Skip to main content

If You Knew

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 4:10 ESV

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem and his disciples have gone off to get food. You’ve heard this story before and its several applications dealing with gender, with outcasts, with evangelism. This statement is early in this conversation. But look at these words, “If you knew...who it is that is saying to you….”

Who is this that is jousting with her? It is not just Messiah, not just a rabbi, not just a Jewish male who wanted to slake his thirst. No this is not just a human, regardless of how we label him. This is God, her God who wants nothing but for her to ask for relief. This is Israel’s God but not only Israel’s God but the Creator God, the only God. He is her God.

Her God who wants to give her “living water.” For her, healing, acceptance, reconciliation, and refreshment. This he says that she only has to ask - to see and to ask. Let’s not though get stuck on her expected response, but let’s focus on who it is that wants her to ask. You have heard and possibly seen the pictures of Jesus at a door, knocking and waiting for someone - for you - to answer the door. OK, but let’s focus not on us, but on who it is at the door. This is God who wants this woman to see and to ask. Right here in the midst of her daily, routine life is anticipating, hoping even that she would but ask and be given refreshment for her life right her, right now.

Jesus says the same thing about us - if you only knew who it was that asked, you would ask and he would give you living water.

Want that water?

Ask.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

He Remembers We Are But Flesh

In Job, often considered the first book written in the Bible, we are introduced to the accuser. In the introduction to the book, it is the accuser who accuses Job of being righteous and faithful to God only because of the blessings that God has given Job. We find the accuser again in Zechariah 3. The High Priest Joshua is standing in front of the Lord in filthy clothes, and the accuser is making accusations. The Lord rebukes the accuser and then says that he will cleanse Joshua.  Then in the New Testament, we see the appearance of the Advocate. The Spirit, we are told, is sent to walk beside us, to be a witness, to be an advocate for us. The accuser challenges us, questions our faithfulness, and questions our integrity as people who are supposed to follow God as His people, His disciples. This is an entre for being blamed and shamed. But God comes alongside us and advocates for us. We are told too that Jesus is our mediator with God. Jesus defends us and explains us to God so that ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Elders redux

A reader (I am always amazed that people actually read this blog) submitted a rather long comment on the original post on Elders. It is apparent that the reader did some good homework as the comment has several, well, more than several, reference citations. It is clear that they both read the original post and did some Bible study before posting their comment. Because the comment was so long, I thought it appropriate to post another entry rather than bury the response in the comment log. In the following discussion, I have included the text of the comment without the Scripture references. If you want to read the comment in its entirety, scroll to the Elders post and click on the comment. --------------------------------------------------------- [Comment~~~~The church is expected to be a people in exactly this sense. We are the people of God who are charged with continuing and preserving the values, culture, hopes, and the identity of God’s people in our time.~~~~ Does this include th...
7 comments
Read more

Passover, The First Born, Abraham, and You

Israel has been in captivity in Egypt, Moses has completed his contests with Pharaoh, and the People of Israel have been expelled from Egypt. The death of Egyptian firstborn children and livestock has compelled their removal into the wilderness. At the end of Exodus 12, God institutes the Passover in remembrance of the Angel of Death passing by the homes of Jews on the night the Egyptian firstborn children were killed. Notably, they were spared if in a house with blood around the door.  The Passover is established for Israel herself, including their slaves who have been circumcised. If a sojourner wants to celebrate the Passover with you, he can after he circumcises all males with him. I suspect that pretty much eliminated any visitors participating. In chapter 13, the protocols include redeeming Israel's firstborn. In this discussion, God says your firstborn belongs to God, and you must redeem your firstborn or you must kill it. God has redeemed Israel's firstborn by the blood...
Post a Comment
Read more