Grave Clothes

Give me this water

15 The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." - John 4:15 *NKJV)

Most of us have read the story of the Samaritan woman. We know some details about this woman and the kind of life she lived. While we might not know why she had had multiple husbands, we can learn something about her life that is probably missed. A lot of times we judge people without ever giving them a chance. And it's hard. It's a struggle for most of us. The minute we see someone that smokes or drinks or someone with a challenge that is not accepted socially, we dismiss them and deem them unfit to be apart of our society.

There are many interesting things to pick out from this story. But I want us to look at Jesus' position. Isn't it amazing how Jesus knows exactly what we need? Have you ever thought, how did Jesus know I needed to talk to this person? Or, how did He know that I'd be alright even after struggling for such a long time? Jesus deeply cares about us. And when we see how He interacts with others in the Bible, it should tell us that He wants to interact with us in the very same way. Jesus was able to have an intimate conversation with a woman who had been an outcast. He made Himself available at the expense of His own needs. 

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.

7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." - John 4:6-7 (NKJV) 

Jesus had been travelling for some time and we do not know how many hours He had spent on His journey. What we do know however is that He was exhausted from His journey. Another thing is that, it was 12 noon at the time He sat at the well. The 6th hour in Jewish time is 12 noon. Also, the bible says, "Give me a drink." Jesus needed water, but if we read the whole story, neither Jesus nor the Samaritan draw water from the well. Ironic right? 

This tells us that a lot of times, our lives will be disrupted because of another person. Jesus left the comfort of Heaven to become human. Do you know how it feels to be human? We are human, we understand that being human, pardon my language, can sometimes suck! You have to have feelings. Sometimes we can be so happy, and at other times, we can be sad. Being human is hard. Jesus saw how we are are and still decided, "I want to be like them." 

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us - John 1:14 (NKJV) 

Jesus became flesh. That's why Jesus is the best mediator. He knows what it means to be human. He know what it means to be sad. He knows what it means to have struggles that are beyond what our vocal description can articulate. He understands the pain of abandonment. He knows the pain of rejection. He knows the pain of being labeled an 'outcast'. And that's why He could minister to the Samaritan woman. He understood what it meant to be human. 

What was in Samaria? 

4 But He needed to go through Samaria. - John 4:4 (NKJV)

Do you ever feel unseen or unheard sometimes? I think a lot of us come to such a point. Does God really hear my prayers? Does God understand what I am dealing with right now? Have you ever tried advising God? I know I have. "Why don't you do it this way God?" As humans, we'll always struggle with faith. Do you know why? Everything within us always wants to know what the next step is. We like to have plans. And there's nothing wrong with planning ahead. There's something within us that always wants us to see something happening. Having Faith goes against what we are familiar with. Faith requires us not to see as we see with our senses. Faith requires our having to believe in what God says. 

11 Now faith is the []substance of things hoped for, the []evidence of things not seen. - Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)

Faith is challenging because it requires our having to abandon the tools we are used to having to navigate through life. Faith is believing strongly in God's word. We might not be where we want to be, but our Faith keeps us focused on Jesus. Focusing on our problems can be depressing. There are only so many things wrong with us. How many us feel like there are so many wrong things in our lives? That's why Jesus needed to go through Samaria. That's why Jesus needed to save you and I. That's why Jesus needed to place us in that place of worship. Jesus needed to do something that would later benefit us. We may not be at the level we'd love to be, but we have Jesus, the author and finisher of our Faith. Jesus is the writer of your story. He is not done with you. He is still refining us. He is still polishing us up. He is preparing us for the next chapter of our lives. But we have let Him write the story!