The Best Gift

We all know the Christmas story and the reason we give gifts at Christmas is because of Jesus coming AS God’s GIFT to us but there’s only one Bible story where Jesus himself describes this gift he brought us and he actually uses the word gift.

The story begins with Jesus sitting alone at a well because he’s tired from a long journey and then a woman comes to the well to draw some water

so it’s just the two of them at this well.

Jesus being a good P4-1 man recognized that this might be his chance proceeds to have the most amazing conversation with her and her heart starts to open up when it does Jesus shares with her the most amazing description of salvation. He describes it as a gift -

Jesus says to her - “If you only knew the gift God has for you,

– he went on to say. If you knew who you were talking to sitting here by this water, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”

She’s interested but still thinking this living water is something physical

So Jesus points to the well that she’s come back to every day of her life & says –

“when you drink this water you just get thirsty again, and you just keep coming back, This life – this world is just that way - just can’t satisfy.

My gift is from another world – he compares his gift to water because that's where they're at and says - Ahhh But if you’ll drink the water I give – you’ll never be thirsty again.

My water will be a fresh, bubbling spring within you, a spring that will satisfy you forever – It will never fail you.

wow that sounds like the - Fountain of youth.(ppt picture of fountain of youth)

(here I insert funny pics of an old couple getting in the water stating that it's my wife and I before our dip in the fountain of youth)

Ok lets get back to the real fountain jesus was talking about because his point was that such a fountain simply doesn't exist in this physical world.

Well now she’s leaning in but she’s not ready yet

So Jesus gets really personal with this Woman.

He’s so desperate to help her that he’s not content to just describe how this life doesn’t satisfy he wants her to see exactly how this is playing out in her life so he talks to her about the exact thing that she’s been going back to again and again for the last 20 years that has left her empty - relationships.

Jesus knows her – and he knows you too by the way. He knows that she’s been hurt deeply in the same spot – over and over - but she can’t seem to help herself – she keeps going back.

She’s been terribly disappointed by 5 husbands, 5 divorces, 5 different men who seemed to promise love and at least a little peace in her heart but they’ve all crushed her in different ways and now , well now she’s cold, now – she’s changed.

She’s found man # 6 but she’s decided she’s not going to marry this one. She’s only going to live with him because she’s given up on that dream –

You see she’s he’s going back to the same well but now she’s jaded, Why pretend with this guy, he’s only going to disappoint me any ways so why pretend.

It’s Just where she’s at – Interestingly enough she’s still going back to the same place – but not because she thinks there’s any hope there she just doesn’t think there’s anything else. She knows no other options and that’s exactly why Jesus brought it up – He’s come with a new option.

You might think she’d be offended as Jesus mentions these 6 men but it’s exactly the opposite. This is the first time in her life that she’s sitting next to a man who didn’t want something from her. He didn’t want her body or her beauty or her service. He actually wanted to give her something,

His compassion touches her heart on such a deep level,

she’s just overwhelmed by God’s knowledge of her and his love for her

Listen to her exact words as she later described her conversation w/ Jesus to others - she said –

This man told me EVERYTHING I’ve EVER done.

she feels that he understands everything about me. Now actually he’s only mentioned one thing.

Now that we understand Jesus’ intent – He’s trying to help her & all of us see that he understands our struggle – and he’s got a better option.

Now let’s Listen to Jesus’ words to her again – CLOSE EYES