 21:6. John 4:11 She said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? BGT John 4:11 λέγει αὐτῷ [ἡ γυνή]· κύριε, οὔτε ἄντλημα ἔχεις καὶ τὸ φρέαρ ἐστὶν βαθύ· πόθεν οὖν ἔχεις τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ζῶν; NET John 4:11 "Sir," the woman said to him, "you have no bucket and the well is deep; where then do you get this living water? NLT John 4:11 "But sir, you don't have a rope or a bucket," she said, "and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? ESV John 4:11 The woman said to him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? NIV John 4:11 "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? GNT John 4:11 λέγει αὐτῷ [ἡ γυνή], Κύριε, οὔτε ἄντλημα ἔχεις καὶ τὸ φρέαρ ἐστὶν βαθύ· πόθεν οὖν ἔχεις τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ζῶν; KJV John 4:11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? YLT John 4:11 The woman saith to him, 'Sir, thou hast not even a vessel to draw with, and the well is deep; whence, then, hast thou the living water? ASV John 4:11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: whence then hast thou that living water? CSB John 4:11 "Sir," said the woman, "You don't even have a bucket, and the well is deep. So where do You get this 'living water'? NKJ John 4:11 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? NRS John 4:11 The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? NAB John 4:11 (The woman) said to him, "Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water? NJB John 4:11 'You have no bucket, sir,' she answered, 'and the well is deep: how do you get this living water? GWN John 4:11 The woman said to him, "Sir, you don't have anything to use to get water, and the well is deep. So where are you going to get this living water? John 3:4; 1 Corinthians 2:14 HER NATURAL NON SPIRITUAL RESPONSE She said to Him Sir - She replies as if Jesus had been speaking of natural water, failing to understand He was speaking of supernatural water! Paul well described this woman (and all who fail to comprehend Jesus' words of life) writing "a natural man (or Samaritan woman!) does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him (her); and he (she) cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised." (1Cor 2:14-note) Sir (also in Jn 4:15, 19) (2962)(kurios) normally means the supreme one, one who is sovereign and possesses absolute authority, absolute ownership and uncontested power. Indeed, her addressing Jesus as kurios with the sense of "sir" would soon turn to addressing Him as kurios in the sense of Lord and Master! Note that her first mode of address was "you being a Jew" (Jn 4:9) suggesting that her use of kurios reflects an increasing degree of respect. See similar uses of kurios in Jn 4:49; 5:7; 6:34; 9:36; 12:21. The NET Bible notes on this use of kurios agree that "there is probably a gradual transition from one ("sir") to the other ("Lord") as the woman's respect for Jesus grows throughout the conversation." (Jn 4:11, 15, 19) You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep - Jacob's well is today reported to be over 75 feet deep and it likely was even deeper 2000 years ago! How would Jesus draw this water? NET = "Sir," the woman said to him, "you have no bucket and the well is deep; where then do you get this living water?" - Comment - The NET is somewhat more accurate than NAS because the Greek text has the noun antlema (used only here in the NT) and referred to "a bucket for drawing water." (BDAG) Barclay on no bucket to draw with - When people were on a journey they usually carried with them a bucket made from the skin of some beast so that they could draw water from any well at which they halted. No doubt Jesus' band had such a bucket; and no doubt the disciples had taken it into the town with them. The woman saw that Jesus did not possess such a traveler's leather bucket, and so again she says in effect: "You need not talk about drawing water and giving it to me. I can see for myself that you have not a bucket with which to draw water." H. B. Tristram begins his book entitled Eastern Customs in Bible Lands with this personal experience. He was sitting beside a well in Palestine beside the scene of the inn which figures in the story of the Good Samaritan. "An Arab woman came down from the hills above to draw water; she unfolded and opened her goatskin bottle, and then untwined a cord, and attached it to a very small leather bucket which she carried, by means of which she slowly filled her skin, fastened its mouth, placed it on her shoulder, and bucket in hand, climbed the mountain. I thought of the woman of Samaria at Jacob's well, when an Arab footman, toiling up the steep path from Jericho, heated and wearied with his journey, turned aside to the well, knelt and peered wistfully down. But he had 'nothing to draw with and the well was deep.' He lapped a little moisture from the water spilt by the woman who had preceded him, and, disappointed, passed on." It was just what the woman was thinking of when she said that Jesus had nothing to draw water from the depths of the well. (William Barclay's Daily Study Bible) Living water - It is of note that in the Samaritans' own liturgy it is said of the Taheb (means "Restorer" and is the Samaritan "equivalent" of the Messiah) that "water shall flow from His buckets." (Nu 24:7) Here is a quote from Wikipedia "Many Samaritans believe that at the end of days, the dead will be resurrected by Taheb, a restorer (possibly a prophet, some say Moses)." (Samaritans - Wikipedia) Here is another related quote… “Moreover, for the Samaritans, Moses is the Taheb (“Restorer”), the expected messiah-like eschatological figure who will bring about a golden age and will pray for the guilty and save them. The Samaritans alone give prominence to the title “man of God” for Moses…Moses is a second God, God’s vice-regent upon earth (Memar Marqah 1.2), whose very name includes the title “Elokim” (God) (Memar Marqah 5.4), so that he who believes in him believes in his LORD (Memar Marqah 4.7).” (p. 397, footnote 47, Feldman, Josephus’s interpretation of the Bible) (Taheb – The Samaritan Messiah - Think Hebrew) This historical information (if indeed accurate), helps us gain some understanding of the Samaritan woman's later statement "he woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet." (Jn 4:19). The Samaritans considered "Taheb" as a Moses-like figure (based on their reading of Dt 18:15, 18 - keeping in mind that they believed only in the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible - See Samaritan Pentateuch). And in light of the fact that the Samaritans were looking for a "Messiah like" figure in the Taheb, it is interesting that she asks Jesus if He is the Messiah -- "The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” Jesus *said to her, “I who speak to you am [He]." (John 4:25-26) Well (5421)(phrear) describes a relatively deep pit or shaft in the ground. It is in essence a hole in the ground and could be a cistern (a place to store runoff water, especially rain water), something made by man. Or it could be a well. In Revelation, John uses it to describe an abyss or "bottomless pit" (Rev 9:1-2), probably representative of a prison. BDAG - (1) a construction consisting of a vertical shaft, covered with a stone, for water supply, a well (2) an opening that leads to the depths of the nether world, pit, shaft. Friberg - (1) as a place for storing runoff water cistern, reservoir, a sealed-in well, distinguished from pege, (spring, fountain) (Jn 4.11); (2) as the opening into a deep hole in the ground shaft, pit (Analytical Lexicon) The wordplay pege… phrear sets the stage for the saying in Jn 4:13-14, and the shift to phrear in Jn 4:11 is made to focus on the depth of the shaft, which requires use of a bucket. In contrast, Jesus supplies water that ‘wells up’ or jumps up as it were. The former speaks of human effort, the latter speaks of divine provision. When the woman spoke of the well she used the word phrear (Jn 4:11-12), but Jesus use the word pege (Jn 4:14). Phrear - 7x in 5v -Usage: pit(4), well(3). Luke 14:5+ And He said to them, "Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?" John 4:11 She said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? 12 "You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?" Revelation 9:1+ Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. 2 He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. Phrear - 48v in the Septuagint - Ge 14:10; 16:14; 21:14, 19, 25, 30-32; 22:19; 24:11, 20, 62; 25:11; 26:15, 18-20, 25, 32-33; 28:10; 29:2-3, 8, 10; 46:1, 5; Ex 2:15; Nu 21:16-18, 22; 1Sa 19:22; 2Sa 3:26; Ps 55:23; 69:15; Pr 5:15; 23:27; Song 4:15; Isa 15:8; Jer 14:3; 41:7, 9; Amos 5:5 Ge 14:10 Now the valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell into them. But those who survived fled to the hill country. Where then do You get that living water? - The woman knew there was no free flowing spring or stream in Shechem would qualify as living water. The NET Note states that "The woman's reply is an example of the "misunderstood statement," a technique appearing frequently in John's Gospel. Jesus was speaking of living water which was spiritual (ultimately a Johannine figure for the Holy Spirit, see Jn 7:38–39), but the woman thought he was speaking of flowing (fresh drinkable) water. Her misunderstanding gave Jesus the opportunity to explain what he really meant." Where (4159) (pothen) is an adverb used to introduce questions especially questions that begin with "Where?" or "How?". Pothen - An "interrogative adverb; (1) of place from where? from what place? (Jn 3.8); (2) of origin from what source? born of what parentage? (Jn 7.27); (3) of reason how is it that? in what way? (Mk 12.37); in a question expressing surprise why? (Luke 1.43)" (Friberg) Pothen is used 13 times in John and points to the source or origin of things. Thus pothen is a key term in John's Gospel. Most persons in John did not know from where Jesus came, as the woman here did not know from whence Jesus received this living water. BDAG summarized - 1. interrogative expression of extension from a local source, from what place? from where? (Mt 15:33, Mk 8:4) 2. interrogative expression of derivation from a source, from what source? brought about or given by whom? born of whom? (Mt 13:27, 54, 56) 3. interrogative expression of cause or reason, how, why, in what way? (Mk 12:37) Thayer - Pothen is an adverb (from Homer down), whence; a. of place, from what place: Mt. 15:33; Luke 13:25,27; John 3:8; 6:5; 8:14; 9:29,30; 19:9; Rev. 7:13; from what condition, Rev. 2:5. b. of origin or source, equivalent to from what author or giver: Mt. 13:(27),54,56; 21:25; Mark 6:2; Luke 20:7; John 2:9; James 4:1; from what parentage, John 7:27f (cf. 6:42), see Meyer at the passage, c. of cause, how is it that? how can it be that? Mark 8:4; 12:37; Luke 1:43; John 1:48; 4:11. Pothen - 29x in 26v - NAS translates - how(3), what(1), what… source(1), what sense(1), where(22). Matthew 13:27 "The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' 54 He came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? 56 "And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" Matthew 15:33 The disciples said to Him, "Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?" Matthew 21:25 "The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?" And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Then why did you not believe him?' Mark 6:2 When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? Mark 8:4 And His disciples answered Him, "Where will anyone be able to find enough bread here in this desolate place to satisfy these people?" Mark 12:37 "David himself calls Him 'Lord'; so in what sense is He his son?" And the large crowd enjoyed listening to Him. Luke 1:43 "And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? Luke 13:25 "Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, 'Lord, open up to us!' then He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know where you are from.' 27 and He will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.' Luke 20:7 So they answered that they did not know where it came from. John 1:48 Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." John 2:9 When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, John 3:8 "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." John 4:11 She said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? John 6:5 Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?" John 7:27 "However, we know where this man is from; but whenever the Christ may come, no one knows where He is from." 28 Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, "You both know Me and know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. John 8:14 Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. John 9:29 "We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from." 30 The man answered and said to them, "Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. John 19:9 and he (Pilate) entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, "Where are You from?" But Jesus gave him no answer. James 4:1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? Revelation 2:5 'Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place-- unless you repent. Revelation 7:13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?" Pothen - 27x in 27v in the Septuagint - Gen 16:8; 29:4; 42:7; Num 11:13; Josh 9:8; Jdg 13:6; 17:9; 19:17; 1 Sam 25:11; 30:13; 2 Sam 1:3, 13; 2Kgs 5:25; 6:27; 20:14; Job 1:7; 2:2; 28:12, 20; 38:24; Ps 121:1; Pr 22:27; Isa 39:3; 41:24, 28; Jer 15:18; 36:17; 48:9; Jonah 1:8; Nah 3:7; Barclay on living water - Just as Nicodemus did, the woman took the words of Jesus quite literally when she was meant to understand them spiritually. It was living water of which Jesus spoke. In ordinary language to the Jew living water was running water. It was the water of the running stream in contradistinction to the water of the stagnant cistern or pool. This well, as we have seen, was not a springing well, but a well into which the water percolated from the subsoil. To the Jew, running, living water from the stream was always better. So the woman is saying: "You are offering me pure stream water. Where are you going to get it?"