John 4 is the beautiful interaction of Jesus with the woman at the well in Samaria. Verse 4 makes note that Jesus traveled through Samaria, which would have been the last place the disciples would have wanted to go. Sometimes following Jesus will take us to places we don’t want to go. Samarians were seen as half-breeds and outcasts, and were despised by the Jewish people, yet this is exactly where Jesus intentionally traveled. He was showing us that we have to get past the thought of “that’s not my type of person”. We are to reach those that are close to us but far from God.

Jesus encounters a woman at Jacob’s well, and asks her for a drink. This woman would have been considered socially as the lowest of the lows, and she knows it; but we know that Jesus is not a tribal God. He is a global God worthy of global glory. Jesus responds to the woman and basically says, if you knew who I was, you would be asking Me for a drink! He knows that He is exactly what she needs. She replies in verse 11 and says, “You don’t even have a bucket, so where do you get that Living Water?” She is asking, “how can you give me a drink?” For the woman at the well, she was trying to find comfort and satisfaction in men. One of the easiest ways to get depressed is to treat your blessing as a “bucket”. These things will not ultimately satisfy our thirst.

Jesus told her to go and get her husband, to which she said, “I have no husband.” Jesus goes on to reveal that He knows that she has had five husbands and the man she is with now is not her husband. The woman is taken aback and tries to change the subject to talk about theology. In verse 14, Jesus is letting her know that He is better than she could ever realize. He is convicting her heart, which is the kindness of God that leads to repentance.

In verse 28, we see that the woman “drops her bucket” and chooses Jesus’ offer of eternal life! Verse 39 says, “Many Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony.” The greatest proof of the gospel is someone living for Jesus.

Questions to consider:

1. What is your bucket? What are you turning to in order to give your life stability and purpose?
2. What is the water you need to repent of? What is it you are drinking that isn’t satisfying? It may be that good thing in your life that is too important to you.
3. What do you need to do today to drink from the Living Water of Jesus?