Many people live out their lives without knowing how greatly they are loved by God. There are things which He has prepared for you that are beyond your present ability to understand. It is His desire to bless your life in every way. The beginning of these blessings starts when you enter into a personal relationship with Him.
If Religion, Church and Religious people have turned you off from any further inquiry of God–may I humbly suggest that your read the following story that is certain to reveal God to you in a way that you have never know before.
This is the story of a woman who was despised, ridiculed and lived here life in isolation over the shame that she felt. When Jesus meets this dear woman–she has come to draw water from the local well at a time of day when it was most unlikely that anyone would see her there. The tender words and great compassion that is shown to her by Jesus is a wonderful example of the Love that God earnestly desires to show to every person who has been hurt by this world and other people.
This wonderful story begins in the narrative of John’s Gospel, chapter 4
John 4:1-5 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John. 2. (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), 3 He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. 4 But He needed to go through Samaria. 5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
In the Old Testament, Samaria was called Shechem.
After Abraham left Haran on his way to the land that the Lord had promised him, he stopped in Shechem. This is the location where the Lord first appeared to Abraham and promised that He would give the land of Israel to him and his descendants forever.
Genesis 12:6-7 Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. 7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
As a result of this encounter with the Lord, Abraham builds an altar and worships God here in Shechem or Samaria. Later, Jacob, Abraham’s grandson, returns here and buys a field for one hundred pieces of silver. It is at this location where Jacob had excavated this well that Jesus and the woman are standing.
The opening of the well is covered with an old stone. To gain entrance, a bucket has to be lowered by a rope down into the shaft some 35 feet underground.
The well is about 9 feet in diameter and cut from solid rock. This is the well that Jesus has come to, and the well where the Samaritan woman was drawing water from.
John 4:6-9 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
How did the woman at the well know that Jesus was a Jew? By the way that He spoke—His accent. The Samaritans did not pronounce the sound “Sh”; they left off the “H” and just pronounced it “S.”
When Jesus said, Teni Lishekoth or Give me a Drink, He pronounced the “H,” instead of omitting it as a Samaritan would. Immediately, She knew that He was a Jew.
A Samaritan would have pronounced this phrase: Teni Lise-koth, with no sound of the “H.”
The lesson here is to be very careful in how you pronounce all of the vowels in a word when you speak…
One man approaches another at the Olympic Games.
“Excuse me,” he says. “Are you a pole vaulter?”
The other man replies, “No I’m German, but how did you know my name was Walter?”
The point is: The Samaritan woman knew that Jesus was a Jew by the way He pronounced His words. This is a detail that is very important for us in our understanding of this story. This meeting between Jesus and the Samaritan woman was not an accident. If we can grasp one basic principle of how God operates the universe, it would be that this meeting between the Lord and this woman was ordained by God before the universe was created. Before Jesus spoke into existence all the stars and the planets, He planned to meet with this woman here on this specific day.
Acts 15:18 “Known to God from eternity are all His works.”
If we carry this concept of pre-ordained events to its ultimate intent, we realize that every micro-second of our life has already been determined by God. If we understand that God is sovereign over every event in the universe and add this to the fact that He really loves us and always has a good purpose intended for every situation, we can have great confidence that whatever happens today, the Lord is in control and nothing in our life occurs by happenstance, or luck.
Everything happens exactly the way He wants them to.
Even the decisions that you make yourself everyday–He already knew what you would do. Because of His advanced knowledge concerning every event, He forms our entire life around His plans for us and works everything together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
When the day arrives that we finally understand this, peace fills our heart—a peace that passes all understanding. No matter what people do, or what happens during our day, when delays take place, or how many plans get changed by circumstances beyond our control, it doesn’t matter. The Lord is working out every detail according to the counsel of His will, according to His plans, not ours.
For some people, the thought of this total control by God frightens them to death. It makes the self-sufficient feel as if they have no control over anything. In reality, we do not have any control over the events which take place in this universe. The sooner that we realize this and accept it as a fact, the easier it will be for us to take the next step: To trust and love God for His magnificent power and His goodness which determines the final result of everything, and the promises that it will all turn out for good if we will love and trust Him.
Jesus has determined the precise moment and location when He would meet this woman to change her life forever.
John 4: 5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
According to Jewish time keeping, 6 a.m. Is called the first hour. 12 noon would be the sixth hour. This is why the disciples had gone to find food, it was their lunch time. Jesus had traveled a great distance and the heat of the sun was likely extreme, being thirsty He asks the woman for a drink of water.
John 4:7 (When Jesus arrived at the well) A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”
It seems important to pause here for just a moment. We should consider that Jesus came to earth to accomplish the salvation of all people. With this in mind, He has a great deal to do and a very short period of time to do it.
