Drink Up

Go read John 4:1-42. Seriously, read it first.

Many people are familiar with this story. It’s about Jesus, a woman, and a well. It is a story about getting a drink.

Jesus rolls up to a town on the outskirts of Samaria on his way back from Judea (where the ministry with the religious folk is not so fruitful). It is noon. It is hot. Jesus is thirsty. He camps out at a well known well and waits. The disciples are off into town to get food. Jesus, who is described in the Scriptures as the eternal “word” of God that created all things (Col 1:15-17), is now parked at a deep well with no bucket, no rope, no way of taking a sip of the water he spoke into existence. Enter the Samaritan woman. He asks her for a favor. He wasn’t supposed to. Jews and Samaritans don’t talk. They especially don’t ask favors that would engender trust. Jesus does it any way. He also has known this woman is messed up and a “sinner.” At this point, that doesn’t matter either. You see, Jesus is reaching out in love to offer her something she is searching for, but doesn’t have. She doesn’t know that yet and responds like anyone would in her position: how can you ask me for a drink?

Jesus is operating in grace. John tells us that Jesus came in “grace and truth” (see 1: 14, 17). This is certainly the case here. At this point, Jesus could be in a gay bar, or a Taliban meeting. He is operating in grace, he is not judging this woman for the scandalous life she is leading or because his culture speaks against her kind. He doesn’t shun her, avoid her, whisper under his breath. No, he asks her a favor. And in doing so communicates to her that she is valuable.

Jesus also speaks truth in this grace. He brings up her sin. He brings up himself. He brings up that opposed to the wells of life that will run dry, the water he offers never runs out, always available to quench the soul. He speaks truth. Her heart is open. He reveals that He is the Messiah.

The story concludes with her running back to town without her pail that she intended to fill. She was bringing back to her town living water, and many more drank.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to live like him. We are sent into the world, as he was sent into the world (see John 20:21). All of us, should be living a life of grace and truth. Sadly most of us are OK with the truth part, but not so good with the grace part. That is why you have really smart Christian people who can blow you away in bible trivia, but will never have the guts to hang out with their gay co-worker, or Muslim neighbor, and (gasp) actually be their friends. I speak of myself here, so get off my case if you think I’m calling other people out (read that in a loving way). What I realized in reading this story is that I always put myself in the position of Jesus, as the one who needs to tell people about him, and never had seen myself as the woman. The woman is the busted up and broken one in the story. She’s the one in desperate need of a drink from the living water. When you are in touch with your own bustedness, it is easier to operate in the grace Jesus calls us to. I’m busted. You’re busted. We are the woman at the well. Let’s drink up.

PDL