… But the Jews had another way of using the word water. They often spoke of the thirst of the soul for God; and they often spoke of quenching that thirst with living water. Jesus was not using terms that were bound to be misunderstood; he was using terms that anyone with spiritual insight should have understood… Sometimes the Rabbis identified this living water with the wisdom of the Law; sometimes they identified it with nothing less than the Holy Spirit of God. All Jewish pictorial religious language was full of this idea of the thirst of the soul which could be quenched only with the living water which was the gift of God. But the woman chose to understand this with an almost crude literalism. She was blind because she would not see. (William Barclay's Daily Study Bible) Jesus' use of living water should not surprise us, nor should it have surprised a Biblically literate Jew, for the OT repeatedly refers to living water in non-literal, spiritual sense. Of course, the Samaritan woman would not have been familiar with these passages for her "Bible" was only the Pentateuch and did not include the Psalms or the Prophets, the latter books being an especially rich source of teaching on living (spiritual) water… In Isaiah we read the promise to the chosen people "Therefore you will joyously draw water From the springs of salvation." (Isa 12:3). Most commentaries on the "living water" at the Feast of Tabernacles in John 7:37-39 have noted that this passage was daily on the lips of the jubilant Jewish crowd as they carried water from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple. The Psalmist spoke of spiritual (soul thirst "As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God." (Ps 42:1). Again in Isaiah Jehovah promised "I will pour out water on the thirsty land And streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring And My blessing on your descendants." (Isa 44:3) The summons was "Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost." (Isaiah 55:1) Jehovah's complaint through His mouthpiece Jeremiah was "My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2:13, cp Jer 17:13). Ezekiel describes a future time when "water was flowing from under the threshold of the house (the Millennial Temple) toward the east." (Ezekiel 47:1-12). The prophet Zechariah also gives us a description of the living waters in the Millennium - "And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter." (Zechariah 14:8). Gary Burge explains living water - As with Nicodemus, earthly questioners cannot understand heavenly things. They stumble over misunderstandings, which lead to humorous, ironic double meanings. As a resident of Shechem, the woman knows the location of every water source. But here Jesus says something unexpected: He is able to provide “living water” (Jn 4:10b). “Living water” refers to water that flows as in a spring, river, or stream, that is, moving water. Other water stood still, and one could find it in a well, cistern, or pond (A cistern is an underground reservoir or cavity generally dug into the soft limestone and lined with plaster. Rainwater is directed into the cistern’s small opening and a lid keeps out light thereby keeping algae from growing. Villages throughout Palestine still use cistern systems today. Some were small for a household. Masada’s 12 cisterns on its western slope held 1.5 million cubic feet of water.). Living water was precious and valued and, according to rabbinic law, was the only water that could be used in ritual washings to make pure unclean worshipers. (A good example of this is found at Qumran where numerous ritual baths are fed by the requisite amounts of “running water” caught from the mountain valley just west of the site.) Everyone knew that Shechem had no rivers or streams. Even Jacob had to dig a well in order to water his flocks here (Jn 4:12). How could a Jewish outsider, someone who barely knew the terrain, offer water that no one else had found? There is no living water in Shechem. (See John - NIV Application Commentary scroll up and down for more text) Henrietta Mears summarizes Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well - Jesus brought an immoral woman face to face with Himself and showed her what kind of life she was leading. Christ did not condemn her or pass judgment upon her, but He did reveal to her that He is the only One who could meet her needs. Christ revealed the wonderful truth to her that He is the water of life. He alone can satisfy. The wells of the world cannot provide satisfaction. This woman’s loose view of marriage is not unlike the view of marriage held by many people today. People try every kind of well—money, power, clothes, food, possessions, drugs—but they still are unhappy and unsatisfied. Did the woman believe Christ? What did she do? Her actions spoke louder than any words could have. She went back to town, and by her simple testimony brought a whole town to Christ (see John 4:1–42). This story gives us Christ’s estimate of a single soul. (Discover Jesus in the Pages of the Bible: Amazing Facts About the Greatest Person Who Ever Lived). Oswald Chambers - Inferior misgivings about Jesus - Sir, Thou hast nothing to draw with. John 4:11. - ‘I am impressed with the wonder of what God says, but He cannot expect me really to live it out in the details of my life!’ When it comes to facing Jesus Christ on His own merits, our attitude is one of pious superiority—‘Your ideals are high and they impress us, but in touch with actual things, it cannot be done.’ Each of us thinks about Jesus in this way in some particular. These misgivings about Jesus start from the amused questions put to us when we talk of our transactions with God—‘Where are you going to get your money from? How are you going to be looked after?’ Or they start from ourselves when we tell Jesus that our case is a bit too hard for Him. ‘It is all very well to say “Trust in the Lord,” but a man must live, and Jesus has nothing to draw with—nothing whereby to give us these things.’ Beware of the pious fraud in you which says—‘I have no misgivings about Jesus, only about myself.’ None of us ever had misgivings about ourselves; we know exactly what we cannot do, but we do have misgivings about Jesus. We are rather hurt at the idea that He can do what we cannot. My misgivings arise from the fact that I ransack my own person to find out how He will be able to do it. My questions spring from the depths of my own inferiority. If I detect these misgivings in myself, let me bring them to the light and confess them—‘Lord, I have had misgivings about Thee, I have not believed in Thy wits apart from my own; I have not believed in Thine Almighty power apart from my finite understanding of it.’ (My utmost for his highest) Oswald Chambers - The impoverished ministry of Jesus - From whence then hast Thou that living water? John 4:11. - “The well is deep”—and a great deal deeper than the Samaritan woman knew! Think of the depths of human nature, of human life, think of the depths of the ‘wells’ in you. Have you been impoverishing the ministry of Jesus so that He cannot do anything? Suppose there is a well of fathomless trouble inside your heart, and Jesus comes and says—“Let not your heart be troubled”; and you shrug your shoulders and say—‘But, Lord, the well is deep; You cannot draw up quietness and comfort out of it.’ No, He will bring them down from above. Jesus does not bring anything up from the wells of human nature. We limit the Holy One of Israel by remembering what we have allowed Him to do for us in the past, and by saying—‘Of course I cannot expect God to do this thing.’ The thing that taxes almightiness is the very thing which as disciples of Jesus we ought to believe He will do. We impoverish His ministry the moment we forget He is Almighty; the impoverishment is in us, not in Him. We will come to Jesus as Comforter or as Sympathizer, but we will not come to Him as Almighty. The reason some of us are such poor specimens of Christianity is because we have no Almighty Christ. We have Christian attributes and experiences, but there is no abandonment to Jesus Christ. When we get into difficult circumstances, we impoverish His ministry by saying—‘Of course He cannot do any thing,’ and we struggle down to the deeps and try to get the water for ourselves. Beware of the satisfaction of sinking back and saying—‘It can’t be done’; you know it can be done if you look to Jesus. The well of your incompleteness is deep, but make the effort and look away to Him. (My utmost for his highest) John 4:12 "You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?" BGT John 4:12 μὴ σὺ μείζων εἶ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἰακώβ, ὃς ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν τὸ φρέαρ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἔπιεν καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ θρέμματα αὐτοῦ; NET John 4:12 Surely you're not greater than our ancestor Jacob, are you? For he gave us this well and drank from it himself, along with his sons and his livestock." NLT John 4:12 And besides, do you think you're greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?" ESV John 4:12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock." NIV John 4:12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?" GNT John 4:12 μὴ σὺ μείζων εἶ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἰακώβ, ὃς ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν τὸ φρέαρ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἔπιεν καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ θρέμματα αὐτοῦ; KJV John 4:12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? YLT John 4:12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who did give us the well, and himself out of it did drink, and his sons, and his cattle?' ASV John 4:12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his sons, and his cattle? CSB John 4:12 You aren't greater than our father Jacob, are You? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and livestock." NKJ John 4:12 "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?" NRS John 4:12 Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?" NAB John 4:12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?" NJB John 4:12 Are you a greater man than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself with his sons and his cattle?' GWN John 4:12 You're not more important than our ancestor Jacob, are you? He gave us this well. He and his sons and his animals drank water from it." Jn 8:53; Isaiah 53:2,3; Matthew 12:42; Hebrews 3:3 ARE YOU GREATER THAN JACOB? You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You - Is she asking a sincere question or is she expressing a degree of cynicism? Unfortunately we cannot discern the "tone" of her voice! Why did she ask this question is the question? While we cannot be dogmatic, the context suggests that she presumed Jesus could tap into a better source of living (running) water, one that was not so deep that it could only be reached by letting down a bucket. So the Jesus well would be better than a Jacob well and thus Jesus would be greater than Jacob. She seems to imply that Jesus was either a truth teller or a deceiver, although the Greek order of the question expects a negative answer. The woman clearly did not understand that the living water Jesus referred to was spiritual water and that He indeed was greater than Jacob! (cp similar question by the Jews to Jesus in Jn 8:53). THOUGHT - A ministry in India uses this concept as a means of spreading the Gospel (the real "living water") among unreached people groups in India (many of these groups also be veritable outcasts from their society, like the Samaritan woman!) by digging wells referred to as "Jesus Wells." As
