Hear the word of God:
Please, sir," the woman said, "give me this water! Then I'll never be thirsty again, and I won't have to come here to get water."
"Go and get your husband," Jesus told her.
"I don't have a husband," the woman replied.
Jesus said, "You're right! You don't have a husband— for you have had five husbands, and you aren't even married to the man you're living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!"
"Sir," the woman said, "you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?"
Jesus replied, "Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it's here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth."
The woman said, "I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."
Then Jesus told her, "I AM the Messiah!"
John 4:15-26
Jesus knew the woman at the well before she even showed up. He knew the type of life she had been living. When she asked for the living water so she would never thirst again, he brought up a sore topic. He brought up the fact that she had been living in sin for a while. The woman told the truth, but she was convicted. She changed the subject quickly onto worship. She knew this man had to be someone special, but she didn't want to talk about her personal life anymore. Where are we supposed to worship? Jesus told her that true worshipers worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The woman stated that she knew the Messiah was coming, then Jesus said those resounding words. I AM the Messiah! What would you have done in her shoes, or sandals?
In looking through this passage and trying to put our lives into it, I am challenged because I believe that we go through conversations like this one every day. People come and talk to us or a conversation just happens and when we challenge them with the right thing to do, the subject is changed. They don't want to always admit their wrongs, or talk about what they have been through. Shouldn't we understand this. We have been there too. I would guess that there are some of us who would change the subject ourselves. Jesus had to help her look past where she had been and showed her that he was who she had been longing for in her heart for so long.
The boys we minister to, and the people we work with everyday are watching us and they can see if we are reflecting the love of Jesus. They can see if we are pointing them in the direction of the Son, or if we seem to be as lost as they do. Spend some time in a peaceful setting today and let God show you where you have been and if there are things you need to deal with, then lay them at the feet of Jesus. Spend some time preparing your heart, so you are able to point others to the Messiah!
Jason
