Jesus needed to go through Samaria is kind of interesting. If you look at a map of his starting location and his final destination, Samaria was out of his way. There was no geographical reason to take that route. The Word is very clear though-he needed to take this route. Why? So he could have an opportunity to interact with the woman at the well.
This particular woman is an outcast, most likely a prostitute because of the time of day she goes. She went, all by herself. Women traveled in groups-just like now, girls go to the bathroom in pairs so little has changed over the years.
During the course of this conversation, Jesus’ desire is revealed. He wants a relationship with her-a real, authentic relationship. He introduces this idea when he says, “Anyone (that’s anyone) who drinks from the water I give will never thirst again.”
So think about the relationships in your life. Are there any relationships that have gone, say, downhill or you’ve lost interest in over the years? Jesus relationship is different, it’s on a completely different level altogether. To never thirst again means the relationship he wants with us will never get old, it will never get boring and he will never leave you.
One of the reasons so many people have an issue with relating to God is because we view God through the lens of our earthly relationships with our parents, siblings, co-workers, friends, enemies, etc. We see God in the light of those relationships rather than look at those relationships through the light of God’s relationship with us and with them. if we don’t have any real broken relationships, we know about them-we have a family member or a friend who is in a broken relationship. So, we have this tendency to think the worst.
Jesus pursued us, each of us by becoming a man. He wants to love us, he is for us and his desire is for us to fellowship with him, interact with him and become like him. Likewise, he wants us to be in relationship with one another, as a family.
The key to maintaining this relationship with Christ is worship. You see the women was focused on a particular area of worship-the “how to” worship, if you will. Jesus said it’s not about location or how to but Who you worship that is key. You see, our relationship with Christ must be continuously grounded in worship. Worship is a lifestyle of believing Jesus is who he says he is, trusting in Him and giving God thanks.
Closing Thought/Question
How has Jesus gone out of his way to pursue you?
