Today In The Word / Moody Bible Institute Woman at the Well: Encountering the Water of Life Read John 4:1–26 Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. John 4:14 Jacob’s well, site of the encounter in today’s reading (v. 6), is still around in the present day. Now nearly four thousand years old, it is located inside a modern Greek Orthodox church at Nablus, near the biblical site of Shechem. Orthodox tradition remembers the Samaritan woman as Photina (or Svetlana), and it is believed she was martyred under Nero by being skinned alive and thrown down a well. Today’s passage records the Samaritan woman’s first meeting with her Savior. As in yesterday’s devotion, Jesus had gone to a Gentile area in order to escape the crowds. Samaritans were a mixed-race people. Many religious, ethnic, and cultural tensions—some of which emerge in the conversation—characterized their relationship with Jews. The woman was quite proud of her religious heritage, seen in her references to Jacob’s well and Mount Gerizim (v. 20). The Samaritan woman was rather shocked that Jesus spoke to her at all. A good Jew wouldn’t speak to a Samaritan; even more, a Jewish rabbi wouldn’t dream of addressing a Samaritan woman. But she was also curious about His claim to have “living water” (v. 10). When He explained, her response revealed a strong desire for eternal life, even with her limited understanding of what it entailed (vv. 13–15). When He next shifted the focus onto her, she was alarmed by what He knew, so she asked a seemingly unrelated question in an attempt to distract or perhaps even offend Him. Though “salvation is from the Jews,” Jesus told the woman at the well that a new day was coming (vv. 21–24). When He explicitly identified Himself as the Messiah, she responded in faith and went to tell the people in her village. If you’re looking for fresh resources for studying the life of Christ, look into the Biblical Imagination series by Michael Card, available online at his website. He has written a book and recorded an album of music for each of the four Gospels. This could be a wonderful resource for your spiritual renewal and refreshment in the new year.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 12:47:05 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015