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Meyer wrote, “The little possessive pronoun my is the bucket with which we draw water from the depths of God. Our pilgrimage way is lined by these wells of saving help.” Nancy Spiegelberg has expressed her own unawareness of that lavish provision: Lord, I crawled across the barrenness to You with my empty cup, uncertain in asking any small drop of refreshment. If only I had known You better, I’d have come running with a bucket. © 1974 Nancy Spiegelberg Keep your witness bright and clear, So the world may see and hear God’s salvation far and near, That others too may know Him. —Hess When you have found food for your soul lead others to the Source. Barriers And Blessings (Read: John 4:27-39) Many… believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” —John 4:39 What did Jesus see when He looked at the woman at the well in John 4? He saw someone who wanted acceptance and desperately needed to know she was loved. Most of all, He saw someone who needed what only He could give—a new heart. It was no accident that the disciples had all gone to town to buy food. Surely, they would have tried to warn Jesus not to talk to this person—a woman, a Samaritan, and someone with a bad reputation. Not being one to follow protocol, however, Jesus used this encounter to bless her with the truth of “living water” (John 4:10). In just one conversation, He broke down barriers of old hostilities, of gender bias, of ethnic and racial divides. And this woman became the first of many Samaritans to confess that Jesus was the Messiah (Jn 4:39-42). When she told others of her encounter with a Man who knew “all that I ever did,” she was already practicing the principle of “sowing and reaping” that Jesus was teaching His followers (John 4:35-38). Many believed that day, and later Philip, Peter, John, and others would preach in Samaria and lead many more to Christ (Acts 8:5-14; 15:3). From sinking sand He lifted me, With tender hand He lifted me; From shades of night to plains of light, O praise His name, He lifted me! —Gabriel A faith worth having is a faith worth sharing. Are You Depleted? - Mexico City is sinking. According to a New York Times article, “So much water has been pumped out from the aquifer beneath [the city] to satisfy [its] 18 million residents that the ground is collapsing at a stunning rate.” The city has sunk 30 feet in the past century. Is a similar thing happening to you spiritually? You’ve given so much to others that your energy is gone. You feel drained, depleted, as if your life is collapsing in on itself. What started as a noble venture to help thirsty people has become a journey through the desert for you. Jesus said, “‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, … out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive” (Jn. 7:37-39). Jesus painted a picture of abundant supply—not a trickle but rivers of living water produced by the Holy Spirit, who is given to everyone who trusts in Christ. The Lord wants us to come to Him To quench our thirsty soul, For from Him flow life-giving streams To heal and make us whole. — Sper F B Meyer - Spring up, O well (Nu 21:17), in our hearts. — Too long has the soil been arid and bare. A great drought has smitten it, and devoured every green thing. The flowers wither, the fruit falls. But Jesus promised to open in believing hearts a well, the waters of which should spring up unto eternal life. Not a stagnant pool, but a spring. Not a failing Cherith, but a perennial Siloam. Let that promise be realized in us here, and now; and if we have permitted rubbish to accumulate, or the weeds to grow rank, may we have grace to put them away, that there may be a clear course for the living water to flow through us and refresh the lives of all with whom we come in contact. Spurgeon on Nu 21:17 - Spring up, O Well - Famous was the well of Beer in the wilderness, because it was the subject of a promise: “That is the well whereof the Lord spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water.” The people needed water, and it was promised by their gracious God. We need fresh supplies of heavenly grace, and in the covenant the Lord has pledged himself to give all we require. The well next became the cause of a song. Before the water gushed forth, cheerful faith prompted the people to sing; and as they saw the crystal fount bubbling up, the music grew yet more joyous. In like manner, we who believe the promise of God should rejoice in the prospect of divine revivals in our souls, and as we experience them our holy joy should overflow. Are we thirsting? Let us not murmur, but sing. Spiritual thirst is bitter to bear, but we need not bear it—the promise indicates a well; let us be of good heart, and look for it. Moreover, the well was the centre of prayer. “Spring up, O well.” What God has engaged to give, we must enquire after, or we manifest that we have neither desire nor faith. This evening let us ask that the Scripture we have read, and our devotional exercises, may not be an empty formality, but a channel of grace to our souls. O that God the Holy Spirit would work in us with all his mighty power, filling us with all the fulness of God. Lastly, the well was the object of effort. “The nobles of the people dug it with their staves.” The Lord would have us active in obtaining grace. Our staves are ill adapted for digging in the sand, but we must use them to the utmost of our ability. Prayer must not be neglected; the assembling of ourselves together must not be forsaken; ordinances must not be slighted. The Lord will give us his peace most plenteously, but not in a way of idleness. Let us, then, bestir ourselves to seek him in whom are all our fresh springs. Place Of Water- (Read: Psalm 42:1-5) - The water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. —John 4:14 - East Africa is one of the driest places on earth, which is what makes “Nairobi” such a significant name for a city in that region. The name comes from a Masai phrase meaning “cold water,” and it literally means “the place of water.” Throughout history, the presence of water has been both life-giving and strategic. Whether a person lives in a dry climate or a rainforest, water is a nonnegotiable necessity. In a dry and barren climate, knowing where to find the place of water can mean the difference between life and death. Our spiritual life also has certain nonnegotiable elements. That is why Jesus, upon encountering a spiritually thirsty woman at a well, declared to her that He alone could provide living water. He told her, “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 4:14). Rivers of living water, Rivers of life so free, Flowing from Thee, my Savior, Send now the rivers through me. —Wood Jesus is the fountain of living water. Drink Lots Of Water - Read: John 4:7-14 - The water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. —John 4:14 Visitors to Colorado often become dehydrated without realizing it. The dry climate and intense sun, especially in the mountains, can rapidly deplete the body’s fluids. That’s why many tourist maps and signs urge people to drink plenty of water. In the Bible, water is often used as a symbol of Jesus as the Living Water who satisfies our deepest needs. So it’s quite fitting that one of Jesus’ most memorable conversations took place at a well (John 4:1-42). It began with Jesus asking a Samaritan woman for a drink of water (v.7). It quickly progressed to a discussion of something more when Jesus said to her: “Whoever drinks of this [physical] 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 4:13-14). As a result of this conversation, the woman and many people in the village where she lived came to believe that Jesus was “the Christ, the Savior of the world” (v.42). Looking For Water - Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. —John 4:14 - The United States has spent millions of dollars looking for water on Mars. A few years ago, NASA sent twin robots, Opportunity and Spirit, to the red planet to see if water was present or had been present at one time. Why did the US do this? The scientists who are poring over data sent back from those two little Martian rovers are trying to figure out if life ever existed on Mars. And for that to have happened, there had to be water. No water, no life. Two thousand years ago, a couple of “rovers” set out across the countryside of an Earth-outpost called Samaria looking for water. One was a woman who lived nearby. The other was a man from Galilee. They ended up meeting at a well near the village of Sychar. When they did, Jesus found the water He was looking for, and the woman found the water she didn’t know she needed (John 4:5-15). Water is essential for both physical and spiritual life. Jesus had a surprise for the woman at the well. He offered her the Water of Life—Himself. He is the refreshing, renewing “fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). Gracious and Almighty Savior, Source of all that shall endure, Quench my thirst with living water, Living water, clear and pure. —Vinal Only Jesus, the Living Water, can satisfy the thirsty soul. Broken Cisterns - They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water. —Jeremiah 2:13 - Picture yourself swinging a pick, digging from dawn to dusk, chiseling a cistern out of the hard, unyielding stone. You stay on the job, working through the biting cold of winter and the blazing heat of summer. After years of strenuous effort you finally complete the task. Then you step back and wait for your cistern to fill—and it leaks. You discover—too late—that all cisterns, no matter how well constructed, will leak. The story is a picture of the futility of our attempts to find satisfaction in life. It’s an age-old problem. God told the prophet Jeremiah that His people “have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters.” Instead, they had expended their efforts on “broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13). Are you driven by soul-thirst, yearning for satisfaction? There is a spring of living water, rising from hidden depths, pouring into our hearts, satisfying us even as it makes us thirst for more. Stoop down and drink. Only God can satisfy your heart. Everything else will deceive and disappoint. “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst,” said Jesus. “But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). - David H. Roper Only Living Water can quench the driving thirst of the soul. Drink Up! (Read: John 4:7-14) - Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. —John 4:14 - In 1981, Ida’s Pastry Shoppe in Jenison, Michigan, advertised this special offer: “Buy one of our coffee mugs for $4.79 and fill up your cup for a dime each time you visit.” But the owners never expected that 25 years later, four longtime customers would still be getting their cup of java every day—for 10 cents. You won’t find many deals like that anymore. But Jesus offered something far greater to the woman at the well (John 4:10). He said, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but … the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (vv.13-14). The woman at the well was ready to listen. None of her many personal relationships had ever filled up her emptiness. Then Jesus offered her “water” that would soothe her parched life and give her something more—the promise of eternal life. That same promise is ours as well. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). God’s grace and love come from a bottomless reservoir. Drink from the water He offers, and you will never thirst again. By Cindy Hess Kasper Really Thirsty (Read: Psalm 42) - As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. —Psalm 42:1 Have you ever been really thirsty? Years ago, I visited my sister Kathy in Mali, West Africa. During an afternoon of seeing the sights, the temperature had risen far above 100ºF. Parched, I told her, “Hey, I need something to drink.” When Kathy told me she had forgotten to bring along a supply of filtered water, I began to get a bit desperate. The longer we drove, the more I wondered what it was like to truly die of thirst. Finally, Kathy said, “I know where we can go,” as she drove up to the gate of an embassy. Inside I beheld the most beautiful sight—a water cooler! I grabbed one of the tiny paper cups and filled it again and again. My body had been deprived too long and now required lots of liquid to reverse the effects of dehydration. The psalmist compared physical thirst with spiritual thirst: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God” (Ps. 42:1). His thirst was that of a desperate longing for God—the one and only living God (Ps 42:2). My hunger for the truth He satisfies; Upon the Word, the Living Bread, I feed: No parching thirst I know, because His grace, A pool of endless depth, supplies my need. —Sanders Only Jesus, the Living Water, can satisfy the thirsty soul. At The Well (Read: John 4:5-26) - With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. —Isaiah 12:3 - A guide in Israel was preparing to lead a tour into the desert. His instructions to the group were simple and clear: “If you do not have these two items, I will not allow you to accompany us. You must have a broad-brimmed hat and a full bottle of water. These will protect you from the sun, and from the thirst caused by wind and dryness.” Water. It’s essential to survival. That’s why a woman came to the well in Samaria (John 4:7). She came at noon, when few people were there. She was startled