The Vintage Homemaker

“[Jesus] left Judea, and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there, Jesus therefore, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, ‘Give me to drink.’” John 4:3-7

It was the hottest part of the day. This Samaritan woman had come to the well when most other women would have been inside taking care of their homes. She needed water to drink, but she didn’t want to be ridiculed by others. This woman felt shame and she knew that others looked down upon her. She was not well liked by the other women in her community.

Have you ever felt alone like this woman did? Have you ever felt shame - even secretly?

Well, for this Samaritan woman, it was a surprise when she found a man sitting on the well. She had wanted to be alone. When he asked her for a drink, she was also surprised because he was a Jew and the Jewish people looked down upon the Samaritan people. I believe that Jesus was expecting her. He didn’t just “happen” to come upon the well. Jesus knew she would be there. And he was waiting for her.

Jesus was waiting for this woman to come to the well. And like the Samaritan woman, you are filled with shame and guilt and sin. But, that doesn’t stop Jesus from sitting by the well waiting for you to approach him. He is waiting - ever so patiently - for you to come to him.

 Jesus was never concerned with what was socially acceptable. It did not matter to him that she was considered “unclean.” To him, she was a beautiful woman who had lost her way and he was going to bring her home. He had compassion on her. He wanted to give her something that she was longing for, but had yet to find.

Jesus wants to give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4). He wants to show you how you to can have everlasting life through him. But it is not just ever lasting life that he is offering. He is offering something else. Jesus is offering you and me a cup filled with living water, that when we drink of it, we will be filled with peace and joy right now. Just like the woman at the well, Jesus has compassion for you and me. He longs to get to know us. He wants to talk to you. He wants to talk to me.

Even though you have sinned and are unclean, Jesus, the King of Kings, is waiting for you to come and visit with him right now. He doesn’t care about how others look at you. He doesn’t care how you even look at yourself. He is not put off by your messed up life. He is not put off by your feelings of inadequacy or turmoil. He is not put off by the fact that you feel like you will never get it right. He is simply sitting at the well waiting for you to come. And when you do, your life is going to change for ever.