Living Water for a Thirsty World

Reading of the Word

John 4:5–26 NASB 2020

So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, tired from His journey, was just sitting by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” For His disciples had gone away to the city to buy food. So the Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You, though You are a Jew, are asking me for a drink, though I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus replied to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” She said to Him, “Sir, You have no bucket and the well is deep; where then do You get this living water? You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well and drank of it himself, and his sons and his cattle?” Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never be thirsty; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water so that I will not be thirsty, nor come all the way here to draw water.” He said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.” The woman answered and said to Him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this which you have said is true.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and yet you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one must worship.” Jesus said to her, “Believe Me, woman, that a time 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 a time is coming, and even now has arrived, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I am He, the One speaking to you.”

Prayer of Illumination

Lord, as we open Your Word, open our hearts. Help us see Your love in Jesus’ conversation at the well. Teach us to build relationships that reflect Your grace and truth. Speak to us now, and make us ready to live out what we hear. Amen.

Introduction

[Opening Illustration – hold a glass or bottle of water] Good morning! [Take a long drink.] Ahh, that hits the spot! Nothing satisfies like water when you're really thirsty.

That’s a thirst Jesus understood well. In John 4, we meet Him sitting by a well in Samaria, hot and tired, asking a Samaritan woman for a drink. But what starts as small talk becomes a life-changing conversation.

And that’s already surprising—because no good Jew in Jesus’ day would go through Samaria, let alone talk to a Samaritan. There were many other routes they could take to go around Samaria. The hostility between Jews and Samaritans was deep. They had different temples, different theology, and generations of mutual hatred. Jews would actually go out of their way—adding miles to their journey—just to avoid stepping foot in Samaritan territory.

Another issue at hand is He is talking to a woman. Women were in the lowest class of society and many even prayed and thanked God that they were not a woman. There were certainly no women disciples…until Jesus steps into the scene. Other than the soldiers, the first people to see and proclaim the resurrection of Christ to the world were women. Women have a prominent role in God’s Kingdom.

But Jesus didn’t avoid Samaria. He went straight into it. Why? Because He saw people there who were thirsty. Not just for water—but for hope, for truth, for life.

And He sees that same thirst in our world today. His heart burned not just for the salvation of the Jews, but for the whole world to experience the life-changing power of the Good News He came to bring.

Here are some fun facts about what water does for your body. Water:

 forms saliva, which is needed to speak and to chew and to prevent tooth decay!

 is needed in all the body’s cells to grow and survive.

 flushes body waste through your kidneys.

 lubricates your joints.

 is needed by your brain to make hormones and neurotransmitters.

 regulates your body temperature.

 acts as a shock absorber for your brain.

 allows you to digest your food.

 helps deliver oxygen to your whole body through your blood, which is 92 percent water! In essence, we are a human water jug!

As you can see, we desperately need water in so many ways just to survive. So it was not without significance that Jesus used water and thirst as metaphors for our spiritual need for him.

John 7:37: “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.”

We’re all thirsty—not just physically, but spiritually. We long for peace, hope, purpose. The world offers all kinds of things to quench that thirst, but only Jesus truly satisfies.

Water is essential to our physical life—just like Jesus is essential to our spiritual life. He doesn’t just quench our thirst—He becomes in us a spring of eternal life.

Let’s look at this encounter at the well and draw out 7 lessons Jesus teaches us about sharing our faith.

1. Start with small talk.

Jesus started a conversation by asking for water. It was simple, human, and surprising—especially since Jews didn’t associate with Samaritans.

Friendly small talk opens doors. A smile, a question, a text message, a bit of kindness—it can break down walls and begin something bigger. It can make someone’s day and impact them in ways you could never imagine.

Don’t underestimate simple friendliness. Your quiet silence might communicate indifference, while a hello can plant a seed.

What can silence convey about the Christian?

Silence may make others think Christians don't care.

Silence can lead others to believe Christians are judgmental.

Silence may make Christians seem like they don't practice what they preach.

Silence may cause others to think Christians aren't interested in relationships.

Ultimately, by engaging in small talk and everyday conversations, Christians can create meaningful connections that open doors for sharing the love, hope, and truth of Christ in ways that silence never could.

2. Small talk breaks barriers.

The woman was shocked Jesus would talk to her—a Samaritan, a woman, a social outsider. But His kindness encouraged her to keep talking. Your friendliness can tear down social, cultural, or economic barriers and make people feel seen, valued, and loved.

Jesus didn’t wait for people to clean themselves up before loving them—He welcomed the outcast and embraced sinners right where they were. He’s the friend of the forgotten, the broken, and the ashamed—and if we follow Him, we must extend that same grace and invitation to others.

