Text: John 4: 1-26
Focus: John 4: 9
This passage testifies to Jesus’ divine love that has no limits.
In that time, it was unusual what Jesus is doing here. He, a Jew, is talking to a Samaritan. On top of that, it is also a woman and a person who has been rejected by society.
The woman knows this and therefore she is surprised that Jesus asks her to give Him water (vs. 9).
We also live in a society and culture with many social boundaries. Boundaries that we are not prepared to cross because in a sense, our status may be linked to it and therefore the question is always in the back of our minds, “What will people think?”
The result is that our love is limited. We are only willing to give love when people deserve it or if it is to our advantage. We are willing to reach out to someone who is on the same or higher social level as us as it may improve our reputation, but we conveniently ignore the poor sap below us.
We struggle to cross these boundaries because we are afraid it will damage our dignity – pride that may be based on what we have achieved in life.
Jesus shows us that status and achievements have no value. It gives us a false sense of self-worth, because before God all people are worthless, weak and sinful. We can only become worthy in God’s eyes by the grace of Jesus. He gives us the living water. Water that cleanses us from all our transgressions.
His love is so great that He does not see our sin as a limitation. He comes to take away our sins so that we can become pure.
He uses this sinful woman to testify for Him (also see v. 29), and with great success (also see v. 39).
Jesus does not ask what work you do or what accomplishments you have achieved in life. He simply saves us by grace. Only when we understand this grace, will we be able to cross the boundaries to love others who are not worthy of our love either.
Our race, culture and sins are not an obstacle for Jesus. He created a path through it with the cross so that we too can share in the living water. Be thankful and show the same grace to others!