Next Stop Purpose
When Purpose meets His Will @ the Well
Jesus moves back into Galilee from Judea because the Pharisees have learned of his popularity (4:1).* There has been no opposition from them up to this point, though the commotion in the temple has raised questions. Jesus is not “on the lam” yet (contrast 7:1), but he nevertheless clearly wants to avoid contact with the Pharisees.
If Nicodemus had shared with his fellow Pharisees something of his conversation with Jesus, then they would have even more questions. They had sent agents to the Baptist to ask whether he was the Christ and to find out why he was baptizing (1:19–28).
By moving on, Jesus avoids such questions and the confrontation that would inevitably follow. But he moves not merely for the sake of expediency; he moves because it is God’s will.
At noon Jesus stops to rest outside of Sychar and sends his disciples into town for food. It was the hottest time of day, not the best time to be traveling and a very unusual time for a woman to fetch water. The fact that it was noon may highlight both Jesus’ desire to avoid the Pharisees and the woman’s desire to avoid her neighbors, who would come to draw water at cooler periods of the day. Since she had had six of the men of the village, the other women would have little love for her. Her immorality is well known to the villagers (4:29), as one would expect.
If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water
Barrier #5. God’s Will @ the Well
The woman has asked Jesus a question, and he replies with another of his cryptic sayings: If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water
“Give me a drink of water.
“If you only knew who I am and the gift that God wants to give you—you’d ask me for a drink, and I would give to you living water.”
“If you drink from Jacob’s well you’ll be thirsty again and again, 14 but if anyone drinks the living water I give them, they will never thirst again and will be forever satisfied! For when you drink the water I give you it becomes a gushing fountain of the Holy Spirit, springing up and flooding you with endless life!”
“Go get your husband and bring him back here.”
17 “But I’m not married,”
The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?