In John 4, Jesus had a very enlightening conversation with a Samaritan woman. For the very first time, Jesus identified Himself as the promised and long-awaited Messiah. But first Jesus revealed a new descriptive name for Himself: Living Water. Jesus drew a great contrast between Himself and earthly, hand-dug wells. These wells sometimes run dry. Ropes and buckets are required to retrieve water from those wells that have not run dry. The Living Water from Jesus does not run dry. It comes in the form of a continually bubbling fresh fountain. No rope needed, no bucket needed, and no human effort is needed. The finished work of Christ is on display.
John 4:7-14 tells the story, Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." She said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? "You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?" Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." (NASU)
The Samaritan woman and you and I need to be delivered from wells that run dry, buckets that must be carried back and forth, and heavy ropes which must be dragged up out of the wells. Because we fail to fully trust Christ, we run from empty well to empty well looking for satisfaction and contentment. Real satisfaction and contentment (abundant life) is found only in Christ. Until we learn that truth, we run back and forth from material possessions, immoral sex, alcohol, drugs, pornography, gluttony, performance, gossip, etc. thinking that we will find satisfaction and contentment. Until we learn that there is nothing that we could possibly bring to the relationship with Christ, we will continue to try to earn our relationship with Christ by attempting to give Him something. Furthermore, until we learn that no effort is required on our part we will continue tugging on heavy ropes in empty wells. There is nothing that a fallen man, blind, and wretched could possibly do to improve his situation. In reality, we are dead in our trespasses and sins, thus our efforts amount to zero.
We must realize that as long as we attempt to draw our own water from man-made wells, our thirst will never be satisfied. Jesus is the single source of Living Water which He gives to us freely with no effort on our part. Kenneth Wuest provides an excellent literal translation of verse 13, But whoever takes a drink of the water which I shall give him, shall positively not thirst, no, never, but the water which I shall give him shall become in him a spring of water gushing up into life eternal. Christ alone satisfies. Trust Him and Him alone.
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