When we consider the entirety of all the Old Testament prophecies Jesus will fulfill, in order to suffer and die for the sins of the world and be raised back to life on the third day–He still takes time to meet with one woman whom the world considers insignificant. Herein is the point: No one in Jesus’ estimation is insignificant. Every person is important to Him, and He proves this point by meeting with this one woman at the well, in the midst of his great salvation that is just ahead.
Above all the necessity to fulfill each Old Testament prophecy, Jesus holds out the importance of saving people as being the primary purpose for His life.
1 Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…
Jesus wants to save your family and your friends, even more than you want them saved. He wants to help you with every problem and need that you will have throughout your life. You are always on His mind, and you are never out of His reach.
Psalms 139:17 How precious also are Your thoughts about me, O God! How great is the sum of them!
Psalms 40:5 Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works Which You have done; And Your thoughts toward us Cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered.
There are books kept in heaven with the thoughts that God has about you. There are also books in heaven which record every thought you have of Him.
Malachi 3:16 Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His name.
The Lord’s timing is always perfect
Notice that Jesus arrives at the well precisely at the right moment. He apparently knew ahead of time when this woman would be here to draw water. This illustrates the Lord’s ability to control every situation and pierce the linear realm of time at any point that He chooses. Jesus has knowledge of every future event and He knows precisely what is going to take place long before these events transpire.
It was a tradition of this time that the young women would go to the well each day to draw out the daily water for their family. What is unusual in this story, is the time that this woman is at the well. Most of the women of the village would come together in a group, usually earlier in the morning when it was still cool. The fact that this woman arrives alone, and at noon, indicates that she may have not been liked in the village, or that she was ashamed to come with the other women because she was living with a man to whom she was not married. This gives even greater significance to this meeting with Jesus. Not only was this a despised Samaritan whom most Jews would never have contact with, she was a woman that most men of good reputation during this period of history, would not be seen alone with. Added to these facts, this woman was likely despised by her own people and perhaps an outcast. This tells us a great deal about Jesus and how He feels about people whom the world has no use for.
Jesus loves those whom the world has cast off as undesirable. He has special compassion for the lost. He cares even more for those who have defiled their life to the point where they have very few friends and often live in isolation. This is a very tender story of a woman whom God searches out specifically because of who she is and what her life has become.
Jesus told His disciples:
John 4:4 …He needed to go through Samaria.
Jesus had made an appointment with this woman before time began, and nothing was going to prevent Him from keeping this meeting. The fact that you and I are discussing what happened here, nearly 2,000 years after this meeting took place, tells us the significance of these events.
If you have felt like your mistakes and sins have ruined your life and there is very little hope that you could ever find happiness, the Lord is searching for you also today. He would like a private meeting to tell you how greatly you are loved. Maybe your family and friends have abandoned you, and you have very few remaining friends. Consider here that the Lord took the time to meet with this woman at the well, because He wanted to communicate a similar message to you, all the way down through time.
You are greatly loved by God, He sent His Son specifically for people just like you. Perhaps you can relate to this dear woman from your own experiences in life. Maybe you can understand how she feels because you have felt some of the same emotions that she is feeling. Just knowing that someone cares and would take the time to tell us they care makes a world of difference.
Perhaps you could offer a little kindness and compassion to someone you know. Is there a person you have observed recently who lives as an outcast from others? Your tender act of kindness in reaching out to someone who feels all alone, could dramatically change their life.
We should never forget that although we may have a great interest in Bible Prophecy and the coming of the Lord, there are still people in this world who need to know about the Love of God before Jesus arrives. The entire point of the Bible is to bring people into an awareness of God’s love for them. Please do not forget this as you grow yourself in a greater knowledge of the Lord and His word.
The Lord’s patience with His disciples
The disciples were hungry and were preoccupied with their own needs. They went into town to get something to eat without considering that perhaps there was more occurring here than just their own needs. Jesus was also hungry, for it was the noon hour when all of us need food. More important to Jesus than food or satisfying His own needs was in meeting the needs of this dear woman.
John 4:8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
Every day that we live on this earth we can see people who are completely oblivious to the needs of others. Because of our fallen nature, we all tend to focus on ourselves and what it important to us. A dozen times a day we can see people who are doing things that display their callous disregard for other people. Hurrying to take a parking space ahead of another car. Leaving a mess for someone else to pickup. Filling up our shopping cart at the grocery store while a homeless person begs for quarters at the front of the store.
Even Jesus own men who knew Him well and had been following Him for some time, when the time came to think of someone else and their needs above their own, they failed miserably. We never read that Jesus scolded these men for their insensitivity. Jesus simply went about doing the right thing, without putting a guilt trip on anyone else. The Lord is always very patient with us, allowing time and experiences to bring to our mind the fact that we are not the only person here on this planet. There are millions of other people who need help, and we have a solemn responsibility to do what we can to help them.
Above all of the things that Jesus could do for Himself, He chooses instead to meet with this dear woman and change her life—Forever.
