John 4:19-30,39-42, Gospel Bridges (Woman at the Well, 5)

Jesus, calling attention to the woman’s marital situation astounded her.  How Jesus knew this we don’t know.  Some think He may have overheard other women talking about her as she approached the well.  He may have known it by divine knowledge granted by His Father.  In our own attempts to build bridges to people around us, after a while it will not be uncommon for us to learn the things in their lives that cause guilt.  After awhile, she could see that this conversation was not about well-water but spiritual water.

Anyway, she immediately went to her basic spiritual foundation, the Samaritan religion of the people of Samaria.  I say it that way to point out that her religion was what was common in Sychar.  It’s not that she was devout or even knowledgeable.  It was what everyone did.  Devout or not, her religion was a stumbling block to meeting Christ because her religion did not have a place for the Jewish Messiah.

o   The need to reject false foundations, v19-24. 

One of the amazing things about this conversation is how short it is.  Jesus built the bridge, crossed over to the woman, and brought her back in what may not have been more than five minutes.  Our conversations with people may take much longer.  But sometimes they take a lot of time because we spend too much time debunking someone’s religion.  In v21-24, Jesus debunked her religion (“you worship what you do not know; … salvation is of the Jews”), and without giving her a chance to respond, brought her to the essence of true religion: worshiping the Father in spirit and truth!  He rejected her false foundation, but then immediately moved the conversation on from it.

Among other things, the Samaritan Bible consists only of the Pentateuch (first five books of the Old Testament) and there are thousands of differences between their text and the one we are familiar with in the Hebrew Bible.  Jesus could have spent a year discussing all these things with this woman and she would have never come to Christ.  He gave a true and clear response, but did not linger on the details so He could get to her deepest need.  Jesus undoubtedly understood that, as with many people, her religious question was just a diversion. 

o   The need to meet Christ, v25-26.

Jesus met every obstacle raised by the woman.  She tried to get out of the conversation by proposing they wait for Messiah to show up.  Jesus, led by the Holy Spirit, knew that now was the time to introduce Himself.  He did not start the conversation by announcing who He was; she wasn’t ready.  He didn’t delay and neither did she, as v39-42 indicate.  Immediately, she did what a saved person does: she told all her friends.  The living water was already springing up in her soul!

Today, it is the same.  As Jesus offered living water to all the Samaritans of Sychar, so He offers living water to all who hear His word and believe in Him.  “This is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”