THE WOMAN AND HER WATERPOT
John 4:1 -- 30
No one could deal with people the way Jesus did. No one had to tell Jesus what was in the heart of man for He already knew. The Lord was and is the greatest psychologist. Jesus encountered all kinds of people. I can’t help but to contrast between the woman at the well and Nicodemus in chapter 3. What a difference those two people are. The woman, a Samaritan, Nicodemus, a Jew. The woman, a party girl, Nicodemus a preacher. The woman is one we would refer to as down and out lost. Nicodemus is one we would refer up and out, yet lost. But when Jesus met both, both of them came to know Him in salvation.
We are going to follow a simple approach in our study tonight in this message. I want you to notice first of all THE WELL. 6.
The Bible said that Jesus must need to go through Samaria. Everything Jesus did it was according to design. There was a divine necessity. There was a woman who was going to be there in a little while who had a need. The Lord Jesus was coming to meet that need.
Let me tell you something. We can learn something about our Lord from this picture. We learn that our need is just like a magnet to Jesus. I don’t know what your need may be but I do know that Jesus is drawn to your need. There is a no need in a person’s life that Jesus isn’t able to meet.
Now let’s talk about THE WOMAN a little bit. Look over in verse 7.
Let’s see if we can get a picture of this woman. In some ways she was kind of an out cast. The men liked her quite well, and she liked the men. Evidently, the women did not share the same feelings about the woman. The other women did not care for her. She is coming to the well at a time when the other women had come and gone.
Another picture of this woman is one of a person loaded down with prejudices and hostilities sin and shame. She sees Jesus sitting at the well knowing He is a Jew she just loads her guns. She is quick minded and sort of a sharp tongue.
Jesus engages her into a conversation. You will find that He makes two request of her. Look in verse 7. He asked the woman for a drink of water. Think about that statement. Here is the one who created the Tiger River, the Atlantic Ocean and He is asking her for a drink of water.
She wasn’t expecting Jesus to ask of her a drink of water. As a matter of fact, she wasn’t expecting Him to say anything to her. She comes down to that well with her water pot. She has been up and down this same path many times before. And Jesus ask her for a drink of water. She gives him a pretty snappy answer. I want you to notice something in verse 9. When you look at her answer, she touches all the bases of prejudice. Prejudice is something we need to guard against. I used to be prejudice but that was before I met Jesus and He changed my life. I want you to know right now if you are to take on the nature of Jesus then there is no room for prejudice. Laws can’t take prejudice out of people’s hearts. It takes the work of Jesus to do that. She responds with prejudice and Jesus responds with love. Look at verse 10.
There are many beautiful pictures of salvation in the Bible. This is one that is beautiful. Jesus pictures salvation as taking a drink of water. I was surprised at the times salvation is pictured as taking a drink of water. Isaiah says, "everyone who thirst, come to the water and drink." On the last page of the Bible, the Bible says, "whosoever will, let him drink of the water of life freely." That is just how free salvation is. It is as simple as taking a drink of water. You don’t have to go to college and seminary to learn to drink water. Reasons many don’t come to Jesus as their Savior is because they make it so hard. Jesus made it so simple that a child can understand. There are people in this world today who are going from well to well trying to satisfy a spiritual need in their life but never find it apart from Jesus Christ.
Jesus gets her attention. That leads us to our final point, THE WATERPOT.
Have you noticed in verse 27, "and upon this came His disciples?" Jesus is witnessing and here comes the disciples with bags of sandwiches and potato chips. Isn’t that the way it happens sometimes? Have you ever paid attention on Sundays when the invitation is given to come to Jesus?
But here is the point I want you to see in this section. In verse 28 says she leaves her water pot. That had been a companion to her.
A lot of people have a water pot but when you meet Jesus you don’t need it anymore. She brought the water pot to get the water of the world. She leaves it because she don’t need the water of the world anymore. She had become a witness for Jesus. She goes and tells the men come and see a man who told me all things ever I did. Is this not the Christ?
Now if you fast forward over to Acts 8 your find Philip the evangelist preaching revival in this same place. He is having a great harvest of souls. You know who laid the foundation? This woman who had been such a sinful person. An out cast of the city had become a great soul winner for Jesus. Her words "come, see a man." There is no better invitation than they.
