Ruth 1:1-22; John 4:4-30; Psalms 105:1-7; Proverbs 22:24-25
NT: “He left Judea and went again to Galilee. He had to travel through Samaria; so he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar near the property that Jacob had given his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, worn out from his journey, sat down at the well. It was about noon. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. “Give me a drink,” Jesus said to her, because his disciples had gone into town to buy food… Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again. In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up in him for eternal life.” “…Sir,” the woman replied, “I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus told her, “Believe me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and in truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ ). “When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Jesus told her, “I, the one speaking to you, am he.”” (John 4:3-8, 13-14, 19-26 CSB)
There is a lot that could be said about this passage of scripture. So many key truths are wrapped up in these 20+ verses of scripture, so I will try to narrow down my thoughts to the “big-ticket items.” Jesus talked to the Samaritan woman about living water: that those who come to Him to satisfy their thirst will be given living water that becomes a well of life that springs up from within them – never to be thirsty again. He also talked to her about true, authentic worship: that the time had come when true worshippers don’t make pilgrimage to a place to worship, they come to a person to worship. While it isn’t specifically drawn in this conversation, there is a correlation between true, authentic worship and the well of living water. Later in John, Jesus will explain that He is the way, the truth, and the life and the only way to the Father is through Him. True worshippers of the Living God, who worship in Spirit (as they have been born again) and in the fullness of truth, can only do so by coming to Jesus and accessing the Father through Jesus. The Father is looking for true worshippers, and true worshippers worship the Father by first coming first to Christ. And in the midst of their worshipful surrender, they are given access to God’s never drying well of living water that springs up from within them to bring refreshment to a dry and weary world.
Psalms: “Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; proclaim his deeds among the peoples. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell about all his wondrous works! Boast in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wondrous works he has done, his wonders, and the judgments he has pronounced…” (Psalms 105:1-5 CSB)
Pastor Jack Hayford once wrote that the fountain head of all of the grace of God is found at the place of worship. Worship begins with glorifying God the Father, and God the Son through thanksgiving and praise, while making ourselves low. We boast in His name, nor our own. We seek the Lord, His strength, and His face instead of relying in our own strength and our own way. As we take this posture of humility and submission while magnifying the Lord in our sight and the sight of others – there we will find grace… and there God is able to glorify us as we glorify Him.
Jamie Hicks 