Living Water Soothes, Heals
The woman answered him, “I have no
husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I
have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is
not your husband. What you have said is true.” – John 4:17-18
Have you ever wondered why this woman had so many
husbands and was currently with a man who wasn’t her husband? Did you assume
she was promiscuous? Did you blame her for her circumstances?
At a recent women’s conference, Bible teacher Lisa
Harper said something really enlightening about this. She said that conservative
theologians think perhaps the woman for infertile. That just makes so much
sense.
In Biblical times, a man could divorce a woman for
really no reason. If the man got tired of her, he could simply give her papers
and send her on her way. It was an awful existence for women of that day. How
were they supposed to survive without a husband to provide for their needs?
A man was esteemed by the sons he fathered. No sons?
Well, that just wasn’t acceptable. Every family needed sons to carry on the
family name and care for his elderly parents when the time came.
A woman who couldn’t have children was a worthless liability.
That would have been me. Can you imagine the heartbreak of repeated rejections
because of something she couldn’t help or control?
Then Jesus met her at the well and He offered to fill
her up with living water. Jesus said He would take away the ache that barren
arms felt. Jesus said He would welcome her no matter what her past. Jesus said
He would make sure that she was never thirsty, never alone, again.
This woman knew rejection. She knew it from her
husbands. She knew it as a Samaritan or mixed-breed. She knew it in a way that
few people could understand. There was a reason why she was at the well when no
one else was near. The sting of rejection makes us want to withdraw into ourselves.
Jesus met her where she was. He didn’t look down at
her. He didn’t tell her to clean up her act and then she could enter into His
Presence. Jesus welcomed her, taught her with kindness, and showed her a
different way.
How different are so many Christians of our day? We
don’t want to allow anyone tarnished into our midst. We lecture and wag our
righteous fingers at people we see as fallen, dirty, not worthy of Jesus’
blood. People just like us.
Maybe that’s why we are so judgmental. We don’t want
to see our ugly reflections looking back at us. Maybe if we surround ourselves with
people just like us, we can forget the many mistakes that mark us as sinners.
This woman was so grateful, so overjoyed, so filled
with love for Jesus. She rushed back to her town and told everyone about what
this stranger, this Jesus, had done for her. How many people have you told about
what Jesus has done for you?
Rejection hurts. It bruises our souls in the deepest,
darkest places. Only Jesus can fill us up again. Reach. Take. Drink the living
water. Feel its cool taste as it soothes the ache deep inside. Then offer a
drink to those near you. Share the good news of salvation. There’s plenty for
everyone – if they only knew.
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