3. Build relationship bridges.

Jesus listened. He revealed His humanity by expressing His own need—He was tired, thirsty, and in need of rest. But in that moment of weakness, He didn’t retreat; instead, He leaned in. He didn’t rush into preaching. He responded to her thoughts and concerns. It became the perfect opportunity to give this woman His full attention and offer her living water.

Faith conversations work best when there's trust. Relationship-based evangelism—where we’re known and approachable.

When you care, people notice. When you listen, they open up.

Story about man in the nursing home.

4. Turn small talk into “big talk.”

This woman arrived at the well empty, searching, and desperate. Jesus turned their conversation about water into a powerful discussion about eternal life—offering her living water that could quench the deepest thirst of the soul.

Ask God for wisdom to know when and how to share your faith. We don’t have Jesus’ divine knowledge, but we can pray for spiritual insight—discernment to see where someone’s heart is and how to speak to it.

5. Pray for a miracle.

Jesus revealed He knew the woman’s life story. That miracle of knowledge—His omniscience—grabbed her attention. Her sin was known to all but Jesus, in His divine foreknowledge, was not afraid to call sin as it is: sin.

Jesus doesn’t shame her for her past. He doesn’t preach hellfire or try to scare her into repentance. Instead, He meets her with grace—while never compromising the truth. He speaks directly, yet lovingly. Her story doesn’t push Him away—it draws Him in.

We’ve long sung the old altar-call hymn “Just As I Am.” But do we truly mean it? Are we ready to welcome people just as they are—smelly, messy, proud, addicted, broken, or lost? If we want to bring people to Jesus, we must follow His lead. That means embracing people, regardless of how the world labels them or how they look when they show up.

We can’t do miracles, but we can pray for God to reveal Himself to others in personal, undeniable ways. Ask God to do something in their lives that shows He is real.

6. Relationship bridges open up spiritual questions.

The woman asked Jesus about worship—something she had clearly wondered about for a long time. They discussed Jacob, the coming Messiah, and God's plan through the Jews.

But none of these life-changing conversations would have happened if Jesus hadn’t first shown genuine concern for her. Relationship came first—truth followed.

People around you have questions about God, faith, and life. Your kindness and care may give them the safety to finally ask. Even if you don’t have all the answers, you can say, “I’m not sure, but I’ll find out,” or “Let’s look at that together.” That keeps the door open and builds trust.

7. Find your well.

Wells were community hubs. Where do people gather in your life? Is it the coffee shop, the gym, your workplace, your school pickup line, or the local park? That might be your “well”—a place where you can meet people and start conversations.

Jesus didn’t wait in the temple for people to come to Him—He went to the well.

At the end of this passage, we see that as Jesus reveals who He is, many in the Samaritan community come to believe in Him. What began as a simple conversation led to a spiritual harvest. This moment powerfully shows that Jesus came to bring the Gospel to all people, everywhere.

John 4:39 NASB 2020

Now from that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all the things that I have done.”

To Sum It Up: Meaningful relationships create space for spiritual transformation.

Conclusion

[Conclusion – Hold up your glass/bottle again] Jesus said, “I will send you out to fish for people.” (Mark 1:17) He also said, “Go and make disciples.” (Matthew 28:19) That means taking the initiative—going to where people are, engaging with them, loving them, and eventually, sharing the hope we have in Jesus.

So I’ll ask you today: 👉 Where are the people who are thirsty in your life? 👉 Where is your “well”?

[Response Moment] As we move toward Pentecost, pray for God to give you a “well”—a place, a person, a moment. Let’s be people who take our Living Water into a thirsty world. Amen.

Prayer Following Message

Lord Jesus, Thank You for showing us how to love beyond boundaries, to see people not as the world labels them, but as You do—with dignity, value, and purpose. Give us eyes to see the thirsty around us, hearts that care deeply, and the courage to build relationships that reflect Your grace. Forgive us when we’ve been silent, when we’ve avoided others instead of leaning in with love. Fill us again with Your living water, so that we may overflow into a dry and weary world. Let every conversation be an opportunity, every relationship a bridge, and every step we take a reflection of Your love. We’re available. Send us. Amen.

Charge and Benediction

Go now into your neighborhood, your workplace, and your “well,” with eyes open for the overlooked, hearts ready to connect, and voices willing to speak life. Let your relationships echo the love of Jesus— genuine, grace-filled, and rooted in truth.

May the God who meets us at the well, the Savior who offers living water, and the Spirit who empowers our witness, go before you, walk beside you, and live within you. Go in peace— to love, to listen, and to lead others to the One who truly satisfies. Amen.