when a young Jewish man asked her for something to drink. Jesus broke huge barriers with His request—she was a woman, had been married many times, and wasn’t a Jew. Jesus offered her water far better than that from the well. He had “living water,” which only He could give (vv.10,13-14). I believe she took that water and was spiritually cleansed, for she told everyone what she had experienced: “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” (v.29). Showers Of Blessing - Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You? —Psalm 85:6 - When it rains, most people go inside to avoid getting wet. But I remember a summer day in Texas when people ran outside their offices and homes to stand in a downpour. Some shouted, others danced, and everyone was happy. After months of scorching temperatures and crippling drought, the sheer joy of a life-giving rain made getting soaked a pleasure. Just as a physical drought teaches us that there is no substitute for rain, a time of spiritual dryness burns into us the truth that we cannot live without God’s renewing Spirit. Hymn writer Daniel W. Whittle expressed his longing for spiritual revival in these words: “Showers of blessing, showers of blessing we need; mercy drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plead.” During times of spiritual dryness, when we long for a sense of the presence and power of God, we echo the psalmist’s prayer: “Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You? Show us Your mercy, Lord, and grant us Your salvation” (Psalm 85:6-7). I reached for God's hand full of blessings, Because I was needy and sad; And, oh, what a shower He gave me From all the rich treasure He had! —Simon Only Christ the living water can quench our spiritual thirst. The Unfailing Spring - Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink." —John 7:37 - Joseph Campbell, a well-known authority on mythology, said that his friends were living “wasteland lives.” He said they were “just baffled; they’re wandering in the wasteland without any sense of where the water is—the Source that makes everything green.” That could also be said—and with deepest sorrow—about countless people today. They try one thing after another to quench the thirst of their souls. Many people even resort to an empty spirituality, which Campbell did so much to popularize. But as the prophet Jeremiah said, they’ve made for themselves “broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jer. 2:13). Whatever Campbell himself may have believed, “the Source that makes everything green” is Jesus Christ our blessed Savior. He is the One who gives “living water,” which becomes “a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (Jn. 4:10,14). I came to Jesus, and I drank Of that life-giving stream; My thirst was quenched, my soul revived, And now I live in Him. —Bonar Only Jesus, the Living Water, can satisfy our thirst for God. Big Spring - The water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. —John 4:14 - In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is a remarkable natural wonder—a pool about 40 feet deep and 300 feet across that Native Americans called “Kitch-iti-kipi,” or “the big cold water.” Today it is known as The Big Spring. It is fed by underground springs that push more than 10,000 gallons of water a minute through the rocks below and up to the surface. Additionally, the water keeps a constant temperature of 45 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning that even in the brutally cold winters of the Upper Peninsula the pool never freezes. Tourists can enjoy viewing the waters of Big Spring during any season of the year. When Jesus encountered a woman at Jacob’s well, He talked to her about another source of water that would always satisfy. But He did not speak of a fountain, spring, river, or lake. He said, “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 4:14). Far greater than any natural spring is the refreshment we have been offered in Christ Himself. We can be satisfied, for Jesus alone, the Water of Life, can quench our thirst. Praise God, for Jesus is the source that never runs dry. The only real thirst-quencher is Jesus— the living water. Water For The World - He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. —John 7:38 - Although 70 percent of the world is covered by water, less than 1 percent of it is drinkable by humans. Water conservation and sanitation are crucial matters in many parts of the world, as all life depends on having sanitary water. Jesus went out of His way to introduce a lost woman to another kind of life-giving water. He deliberately chose to go to a town in Samaria, a place where no respectable rabbi would set foot. There, He told this woman about “living water.” Those who drink of it, He said, “will never thirst.” It will “become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). The living water is Jesus Himself (Ed: Yes, but in Jn 38 Jesus says the Living Water is His Spirit). Those who receive Him have eternal life (Jn 4:14). But the living water He provides also serves another function. Jesus said of those who receive it: “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (Jn 7:38). The living water that refreshes us is to refresh others also. As fresh-water distribution is uneven in the world, so too is the distribution of living water. Many people do not know followers of Jesus who really care about them. It is our privilege to share Him. Christ is, after all, the living water for whom people are thirsting. James Smith - THE LIVING WATER. - These words of Jesus Christ about the "Living Water, spoken as they were to the sinful Samaritan, are deeper and more lasting than the well of Jacob. This well is unfathomable! This Water is everlasting! I. The Nature of It. Our Lord calls it "Living Water" (1Jn 4:10). It is living in the sense that it is life-giving. That which Christ gives is not something to keep us alive, but something to make us alive. This water of "grace and truth," which came by Jesus Christ (Jn 4:1-17), is the water which saves and satisfies (Eph. 2:8). It is not given merely to refresh, but to regenerate. The elements of eternal light and life are in it. II. The Source of It. "Thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee." He Himself is the disposer of this living water. Unto Him has been "given power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life" (John 17:2). "This is the pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God, and of the Lamb" (Rev. 22:1). The original source of this grace and truth is the gracious heart of the eternal God, and has been manifested to us in the life and sufferings of the Lamb. III. The Efficacy of It. 1. IT QUENCHES THIRST. "Whosoever shall drink of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst" (Jn 4:14). They never thirst for the muddy waters of sin who have drank, and keep drinking, of the water that Christ gives. They shall never thirst for any other drink, neither in this life not in the life which is to come. "They shall not thirst for ever" (Newberry). 2. IT BECOMES A SPRING WITHIN. "The water that I shall give him shall become in him a spring of water" (Jn 4:14, Newberry). The idea here is that, when any one drinks this water, or, in other words, receives this grace and truth offered in Christ, there is opened up within that one a fountain of new life and blessedness—a secondary source, within the heart, of perennial joy and satisfaction. Every saved soul is a citadel of God, and although constantly besieged by the sins and sorrows of earth, they have an unfailing source of supply within. This fountain flows on for ever, springing up into the ocean of eternal life and praise, in the presence of God and the Lamb. IV. The Conditions of It. "If thou knewest the gift of God, thou wouldest have asked of Him" (Jn 4:10). The conditions are knowing and asking. As soon as we know what the Christ has to give us, this knowledge should surely lead to asking and receiving. How will sinners ask of Him the greatest of all gifts, if they do not know that the gift of God is eternal life? They were blessed who knew the joyful sound of the jubilee trumpet, because they believed and received their liberty through it. If thou knewest the gift of God thou wouldest not frequent those streams which have their source in this sin-poisoned world, and which can never reach down to the thirst of a human spirit. This is eternal life to know Him. Ask and ye shall receive. V. The Freeness of It. "Whosoever drinketh of this water" (Jn 4:14). "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Rev. 22:17). Christ Himself, as the Fountain of Living Water; is the Gift of God to a world perishing with a thirst that is unquenchable apart from Him. Whosoever, is the choice word of the infinite grace of God. It was among the first and the last words" used in connection with the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (John 3:15, 16; Rev. 22:17). Does your soul thirst for these waters as the hart panteth after the water brooks? (Ps 42:1) Then here is your hope: "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye" (Isa. 55:1). It was on the last and greatest day of the feast that Jesus stood and cried, "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink." (Jn 7:37) (Handfuls on Purpose) Background on the phrase living water - The rabbis used to distinguish between the cleansing power of different types of water according to two criteria:33 “living” water ranked above “drawn” water,34 and cold above hot. According to these criteria, six grades were established (enumerated in Mishnah, Mikwaot 1:1–8, from the lowest to the highest): 1. the water in ponds, cisterns, etc., containing less than forty seahs of undrawn water 2. the water of a rain-pond before the rain-stream has stopped 3. standing water in a pool of forty seahs or more 4. the water of a well, even if it has to be enriched with drawn water to reach forty seahs 5. smitten waters when running [“smitten”: meaning salty or from a hot spring] 6. running water directly from a natural source Category 6 was the real “heavy duty” cleansing water; it was required for the cleansing for flux (Lev 15:13: “He must immerse himself in living water”, [author’s translation]), for leprosy (Lev 14:5: cleansing by “living water”), and for the production of the cleansing water with ashes of the red heifer (Num 19:17). For ordinary immersion of men and women, water down to category 3 was acceptable; the same held true for proselyte baptisms. (In the Shadow of the Temple) Jesus promises we will be springs of water bubbling forth - Are our lives truly like this? Do fresh springs flow out of us day after day? If not, why not? The answer is simple—there can be no outflow unless there is an intake. This is the rhythm of the Holy Spirit—intake and outflow. If there is more intake than outflow, then the intake stops; if there is more outflow than intake, then the outflow stops. The doors open inward to receive, only to open outward to give. When we come to talk about life in the Spirit, we are not to think in terms of a reservoir which has only limited resources. Life is a channel, attached to infinite resources. The more we draw on these resources, the more we have. There is no danger of exhausting one's resources. We do not have to hold back—for the more we give, the more we have. Living on the overflow is what many of us lack today. A sign could be put up over our individual and collective lives saying, "Life Limited." According to Jesus' promise, however, when the Spirit comes, life is unlimited: "From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water." Not rivulets, not trickles, not brooks, not streams—but rivers. Rivers! O God, help me to link my channel to Your infinite resources. Flow through me until I become a flowing river—no, an overflowing river. In Jesus' name. Amen. (Selwyn
João 4:4-15
