"Be Careful Your Choice of Drink" Saint John 4:11

                                               In Search of Sacred Scripture  #10          

                                                               Saint John 4:11

    Jesus  came to save His own people, the lost sheep of the House of Israel. We found out His plan was only in beginning stages and learned He came not only to rescue those of Israel, but the entire world. No one would be left out from his completed work at the Cross in which every human being would be given the opportunity to drink from Living Water.

    Early in His earthly ministry, Christ Jesus faced resentment and hatred from the Jewish religious leaders of His day. This became more evident when John the Baptizer recognized Him as the Messiah of Israel. As a result, those following Jesus increased in number and He kept moving around the entire region to avoid public attention. One time He left Judea and ventured to the land of Galilee.  This required Jesus travel through Samaria.

    Many Jews avoided the people of Samaria when travelling to Galilee because their deep disdain for the inhabitants. Jewish people referred to the people of Samaria as a "herd" rather than a nation and much contention revolved around places of worship and the choice of books for the Old Testament.

    Jesus, prompted by the Holy Spirit, traveled into Samaria to a village He was not known, a place  named Sychar. He arrived thirsty and rested by a well. The well had an interesting history, the very place Abraham built an altar to the Lord and Jacob dug a well for refreshment. This was also the place Jacob's daughter, Dinah, was raped, and it was the place after Joseph's bones that arrived from Egypt, were laid to rest.

    As Jesus rested, a woman from the village came up to draw water. It was about noon-day and highly unusual because women normally gathered to water their animals in early morning hours or in the cool of evening. Her appearance indicated she was a local social outcast and initially flirted with Jesus.

    It was the custom of the day for religious Jews to never converse with a Samaritan, particularly a Samaritan woman. However, Jesus not only spoke with her by asking her for a drink of water, but proceeded with personal and penetrating questions . He then asked, " Would like a drink of Living Water? "

She replied, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where is this Living Water You speak of?"

    Don't say I didn't warn you if He is in your area and you ask this question. 

John 4:11  She said to Him, "You have no bucket to draw water from, and this well is deep. Sir, where do You plan on getting this 'Living Water' you're talking about?"