John 4:9-10 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
Jesus tells her: If you knew the Gift of God.
In other words, “If you only knew how much the Lord wants to give you.”
1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
I think that one of the biggest problems that I have encountered with people who believe in and follow Jesus is their lack of perception that the Lord really does love them and wants to bless their lives. This is partially the fault of the church which has often given people the wrong idea about God.
Yes, God hates sin. He will someday judge all sinners who refuse to come to Him in repentance for their salvation. But let us not forget this story at the well. God is more interested in showing compassion and tenderness towards us than He is desiring to smite us and dispatch us to hell. If we will come to Him, He will receive us and hear our humble cries for mercy. That is all this woman needs: Someone to show her a little grace and give her great mercy. She will respond to this invitation and her life will be changed forever.
Jesus said: If you knew the Gift.
This woman is undoubtably carrying a tremendous load of guilt inside her heart. Let us be clear: Sin is a heavy burden. To carry around regrets of the past, anger over what people have done to us, and sorrow for our own mistakes, is too much for any person to carry for so long. Perhaps you have been bearing this kind of heavy load in your own heart. You can also be set free right now if you will just talk to the Lord where you are. Just tell Him about all your hurts, disappointments and failures. Ask Jesus to come into your heart and forgive all of your sins, and He will lift all of your burdens, take away the guilt and sorrow, and give you a brand new start.
Jesus says: “I have the cure for that heavy burden of Guilt because of the things you have done in your life.”
“I can remove the sin and take away the guilt at the moment you surrender your life to me.”
Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us argue this out,” says the LORD. “No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it. I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you as white as wool.”
Jesus is holding out a gift to you. Just reach out to Him and take it.
When God offers a gift, He does not force us to take it. He gives to us freely in the hope that it will be freely received. Jesus has already paid the price for all your sins; the debt you owed to God for your mistakes is already paid. When Jesus died on the cross, naked before the world, He said something very interesting: It is Finished. He used the Aramaic translation for the Greek word, tetelestai, meaning, paid in full.[1]
There is something very important to understand about this gift: Although Jesus already paid the price for your sins, you do not have it until you willingly accept it.
You must pray and ask Jesus for this gift before it is given to you, because He will not force you to accept it.
John 4:10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
The Greek word that Jesus used here for gift, in verse 10, is dorea (do-reh-ah), meaning, without cost.[2]
What Jesus has done for you, He offers without any cost. This is what Grace is all about: receiving things that you know you don’t deserve. For the rest of your life, the Lord will continue to lavish upon you blessings which you cannot possibly contain. He wants to give these things to you simply because He loves you.
In response to Jesus’ offer of the gift, the woman answers:
John 4:11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?”
“But Jesus, I have nothing to draw this with, I have nothing in Me to obtain it. Because the well is deep and I can’t reach it. It is far, I can’t get there. It is difficult, I don’t know If I can do it…”
Jesus says:
John 4:14 “but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
Jesus reveals to her the key to receiving His gift: You don’t have to do anything except believe it and accept it. Jesus will do the rest.
“Whoever drinks of the water that I give them, will never thirst again…”
Forgiveness and eternal life are a free gift that Jesus died to purchase for you, and all you have to do is come to Him and drink.
John 4:14-22 “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.”
Jesus knew all about her life. He was aware of her sins, but He came to give her the opportunity to repent from the old life and turn to Him for salvation. Jesus told her that religion was not the answer; relationship with God through His Messiah, the Savior of the world, is the answer.
“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
The Messiah has come. All of the promises of God, all of the prophecies that foretell of His coming, are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. This woman’s life was changed forever by this meeting made possible by God’s eternal love and care. Jesus made this appointment with this dear woman before He ever created her. He knew about all of her sins and her struggle with false religion and pretense. He opened her eyes so that she could see the Savior of the world by a personal audience. This encounter with the Messiah changed her life forever.
This is why I write, and it is the purpose for all the prophecies of the Bible—so that we might discover what this woman discovered at the well. The Lord cares deeply for each one of us, and He has an insatiable desire to have a personal relationship with us. I hope that you will take what you have learned in this story and share your knowledge and revelation of God with someone you meet. This is the purpose for which the Lord has allowed me to write this article, and it is the reason that you have come to read these words—all so that you might take what you have learned and share it with someone else—to simply communicate how wonderful Jesus is and the power that He has to change our lives when we come to Him humbly and with a sincere desire to know God.
May the Lord use this amazing story of the woman at the well to help us reach those who need God’s love and the salvation that Jesus died to give us.
NOTES:
[1] Strong’s Number 5055, Greek Concordance and Englishman’s Greek Concordance.
[2] Strong’s Number 1431, Greek Concordance and Englishman’s Greek Concordance.
Categories: Religion vs. Relationship, Salvation through Jesus
Robert Clifton Robinson 
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