Meyer - Our Daily Homily - If thou knewest the gift of God…. - There are wonderful contrasts here! He who gives rest sits weary on the well-head; He who was the Jews’ Messiah utters his deepest lessons to a woman of Samaria; He that gives living water asks for water from the dark, cool depths that lay beneath them. God’s best things are gifts. — Light, air, natural beauty, elasticity of the spirits, the sense of vigorous health, human love, and, above all, his only begotten and beloved Son. Among all other gifts is there one to be compared to this? The living spring of eternal life, which Jesus opens up in our hearts, and which so greatly differs from the pit of outward ordinance, is an altogether unspeakable bestowment. Nothing can purchase it. If a man would give all the substance of his house for it, it would be utterly contemned. It must be received as a gift, or not at all. God’s gifts must be asked for. — “Thou wouldest have asked, and He would have given.” This is the law of Heaven. Prayer is a necessary link between the Divine hand that gives and the human heart that receives. We have not, because we ask not. There is nothing in our Lord’s words of the dreamy and languid pietism which refuses to ask because it will not dictate to the perfect wisdom of God. If we had fuller knowledge we should pray more. — “If thou knewest … thou wouldest ask.” If thou knewest who He is that stands beside thee, in thy hours of private prayer — if thou knewest all the possibilities of the life of prayer — if thou knewest what gains would accrue to thee on thy knees, thou wouldest give thyself to prayer, as though it were the main object of thy life. ><>><>><> Anne Ortlund - Fix your eyes on Jesus and not on the church - Have you noticed how when you "talk church" to Christians you don't know, you've immediately built a wall between you? But if you "talk Jesus" -- if you fix your eyes on Him -- you're united? The Samaritan woman who talked to Jesus at the well (John 4) fell into the "talk church" trap. Jesus was talking about "living water" -- Himself -- and she didn't know what to make of it except that it must be related to organized religion. So she brashly waded in: "Our [Samaritan] fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem." See how when we "talk church," we put labels on each other and we're immediately divisive? "You Jews, we Samaritans." "You're charismatic, we're not." "You're Lutheran, we're Baptist." "You worship on Sunday, we worship on Saturday." "You raise your hands, we never do that." "You're independent, we're denominational." "You're formal, we're informal." "You ordain women, we don't allow that." And on and on. No church is good enough to be on a level with Jesus. No "denominational distinctives" are important enough to overshadow Him. No cause, no creed, no baptism, no party, no ministry, no customs, no rules, no doctrine, no doctrine teacher, no movement, no movement leader, no local pastor, no vision, no specialty -- no aspect of Christianity, whatever it is and however good it may be, can be on a par with the firstness of Jesus. Ray was asked one Sunday to preach at a church in San Diego, no far from where we live. He and Nels and I got the brilliant idea of going for the weekend and incorporating the preaching into a little mini-vacation. Settled in our motel on Saturday, we bought a newspaper and discovered that Sunday afternoon the San Diego Symphony Orchestra was going to be giving a free concert on the campus of the University of California at San Diego. It sounded great. So after Ray preached, we dropped by a cafeteria for some lunch and then headed for the campus. We hauled a blanket out of the trunk of the car, and spread it on the grass in the sunshine -- along with thousands of others. Some had obviously come, as we had, from church; the guys peeled off their coats and ties, and the gals kicked off their heels … Some had just as obviously come from the beach; they had on their cut-offs and thongs or their bikinis and bare feet … Some got out their beer bottles … But when the orchestra began playing, nobody thought any more about how each other looked or what each other did. We were all concentrating beyond ourselves; we were all caught up in the same beauty. For Christian unity in the midst of Christian variety, fix your eyes on Jesus. Prayer: O Lord, we Christians tend to get confused in the midst of diversity! Like Peter on the Mountain of Transfiguration, we start to build three tabernacles, or more. Father, to make my heart broad, keep my vision narrowed. Help me to look up and see no one except Jesus (Matthew 17:8). In His matchless name, amen. (Fix Your Eyes On Jesus - Chapter 41 - Anne Ortlund) (Index) John 4:11 She said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water?: legei (PAI) auto [e gune], Kurie, houte antlema echeis (PAI) kai to phrear estin (PAI) bathu; pothen oun echeis (PAI) to hudor to zon? (PAP): John 3:4; 1 Corinthians 2:14 She said to Him - She replies as if Jesus had been speaking of natural water, failing to understand He was speaking of supernatural water! Paul well described this woman (and all who fail to comprehend Jesus' words of life) writing "a natural man (or Samaritan woman!) does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him (her); and he (she) cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised." (1Cor 2:14-note) Sir (also in Jn 4:15, 19) (2962)(kurios) normally means the supreme one, one who is sovereign and possesses absolute authority, absolute ownership and uncontested power. Indeed, her addressing Jesus as kurios with the sense of "sir" would soon turn to addressing Him as kurios in the sense of Lord and Master! Note that her first mode of address was "you being a Jew" (Jn 4:9) suggesting that her use of kurios reflects an increasing degree of respect. See similar uses of kurios in Jn 4:49; 5:7; 6:34; 9:36; 12:21. The NET Bible notes on this use of kurios agree that "there is probably a gradual transition from one ("sir") to the other ("Lord") as the woman's respect for Jesus grows throughout the conversation." (Jn 4:11, 15, 19) You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep - Jacob's well is today reported to be over 75 feet deep and it likely was even deeper 2000 years ago! How would Jesus draw this water? NET = "Sir," the woman said to him, "you have no bucket and the well is deep; where then do you get this living water?" - Comment - The NET is somewhat more accurate than NAS because the Greek text has the noun antlema (used only here in the NT) and referred to "a bucket for drawing water." (BDAG) Barclay on no bucket to draw with - When people were on a journey they usually carried with them a bucket made from the skin of some beast so that they could draw water from any well at which they halted. No doubt Jesus' band had such a bucket; and no doubt the disciples had taken it into the town with them. The woman saw that Jesus did not possess such a traveler's leather bucket, and so again she says in effect: "You need not talk about drawing water and giving it to me. I can see for myself that you have not a bucket with which to draw water." H. B. Tristram begins his book entitled Eastern Customs in Bible Lands with this personal experience. He was sitting beside a well in Palestine beside the scene of the inn which figures in the story of the Good Samaritan. "An Arab woman came down from the hills above to draw water; she unfolded and opened her goatskin bottle, and then untwined a cord, and attached it to a very small leather bucket which she carried, by means of which she slowly filled her skin, fastened its mouth, placed it on her shoulder, and bucket in hand, climbed the mountain. I thought of the woman of Samaria at Jacob's well, when an Arab footman, toiling up the steep path from Jericho, heated and wearied with his journey, turned aside to the well, knelt and peered wistfully down. But he had 'nothing to draw with and the well was deep.' He lapped a little moisture from the water spilt by the woman who had preceded him, and, disappointed, passed on." It was just what the woman was thinking of when she said that Jesus had nothing to draw water from the depths of the well. (William Barclay's Daily Study Bible) Living water - It is of note that in the Samaritans' own liturgy it is said of the Taheb (means "Restorer" and is the Samaritan "equivalent" of the Messiah) that "water shall flow from His buckets." (Nu 24:7) Here is a quote from Wikipedia "Many Samaritans believe that at the end of days, the dead will be resurrected by Taheb, a restorer (possibly a prophet, some say Moses)." (Samaritans - Wikipedia) Here is another related quote… “Moreover, for the Samaritans, Moses is the Taheb (“Restorer”), the expected messiah-like eschatological figure who will bring about a golden age and will pray for the guilty and save them. The Samaritans alone give prominence to the title “man of God” for Moses…Moses is a second God, God’s vice-regent upon earth (Memar Marqah 1.2), whose very name includes the title “Elokim” (God) (Memar Marqah 5.4), so that he who believes in him believes in his LORD (Memar Marqah 4.7).” (p. 397, footnote 47, Feldman, Josephus’s interpretation of the Bible) (Taheb – The Samaritan Messiah - Think Hebrew) This historical information (if indeed accurate), helps us gain some understanding of the Samaritan woman's later statement "he woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet." (Jn 4:19). The Samaritans considered "Taheb" as a Moses-like figure (based on their reading of Dt 18:15, 18 - keeping in mind that they believed only in the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible - See Samaritan Pentateuch). And in light of the fact that the Samaritans were looking for a "Messiah like" figure in the Taheb, it is interesting that she asks Jesus if He is the Messiah -- "The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” Jesus *said to her, “I who speak to you am [He]." (John 4:25-26) Well (5421)(phrear) describes a relatively deep pit or shaft in the ground. It is in essence a hole in the ground and could be a cistern (a place to store runoff water, especially rain water), something made by man. Or it could be a well. In Revelation, John uses it to describe an abyss or "bottomless pit" (Rev 9:1-2), probably representative of a prison. BDAG - (1) a construction consisting of a vertical shaft, covered with a stone, for water supply, a well (2) an opening that leads to the depths of the nether world, pit, shaft. Friberg - (1) as a place for storing runoff water cistern, reservoir, a sealed-in well, distinguished from pege, (spring, fountain) (Jn 4.11); (2) as the opening into a deep hole in the ground shaft, pit (Analytical Lexicon) The wordplay pege… phrear sets the stage for the saying in Jn 4:13-14, and the shift to phrear in Jn 4:11 is made to focus on the depth of the shaft, which requires use of a bucket. In contrast, Jesus supplies water that ‘wells up’ or jumps up as it were. The former speaks of human effort, the latter speaks of divine provision. When the woman spoke of the well she used the word phrear (Jn 4:11-12), but Jesus use the word pege (Jn 4:14). Phrear - 7x in 5v -Usage: pit(4), well(3). Luke 14:5 And He said to them, "Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?" John 4:11 She said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? 12 "You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?" Revelation 9:1 Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. 2 He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. Phrear - 48v in the Septuagint - Ge 14:10; 16:14; 21:14, 19, 25, 30-32; 22:19; 24:11, 20, 62; 25:11; 26:15, 18-20, 25, 32-33; 28:10; 29:2-3, 8, 10; 46:1, 5; Ex 2:15; Nu 21:16-18, 22; 1Sa 19:22; 2Sa 3:26; Ps 55:23; 69:15; Pr 5:15; 23:27; Song 4:15; Isa 15:8; Jer 14:3; 41:7, 9; Amos 5:5 Ge 14:10 Now the valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell into them. But those who survived fled to the hill country. Where then do You get that living water? - The woman knew there was no free flowing spring or stream in Shechem would qualify as living water. The NET Note states that "The woman's reply is an example of the "misunderstood statement," a technique appearing frequently in John's Gospel. Jesus was speaking of living water which was spiritual (ultimately a Johannine figure for the Holy Spirit, see Jn 7:38–39), but the woman thought he was speaking of flowing (fresh drinkable) water. Her misunderstanding gave Jesus the opportunity to explain what he really meant." Where (4159) (pothen) is an adverb used to introduce questions especially questions that begin with "Where?" or "How?". Pothen - An "interrogative adverb; (1) of place from where? from what place? (Jn 3.8); (2) of origin from what source? born of what parentage? (Jn 7.27); (3) of reason how is it that? in what way? (Mk 12.37); in a question expressing surprise why? (Luke 1.43)" (Friberg) Pothen is used 13 times in John and points to the source or origin of things. Thus pothen is a key term in John's Gospel. Most persons in John did not know from where Jesus came, as the woman here did not know from whence Jesus received this living water. BDAG summarized - 1. interrogative expression of extension from a local source, from what place? from where? (Mt 15:33, Mk 8:4) 2. interrogative expression of derivation from a source, from what source? brought about or given by whom? born of whom? (Mt 13:27, 54, 56) 3. interrogative expression of cause or reason, how, why, in what way? (Mk 12:37) Thayer - Pothen is an adverb (from Homer down), whence; a. of place, from what place: Mt. 15:33; Luke 13:25,27; John 3:8; 6:5; 8:14; 9:29,30; 19:9; Rev. 7:13; from what condition, Rev. 2:5. b. of origin or source, equivalent to from what author or giver: Mt. 13:(27),54,56; 21:25; Mark 6:2; Luke 20:7; John 2:9; James 4:1; from what parentage, John 7:27f (cf. 6:42), see Meyer at the passage, c. of cause, how is it that? how can it be that? Mark 8:4; 12:37; Luke 1:43; John 1:48; 4:11. Pothen - 29x in 26v - NAS translates - how(3), what(1), what… source(1), what sense(1), where(22). Matthew 13:27 "The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' 54 He came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? 