John 4:9

"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" John 4:10

The detail or element four in or analysis of the story of the Woman at the Well is Jesus. I imagine you had that one figured out by now. Let's take a look at this popular and well-known figure. He was the Son of God. It is not that He said he was the Son of God as Pilate wrote on a placard and ordered nailed to the cross above Jesus' head, He WAS the Son of God. As such He had all the power and authority of His Father.

Sons have that authority when they are sent by daddy to do some particular task. With that kind of authority, you would think that He would have been able to see the trouble His appearance in Samaria would cause. Indeed He did see something. He saw the meeting with the Samaritan woman, and its results.

We can see from the first interaction between the two that a special thing is about to happen. He asks for water. She mildly rebukes Him. He says, "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." I believe Jesus had the woman's attention. "Living water? You have nothing to draw with. How can you give ME water?"

While the conversation took a few twists and turns along its path, Jesus knew the results of this conversation before He ever entered it. He knew the woman was longing for a new beginning. He understood her pain and suffering. He had heard her weeping in the night, longing to get out of her ill-advised relationships. He knew she felt she was condemned to a life of failure, and He knew He would give her the answer.

All of this Jesus knew because He was the Son of God. But wait! There is more. Jesus called Himself the Son of Man. What does that mean and how does it fit into our discussion? Jesus was born of a woman, Mary. He was raised to be a good Jewish boy. He played in the streets with the other boys of Nazareth. He sat at Joseph's feet and learned to build things. He could raise a barn, build a house, and make the cabinets for the kitchen. He knew the ways of man, and he knew the ways of woman. His compassion was Godly. His hunger was manly. And it was hunger that caused Him to send His disciples into Samaria for food. It was thirst that caused Him to ask the lone woman for a drink. The God and the Man together broke the Bread of Life and offered the woman the Living Waters that would refresh her soul.

You may have noticed I have consistently used the past tense in referring to Jesus: He was the Son of God. However, Jesus is not a past tense type of individual. Though He was crucified and laid in a tomb, though that tomb was sealed by the authorities in case His disciples should steal the body and claim a resurrection, though Roman guards stood watch over that tomb to prevent that theft, Jesus did not stay in that tomb. On the third day, He rose from the grave and reclaimed the life He had always had, eternal life.

And that, my brothers and sisters, is the Living Water Jesus told the woman about. And that is the Living Water He is offering you today. If you have never accepted His gift, now is the time. Be like the Samaritan woman and accept the proffered offering of eternal life now. If you have known Jesus for a while and have become like a dry desert, take a sip of that refreshing beverage and be renewed in strength. It is there for one and all, old and young, man and woman and children alike. Drink deeply of the river that will never run dry. Hallelujah, Amen and Amen.