The Offer Of Living Water

The Offer of Living water

John 4:1-14

Good News Christian Fellowship

BUCAS, Daraga Albay

March 18, 2007

Introduction

It is always profitable for our souls to read about the conversion of a sinner by God’s grace. It is especially profitable to read and study the stories of God’s converting grace given to us in the pages of Holy Scriptures. We should read them often ans study them with care, asking God to teach us the wonders of his grace.

Our text tells us about the conversation of Jesus to the Samaritan woman at the well. Let’s read the story together. Our blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, never changes. What he did for Samaritan woman he still does for sinners today.

I. The Son of God left Judea (Vv. 1-3)

Our Lord was in the midst of the Pharisees. He preached in their streets. But he left for John’s sake. The crowds were coming to Jesus and the Pharisees were using the fact to downgrade John’s ministry. They sought to promote a rift. Rather than revel in this popularity our Lord ran from it, for it was untimely, and would tend to undermine John’s ministry rather than underscore it.

Verse 4 -- And he must needs go through Samaria.

Verses 5-6 -- Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with [his] journey, sat thus on the well: [and] it was about the sixth hour.

Take note verse 4. It says, “He had to.” What does it mean? Jesus Christ had to pass through Samaria to Galille.

What compelled Jesus to pass through Samaria, and then come to the city of Sychar? Three things we might say here:

• our Lord may have done so to express His contempt for the narrow bigotry of some of the Jews of His day

• it was the shortest and most sensible route.

• our Lord must pass through Samaria in order to fulfill the purpose of God.

Yes, Christ may have expressed his contempt against the Jews. The Jews have long been in animosity with Samaritan. Christ may have taken the route through Samaria to Galilee to save time.

But from God’s perspective Christ our Savior must or had to come here to meet and save a lost, ruined sinner. The Son of God came here seeking one of those the Father gave to him before the world began. Our Lord must pass through Samaria in order to fulfill the purpose of God: to seek and save the lost.

In chapter 4 verse 34 we read, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work.”

Fulfilling God’s will—providing and proclaiming salvation (even to the Gentiles!)— was our Lord’s primary purpose and calling.

This is not a chance meeting, a lucky break, but it was nothing of the kind. The woman did not come to the well seeking Christ; but He came to the well seeking her.

She came to the well at noon (the sixth hour of the day), in the heat of the day, when it was most likely that no one else would be there, because she was a woman with a name and a reputation which made her the object of great scorn. Yet, she came at this hour because this was the hour fixed by God to save her.

Circumstances may have brought the woman to the well. She is in need of water. So she had to go to the well to draw water. However, the Sovereign God works even through the occasion of her needs.

II. He ask for a drink.

Verses 7-9 -- There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

He asked her for a drink of water because he was thirsty. The journey from Judea to Sychar was a hot and dusty one. After a grueling 20 miles, our Lord was tired, thirsty, and hungry; but the thirst he had come to quench was his thirst for her soul. His request was designed to get her interest and attention.

This Samaritan woman would never have come to Christ, had he not first crossed her path and come to her. And you will never come to him, unless he steps in your way, steps into your life, crosses your path, and comes to you. Oh, may he be pleased to do so!