56 "And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" Matthew 15:33 The disciples said to Him, "Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?" Matthew 21:25 "The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?" And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Then why did you not believe him?' Mark 6:2 When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? Mark 8:4 And His disciples answered Him, "Where will anyone be able to find enough bread here in this desolate place to satisfy these people?" Mark 12:37 "David himself calls Him 'Lord'; so in what sense is He his son?" And the large crowd enjoyed listening to Him. Luke 1:43 "And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? Luke 13:25 "Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, 'Lord, open up to us!' then He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know where you are from.' 27 and He will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.' Luke 20:7 So they answered that they did not know where it came from. John 1:48 Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." John 2:9 When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, John 3:8 "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." John 4:11 She said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? John 6:5 Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?" John 7:27 "However, we know where this man is from; but whenever the Christ may come, no one knows where He is from." 28 Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, "You both know Me and know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. John 8:14 Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. John 9:29 "We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from." 30 The man answered and said to them, "Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. John 19:9 and he (Pilate) entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, "Where are You from?" But Jesus gave him no answer. James 4:1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? Revelation 2:5 'Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place-- unless you repent. Revelation 7:13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?" Pothen - 27x in 27v in the Septuagint - Gen 16:8; 29:4; 42:7; Num 11:13; Josh 9:8; Jdg 13:6; 17:9; 19:17; 1 Sam 25:11; 30:13; 2 Sam 1:3, 13; 2Kgs 5:25; 6:27; 20:14; Job 1:7; 2:2; 28:12, 20; 38:24; Ps 121:1; Pr 22:27; Isa 39:3; 41:24, 28; Jer 15:18; 36:17; 48:9; Jonah 1:8; Nah 3:7; Barclay on living water - Just as Nicodemus did, the woman took the words of Jesus quite literally when she was meant to understand them spiritually. It was living water of which Jesus spoke. In ordinary language to the Jew living water was running water. It was the water of the running stream in contradistinction to the water of the stagnant cistern or pool. This well, as we have seen, was not a springing well, but a well into which the water percolated from the subsoil. To the Jew, running, living water from the stream was always better. So the woman is saying: "You are offering me pure stream water. Where are you going to get it?"… But the Jews had another way of using the word water. They often spoke of the thirst of the soul for God; and they often spoke of quenching that thirst with living water. Jesus was not using terms that were bound to be misunderstood; he was using terms that anyone with spiritual insight should have understood… Sometimes the Rabbis identified this living water with the wisdom of the Law; sometimes they identified it with nothing less than the Holy Spirit of God. All Jewish pictorial religious language was full of this idea of the thirst of the soul which could be quenched only with the living water which was the gift of God. But the woman chose to understand this with an almost crude literalism. She was blind because she would not see. (William Barclay's Daily Study Bible) Jesus' use of living water should not surprise us, nor should it have surprised a Biblically literate Jew, for the OT repeatedly refers to living water in non-literal, spiritual sense. Of course, the Samaritan woman would not have been familiar with these passages for her "Bible" was only the Pentateuch and did not include the Psalms or the Prophets, the latter books being an especially rich source of teaching on living (spiritual) water… In Isaiah we read the promise to the chosen people "Therefore you will joyously draw water From the springs of salvation." (Isa 12:3). Most commentaries on the "living water" at the Feast of Tabernacles in John 7:37-39 have noted that this passage was daily on the lips of the jubilant Jewish crowd as they carried water from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple. The Psalmist spoke of spiritual (soul thirst "As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God." (Ps 42:1). Again in Isaiah Jehovah promised "I will pour out water on the thirsty land And streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring And My blessing on your descendants." (Isa 44:3) The summons was "Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost." (Isaiah 55:1) Jehovah's complaint through His mouthpiece Jeremiah was "My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2:13, cp Jer 17:13). Ezekiel describes a future time when "water was flowing from under the threshold of the house (the Millennial Temple) toward the east." (Ezekiel 47:1-12). The prophet Zechariah also gives us a description of the living waters in the Millennium - "And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter." (Zechariah 14:8). Gary Burge explains living water - As with Nicodemus, earthly questioners cannot understand heavenly things. They stumble over misunderstandings, which lead to humorous, ironic double meanings. As a resident of Shechem, the woman knows the location of every water source. But here Jesus says something unexpected: He is able to provide “living water” (Jn 4:10b). “Living water” refers to water that flows as in a spring, river, or stream, that is, moving water. Other water stood still, and one could find it in a well, cistern, or pond (A cistern is an underground reservoir or cavity generally dug into the soft limestone and lined with plaster. Rainwater is directed into the cistern’s small opening and a lid keeps out light thereby keeping algae from growing. Villages throughout Palestine still use cistern systems today. Some were small for a household. Masada’s 12 cisterns on its western slope held 1.5 million cubic feet of water.). Living water was precious and valued and, according to rabbinic law, was the only water that could be used in ritual washings to make pure unclean worshipers. (A good example of this is found at Qumran where numerous ritual baths are fed by the requisite amounts of “running water” caught from the mountain valley just west of the site.) Everyone knew that Shechem had no rivers or streams. Even Jacob had to dig a well in order to water his flocks here (Jn 4:12). How could a Jewish outsider, someone who barely knew the terrain, offer water that no one else had found? There is no living water in Shechem. (The NIV Application Commentary) Henrietta Mears summarizes Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well - Jesus brought an immoral woman face to face with Himself and showed her what kind of life she was leading. Christ did not condemn her or pass judgment upon her, but He did reveal to her that He is the only One who could meet her needs. Christ revealed the wonderful truth to her that He is the water of life. He alone can satisfy. The wells of the world cannot provide satisfaction. This woman’s loose view of marriage is not unlike the view of marriage held by many people today. People try every kind of well—money, power, clothes, food, possessions, drugs—but they still are unhappy and unsatisfied. Did the woman believe Christ? What did she do? Her actions spoke louder than any words could have. She went back to town, and by her simple testimony brought a whole town to Christ (see John 4:1–42). This story gives us Christ’s estimate of a single soul. (Discover Jesus in the Pages of the Bible: Amazing Facts About the Greatest Person Who Ever Lived). ><>><>><> Oswald Chambers - Inferior misgivings about Jesus - Sir, Thou hast nothing to draw with. John 4:11. - ‘I am impressed with the wonder of what God says, but He cannot expect me really to live it out in the details of my life!’ When it comes to facing Jesus Christ on His own merits, our attitude is one of pious superiority—‘Your ideals are high and they impress us, but in touch with actual things, it cannot be done.’ Each of us thinks about Jesus in this way in some particular. These misgivings about Jesus start from the amused questions put to us when we talk of our transactions with God—‘Where are you going to get your money from? How are you going to be looked after?’ Or they start from ourselves when we tell Jesus that our case is a bit too hard for Him. ‘It is all very well to say “Trust in the Lord,” but a man must live, and Jesus has nothing to draw with—nothing whereby to give us these things.’ Beware of the pious fraud in you which says—‘I have no misgivings about Jesus, only about myself.’ None of us ever had misgivings about ourselves; we know exactly what we cannot do, but we do have misgivings about Jesus. We are rather hurt at the idea that He can do what we cannot. My misgivings arise from the fact that I ransack my own person to find out how He will be able to do it. My questions spring from the depths of my own inferiority. If I detect these misgivings in myself, let me bring them to the light and confess them—‘Lord, I have had misgivings about Thee, I have not believed in Thy wits apart from my own; I have not believed in Thine Almighty power apart from my finite understanding of it.’ (My utmost for his highest) Oswald Chambers - The impoverished ministry of Jesus - From whence then hast Thou that living water? John 4:11. - “The well is deep”—and a great deal deeper than the Samaritan woman knew! Think of the depths of human nature, of human life, think of the depths of the ‘wells’ in you. Have you been impoverishing the ministry of Jesus so that He cannot do anything? Suppose there is a well of fathomless trouble inside your heart, and Jesus comes and says—“Let not your heart be troubled”; and you shrug your shoulders and say—‘But, Lord, the well is deep; You cannot draw up quietness and comfort out of it.’ No, He will bring them down from above. Jesus does not bring anything up from the wells of human nature. We limit the Holy One of Israel by remembering what we have allowed Him to do for us in the past, and by saying—‘Of course I cannot expect God to do this thing.’ The thing that taxes almightiness is the very thing which as disciples of Jesus we ought to believe He will do. We impoverish His ministry the moment we forget He is Almighty; the impoverishment is in us, not in Him. We will come to Jesus as Comforter or as Sympathizer, but we will not come to Him as Almighty. The reason some of us are such poor specimens of Christianity is because we have no Almighty Christ. We have Christian attributes and experiences, but there is no abandonment to Jesus Christ. When we get into difficult circumstances, we impoverish His ministry by saying—‘Of course He cannot do any thing,’ and we struggle down to the deeps and try to get the water for ourselves. Beware of the satisfaction of sinking back and saying—‘It can’t be done’; you know it can be done if you look to Jesus. The well of your incompleteness is deep, but make the effort and look away to Him. (My utmost for his highest) John 4:12 "You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?": me su meizon ei (PAI) tou patros hemon Iakob, os edoken (AAI) hemin to phrear kai autos ex autou epien (AAI) kai oi huioi autou kai tathremmata autou?: Jn 8:53; Isaiah 53:2,3; Matthew 12:42; Hebrews 3:3 You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You - Is she asking a sincere question or is she expressing a degree of cynicism? Unfortunately we cannot discern the "tone" of her voice! Why did she ask this question is the question? While we cannot be dogmatic, the context suggests that she presumed Jesus could tap into a better source of living (running) water, one that was not so deep that it could only be reached by letting down a bucket. So the Jesus well would be better than a Jacob well and thus Jesus would be greater than Jacob. She seems to imply that Jesus was either a truth teller or a deceiver, although the Greek order of the question expects a negative answer. The woman clearly did not understand that the living water Jesus referred to was spiritual water and that He indeed was greater than Jacob! (cp similar question by the Jews to Jesus in Jn 8:53). Gospel for Asia uses this concept as a means of spreading the Gospel (the real "living water") among unreached people groups in India (many of these groups also be veritable outcasts from their society, like the Samaritan woman!) by digging wells referred to as "Jesus Wells." As
João 4:4-15
