Being Thirsty

[Sunday of the Samaritan Woman, John 4:5-42]

Christ is Risen!

This is one of those issues that should prove to us the fullness of the humanity of our Lord.  As God He has the authority and the ability to satisfy the needs of His physical body.  But His physical body is expressing to Him as fully God and fully Man that it is in need of water.

In Verse 7 of today’s Gospel from St. John, Jesus expresses this fact to a woman.  Give Me a drink. It is not the only time in all of scripture that this happens.  We find it also on the Cross.  It is St. John again who records, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” In the instance on the Cross, we have evidence that they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.  And when He had received the sour wine… So we know that Jesus’ request was met.

But today, at Jacob’s well, there’s no indication that our Lord’s request for water was met!

Jesus engaged the woman in conversation.  From her side, You shouldn’t be talking with me.  Why are You?  After Jesus offers her His living water, she shows her lack of understanding.  You have nothing to draw with.  Where will You get this living water?  When Jesus reveals yet more about His living water, she goes to the final step of confusion, Give me this water that I might not again thirst. 

Our Lord has led her to this point so that He can make His next request.

Call your husband and come here.  Within this request Jesus elicits from the woman a confession.  She doesn’t know it as she speaks it, but it becomes a confession.

I have no husband.  Jesus congratulates her for her honesty.  You’ve had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband.  Now the woman is confused.  This Man has been trying to teach me something, and I didn’t understand.  Now He shows me His ability to know the content of my heart.  Why is He doing this?  What does He really want from me?  I should try to test His understanding of our faith.

We worship on this mountain.  The Jews say only in Jerusalem.  What do YOU say?

Jesus speaks to her of worship in spirit and truth.  In the final revelation, she speaks about the Messiah, and she confesses her belief in Him and that when He comes He will tell us all things.  Jesus ends the conversation by saying, I who speak with you am He.

The woman does not go to the man revealed in the conversation with the Lord.  She becomes an evangelist and rushes to the men in the city.  Come see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?

So, did Jesus’ plea to have His thirst satisfied go unfulfilled?  When His Apostles come, they beg Him to eat something, and He responds to their prompts I have food to eat of which you do not know.

Why is it such a stretch to understand that He also has water to drink of which we do not know?  What is this water, this living water?  The Lord drank abundantly of the repentance of the woman, who becomes St. Photini, a woman who with her children and sisters spread the water of life to all who would listen.

Christ is Risen!