“The woman left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, ‘come, see a man who told me all the things I ever did. Could this be the Christ?’ Then they went out of the city and came to Him.”
– John 4:28-30
To put this verse into context, Jesus is talking to the Samaritan woman, also known as the Woman at the Well. This woman was known to be a prostitute and was shunned by her community for this fact. This verse occurs after Jesus had just gotten done explaining to her that He offers living water which one can drink from and never thirst again. Jesus is, of course, referring to salvation in Him which brings eternal life. After speaking with this woman and convicting her of her sin, the Samaritan woman leaves her waterpot at the well and runs into the city to tell people of her experience with Jesus.
When it comes to the full story of the Jesus and the Samaritan woman, this verse was never the one to stick out to me. But after recently reading this Biblical account, this verse alone opened up a world of truth to me that I wanted to share.
The Samaritans were enemies of the Jews
The Samaritans and the Jews were known enemies. The fact that Jesus took time to talk to this woman would have been unheard of, and she knew it. But what’s striking about this fact is not only that Jesus spent time to talk with her, but that she listened. And not only did she listen, but she heeded his words. She listened to and heeded the words of her enemy.
The woman’s need to tell people about Jesus outranked her fear
Remember that this woman was a known prostitute in her town. She was not very popular with most of her neighbors. In fact, it is believed that she was going to the well at a time of day when she knew no one would be there to ridicule her. The Samaritan woman was a private, delicate person.
However, after an encounter with Jesus, this private, delicate, broken woman dropped everything and literally ran right to the people who she sought to hide from. The wonder of Jesus was enough to overthrow the fear that ruled her life. She didn’t care about what they would think of her, only that they knew what she experienced. She singlehandedly caused many of the townspeople to directly seek out Jesus after hearing her testimony.
Are you letting your fears get in the way of fulfilling the Great Commission?
She left her waterpot behind
A tiny detail in this passage that I never realized until now was that the woman literally leaves her waterpot behind. She leaves behind the one thing that she sought to acquire: life sustaining water. She came to the well seeking water that satisfies the body, but she left with living water that satisfies the soul. In that moment of her leaving behind her water bucket, the Samaritan woman realized she found something that was better and far more important than life itself. She found a Savior!
Reflection
Is there anything that is currently hindering you from pursuing Christ? Something that you are holding on to that gives you a false sense of security? We all have something. What is your waterpot, and are you willing to leave it behind to seek that which is so much greater?
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