Bible Pathway - November 2
Read John 4
Highlights:
Jesus and the Samaritan woman; miracles of healing; Jesus answers the Jews.
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).
Weary from His long journey from Judea to Samaria, Christ sat down to rest at Jacob's Well while the disciples went to the village to buy food. While He was there, a woman of Samaria came to draw water from the well. Our Lord surprised her when He asked for a drink of water and began talking to her. Ordinarily, a Jew would not so much as go near a Samaritan, much less talk to one. But Jesus wanted everyone to know He came to seek and to save that which is lost. He was on a mission from heaven. There was no power on earth and, for sure, no religious tradition that would be able to stop Him. Jesus was about to rescue this woman's soul because He knew the worth of the soul. Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it (Matt. 13:46). His salvation, which Jesus provides is that pearl of great price. It cost Him His very life.
Undoubtedly, the Samaritan woman was astonished at the words of Christ. It seemed unbelievable that a Jew would ever say, The hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father (John 4:21).
To the teachers of Israel, God was the God of Israel, and His dwelling place was in Jerusalem. To the Samaritans, He was to be worshipped on Mount Gerizim. But here in a few words Jesus revealed that the most High God dwelleth not in temples made with hands (Acts 17:24). The bodies of believers are the true temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19).
The Samaritan woman reached the turning point in her life when Christ revealed Himself as the fulfillment of her greatest spiritual need, for she was thirsty for something that neither her religion nor the world could satisfy. Jesus . . . said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life (John 4:13-14).
The supply of water drawn from Jacob's Well would soon be gone, and a fresh supply would have to be drawn. The person who drinks from the wells of the world will thirst again. But the living water that Jesus gives is inexhaustible. The living presence of the Savior in the hearts of all who trust in Him continually satisfies the thirst and longings of the soul.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled (Matt. 5:6).
Thought for Today:
Temporal “satisfactions” may “quench our thirst” for the present, but they will never truly satisfy.
Word Studies:
4:6 sixth hour, noon by Jewish time and 6 p.m. by Roman time; 5:21 quickeneth them, gives them life.
Prayer Suggestion: Commit your fears to the Lord and He will give you peace (Prov. 3: 24-26).
Memory Verse for the Week: Psalms 119:33-34
