Daily Scripture:
John 4:11 She said to him, “Sir, you don’t have a bucket, and the well is deep; so where do you get this ‘living water’? 12 You aren’t greater than our father Ya‘akov, are you? He gave us this well and drank from it, and so did his sons and his cattle.” 13 Yeshua answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I will give him will never be thirsty again! On the contrary, the water I give him will become a spring of water inside him, welling up into eternal life!”
15 “Sir, give me this water,” the woman said to him, “so that I won’t have to be thirsty and keep coming here to draw water.” (Complete Jewish Bible).
Reflection Questions:
Jesus’ offer of “living water” (in common speech, that meant the freshest, cleanest running water, not stagnant water that had stood in a cistern or well) was intriguing. But the woman at first showed skepticism: “Where would you get this living water?” (verse 11) That didn’t discourage Jesus. He described the spiritual water he offered in such appealing terms that the woman’s thirsty soul responded, “Give me this water!” (verse 15).
- Jesus said, “The water that I give will become in those who drink it a spring of water that bubbles up into eternal life” (verse 14). What choices have helped you make your walk with Jesus one that “bubbles up into eternal life”? In what ways are you able to let that joyous, bubbling quality show as you go about your day-to-day life?
- Pastor Bruce Milne noted the natural humanness Jesus showed toward this woman: “Jesus is clearly ‘at ease’ with her, which frees her to confront her deepest needs.”* Who are the people who, because of beliefs or lifestyle, make you uneasy? How can Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well help you find ways to relate more naturally and comfortably to them?
* Bruce Milne, The Message of John. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993, page 86.
Kari is a part of Resurrection's ShareChurch team. She is involved with the marketing, guest registration, and volunteer coordination for the conferences we host, and she considers it a joy to serve, using her gifts to help renew God's church. She enjoys running and hiking and loves being a cheerleader for her girls at all of their sporting, music and school events.
Reflecting on today’s reading, specifically about the living water Jesus offers to the woman at the well, I couldn’t help but see parallels between this story and another story about a “man on the mountain.” Today’s GPS says that in common speech, “living water” meant the freshest, cleanest running water. Water which would feel cool going down, quenching a deep thirst, refreshing and life giving.
The man on the mountain story is about my husband, just about a month ago on a hike in Colorado. If you’re a regular GPS reader, you may recall my family loves to hike the Colorado mountains. This summer we decided to attempt a 14’er--a mountain with a summit over 14,000 feet. We chose Quandary Peak in Breckenridge. We read up on the conditions (lots of snow at the top), watched the weather, packed a lunch, “plenty” of water and started off before 7am. It was about 37 degrees when we started out and because of the cool weather, we needed to pack some items like gloves, hats, an extra long-sleeved layer and microspikes for our boots (for the snow). All those “extras” add weight to the pack and, being concerned about fatigue, we tried to be strategic about how much we brought with us.
At high altitude, the air gets thin and oxygen depletion can really take a toll. The climb was strenuous and we were all feeling it. I’d also note we were among the oldest and youngest hikers. Most everyone seemed to be in their 20’s and early 30’s. No other parents in their 40’s with their teenaged kids.
In full disclosure I didn’t summit this hike. I had a full-on panic attack about .75 miles from the top and opted to stay right where I was and let my family go the rest of the way without me. But…that is likely a future topic for a blog post on fear! I did enjoy my time with the mountain goats as you can see in the photo. =)
My husband and daughters made it to the summit and felt so accomplished and exhausted, all at the same time. With his permission, I’ll share that my husband hadn’t exactly trained physically for this hike. In hindsight some regular workouts in the weeks prior to the trip might have been advisable. By the time they made their way back to where I was, their water supply was depleted. I had a Camelbak water backpack, which I thought still had plenty of water. But when he went to take a sip, only a few drops dribbled out. I took one look at my husband and knew we were in trouble. We still had at least 2.5 miles to travel back down the mountain, and he was dehydrated and looked really fatigued. How could we have miscalculated how much water we needed? We had no choice but to trudge on.My husband’s steps were labored. A few minutes into our descent, he stumbled on some loose rock and fell. Thankfully, he wasn’t hurt. But fall? This was a first. As I’m pondering what to do and digging out a few grapes (they have water in them, right?) another hiker draws near on his descent. I had seen him earlier, on his way up. Young and agile, he had made his way up the mountain with seemingly little effort. He carried skis with him, planning on skiing down the snowy peak. I watched him ski part way down from a distance while I was waiting on my family. It was remarkable.
I had a decision to make. Do I ask this man for help? Or do I leave my husband’s ego intact? He approached and asked if we were doing OK. I said "yes," but asked, “Do you by chance have enough water? We’ve run out.” He reached into the depths of his pack and offered up an icy cold, 48 ounce bottle of water.
You’d better believe that was the coldest, most refreshing, life giving water my husband ever drank. I could physically see how the water was replenishing his dehydrated body, quenching a deep thirst. The girls and I drank enough to refresh us as well.
Was this Jesus offering us living water? Well….maybe that is taking the metaphor a bit too far. But we did think this man was an angel, sent to pass by just when we needed him the most. We were so grateful.When I think about our spiritual need for living water, sometimes I think we don’t even realize how thirsty we are. Or we don’t realize our need for this living water until we are really dehydrated and in trouble. I know there are times when that “spring of water” is right there next to me and all I need to do is take a drink. But sometimes I don’t. Won’t you join me this week to say “yes” to Jesus’ continual offer of living water, allowing Him alone to satisfy the soul’s thirst for connection to God, the soul’s thirst for forgiveness and salvation?
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You might also like:
- Jesus offered living water
- “Jesus had to go through Samaria”
- Prayer Tip: The Woman at the Well
- Jesus' kingdom is for young and old alike
- A painful contrast to Jesus' view of children
- Or download this week's printable GPS.
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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