"The Perfect Chance Encounter" Part 7

Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly." The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet." John 4:13-19

 

Today, in part seven of our bite size look at the encounter the Samaritan woman had at the well with Jesus we are going to look at one of my favorite moments in the conversation. We find it just after His response, His comparison of the well water and His gift of 'living water.' Her response to that comparison was, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." Jesus had convinced her that 'living water' is something worth having. She sees that it could mean that she won't have to go through this daily ordeal of having to collect water. If she had this 'living water' that He talked about than she would no longer be forced to endure the burden that collecting water from the well exposed her too, both physically and emotionally. She catches a glimpse of that possibility as His comparison become a reality in her understanding and her soul cries out with, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." 

Jesus responds to her plea with a question that on the surface might seem to be off topic but in reality He  gives her the very thing she needs in order to receive His gift of 'living water.' He says, "Go, call your husband, and come here." Just like that she is face to face with the very thing she is at the well to avoid. Her shame, her life's choices, and the very reason she is at the well collecting water all alone confronts her as He speaks those seven simple words, "Go, call your husband, and come here." With those seven words and that one simple command He brings her to the place of knowing and acknowledging her real need for His gift of living water in her life.

When she answers Him with, "I have no husband." Her response was still in part trying to hide that she was was living in a way that was considered by all to be immoral. Jesus acknowledges the truth of her statement about her lack of a husband with, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly." Suddenly, she knows that He knows! I love this exact moment in this encounter! Why? Because its one of the best moments that she or you or I can experience. Its the moment when it hits you! He knows the worsts about you and loves you anyways! She is in this moment realizing that He knows and yet, He spoke to her. He knows and yet, He still offered her this gift of living water. He knows and yet, He wasn't condemning or judging, but instead, He was simply letting her know that He knows her. He knows her history. He knows all about her and He knows that she needs Him and His gift! This is the moment that she realizes and recognizes that His perception isn't a natural one but is supernatural and therefore He too must be supernatural and He too must be sent by God! 

"Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet."