Jesus who gives living water
John 4:7-10 [1]
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?’ 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?’ (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
10 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.’
I. Will you give me a drink? (7-9)
It was about noon (John 4:6c). A Samaritan woman came to draw water (7a). Usually, several women together would come to the well to draw water in the evening avoiding noon when it would be too hot in the Middle East. But this woman came to the well at noon alone. We can know she was avoiding others due to her past (John 4:18). See v7b.
Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?’ (7b)
This shows Jesus was thirsty. However, His primary reason for asking for a drink was to help her ask Him for living water (10b, John 4:15).
According to the traditional Jewish custom of the day, Jews did not associate with Samaritans (9b) and Jewish men refrained from speaking with women in public - even with their own wives [2]. Beyond these social barriers, Jesus helped her.
His disciples were conveniently out of the way (8) [2].
What was the response of the Samaritan woman? See v9a.
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?’
v9 shows that she couldn’t comprehend the condescension of a Jew asking for her help, and questioned His unusual freedom from the custom. Philippians 2:5-7 teaches us about the humility of Christ Jesus.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!
Later this woman realises He is Christ (Messiah) (John 4:25-26).
II. Living Water (10)
What is the answer of Jesus? See v10.
10 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.’
Here, ‘the gift of God’ could mean [3]
- Jesus Himself
- The Holy Spirit
- The singular grace of God in this moment
- Eternal life
- Living water
‘living water’ is explained in John 4:14.
14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’
As ‘rebirth’ in John 3:3-6 had two senses (physical, spiritual) of birth, ‘living water’ can refer to moving water as from a spring or bubbling spring water (physical) [2] and the following (spiritual). Of course, Jesus meant the latter one (spiritual).
“It is evidently the inner-life as the operation of the life of Christ, conceived predominantly under the aspect of inward peace (no longer thirsting), developing into regeneration, life in the Holy Ghost (the water’s becoming a fountain) and perfection in blessedness (springing up into everlasting life).” [3].
Tholuck: “The word of salvation the medium of a living power of the Spirit” (John 7:38, John 11:26) [3]
Godet: “Living water is the life eternal, which is Christ Himself living in the soul by the Holy Spirit” [3].
References
- The Holy Bible: New International Version. Anglicised. Revised and updated. ed. 2011: London: Hodder & Stoughton.
- Borchert, G.L., The New American Commentary: John 1-11. 1996: Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
- Lange, J.P.S., Philip, A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: John. Logos Research ed. 2008, Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
