Day 18 - Issue 42
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John 4:13-14
Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”
Jesus was in conversation with a Samaritan woman when he spoke these words. Everything about their meeting is surprising. First of all, it would have astonished everyone that he had travelled through Samaria. For deep, historical reasons, the rivalry between the Samaritans and the Jews was intense. After the breakup of the kingdom of Israel following the death of Solomon, the northern territory was annexed by the Assyrians, who resettled the area with foreigners. As far as the Judaeans in the south were concerned, Samaria had lost its racial and religious purity. The divide was made even deeper when the Samaritans built their own temple at Mount Gerizim in around 400 BC. To put it mildly, Samaritans and Jews hated one another. Jews would almost always have made a careful detour around Samaria. But not Jesus.
The other astonishing fact is that Jesus was willing to talk to a woman. The rabbis of the time gave very clear guidance on this subject: “One should not talk with a woman on the street, not even with his own wife, and certainly not with somebody else’s wife, because of the gossip of men.” But that didn’t stop Jesus. Here was a woman, most likely a prostitute, and Jesus offered her the water that would satisfy her deepest needs.
I love the fact that Jesus gladly offered his gift of life to every kind of person. In the previous chapter he met Nicodemus, who was as different from this woman as could be imagined. He was educated, religious and utterly respectable. She was probably illiterate and a social outcast; there could be no other explanation for the fact that she was collecting water in the hottest part of the day. But Jesus came to both of them and made his generous offer of new life. And that’s what he still does today. He comes to the wealthy and well connected, as well as to the homeless and the hungry. To refugees, prisoners, prostitutes and princes – to each and every one of us – he offers the gift of eternal life for all who will receive it.
Question: What was the water that Jesus came to bring?
Prayer: Loving Father, thank you for the life-giving water that you offer to me, and all those whom I will meet today. Amen
Released on 18 Jul 2022
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