Woman at the Well

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."
John 4:13-15

I watched a TV show recently that showed what it was like to live on the Navajo Indian reservation in Arizona. Many of the residents do not have running water, and every few days they drive to a pump where they fill up large tanks of water to be used for all their cooking, cleaning, and drinking needs. It was eye-opening for me, because I take water for granted. I can just walk over to a tap any time I want and get clean, drinkable water, and it never runs out.

Imagine what the woman at the well in John 4 was thinking when Jesus told her He could give her living water. She most likely had to walk to that well every single day, carrying a heavy jug to transport the water. We read this passage, and of course we know that Jesus is speaking metaphorically about the living water. But she was living in the reality of the daily tasks she needed to accomplish. She wanted an end to the drudge work. I think if I met Jesus today, and He told me about the “fine linen, bright and clean” that He will give me (Revelation 19:8), I might just think, “Yay, no more laundry!” (Yes, I have three loads waiting to be folded as I type.)

It didn’t take long for Jesus to help the woman at the well understand that her needs were spiritual. That woman started her day in the usual way, completing her usual chores, going to the well to fetch water to meet the physical needs of herself and her family. She met Jesus there, and He changed her life. The passage in John goes on to say, “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony.” (4:39)

Because of the modern marvel of indoor plumbing, I take water for granted, but I’m still a lot like the woman at the well, living in the reality of my daily tasks and not seeing my spiritual needs because I’m so focused on my to-do lists. I need a reminder now and then to take a few moments out of my day to meet with Jesus and let Him change my perspective and give me a testimony to share with others.