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Jesus always asked the most penetrating and unsettling questions! He wasn’t much on small talk!

The woman at the well wanted to chatter about popular theories and theological hairsplitting. Instead, Jesus focused their discussion on her need. Jesus had no intention of leaving that encounter merely having discussed the weather and weekend sports scores! He wanted to help another person be set free. So He asked a question that opened her life up to a meaningful discussion.

This woman had based her life’s hope in finding the right husband. She’d had five already. So Jesus steered their conversation to her idol. Once He had exposed her false god, He could then lead her to the true God.

It is amazing how the right question can transform a conversation. With that question, Jesus took command of the discussion and began the process of bringing the hurting woman to salvation.

Of course, if we are always talking about ourselves, and our interests, we can’t be opening people up to the Gospel. That comes through demonstrating an interest in others and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us as we engage people in conversations that matter.

People are constantly searching for something that satisfies. The media bombards us with advertisements promising to meet the deepest needs of our lives. Billions of dollars are spent annually in a vain pursuit of happiness. People know there should be more to their life, but they can’t seem to find it.

The woman at the well had been searching all her life for that elusive joy. She had assumed it could be found in relationships, but she had been repeatedly disappointed. She had spent herself and ruined her reputation, yet had come up empty.

Jesus spoke to the deepest need of the woman’s soul. He led her to the source of life. He explained that, in Him, she could have a fountain of living water bubbling up within her. No longer would she need to find happiness in something outside of herself. Now the source of life would be continually overflowing within her.

If you are a believer, you have this same fountain springing up within your soul as well. Are you being refreshed? Or, do you need to tap into it once again?

It did not take long for the woman at the well to realize she was not having a normal conversation. Expecting racism or condescension, she was unprepared for the way Jesus treated her.

In modern society, there are certain protocols people follow. We don’t discuss certain topics. We don’t ask particular questions. We stay on the surface and play it safe.

Jesus often scandalized and surprised people when they talked with Him. He did the unexpected. He didn’t simply follow the script. He caught people off guard. He didn’t do this to offend or to be different. He did it because he never wasted a conversation. He got to the point. He knew He had the words of life so He spent sparse time on small talk.

The woman at the well would not have been the kind of divine appointment Jesus might have expected. After all, men did not speak to women in public, especially someone of her notorious lifestyle. Even though Jesus was thirsty, He would have been expected to wait until His disciple returned or a more reputable person arrived at the well.

In fact, the woman was startled that Jesus addressed her. She was accustomed to being shunned and ridiculed. But she was clearly the appointment God the Father had for His Son. We don’t know all that Jesus knew about the woman at that moment. Perhaps in His divinity, He immediately knew her entire story. Or, perhaps as He engaged her in conversation, the Spirit guided Him to know what to say. However, what is clear is that, as Jesus engaged the woman in conversation, He began to guide her on a journey to freedom.

It is tempting to squander our conversations. Perhaps we allow shyness to overcome us so we don’t initiate a dialogue with a stranger. Or we keep our talk “safe” by discussing such innocuous subjects as the weather and sports. Or we chat away but with no purpose or goal in mind.

It is clear that as Jesus spoke with this woman, He had a destination He was heading toward. He wanted this woman to experience forgiveness and wholeness. Jesus was maximizing every word He spoke.

How redemptive are your conversations?

This verse can slip right by us as we read this inspiring chapter. But it ought not to. Jesus was weary. He was not impervious to the basic human needs of food and rest. Jesus was a busy person. He had just walked a long distance. He needed rest. In fact, He was so weary His disciples left Him behind at the well while they went foraging for food.

Can God use us when we are tired? Can we still exert a spiritual influence even when we are weary to the bone? We can, if we remain alert.

Consider how many opportunities to serve God we have missed because we were distracted by our physical needs. We were hungry as we entered the restaurant and so we had no time to engage our waiter in small talk. We were exhausted at day’s end and so we declined to play basketball with our teenage son in the driveway when we arrived home. We were tired as we sat in our seat on the plane and so we closed our eyes to rest instead of engaging our fellow passenger next to us in conversation.

Don’t ever assume that because you are tired or hungry or busy that you are “off duty” from God!

