Understanding the Woman at the Well

I: THE SCENE PICTURED

"Jesus therefore, being wearied with His journey, sat thus on the well” (John 4:6)—that is, in a thoroughly exhausted condition, He sat down as if He could go no further, could do no more, and there it was that the Samaritan woman found Him. 

---How perfectly human all this proves our Lord to have been!

*Because He was perfectly and supremely God, His Godhead did not take away from Him His power to suffer and to be wearied.
*He was quite worn out, and thoroughly weary, and so, while they
went into Sychar to purchase provisions, He sat down on the well.

When our Lord was in the wilderness forty days, He hungered.
Q: Why did He not turn the stones into bread? 

He certainly could have done so, 

---but to do so was evidently quite out of order with Him who had come to be a servant, and to suffer as a man, the devil tempted Him to do it, which proves to us that it would have been wrong for Christ to do it.

Oh,

I never imagined how strong Christ was

till I saw His love hold back His deity!

PAINT A PICTURE,

and that picture is the portrait of a wearied Savior,

a Savior wearied by you,

worn out by you,

wearied, not with His journey,

but wearied with your sin....

the Lord has said it in Isaiah, “Thou hast wearied Me with thine iniquities.”
*You have wearied Christ by doing wrong, and doing it again and again, and sinning against conscience and against light.

Now I want you to

STUDY THAT PICTURE 

I like the picture so, it seems to comfort me as I look at it, for albeit that He is very weary, yet I perceive that He is waiting.

The woman will be here soon, 

Jesus is very weary, but He still waits on.

Sinner, that is just the attitude of my Lord towards you.

Now I want to

ALTER THE PICTURE ON THE CANVAS

A woman must be put into the picture now, Mr. Painter.
There she is, and the Master is saying to her, “Give me a drink.” (John 4:7).
---Oh, to think that you and I can give satisfaction to the heart of Christ for all the anguish that He bore when He poured out His soul unto death!"
Charles Spurgeon

II: Gleanings for Your Soul at the Well

"Then she thought of a theological question that had troubled her ever since she was a little girl. 

---All her life she had heard the arguments about where was the proper place to worship. 

It was a question that defined her as a Samaritan, competing as they
were with the Jews in Jerusalem. 

---Worshiping in the “right” place and drinking from this special well had become an empty tradition, unable to purge her guilty conscience.

*So she posed this question to Jesus. “Where is the right location to worship?” She leaned forward slightly to hear the answer.
*Jesus fixed His truthful, gentle eyes on her. “Woman, true worship is not about having the right place; it is about having the right heart.”

Q: How is it with you? 

Q: Has your ecclesiastical tradition become just another hole in the ground that sustains your existence but hinders eternal life?

Lessons From This Story:
God is looking for you (But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. John 4:23).

His Word cuts into our soul (For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that Thou art a
prophet. v. 18-19).

You look up towards heaven, and say “I need a Savior” (The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. v. 25).

He reveals Himself and accepts you (Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am He. v. 26).

Your priorities change (The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? v.28,29).

There are no human solutions 

to the deep needs of our life." 

Gerry Waggoner

III: Christ's longing at the well

"Not a very encouraging opening, 

---but beneath the exterior of superstition and ignorance, 

---Christ recognized the spiritual need 

---and longed to open to this benighted soul the treasure of the Father’s love.
*He did not ask her to come again when He would be feeling rested and refreshed, 

*or suggest that, if she could get together a sufficient congregation to make it worthwhile, He would speak to them on some very important truths, 

but to this single individual He proceeded to make known His work and character."

E.J. Waggoner

IV: Trust Awakens Trust

"The hatred between Jews and Samaritans prevented the woman
from offering a kindness to Jesus; but the Savior was seeking to find the key to this heart, and with the tact born of divine love, 

---He asked, not offered, a favor---

The offer of a kindness might have been rejected; 

but trust awakens trust."

E.G.W.