Meyer wrote, “The little possessive pronoun my is the bucket with which we draw water from the depths of God. Our pilgrimage way is lined by these wells of saving help.” Nancy Spiegelberg has expressed her own unawareness of that lavish provision: Lord, I crawled across the barrenness to You with my empty cup, uncertain in asking any small drop of refreshment. If only I had known You better, I’d have come running with a bucket. © 1974 Nancy Spiegelberg ><>><>><> Keep your witness bright and clear, So the world may see and hear God’s salvation far and near, That others too may know Him. —Hess When you have found food for your soul lead others to the Source. ><>><>><> Barriers And Blessings (Read: John 4:27-39) Many… believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” —John 4:39 What did Jesus see when He looked at the woman at the well in John 4? He saw someone who wanted acceptance and desperately needed to know she was loved. Most of all, He saw someone who needed what only He could give—a new heart. It was no accident that the disciples had all gone to town to buy food. Surely, they would have tried to warn Jesus not to talk to this person—a woman, a Samaritan, and someone with a bad reputation. Not being one to follow protocol, however, Jesus used this encounter to bless her with the truth of “living water” (John 4:10). In just one conversation, He broke down barriers of old hostilities, of gender bias, of ethnic and racial divides. And this woman became the first of many Samaritans to confess that Jesus was the Messiah (Jn 4:39-42). When she told others of her encounter with a Man who knew “all that I ever did,” she was already practicing the principle of “sowing and reaping” that Jesus was teaching His followers (John 4:35-38). Many believed that day, and later Philip, Peter, John, and others would preach in Samaria and lead many more to Christ (Acts 8:5-14; 15:3). From sinking sand He lifted me, With tender hand He lifted me; From shades of night to plains of light, O praise His name, He lifted me! —Gabriel A faith worth having is a faith worth sharing. ><>><>><> Are You Depleted? - Mexico City is sinking. According to a New York Times article, “So much water has been pumped out from the aquifer beneath [the city] to satisfy [its] 18 million residents that the ground is collapsing at a stunning rate.” The city has sunk 30 feet in the past century. Is a similar thing happening to you spiritually? You’ve given so much to others that your energy is gone. You feel drained, depleted, as if your life is collapsing in on itself. What started as a noble venture to help thirsty people has become a journey through the desert for you. Jesus said, “‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, … out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive” (Jn. 7:37-39). Jesus painted a picture of abundant supply—not a trickle but rivers of living water produced by the Holy Spirit, who is given to everyone who trusts in Christ. The Lord wants us to come to Him To quench our thirsty soul, For from Him flow life-giving streams To heal and make us whole. — Sper ><>><>><> F B Meyer - Spring up, O well (Nu 21:17), in our hearts. — Too long has the soil been arid and bare. A great drought has smitten it, and devoured every green thing. The flowers wither, the fruit falls. But Jesus promised to open in believing hearts a well, the waters of which should spring up unto eternal life. Not a stagnant pool, but a spring. Not a failing Cherith, but a perennial Siloam. Let that promise be realized in us here, and now; and if we have permitted rubbish to accumulate, or the weeds to grow rank, may we have grace to put them away, that there may be a clear course for the living water to flow through us and refresh the lives of all with whom we come in contact. Spurgeon on Nu 21:17 - Spring up, O Well - Famous was the well of Beer in the wilderness, because it was the subject of a promise: “That is the well whereof the Lord spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water.” The people needed water, and it was promised by their gracious God. We need fresh supplies of heavenly grace, and in the covenant the Lord has pledged himself to give all we require. The well next became the cause of a song. Before the water gushed forth, cheerful faith prompted the people to sing; and as they saw the crystal fount bubbling up, the music grew yet more joyous. In like manner, we who believe the promise of God should rejoice in the prospect of divine revivals in our souls, and as we experience them our holy joy should overflow. Are we thirsting? Let us not murmur, but sing. Spiritual thirst is bitter to bear, but we need not bear it—the promise indicates a well; let us be of good heart, and look for it. Moreover, the well was the centre of prayer. “Spring up, O well.” What God has engaged to give, we must enquire after, or we manifest that we have neither desire nor faith. This evening let us ask that the Scripture we have read, and our devotional exercises, may not be an empty formality, but a channel of grace to our souls. O that God the Holy Spirit would work in us with all his mighty power, filling us with all the fulness of God. Lastly, the well was the object of effort. “The nobles of the people dug it with their staves.” The Lord would have us active in obtaining grace. Our staves are ill adapted for digging in the sand, but we must use them to the utmost of our ability. Prayer must not be neglected; the assembling of ourselves together must not be forsaken; ordinances must not be slighted. The Lord will give us his peace most plenteously, but not in a way of idleness. Let us, then, bestir ourselves to seek him in whom are all our fresh springs. Place Of Water- (Read: Psalm 42:1-5) - The water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. —John 4:14 - East Africa is one of the driest places on earth, which is what makes “Nairobi” such a significant name for a city in that region. The name comes from a Masai phrase meaning “cold water,” and it literally means “the place of water.” Throughout history, the presence of water has been both life-giving and strategic. Whether a person lives in a dry climate or a rainforest, water is a nonnegotiable necessity. In a dry and barren climate, knowing where to find the place of water can mean the difference between life and death. Our spiritual life also has certain nonnegotiable elements. That is why Jesus, upon encountering a spiritually thirsty woman at a well, declared to her that He alone could provide living water. He told her, “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 4:14). Rivers of living water, Rivers of life so free, Flowing from Thee, my Savior, Send now the rivers through me. —Wood Jesus is the fountain of living water. ><>><>><> Drink Lots Of Water - Read: John 4:7-14 - The water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. —John 4:14 Visitors to Colorado often become dehydrated without realizing it. The dry climate and intense sun, especially in the mountains, can rapidly deplete the body’s fluids. That’s why many tourist maps and signs urge people to drink plenty of water. In the Bible, water is often used as a symbol of Jesus as the Living Water who satisfies our deepest needs. So it’s quite fitting that one of Jesus’ most memorable conversations took place at a well (John 4:1-42). It began with Jesus asking a Samaritan woman for a drink of water (v.7). It quickly progressed to a discussion of something more when Jesus said to her: “Whoever drinks of this [physical] 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 4:13-14). As a result of this conversation, the woman and many people in the village where she lived came to believe that Jesus was “the Christ, the Savior of the world” (v.42). ><>><>><> Looking For Water - Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. —John 4:14 - The United States has spent millions of dollars looking for water on Mars. A few years ago, NASA sent twin robots, Opportunity and Spirit, to the red planet to see if water was present or had been present at one time. Why did the US do this? The scientists who are poring over data sent back from those two little Martian rovers are trying to figure out if life ever existed on Mars. And for that to have happened, there had to be water. No water, no life. Two thousand years ago, a couple of “rovers” set out across the countryside of an Earth-outpost called Samaria looking for water. One was a woman who lived nearby. The other was a man from Galilee. They ended up meeting at a well near the village of Sychar. When they did, Jesus found the water He was looking for, and the woman found the water she didn’t know she needed (John 4:5-15). Water is essential for both physical and spiritual life. Jesus had a surprise for the woman at the well. He offered her the Water of Life—Himself. He is the refreshing, renewing “fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). Do you know anyone looking for water? Someone who is spiritually thirsty? Introduce that person to Jesus, the Living Water. It’s the greatest discovery of all time. - Dave Branon Gracious and Almighty Savior, Source of all that shall endure, Quench my thirst with living water, Living water, clear and pure. —Vinal Only Jesus, the Living Water, can satisfy the thirsty soul. ><>><>><> Broken Cisterns - They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water. —Jeremiah 2:13 - Picture yourself swinging a pick, digging from dawn to dusk, chiseling a cistern out of the hard, unyielding stone. You stay on the job, working through the biting cold of winter and the blazing heat of summer. After years of strenuous effort you finally complete the task. Then you step back and wait for your cistern to fill—and it leaks. You discover—too late—that all cisterns, no matter how well constructed, will leak. The story is a picture of the futility of our attempts to find satisfaction in life. It’s an age-old problem. God told the prophet Jeremiah that His people “have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters.” Instead, they had expended their efforts on “broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13). Are you driven by soul-thirst, yearning for satisfaction? There is a spring of living water, rising from hidden depths, pouring into our hearts, satisfying us even as it makes us thirst for more. Stoop down and drink. Only God can satisfy your heart. Everything else will deceive and disappoint. “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst,” said Jesus. “But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). - David H. Roper Only Living Water can quench the driving thirst of the soul. ><>><>><> Drink Up! (Read: John 4:7-14) - Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. —John 4:14 - In 1981, Ida’s Pastry Shoppe in Jenison, Michigan, advertised this special offer: “Buy one of our coffee mugs for $4.79 and fill up your cup for a dime each time you visit.” But the owners never expected that 25 years later, four longtime customers would still be getting their cup of java every day—for 10 cents. You won’t find many deals like that anymore. But Jesus offered something far greater to the woman at the well (John 4:10). He said, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but … the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (vv.13-14). The woman at the well was ready to listen. None of her many personal relationships had ever filled up her emptiness. Then Jesus offered her “water” that would soothe her parched life and give her something more—the promise of eternal life. That same promise is ours as well. