There is a well-known dialogue between Jesus and the so
called “woman at the well.” It took
place when Jesus took a trip through Samaria, stopped at a well, and asked a
woman to give Him water.
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| Water of Life Discourse by Angelika Kauffmann |
The woman questioned why Jesus would ask her for water. Jesus responded by saying that if she knew
who she was talking too, she would ask Him for a drink because the “water”
Jesus offers keeps us from ever thirsting again.
The proposal of perpetual hydration sounded good to the
woman, so she asked Jesus to give her some of this magical liquid.
At this point Jesus takes what seems like a wild left
turn. He asks the woman to go get her
husband. Jesus knew that she
was not married. It appears He was
trying to bring up the fact that the woman had been through five husbands and
was now living with a man she was not married to.
Why did Jesus move from the metaphor of living water to talk
about the woman’s sex life?
I think it was to show the woman that she was drinking the
wrong water. The woman was trying to
quench her spiritual thirst through men.
Her quest for spiritual fulfillment had not worked. She tried husband one. He did not quench her thirst. Husband two also failed. Three, four, and five all did not seem to
meet her spiritual need. Now she was
trying a boyfriend, yet her thirst remained.
The woman is not alone.
All of us have the tendency to search for something to quench our
thirst. Some, like the woman, drink from
the well of relationships. Others drink
from the well of money or power. Others
drink from the well of prestige and reputation.
Pleasure, knowledge, adventure, there are countless other wells we try
to quench our thirst. Yet there is only
one source of living water, and the woman at the well was talking to Him.
A simple trip around the internet can reveal several
poisoned wells from which we drink. It
is not difficult to find pornographic sites.
There are even sites devoted to cheating on your spouse. Extra-marital sex remains a popular poisoned
well.
There are sites for gambling and sites to promote tricks for
quick financial gain. Money is a big
poisoned well.
Then there is social media.
We post selfies showing our adventures so that everyone knows how
amazing our lives are, and we drink from the well of prestige. We argue about how superior our political
opinions are, and we drink from the well of arrogance and pride. We post complaints about how we are
unsatisfied with the latest products or services at a local business, and we
drink from the well of anger and selfishness.
Yet nothing satisfies.
As C. S. Lewis wrote, “I find in myself desires which nothing in this
world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another
world.”
The source of living water is available to us all. Jesus has invited us to come and find what we
really need, a relationship with God.
That is the only well that will satisfy, because it is the only well
that provides the “living water” our souls crave. All other wells will only provide temporary relief. Our thirst will keep returning.
Access to the well is available through Jesus. Are you thirsty? Then drink up!
