Are You Looking for Water in All the Wrong Places?
Picture this: You're dying of thirst in the desert, and suddenly you stumble upon a broken, leaky water tank. You keep trying to drink from it, but it can't hold water. Meanwhile, just a few feet away, there's a spring of fresh, clean water bubbling up from the ground - enough to satisfy your thirst forever.
This is exactly what's happening when Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well in John chapter 4. She's looking for physical water, but Jesus is offering something infinitely better: living water that will satisfy her spiritual thirst forever. To understand what living water truly means in the Bible, we need to examine this remarkable encounter - the woman at the well explained through Jesus' own words.
Let me show you why this conversation matters more than you might think.
The Scandalous Scene at the Well
John 4:7 tells us: "There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink."
Now here's what's interesting - Jesus didn't need to go to Samaria to find water. Water was available in plenty of other places. But He needed to meet this woman. He needed to have this conversation that most people would have avoided.
Why? Because this woman had problems. Nobody wanted to be associated with her. You know what they would say about you if you were seen talking to her. But Jesus went anyway.
Ladies, I know what you're thinking right now - "I'd be upset if my husband went there." Because you know what people would say when they saw him talking to this woman. That's how our carnal minds work.
But here's the thing: you can try to live a life "above reproach" (though that's not even a Bible phrase), and people will still accuse you of things you never thought about and never did. You might as well just get comfortable living in the will of God.
The Disciples' Grocery Run and God's Deeper Purpose
Look at verse 8: "For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat."
Jesus could have just said "Water come forth" and had instant refreshment. In John 6, He's going to feed 5,000 people. In Exodus, He made water come out of a rock. On the stormy sea, He said "Peace, be still" to the waves.
But Jesus tells His disciples to go buy groceries. Why? Because Jesus never performed miracles for self-satisfaction or self-aggrandizement. It was always when there was a need and always where God the Father would be glorified.
Here's the problem we have today: People like Jesus to do a miracle in their life, but they don't want to do what Jesus tells them to do. They want the miracles of Jesus, but they don't want Jesus telling them what to do.
When People Play the Race Card Instead of Facing Christ
In verse 9, watch what this woman does: "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."
She throws down the race card. Let's talk about race instead of dealing with the real issue.
But Jesus ignores the race card and throws down the living water card. Because race isn't the issue - Jesus Christ is the issue.
Anytime somebody tries to make the issue about race, politics, or social class, we've got to bring it back to Jesus Christ. People talk about everything except Jesus because they don't want to come face to face with Him dealing with their issues of sin.
The Gift You Can't Earn But Desperately Need
Jesus says in verse 10: "If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water."
Living water isn't something that keeps you alive - it's something that makes you alive. It's water that saves, water that satisfies. It's not a drink for physical refreshment; it's a drink for spiritual regeneration.
This woman is thinking about physical water. She's got practical concerns - "Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?" (verse 11).
She's focused on the natural depth of the well, not understanding that the spiritual well of God and His grace is a whole lot deeper.
The Problem with Living in the Past
In verse 12, she brings up tradition: "Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?"
Well, yes - He's actually greater than Moses, greater than John the Baptist, greater than Jacob. But she's doing what a lot of people do: comparing Jesus to their dead ancestors.
"Well, my grandmother was..." "My daddy was..." "My parents were..."
You can't rely on the faith of your parents. This woman can't rely on what Jacob's faith was. It's great to honor the past, but if we get so focused on what God did in the past, we're going to miss what God does in the present.
Jesus is saying, "I understand Jacob gave you this well, but I'm here now, and I'm greater than Jacob. I'm not just greater than Jacob - I'm the source of all the blessings that Jacob received."
The Water That Satisfies Forever
Here's the promise in verses 13-14: "Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."
Never thirst again. That's a promise you can take to the bank.
But notice what dead religion does - it makes people die of spiritual thirst when they're standing right in front of the living water. They're right in front of Jesus Christ, and they're dying of spiritual thirst.
Take It Freely or Reject It Forever
Look at Revelation 22:17: "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."
Don't miss that word "freely." Satan doesn't want you to understand "freely" because if you do, you won't think you have to earn your salvation. You won't be deceived by dead religion that's based on grace plus works.
If you understand "freely," you'll never doubt the generous, gracious, loving heart of God.
Imagine a guy in the desert, dying of thirst. A water main bursts right in front of him - fresh, clean water gushing everywhere. Does he pull out his wallet to see if he has enough money? Does he check with his supervisor? Does he look at his dirty clothes and say he's not worthy?
No! He cups his hands, gets under the water, and starts drinking. He lives.
That's what Jesus says when He offers you living water. He doesn't want you to stand in front of Him and pull out your wallet. It's freely given, therefore it should be freely received.
The Eternal Consequence of Rejection
But here's the sobering reality from Luke 16:22-24: "The rich man also died, and was buried: And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame."
If someone dies without the living water, they will be completely and entirely and for eternity asking for water, and they will never receive it. They'll be in a place where they will never have their thirst quenched.
Think about how hot it is, how thirsty you get working out in the heat. Jesus doesn't want that for you. That's why in John 4 He says, "Just ask. Just receive. Just drink."
Don't Be the One Who Rejects What Jesus Offers
Throughout John 4, Jesus asks this woman for a drink of water. He never gets it. Instead, He gets questions. By John 19, Jesus is on the cross saying "I thirst," and instead of water, He gets vinegar mingled with gall.
Things haven't changed. People don't want to obey what the Lord asks them to do. But when the Lord asks you to do something, I pray you would do it.
The same sinful man who won't give the Lord water will end up in hell asking for water, as if he should expect to receive it. It's a double standard.
The Choice Is Yours Today
Jesus offers living water - everlasting life. If you drink of that water, you will never thirst again. But if you reject it, you'll end up in a place where you'll constantly be thirsty and it'll never be quenched.
Don't reject Jesus and end up in that place. Just receive the living water today, and you will be satisfied forever.
The water that Jesus offers is a gift - freely given. You can't earn it, you can't qualify for it, but you need it, and you can't pay for it. It's the gift of God.
"But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." - John 4:14
💧🙏 Want to hear the full depth of this powerful message? This blog post only scratches the surface of the rich, expository preaching found in the complete sermon. Experience the full impact of this verse-by-verse Bible teaching by listening to the entire message. You'll be blessed by the thorough exposition and practical application that can only come from faithful, expository preaching.
[Listen to the full sermon here] - it's worth every minute of your time!