Choose Life
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Key Verse: “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” Selected Scripture: |
TRAVELING FROM JUDEA to Galilee, Jesus came to the town of Sychar in Samaria. At midday, tired from his journey, he sat down by Jacob’s well. Presently, a Samaritan woman arrived to draw some water. Jesus said to her, “Give me to drink. … Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me? … Jesus answered and said unto her, 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. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep from whence then hast thou that living water?
“Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not.”—John 4:7-15
“Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.”—vss. 16-19
Changing the subject, the woman said, “Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” (vs. 20) Because the Samaritans’ belief was a mixture of the Jewish faith and idolatry, Jesus said to her, “Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.” (vss. 22,23) “The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.” (vss. 25,26) The woman then left her water pot behind, went into the town and told the people what she had heard. As a result they came to hear Jesus and believed.
Meanwhile, Jesus’ disciples returned with food. They begged their Master to eat, to which he replied, “I have meat to eat that ye know not of. … My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. … Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth … gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. … One soweth and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.”—vss. 32-38
Jesus witnessed to the Samaritan woman advising her to choose life; and she, believing, went to her town where she witnessed, and many believed. Even today we can be ‘wells of water’ springing up into everlasting life to those who choose to follow Jesus.