Unleashed – As You Go – Pray
“Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah? They came out of the town and made their way toward him.” John 4:28-30
“WHAT’LL YA HAVE.. WHAT’LL YA HAVE?” This legendary greeting at The Varsity in Atlanta has been shouted out to Presidents, college students, business people and countless others since 1928. It can be a little overwhelming the first time you walk into the restaurant, trust me, it is better to go with an experienced Varsity patron the first time! These welcoming words provide the opening needed to satisfy one’s hunger and thirst.
“Will you give me a drink?” are gentler, quieter words spoken in John 4. However, these words will prove to be much more life altering than “What’ll ya have..what’ll ya have?” Instead of asking for a “Chili-Cheese-Slaw-Dog” with a side order of onion rings, a fried peach pie and a “frosted orange drink” this woman will finally ask for food that gives complete life.
A nameless, broken woman has trudged along the same dusty path, in the blazing heat of noon, day after day for years. Never looking up, she has walked this same path from her village in Sychar to fill her water jug at the community well. Unlike the Varsity that says, “there’s not a faster, fresher, or more fun-filled dining experience like it anywhere,” the well is a lonely, isolated place for this woman. There are no sounds of laughter from other women. There is no one to help her pull the heavy bucket out of the well. There is no one to share stories. Lonely, rejected, tired – that is, until one day she hears a man asking for water.
John tells us that Jesus was tired from his long journey from Judea. Finding a place in the shadow of a well, Jesus sits down. In the distance he sees this broken, tired woman making her way to the well. As she lowers the pot, Jesus begins a life changing conversation with the simple question, “will you give me a drink?”
The exchange is still as powerful today as it was then. We live in a world still building walls – ethnic, racial, economic, and gender. Not Jesus! He is breaking down these walls, inviting us to a new life.
“You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman.” The woman runs to get behind her ethnicity wall. Jesus will not let her!
“Just then his disciples return and are surprised to find him talking with a woman,” The disciples try to put her behind the wall of her gender. Jesus will not let them!
“Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” The woman tries to get behind her religious tradition walls to hide. Jesus will not let her!
“The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” The woman tries to hide behind the wall of easy ‘believism’. Jesus will not let her!
“I have no husband.” The woman tries to hide behind her wall of guilt and shame. Jesus will not let her!
“Meanwhile his disciples urge him, “Rabbi, eat something.” The Disciples try to hide behind the wall of momentary pleasure. Jesus will not let them!
“The woman said, “I know that Messiah is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” The woman tries to hide behind her wall of doubt and lack of knowledge. Jesus will not let her!
A conversation asking for water ends up changing a despised, broken woman into a beloved child of God. A timid announcement gets the attention of the village folks who end up welcoming Jesus as their Savior. A gentle reprimand to the disciples to “open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”
“You are no longer faced with an argument which demands your assent, but with a Person who demands your confidence.” –C.S. Lewis
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35
Pray for those you meet to be ready to ask the question, “will you give me a drink?” A simple request that could began a life-changing conversation for you and them.
God is great,
Pastor Lynn Burton