When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” – John 4:7
In my Bible reading this morning, I came across the story of the ‘The Woman at the Well.” Having read this account many times over the years, it’s pretty easy for me to just quickly read through the text without paying much attention. What about you? When you’re reading a passage of Scripture that you’re very familiar with, do you fight the tendency to revert to passive reading also?
The writer of Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “The word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
The Greek word for “active” is energes, meaning effective, productive, and capable of achieving its intended purpose. There’s divine power within God’s Word that gives it the ability to communicate to us. But the energes is experienced through intentional study, not through passive reading.
All that aside…
Reading the account of the Woman at the Well this morning, something stood out to me… something deeper that helped me better understand how Jesus relates to people.
Throughout the Gospels, people are constantly coming to Him with the usual requests, like mercy, healing, teaching, answers, and so on. But here in Jesus’ initial interaction with this Samaritan woman, He does something unusual:
Jesus places Himself in a position of need.
“Will you give me a drink,” Jesus asks the woman. This isn’t accidental by any means. First off, Jesus reveals to us His humanity – His human need for water. He’s been walking much of the morning, sweating and tired. It’s noontime, the sun is out and it’s very warm. And He’s thirsty.
Now think about it: Jesus could’ve drawn the water from the well Himself and satisfied His thirst. But He doesn’t. What He’s doing is intentional. For that matter, everything Jesus did was done with purpose. He knew that this woman would be at this well that afternoon. He knew what time she would be there. And we know this because later on in the story – Jesus tells this woman everything about her life, including the number of husbands she’s had. She didn’t know Him, but He knew her.
So how does Jesus let this woman, who knows nothing about Him, let her know that He knows everything about her?
He creates space for a relationship. And He does that by asking her for what would otherwise be thought of as a simple favor, except for the fact that the cultures they both come from would disapprove of such a request. Jesus is a Jew and she is a Samaritan. There is enormous cultural tension there, given that Jews and Samaritans didn’t get along as peoples.
But instead of giving her something, teaching her something, or correcting something about her, Jesus invites her to participate. And in doing so, He gives this woman something desperately missing in her life – dignity. Samaritan people didn’t have much dignity to begin with, much less a Samaritan woman. She has been marginalized both ethnically and socially. There’s a reason why she came out to fetch water from the well at the hottest part of the day – to avoid the other Samaritan women in the community. She has, shall we say, a certain reputation, and one that Jesus will speak to later on.
But here in this moment, with Jesus’ simple request, He is telling her that she has something to offer.
Although it was a genuine desire for a drink of water, Jesus’ question to her opens a doorway for more than just human interaction – more importantly a spiritual relationship. But before He starts talking about receiving Living Water – He allows her to serve Him in a small, ordinary way.
So this reversal of Jesus putting Himself in a position of need instead of being the Giver of things – it reflects something broader about Jesus’ ministry:
Jesus is not only the one who gives life; He is also the one who invites people into participation with Him.
We see echoes of this elsewhere in the Gospels. He asks His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” or tells them, “You give them something to eat.” He doesn’t isolate people – He draws them in.
So this moment isn’t just unusual… it’s revealing. Jesus’ request isn’t weakness, it’s an invitation. It shows us that a relationship with Him isn’t one-sided. He gives abundantly, but He also asks questions, draws out our responses, and involves us in ways that awaken our hearts.
John tells us at the beginning of his gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Alive, active, penetrating… and judging the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Amen.
Former Blackout Artist 