The Gospel of John shows us many instances of how Jesus, as the Incarnated God-man, came to meet man’s many and varied needs. In reading through this Gospel, we see that, in the parables and events shown, Jesus met fallen man’s need. In chapter four, man “being thirsty” displays that he is seeking for something in human life that will quench his desires, or somehow meet his need.
Consider the famous case of the Samaritan woman at the well here in chapter four. Here was one that was coming to a physical well, a place for drawing water that would quench and satisfy her thirst.
Coming to this well at the heat of the day, rather than in the cool of the day, she probably realized that others would not be present. As a shamed woman who had had “many husbands,” she was seeking satisfaction in the human life, ever thirsty for a relationship that would satisfy her.
Yet at this well was a man, Jesus, who somehow knew her situation, and went out of His way to come to this same well. As we read through the passage we see in verse 7: “… Jesus said to her, Give Me something to drink.” The incarnated One who asked for a drink was Himself the “living water”!
Later, in verse 10, He offers the woman the living water. Her response is to ask, in verse 11: Where then do You get this living water? Jesus then points out: “Everyone who drinks of this water [perhaps pointing to the well] shall thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall by no means thirst forever; but the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water gushing up into eternal life.” (Verses 13 and 14).
The woman realized that she was thirsty and needed the living water that could quench her thirst, so that she would not thirst again! She did not need the water at this well, she needed the living water. Only Jesus can be this living water, to satisfy us, and only He can bring in healing.
It is clear also that once this woman tasted of Jesus as the reality of the Living Water, she was a changed woman. Although her life was full of sin, full of disappointment and shame, she would leave her waterpot and go into the city to declare “Come, see a man who told me all that I have done. Is this not the Christ?”(verse 29).
How many do we know that seek after many things, (perhaps marrying and divorcing), trying to acquire things that will make us happy or “satisfy”? Yet, we are still empty and thirsty, and still seeking. Only Jesus can be the real “thirst-quencher”, and He is ready to satisfy our longing thirst, the empty sense within.
Only He can bring us to drink of the Living Water, which is Himself. When we drink of Him, we are filled within, and we can gain true satisfaction! Oh, Hallelujah for such a drinking, that is available to us, anytime! [guess post: bro. David B.]
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