Life at the Well
October 25, 2022
Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have
asked him and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10
We are familiar with this story from John 4:4-30 of a woman whose life was transformed by an encounter with Jesus at a well.
In the arid, drought-prone region of the Ancient Near East which we call the Middle East today, wells were an essential source of water. Without a well survival was unlikely. The well was a resource for everyone in the area. They all had a common need for the water it provided. It was available to the whole community: Rich, poor, respectable or disreputable, stranger or resident, everyone had access to the well.
Because of its life-sustaining properties water is a good metaphor for anything that enhances and promotes well being and flourishing. The Bible uses the image of water in this way. For example in Psalm 1, God promises that those who live by the Word of God will be like a well-watered “tree planted by the rivers.” And in John 7:38 Jesus says that those who believe on him will experience “rivers of living water” flowing within them. So, water in the Bible represents the refreshing, life-giving presence of God which we are privileged to experience in our walk with Him.
This refreshment comes from encountering God and He has given us His Word as the primary place where such encounters take place. As we read the Spirit-inspired Word, God is there with us as He was with the woman who experienced his physical presence at the well. Jesus invited the woman to ask for this living water and she was wise and humble enough to do so. That day she received more than water for domestic use, she encountered the Christ and was transformed. He cared enough to meet her deeper needs. Even if she did not know how deep her emotional and spiritual needs were, Jesus knew.
Like her, our greatest need is for communion and connection with the triune God. He has provided His Word, the Scriptures, and His Holy Spirit as the wells from which we can encounter Life. These wells are available for all and there are surprises waiting there for each of us. Let us grasp each opportunity to read and meditate on the word. We will find more than we expected as we encounter the living God who will open up to us things we had never seen before. We will find our deepest needs are met by the one who knows us best.
As wells were essential to ancient eastern peoples so the Word of God is essential to us for life, real life, our life in Christ, the inward streams of living water that the Father gives us so that we may enjoy him and be a source of refreshment to others.
Frank, our hymnologist has supplied this lovely hymn based on John 4 to accompany this reading:
Like the woman at the well I was seeking
for things that could not satisfy;
and then I heard my Saviour speaking:
‘Draw from My well that never shall
run dry.’
Fill my cup, Lord, I lift it up, Lord!
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul;
Bread of heaven, feed me ‘till I want no more;
fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole!
There are millions in this world
Who are craving
The pleasures, earthly things of gold
But none can match the wondrous treasure
That I find in Jesus Christ my Lord