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). God’s grace and love come from a bottomless reservoir. Drink from the water He offers, and you will never thirst again. By Cindy Hess Kasper ><>><>><> Really Thirsty (Read: Psalm 42) - As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. —Psalm 42:1 Have you ever been really thirsty? Years ago, I visited my sister Kathy in Mali, West Africa. During an afternoon of seeing the sights, the temperature had risen far above 100ºF. Parched, I told her, “Hey, I need something to drink.” When Kathy told me she had forgotten to bring along a supply of filtered water, I began to get a bit desperate. The longer we drove, the more I wondered what it was like to truly die of thirst. Finally, Kathy said, “I know where we can go,” as she drove up to the gate of an embassy. Inside I beheld the most beautiful sight—a water cooler! I grabbed one of the tiny paper cups and filled it again and again. My body had been deprived too long and now required lots of liquid to reverse the effects of dehydration. The psalmist compared physical thirst with spiritual thirst: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God” (Ps. 42:1). His thirst was that of a desperate longing for God—the one and only living God (Ps 42:2). My hunger for the truth He satisfies; Upon the Word, the Living Bread, I feed: No parching thirst I know, because His grace, A pool of endless depth, supplies my need. —Sanders Only Jesus, the Living Water, can satisfy the thirsty soul. ><>><>><> At The Well (Read: John 4:5-26) - With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. —Isaiah 12:3 - A guide in Israel was preparing to lead a tour into the desert. His instructions to the group were simple and clear: “If you do not have these two items, I will not allow you to accompany us. You must have a broad-brimmed hat and a full bottle of water. These will protect you from the sun, and from the thirst caused by wind and dryness.” Water. It’s essential to survival. That’s why a woman came to the well in Samaria (John 4:7). She came at noon, when few people were there. She was startled when a young Jewish man asked her for something to drink. Jesus broke huge barriers with His request—she was a woman, had been married many times, and wasn’t a Jew. Jesus offered her water far better than that from the well. He had “living water,” which only He could give (vv.10,13-14). I believe she took that water and was spiritually cleansed, for she told everyone what she had experienced: “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” (v.29). ><>><>><> Showers Of Blessing - Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You? —Psalm 85:6 - When it rains, most people go inside to avoid getting wet. But I remember a summer day in Texas when people ran outside their offices and homes to stand in a downpour. Some shouted, others danced, and everyone was happy. After months of scorching temperatures and crippling drought, the sheer joy of a life-giving rain made getting soaked a pleasure. Just as a physical drought teaches us that there is no substitute for rain, a time of spiritual dryness burns into us the truth that we cannot live without God’s renewing Spirit. Hymn writer Daniel W. Whittle expressed his longing for spiritual revival in these words: “Showers of blessing, showers of blessing we need; mercy drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plead.” During times of spiritual dryness, when we long for a sense of the presence and power of God, we echo the psalmist’s prayer: “Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You? Show us Your mercy, Lord, and grant us Your salvation” (Psalm 85:6-7). The spiritual refreshing we crave comes only from above. Christ alone can satisfy our spiritual thirst with the “living water” He promised to all who come to Him (John 4:14). —David C. McCasland I reached for God's hand full of blessings, Because I was needy and sad; And, oh, what a shower He gave me From all the rich treasure He had! —Simon Only Christ the living water can quench our spiritual thirst. ><>><>><> The Unfailing Spring - Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink." —John 7:37 - Joseph Campbell, a well-known authority on mythology, said that his friends were living “wasteland lives.” He said they were “just baffled; they’re wandering in the wasteland without any sense of where the water is—the Source that makes everything green.” That could also be said—and with deepest sorrow—about countless people today. They try one thing after another to quench the thirst of their souls. Many people even resort to an empty spirituality, which Campbell did so much to popularize. But as the prophet Jeremiah said, they’ve made for themselves “broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jer. 2:13). Whatever Campbell himself may have believed, “the Source that makes everything green” is Jesus Christ our blessed Savior. He is the One who gives “living water,” which becomes “a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (Jn. 4:10,14). If you have responded to the gospel and personally received Jesus Christ as your Savior from sin, you have that fountain springing up within your soul (Jn. 7:37-38). Now you can pray for the “baffled” people around you, and offer the “living water” to those who are thirsty and wandering in a parched, Christless wasteland. - Vernon C. Grounds I came to Jesus, and I drank Of that life-giving stream; My thirst was quenched, my soul revived, And now I live in Him. —Bonar Only Jesus, the Living Water, can satisfy our thirst for God. ><>><>><> Big Spring - The water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. —John 4:14 - In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is a remarkable natural wonder—a pool about 40 feet deep and 300 feet across that Native Americans called “Kitch-iti-kipi,” or “the big cold water.” Today it is known as The Big Spring. It is fed by underground springs that push more than 10,000 gallons of water a minute through the rocks below and up to the surface. Additionally, the water keeps a constant temperature of 45 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning that even in the brutally cold winters of the Upper Peninsula the pool never freezes. Tourists can enjoy viewing the waters of Big Spring during any season of the year. When Jesus encountered a woman at Jacob’s well, He talked to her about another source of water that would always satisfy. But He did not speak of a fountain, spring, river, or lake. He said, “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 4:14). Far greater than any natural spring is the refreshment we have been offered in Christ Himself. We can be satisfied, for Jesus alone, the Water of Life, can quench our thirst. Praise God, for Jesus is the source that never runs dry. Father, it seems that I drink far too often from the waters of the world that cannot satisfy. Forgive me, and teach me to find in Christ the water that can quench the thirst of my heart and draw me ever closer to You. The only real thirst-quencher is Jesus— the living water. ><>><>><> Water For The World - He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. —John 7:38 - Although 70 percent of the world is covered by water, less than 1 percent of it is drinkable by humans. Water conservation and sanitation are crucial matters in many parts of the world, as all life depends on having sanitary water. Jesus went out of His way to introduce a lost woman to another kind of life-giving water. He deliberately chose to go to a town in Samaria, a place where no respectable rabbi would set foot. There, He told this woman about “living water.” Those who drink of it, He said, “will never thirst.” It will “become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). The living water is Jesus Himself (Ed: Yes, but in Jn 38 Jesus says the Living Water is His Spirit). Those who receive Him have eternal life (Jn 4:14). But the living water He provides also serves another function. Jesus said of those who receive it: “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (Jn 7:38). The living water that refreshes us is to refresh others also. As fresh-water distribution is uneven in the world, so too is the distribution of living water. Many people do not know followers of Jesus who really care about them. It is our privilege to share Him. Christ is, after all, the living water for whom people are thirsting. Lord Jesus, I want to live for You. May Your life and love flow through me as I go about my duties today so that others may see You through me and be drawn to the living water. Jesus is a never-ending supply of living water for a parched world. - C. P. Hia ><>><>><> James Smith - THE LIVING WATER. - These words of Jesus Christ about the "Living Water, spoken as they were to the sinful Samaritan, are deeper and more lasting than the well of Jacob. This well is unfathomable! This Water is everlasting! I. The Nature of It. Our Lord calls it "Living Water" (1Jn 4:10). It is living in the sense that it is life-giving. That which Christ gives is not something to keep us alive, but something to make us alive. This water of "grace and truth," which came by Jesus Christ (Jn 4:1-17), is the water which saves and satisfies (Eph. 2:8). It is not given merely to refresh, but to regenerate. The elements of eternal light and life are in it. II. The Source of It. "Thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee." He Himself is the disposer of this living water. Unto Him has been "given power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life" (John 17:2). "This is the pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God, and of the Lamb" (Rev. 22:1). The original source of this grace and truth is the gracious heart of the eternal God, and has been manifested to us in the life and sufferings of the Lamb. III. The Efficacy of It. 1. IT QUENCHES THIRST. "Whosoever shall drink of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst" (Jn 4:14). They never thirst for the muddy waters of sin who have drank, and keep drinking, of the water that Christ gives. They shall never thirst for any other drink, neither in this life not in the life which is to come. "They shall not thirst for ever" (Newberry). 2. IT BECOMES A SPRING WITHIN. "The water that I shall give him shall become in him a spring of water" (Jn 4:14, Newberry). The idea here is that, when any one drinks this water, or, in other words, receives this grace and truth offered in Christ, there is opened up within that one a fountain of new life and blessedness—a secondary source, within the heart, of perennial joy and satisfaction. Every saved soul is a citadel of God, and although constantly besieged by the sins and sorrows of earth, they have an unfailing source of supply within. This fountain flows on for ever, springing up into the ocean of eternal life and praise, in the presence of God and the Lamb. IV. The Conditions of It. "If thou knewest the gift of God, thou wouldest have asked of Him" (Jn 4:10). The conditions are knowing and asking. As soon as we know what the Christ has to give us, this knowledge should surely lead to asking and receiving. How will sinners ask of Him the greatest of all gifts, if they do not know that the gift of God is eternal life? They were blessed who knew the joyful sound of the jubilee trumpet, because they believed and received their liberty through it. If thou knewest the gift of God thou wouldest not frequent those streams which have their source in this sin-poisoned world, and which can never reach down to the thirst of a human spirit. This is eternal life to know Him. Ask and ye shall receive. V. The Freeness of It. "Whosoever drinketh of this water" (Jn 4:14). "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Rev. 22:17). Christ Himself, as the Fountain of Living Water; is the Gift of God to a world perishing with a thirst that is unquenchable apart from Him. Whosoever, is the choice word of the infinite grace of God. It was among the first and the last words" used in connection with the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (John 3:15, 16; Rev. 22:17). Does your soul thirst for these waters as the hart panteth after the water brooks? (Ps 42:1) Then here is your hope: "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye" (Isa. 55:1). It was on the last and greatest day of the feast that Jesus stood and cried, "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink." (Jn 7:37) (Handfuls on Purpose) ><>><>><> Jewish Background on the phrase living water - The rabbis used to distinguish between the cleansing power of different types of water according to two criteria:33 “living” water ranked above “drawn” water,34 and cold above hot. According to these criteria, six grades were established (enumerated in Mishnah, Mikwaot 1:1–8, from the lowest to the highest): 1. the water in ponds, cisterns, etc., containing less than forty seahs of undrawn water 2. the water of a rain-pond before the rain-stream has stopped 3. standing water in a pool of forty seahs or more 4. the water of a well, even if it has to be enriched with drawn water to reach forty seahs 5. smitten waters when running [“smitten”: meaning salty or from a hot spring] 6. running water directly from a natural source Category 6 was the real “heavy duty” cleansing water; it was required for the cleansing for flux (Lev 15:13: “He must immerse himself in living water”, [author’s translation]), for leprosy (Lev 14:5: cleansing by “living water”), and for the production of the cleansing water with ashes of the red heifer (Num 19:17). For ordinary immersion of men and women, water down to category 3 was acceptable; the same held true for proselyte baptisms. (In the Shadow of the Temple) ><>><>><> Jesus promises we will be springs of water bubbling forth - Are our lives truly like this? Do fresh springs flow out of us day after day? If not, why not? The answer is simple—there can be no outflow unless there is an intake. This is the rhythm of the Holy Spirit—intake and outflow. If there is more intake than outflow, then the intake stops; if there is more outflow than intake, then the outflow stops. The doors open inward to receive, only to open outward to give. When we come to talk about life in the Spirit, we are not to think in terms of a reservoir which has only limited resources. Life is a channel, attached to infinite resources. The more we draw on these resources, the more we have. There is no danger of exhausting one's resources. We do not have to hold back—for the more we give, the more we have. Living on the overflow is what many of us lack today. A sign could be put up over our individual and collective lives saying, "Life Limited." According to Jesus' promise, however, when the Spirit comes, life is unlimited: "From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water." Not rivulets, not trickles, not brooks, not streams—but rivers. Rivers! O God, help me to link my channel to Your infinite resources. Flow through me until I become a flowing river—no, an overflowing river. In Jesus' name. Amen. (Selwyn