WHEN THE WELL FINALLY DRIES
Most of us carry a thirst we don’t mention out loud.
We keep going through the motions, juggle responsibilities, stay productive, and hope nobody notices the cracks in our souls. Sometimes we hide those cracks even from ourselves.
This woman did.
She kept walking to this same well every day. Same routine. Same burdens. Same disappointments. Same loneliness.
She hoped the physical water would be enough to distract her from the emptiness inside.
But the ache never left.
Jesus didn’t shame her for it.
He simply showed her a different kind of water.
Something she didn’t even know she could ask for.
A spring that never stops flowing.
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JESUS IS NOT PUT OFF BY YOUR STORY
By the time Jesus pointed to the broken pieces of her past, she was ready. The truth didn’t crush her. It set her free.
Because for the first time…
someone saw everything in her
and didn’t walk away.
She wasn’t met with disgust.
She wasn’t met with rejection.
She was met by grace.
Her past may have been complicated,
but her future had just become clear.
Jesus doesn’t wait until your life is tidy to sit beside your well.
He sits down in the middle of your mess.
He doesn’t flinch.
He doesn’t back up.
He doesn’t say, “Come back when you’re better.”
He says:
“I came for you exactly like this.”
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>> THE DISCIPLES’ MISSED MOMENT
As her heart is transforming, the disciples return from town with lunch.
Arms full of bread.
Eyes full of confusion.
They whisper questions to each other but fear asking aloud:
What is He doing talking to her?
Why would He spend time here… in Samaria?
They’re so focused on their schedule, their hunger, their normal routine… they can’t see the miracle unfolding right in front of them.
It is possible for God to move powerfully…
and for us to miss it because we are in a hurry.
Jesus says to them:
“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me.”
In other words:
“I’d rather feed a hungry soul than fill my stomach.”
He then points them toward the town and says:
“Open your eyes… the harvest is ready.”
To Jesus, the people they were avoiding
were the very people God was pursuing.
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>> WHEN SHAME TURNS INTO STORY
The woman leaves her jar behind.
A detail too beautiful to ignore.
She came for water.
She runs home without any.
Because she found something better.
She doesn’t rehearse a speech.
She doesn’t wait until she has full doctrine.
She doesn’t even fully understand what just happened.
She just knows this:
“He saw everything I ever did…
and He still loved me.”
She runs to the town that once avoided her,
to the people who judged her,
to the community she hid from…
and she becomes the one who invites them to Jesus.
Because forgiven people
want others to be forgiven too.
Because found people
want others to be found too.
It takes tremendous courage to run back into the places where you once carried shame.
And the most astonishing part?
The town listens to her.
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>> WHAT TRANSFORMATION LOOKS LIKE
Here is what I love:
Jesus did not just give her living water.
He gave her value.
He gave her dignity.
He gave her purpose.
She started the story in isolation.
She ends the story in community.
She began the day avoiding everyone.
She ends the day leading an entire town to Jesus.
This is transformation.
Not cosmetic.
Not superficial.
Deep.
Grace does not rearrange the furniture of our lives.
Grace rebuilds the house.
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CONNECTING TO OUR STORY TODAY
You might feel like you’ve been drawing water alone for a long time.
Your well might be hidden:
• behind a busy life
• behind hard decisions
• behind masks you’ve worn so long they feel like skin
You may think:
“If Jesus really knew everything about me… He’d go around Samaria too.”
But the opposite is true.
He is coming through Samaria precisely because of you.
Jesus goes out of His way
for the ones who feel unworthy,
unwanted,
uninvited.
He does not mind the detour
when the destination is your heart.
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>> SOME OF US NEED TO HEAR THIS:
You may feel:
• overlooked by others
• defined by your mistakes
• tired of pretending you’re okay
• afraid of being truly known
But Jesus says:
“I know you… and I want you.”
Not the polished version.
Not the church version.
Not the “I’m fine” version.
He wants you.
The thirsty you.
The hurting you.
The searching you.
The you who keeps trying to fill emptiness with new distractions.
The you who feels like one more disappointment will break something inside.
He sits beside your well and says:
“Let Me be your water.”
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>> THE KINDNESS OF JESUS
Let’s not miss the kindness of this moment:
• Jesus was tired — but still present
• Jesus was thirsty — but more concerned about her thirst
• Jesus was breaking barriers — for her sake
• Jesus was offering hope — while she still doubted
• Jesus was loving her — before she asked for it
Grace always arrives early.
Before we’re ready.
Before we understand.
Before we change.
Grace is first.
Transformation follows.
That order matters.
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>> YOU CAN LEAVE YOUR JAR TOO
Some people leave church carrying the same heavy jar they walked in with.
Still thirsty.
Still hiding.
Still ashamed.
But not you.
Not today.
Jesus offers you a better way:
To set down the heavy jar.
To stop returning to the same dry place.
To trade ritual for relationship.
To walk away from shame and toward community.
To let hope outrun your history.
You don’t have to keep drawing from empty wells.
Jesus is the well that comes to you.
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>> WHAT TO DO NEXT
This is the turning point:
Will you simply hear the story
or will you step into it?
Jesus is here.
The well is open.
The water is living.
Your heart knows when it’s thirsty.
Your soul knows when something is missing.
Ask Him:
“Jesus, give me this water.”
A simple prayer with eternal results.
You will not leave empty.
You will not leave unseen.
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>> BENEDICTION OF GRACE
As we close this second week of Unexpected Jesus…
May you know the Savior who travels out of His way to find you.
May you feel His kindness soak into the driest corners of your heart.
May you trust that He sees everything—
and loves you completely.
May the spring of living water rise within you
until the thirst is gone
and joy begins to overflow.
Jesus is the water.
Let Him fill you.
Amen.
