The woman at the Well

One of my favorite encounters with Jesus in scripture is in John 4 when He meets the Samaritan woman at the well. For one of many reasons: 1) I would have been her apart from the work of the living water of Jesus in my own soul. In fact I really was just like her in so many ways looking for a man to fill me and determine my worth. Had Jesus not saved me from myself and also had I not cooperated with Him to be free...I'm convinced that I would be on my 5th husband by now give or take a few but would have been one big relational disaster of a train wreck. 2) I've coined the phrase: the

Woman at the well syndrome... When I see myself or others who have looked or are looking for love in all the wrong places, only to come up thirsty still 3) I am a woman. She was considered unclean to the Jews because she was a Samaritan. Samaritans were despised because when the 10 tribes of Israel were taken captive to Assyria, the Israelites intermarried with their great enemies and thus were despised because of the evil Assyrians and their wicked idolatry. And she was an outcast however Jesus met her in her sin. I'm so sure she felt branded like she wore a scarlet letter but tried to at least wear it well, living up to her reputation as it was all she knew. I wonder if she thought she was just meeting the next man she could move onto? 4) I love how Jesus probes and cuts straight to the heart of the matter with her, being the great Soul-ologist that He is! He speaks to this Samaritan who is a woman, He exposes her sin yet doesn't condemn her but clearly gives her dignity. When we face God over our sin, He clothes us with robes of righteousness and removes our filthy garments...we can't face man, without facing Him first, and walk away with a shred of dignity. 5) she like us can't cut the bull with Jesus. He told her everything she'd ever done! By having our sin exposed to the light we can receive forgiveness for our sins and repentance. Shame is satans game. Jesus doesn't shame us. He shows us our need and offers salvation found only in Him. There is something so freeing that we can't keep it to ourselves after encountering Him. Especially, if we realize the quarry from which we have been hewn and how destitute we are in are wandering. How thirsty we've been searching for something or someone or anything that will fill us up, but never being satisfied. We sometimes think that maybe this is it...this is the thing that's going to do it for us and by the time we are in deep we realize we've wreaked even more havoc on ourselves and are as empty as ever. 

I love though that He is still the lifter of our heads. I wonder if she was able to look Him in the eyes? However, she met the Messiah at that well and I wish I could go into the geographical part of it and this not be even longer ;). He was tired and thirsty with the physical limitations of an earthly tent. He was still fully God but fully man. He was tempted in every stinking way that we are yet was without sin. Yet He pursued her and pursues us still. He meets us in our sin and great need. I'd like to suggest something to those of you with unrealistic expectations of men. Jesus is the Rider on the White Horse not your man or the man you think you are looking for. Drop some of your expectations that are so lofty and put them in Christ. No one can be Jesus to you but Jesus. Let others off the hook and I'm not talking about settling or abuse but only Jesus ruling from the seat of your emotions. He will not share His glory with another. 

Finally, I love that where the spirit of The Lord is there is liberty. She faced Him and was able to run and tell others because of the freedom of knowing someone knows you fully, forgives you, loves you unabashedly, and longs for you to come to Him. 

Jesus knows me this I love!