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Jesus said to her, “Go call your husband and come back.” The woman
answered and said to him, “I do not have a husband.” Jesus answered
her, “You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband.’ For you
have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your
husband. What you have said is true.” John 4:16–18
Today, we are given the beautiful story of Jesus’ encounter with
the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well. The story begins with Jesus
resting by the well, for He was “tired from his journey.” A
Samaritan woman approaches the well at noon, during the heat of the
day, most likely to avoid the scorn of the other women who looked
down on her. Jesus then does something that greatly surprises her:
He asks her for a drink of water.
Jews used nothing in common with Samaritans, yet Jesus was willing
to drink from her utensil. When she questioned Him about this,
Jesus responded, “If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to
you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him and he would have
given you living water.”
The “living water” Jesus desired to give her was the spiritual gift
of grace to renew and refresh her soul. His divine eyes enabled Him
to see her spiritual thirst, and His compassion filled Him with a
desire to free her from her many burdens.
The passage above might sound harsh at first: “For you have had
five husbands…” Why would Jesus bring up this woman’s humiliating
situation? Because she had clearly been searching for fulfillment
throughout her life, engaging in one failed marriage after another.
Now, she was living with a man who was not her husband, a reality
that left her dry and thirsty.
By speaking this way to the woman, Jesus lets her know that He
knows all about her, loves her, and longs to fill her with the
satiation she has been searching for throughout her life. He does
not judge or condemn her; He invites her to experience the freedom
He longed to bestow upon her. After the encounter, the woman left
the well overjoyed and even left her water jar behind, symbolizing
that she was no longer thirsty—spiritually speaking. She then
confidently went to the people of the town and said, “Come see a
man who told me everything I have done. Could he possibly be the
Christ?”
Each of us needs to see ourselves in this woman. Our sins fill us
with shame. The guilt of our hidden sins weighs us down, leaving us
thirsty. If we can identify with this sinful woman, then we can
also expect the same depth of compassion from Jesus. Too often, we
hide our sins, even from ourselves, justifying our actions,
downplaying them, or ignoring them. That is not the path to
freedom. Freedom only comes by allowing our Lord to reveal our sins
to us, facing them, and encountering God’s abundant mercy.
Reflect today on the importance of opening your eyes to see the
reality of your sins. Don’t run from your past—confront it,
understand it, confess it, and receive the living water of mercy.
The holier you become, the more clearly you will see even the
smallest sins you have committed. That is good. It is necessary if
we want to be healed and refreshed by God. Imitate this sinful
woman today. God is never ashamed of us. Let the shame and guilt
dissipate within God’s abundant mercy so that like this woman, you
will know that God knows you through and through and loves you
despite your sin.
My Lord and Source of Living Water, my soul is often dry and
empty. I long for satiation and fulfillment. Please forgive me for
trying to fulfill my soul through sin. I repent of my sins and ask
You to reveal to me the full depth of those sins. As You do, please
give me the grace I need to repent with all my heart so that I can
be filled with Your abundant mercy. Jesus, I trust in
You.
Image: Christ and the Woman of Samaria by Benedetto Luti, CC0,
via Wikimedia Commons
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