“6 Since Jacob’s well was there, Jesus, weary from His journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”

8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

9 The Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

— John 4:6-10

“O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake You shall be put to shame; those who turn away from You shall be written in the dust, for they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living water.”

— Jeremiah 17:13

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

May you drink at the living water that Jesus freely gives to you every day!

We might all have experienced emotional weariness and spiritual thirst like the Samaritan woman recorded in John’s Gospel. Under the scorching sun by Jacob’s Well at Sychar, Jesus encountered this outcast woman who came to draw water at high noon. In this encounter, Jesus probed into this woman’s heart, inviting her to see what she truly desired. Her need and desire and ours as well, is actually the “living water” that only Jesus can provide.

Jesus, knowing the woman’s true thirst, graciously took the initiative to speak with her. “Will you give me a drink?” asked Jesus, who was at that time tired, thirsty and in need of a cup of cool water. But Jesus’ desire to meet this woman’s deeper need mattered more than His own physical thirst. Jesus knows the hearts of all people. Jesus saw a wounded heart and the unsatisfied thirst of this woman’ soul. By asking for water, Jesus placed Himself in her care. Our Lord was understanding , thoughtful, empathetic, and humble as He sought to win the confidence of this lonely woman. We thank God that Jesus always reaches to us for meeting our deepest needs the same way today and every day.