A woman, a Samaritan, came to draw water. Jesus said, “Would you give me a drink of water?” John 4:7 (MSG)
Drink of Water – Worship and Water Series – Part 1
Go to PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5 | PART 6 | PART 7 | PART 8
In Genesis 33, Jacob had just reconciled years of hostility with his brother Esau. As he set up camp, he decided to buy the land he was standing on. It was right outside the town of Shechem. And there he built an altar and named it El-Elohe-Israel, which means: “the Mighty God of Israel.”
It’s here that many Archeologist's, historians, scholars and the like, believe that Jacob built (or had it built) his well. It was hewn out of rock, was more than 40m deep and provided water for the people from then until today. Many sacred things happened at this well:
- God told Abraham to count the stars, for his descendants would be as numerous as they are.
- Jacob settled here after reuniting with his family.
- Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers.
- Joshua rebuilt the altar after years of idol worship.
- Years laters, the site became a hub of idolatry and pain during the years of the Assyrian conquest.
Jacob’s well saw it all: promises were made here. And many of them were broken. God was worshipped, and so were idols. It was a place of joy and pain, divinity and idolatry; a mix of holiness and humanity. Jacob's well is central to Jewish, Samaritan, Christian, and Muslim traditions alike. So you can see, a lot went down here.
Middle Eastern tradition honours and values story telling and that use of imagery. Throughout the ages, everyone would have known what had transpired around Jacob’s well. When John wrote his letter, he was careful to name the site in order to conjure up the emotion and context around it. It’s an important part of the story.
At Jacob's ancient well, outside a Samaritan village (Sychar), on his way back to Galilee, in this place of human fallibility and God’s faithfulness, of worship to both God and idols, a place of enduring promise, and perpetual heartache, Jesus sat waiting to have a drink.
A Samaritan woman arrived, and Jesus asked if she would draw him some water.
“Surprised, she said, “Why would a Jewish man ask a Samaritan woman for a drink of water? Jews won’t even drink from a cup that a Samaritan has used!”
Jesus replied, “If you only knew who I am and the gift that God is wanting to give you—you’d be asking me for a drink, and I would give to you living water.”
The woman replied, “But sir, you don’t even have a bucket and this well is very deep. So where do you find this ‘living water’ Do you really think that you are greater than our ancestor Jacob who dug this well and drank from it himself, along with his children and livestock?””
(It’s was as if she was asking, “Are you better than all that has transpired at this well? Can you supersede it? Are you stronger than it? Are you able to heal and reconcile and overcome and love and partake of all that has happened here? And more so?”)
Jesus answered, “If you drink from Jacob’s well you’ll be thirsty again and again, but if anyone drinks the living water I give them, they will never thirst again and will be forever satisfied! For when you drink the water I give you, it becomes a gushing fountain of the Holy Spirit, springing up and flooding you with endless life!” (John 4:9-14).
Water is life. You can’t live without it. We all need it. Our bodies are roughly 72% water. Jacob's well quenched the physical thirst of the people it served. But many who had sat at this well over the centuries, had a deep thirst beyond its waters capability to satisfy. Thirst brought on by conflict, slavery, injustice, idolatry, selfishness… you name it, it had happened at this well. It served a lot of dry, parched and worn hearts.
And at this well, dug deep with story and controversy, Jesus invited a woman, whom he culturally could have disregarded with no consequence, to drink supernatural water that would quench her thirsty soul.
It was a new story, a new kind of inclusion. A different kind of water. One that was available to Jew, Greek, and Samaritan alike.
Anyone, anywhere.
Over to you… We'd love to hear from you. Leave us a comment below.
Go to Part 2 – Living Water »
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