Luminous_Rose
CF Ambassador
*Woman at the Well*
~John 4:1-42
As we read, we can probably relate to a hot day and being thirsty. We're tired, we would love to sit in the shade and have a cool drink. Even in John 4:6, Jesus sat at Jacob's well and was limited by his physical body. Just like you and me, Jesus sat down, and he was tired and thirsty.
When Jesus asks the Samaritan woman for a drink, she mentions in John 4:9, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" This was a large cultural no-no. Not only did Jews not associate with the Samaritans, but here is Jesus asking for a drink. In this time, asking for a drink and giving and receiving water was more of an open invitation to say, "Hey let's talk. Let's chill a bit." Understandably, the Samaritan woman questioned it.
Jesus knew how to talk to the Samaritan woman. He mentioned this amazing gift of living water. No doubt with this woman, she was not a stranger to gifts as she had been married many times. She listened and soon she abandoned her water jar to go back and tell the town. This is symbolic of her abandoning a physical need of thirst to fulfill a spiritual need - the spiritual need to know God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit in John 4:28.
In a rather humorous moment between Jesus and his disciples we see a difference noted as well between physical and spiritual food in John 4:31-34. We know that physical and spiritual needs are different from each other.
Because of the woman's testimony - it was only one testimony, many of the Samaritans believed and they went out to see Jesus and asked him to stay. Jesus stayed two days, and many of the Samaritans turned their lives around for Christ and they had seen for themselves that Jesus was the true Savior.
In John 4:31-34 we see a somewhat humorous moment between Jesus and the disciples regarding spiritual food vs. physical food. We have our basic physical needs which include food and water to keep our body alive. On the other hand, we have our spiritual needs which include reading The Holy Bible, praying, worshipping and praising God, witnessing to others, and most of all obeying God's laws and the plan that He has for our lives. This is what keeps our spiritual selves or our soul alive. Without our soul's needs being met we will always be thirsty again and again, but when our spiritual needs are met, we won't feel thirsty and we may even feel like our needs are met plus more!
If we were to sit and stare at water in a glass without drinking it and we continued to do so for many days, we would die of thirst, wouldn't we? We have to pick up the glass and drink the water in order for our physical body to be satisfied and we meet this need over and over again each day to survive.
In a similar way, our spiritual body/soul cannot simply go to church, carry a Bible, and sing songs without feeling or understanding the meaning and be quenched. We cannot sit and stare at the material in front of us without truly digging into the meaning and becoming involved the Body of Christ. We need to be actively seeking Christ and fulfilling our spiritual needs to feel our spiritual needs are taken care of.
No matter how much "good" we have in our lives, none of that will quench our spirit without God (refer to Romans 8:6)
~John 4:1-42
As we read, we can probably relate to a hot day and being thirsty. We're tired, we would love to sit in the shade and have a cool drink. Even in John 4:6, Jesus sat at Jacob's well and was limited by his physical body. Just like you and me, Jesus sat down, and he was tired and thirsty.
When Jesus asks the Samaritan woman for a drink, she mentions in John 4:9, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" This was a large cultural no-no. Not only did Jews not associate with the Samaritans, but here is Jesus asking for a drink. In this time, asking for a drink and giving and receiving water was more of an open invitation to say, "Hey let's talk. Let's chill a bit." Understandably, the Samaritan woman questioned it.
Jesus knew how to talk to the Samaritan woman. He mentioned this amazing gift of living water. No doubt with this woman, she was not a stranger to gifts as she had been married many times. She listened and soon she abandoned her water jar to go back and tell the town. This is symbolic of her abandoning a physical need of thirst to fulfill a spiritual need - the spiritual need to know God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit in John 4:28.
In a rather humorous moment between Jesus and his disciples we see a difference noted as well between physical and spiritual food in John 4:31-34. We know that physical and spiritual needs are different from each other.
Because of the woman's testimony - it was only one testimony, many of the Samaritans believed and they went out to see Jesus and asked him to stay. Jesus stayed two days, and many of the Samaritans turned their lives around for Christ and they had seen for themselves that Jesus was the true Savior.
In John 4:31-34 we see a somewhat humorous moment between Jesus and the disciples regarding spiritual food vs. physical food. We have our basic physical needs which include food and water to keep our body alive. On the other hand, we have our spiritual needs which include reading The Holy Bible, praying, worshipping and praising God, witnessing to others, and most of all obeying God's laws and the plan that He has for our lives. This is what keeps our spiritual selves or our soul alive. Without our soul's needs being met we will always be thirsty again and again, but when our spiritual needs are met, we won't feel thirsty and we may even feel like our needs are met plus more!
If we were to sit and stare at water in a glass without drinking it and we continued to do so for many days, we would die of thirst, wouldn't we? We have to pick up the glass and drink the water in order for our physical body to be satisfied and we meet this need over and over again each day to survive.
In a similar way, our spiritual body/soul cannot simply go to church, carry a Bible, and sing songs without feeling or understanding the meaning and be quenched. We cannot sit and stare at the material in front of us without truly digging into the meaning and becoming involved the Body of Christ. We need to be actively seeking Christ and fulfilling our spiritual needs to feel our spiritual needs are taken care of.
No matter how much "good" we have in our lives, none of that will quench our spirit without God (refer to Romans 8:6)
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