John 4:9-18
Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. 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? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? 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, neither come hither to draw. 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.

She came to the well probably expecting no one else to be there. She perhaps sought to collect her water and be on her way without interacting with anyone. But when she comes, there is Jesus, a Jewish man. Not only is He sitting there, but He actually speaks to her. He asks her to draw water for Him. He offers her this living water. He knows everything about her, though she didn’t reveal much to Him herself. And though perhaps she was hoping to just get through this task unseen, she doesn’t run away. She doesn’t understand all that Jesus is saying, but she sticks around to hear Him out. Perhaps her shame and her reputation led her here on a solitary mission, but something about Jesus compelled her to stay.

And in the end, this woman goes away from Jesus with an empty waterpot, but a full heart. She never drew water from the well, but her soul was satisfied because she had been with Jesus. And it turns out that, though she didn’t know it, Jesus was all that she really needed. He was gracious enough to pour out His living water into her thirsty soul.

No matter who we are or what we’re dealing with, all we really need is Jesus. He is an approachable Savior. He knows everything about us, but He doesn’t shame or condemn us. Instead He seeks to help us and to heal us. He knows what we don’t understand and the wrong ideas we have, but He is a patient teacher. He sees us in our lostness, so thirsty and desperate for something in that desert of sin, and He offers us this living water to quench that thirst, to make us whole, and to bring real satisfaction into our hearts and souls. Jesus is willing to meet us where we are, and we won’t go away empty if we are willing to draw near and receive what only He can offer to us.