We tend to live our lives without reference to what has gone on before. As Christians, we may never have considered the Christian who prayed for us a generation or two earlier. Our own parents might not be believers, but it might surprise us to find that we have godly relatives in our family tree. Or perhaps the church we attend experienced a powerful revival in a previous era. It may be that the city where we live once underwent a major move of God. It could be that much of what we do today was greatly influenced by those who went before us.

The people of Jesus’ day were keenly aware of their heritage. Though Sychar was now a Samaritan village, it had once been a gift from the patriarch Jacob to his son Joseph. There was a well still in use that once belonged to Jacob. People were still benefiting from what earlier fathers of the faith had done.

We don’t live our lives in a vacuum. At times what people have done for evil still lingers on in a community for years afterward. At other times, a godly influence remains to bless later generations. Are you aware of the spiritual heritage of your family, church, and community? If not, take time to learn it. You might be surprised at what you find.

God does nothing by accident in your life. And, there is nowhere you can go that God is not already actively at work.

The Jewish and Samaritan people generally hated each other. Both saw the other as heretics. Racial prejudice was prevalent. Samaria simply wasn’t a place a self-respecting Jew wanted to find himself.

Yet for Jesus to get to Galilee, Samaria was the shortest route. Jesus and His disciples could have taken the circuitous path across the eastern slopes of the Jordan River, but Jesus chose not to. It was common practice in His day to avoid Samaria, but Jesus routinely rejected common practices.

So Jesus made His way directly into Samaria. Knowing that God does nothing by accident. Jesus would not have been surprised when He experienced a divine appointment at a well.

At times God grants us divine appointments. What might appear to us to be a mundane trip or meeting can actually be a part of God’s plan. We don’t always recognize that at the time, but we can often see it in hindsight.

What appointments, trips, and meetings do you have this week that God might be intending to use for His own purposes?

Thus begins one of the most cherished stories in the Gospels. By the end of this chapter, Jesus will have set a notoriously sinful woman free and brought salvation to an entire Samaritan village. Ironically, this story begins in conflict.

The Pharisees are Jesus’ nemesis throughout His public ministry. They were constantly lurking in the shadows, watching for a false step or any perceived error that could be used against Him. They noticed that Jesus’ disciples were baptizing more people than John the Baptist’s. It appeared to be a perfect opportunity to drive a wedge between two movements the Pharisees despised.

In response, Jesus didn’t argue or debate with His critics. Jesus did not allow Himself to be lured into making disparaging remarks about John the Baptist’s ministry. Instead, Jesus left. He headed north with His disciples into Samaria, to a land despised by pious Jews.

We ought not ever despise the trials and criticisms we face. They might be the doorway to some of the greatest ministry we ever experience!

Many people serve the Lord today. Far fewer do so with gladness. There are many ways in which to serve God. You can do so out of fear, pride, resentment, or obligation. At times we can behave as if God is an understaffed heavenly manager who is grateful for anyone who is willing to occasionally lend him a hand. But if course, that’s ludicrous.

God has myriads of heavenly hosts standing at the ready to serve Him. He need only think, and it is so. One word from Him and a universe instantly appears. He is in no way obligated to us or in need of our help!

What is miraculous is that God allows us to participate in His divine work. What an infinitely undeserved privilege for us to be invited to invest our brief, frail lives into the business of heaven.

Those who understand the wonder of their divine calling cannot help but serve their Lord with gladness. Laboring with God ought never to be drudgery! It should never make us weary or discouraged. At the end of our life we’ll see that it was only our divine service that really mattered.

Are you currently serving the Lord? Great! Are you doing so out of a deep sense of joy and gratitude? Much better!

Forgiveness is often misunderstood. At times we can worry that we have sinned so often or so grievously that God will refuse to grant us pardon. Many Christians live with profound regret and guilt because of what they have done. It can seem as if even an infinitely loving God would be reluctant to wipe the slate clean yet again on our behalf. Yet of course, history as well as our own experience, testifies that the God we serve delights in forgiveness.

However, though God forgives our sin, He does not condone our evil behavior. We cannot presume upon His forgiveness by continuing to sin. Though God is quick to forgive the repentant heart, He refuses to excuse our sinful acts. He declares war on our sin even as He tenderly forgives it.

It would transform much of our behavior if we truly understood how much God hates our sin. He despises it. It cost Him His only Son. Untold numbers of people have suffered because of sin, left unchecked, by God’s people. So God will forgive you, when you genuinely repent, but He will never waver in His enmity toward your wicked deeds.