September 2025: The Water That Makes You Thirst No More

Published on 09/01/2025 by Dr-Shirley-Cheng.

Are there coincidences?

When God is involved, there's only God-incidents.

The apostle John was the only Gospel writer who wrote about Jesus' early ministry in Judea, whereas the other writers began Jesus' ministry account in Galilee after John the Baptizer was taken into prison. We saw from our previous lesson that for a time, John and Jesus baptized the repentant Jews at the same time, though likely some distance apart to give each group some space. In John 4, we're told that Jesus himself wasn't baptizing anyone but his disciples were.

Jesus' increasing popularity with the people became an issue of concern for the disciples of John who viewed him as stealing their master's work. But John explained to them that this was exactly how it should be and what God had ordained. As Jesus' forerunner, his duty was simply to prepare the people's hearts for Jesus before Jesus arrived, so now that people were starting to flock to Jesus, his mission was complete. He must decrease and Jesus must increase.

The rising popularity of Jesus also caught the attention of the Judean Pharisees. Before this antagonistic group could cause him any issue to hinder his ministry when it had just begun, Jesus departed Judea to return to Galilee. The normal and shortest route to get to Galilee from Judea was to go through Samaria in central Israel. Some Jews who didn't want to run into any of the hated Samaritans went around Israel, crossing the Jordan and recrossing it to enter Galilee. Since Jesus was a compassionate person who welcomed people of any ethnicity into God's fold of sheep, he simply went through Samaria each time to get to Galilee, and this time was no different. In actuality, God's Word tells us that he "needed" to pass through Samaria (John 4:4). Some people think his "need" does not stem from it being the shortest route to Galilee but from a mission of God, that God intended him to go through Samaria in order to meet a particular person to bring the gospel to them. A God-incident was in store.

The apostle John often zoomed in on certain events or intimate meetings. We studied the night meeting between Jesus and the well-respected Pharisee, Nicodemus. Now, we will study the day meeting between Jesus and an unnamed disreputable woman of the despised Samaritan race.

The King Meets the Despised Woman

"he left Judea, and departed into Galilee. He needed to pass through Samaria. So he came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son, Joseph." (John 4:3-5, WEB)

The shortest route back home for Christ was through Samaria, which was the route most Jews avoided in order to avoid the Samaritans, but Jesus "needed" to go through that path because he had a divine appointment. After he entered Samaria, Jesus rested by a well in the Samaritan city of Sychar. Sychar was very close to the city of Shechem (some say it's the same as Shechem). Shechem was where Abraham first settled after arriving in Canaan (the Promised Land that became Israel), and a plot of land in front of Shechem was the only piece of the Promised Land that Jacob owned when he purchased it from the people of Hamor king of Shechem. Shechem was where Jacob's son Joseph's mummified body was buried, as it was a portion allotted to him and the tribe of Ephraim, as Ephraim was Joseph's descendents. The well by which Jesus sat was dubbed Jacob's well, as it was a well that Jacob used; he could have dug it himself. Today, Sychar is called Nablus, which is in the West Bank that's currently controlled by Palestinians.

It was about the sixth hour, which is noontime. Jesus sat alone by the well, waiting for his disciples to return. They left to purchase some food. Clearly, Jesus was fully human. He got tired and hungry (and thirsty as we'll see) like any of us.

There, at the well, Jesus waited for someone else other than his disciples, with whom he had a divine appointment, unbeknownst to her, of course. Soon, a Samaritan woman came to the well to draw water. Jesus asked her, "Give me a drink." (John 4:7)

Though Jesus had asked a simple question, it startled the woman. Turning to him, she asked, "How is it that you, being a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" (John 4:9) She was surprised by the fact that he had even asked her anything, for the Jews did not speak to the Samaritans and normally avoided them if they could. She could clearly tell that Jesus was a Jew, likely by his appearance and manner of dress. Hebrew men grew full beards, without shaving the sideburns as that was forbidden by the Torah. Jews also wore tassels on the hems of their robes; it was an ordinance Yahweh God added to the Torah as a visible reminder for His people to obey His laws (Numbers 15:38-40).

The Water That Quenches Thirst Forever

Jesus ignored the woman's question and instead said, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." (John 4:10)

The woman looked at him, and, thinking he was speaking of actual water, wondered aloud how on Earth he could draw any water for her from the deep well since he had no bucket, and asked him if he were greater than her ancestor Jacob, who drank from the well and provided it for his descendents. Recall that Samaritans were half-Israelites. They were the offspring of the remnant of the northern kingdom of Israel who was not taken into the Assyrian captivity and the pagans whom the Assyrians deported and planted in Samaria. Being a mixed breed of Israelites, Samaritans acknowledged Jacob as their forefather and Yahweh as their God, though they had many ungodly and erroneous beliefs about Him and His laws.

Pointing to the well before them, Jesus said, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." (John 4:13-14)

Still thinking of actual water, the woman eagerly asked Jesus, "Sir, give me this water, so that I don't get thirsty, neither come all the way here to draw." (John 4:15) She now didn't care that Jesus had no bucket; she knew that he was speaking of some special water elsewhere from which he could give her without a bucket.

Indeed, Jesus needed no bucket to give this living water to the Samaritan woman. He can give it to anyone who thirsts. What is the living water he gives freely? It is the same water that Jesus told Nicodemus about: the Holy Spirit.

Anyone who accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior will receive the Holy Spirit in their spiritual rebirth. This rebirth by "water" will cleanse them of all their sins and will continue to cleanse them whenever they sin and repent. This way, they will never spiritually thirst again--they will be satisfied forever, satisfied with fellowship with Yahweh and His Christ.

The offer that Jesus made to the Samaritan woman is the same one Yahweh offered to Israel seven centuries earlier. At the opening of Isaiah 55, Yahweh graciously invited everyone who thirsts to come "buy" water, wine, and milk without money, and they'll be truly satisfied. He rhetorically asked them why they were spending money on bread and other things that didn't satisfy them. His goods are free, and they make people content, filling them to the brim.

What was Yahweh talking about here? Was He speaking of actual water, wine, and milk? No. By these wholesome drinks, Yahweh was metaphorically speaking of a fulfilling relationship with Him, as He said, "Turn your ear, and come to me; hear, and your soul shall live." (Isaiah 55:3)

To those who are spiritually thirsty, Yahweh graciously invited them to come to Him in attentiveness. He urged them to draw near to Him with open ears. If they shema (hear and obey) Him, they would be filled without measure, they would enjoy real, purposeful life, and they would be blessed with an everlasting covenantal relationship with Yahweh, full of His tender mercies, like the covenant Yahweh made with David. He had set David as a witness to all peoples who continually testifies through his Biblical account of God's bountiful love and grace. He sets an example for all of us to follow: when we do what is right in the sight of Yahweh, we'll be tremendously blessed forever.

Simply put, Yahweh here is offering us His free gift of salvation. His Messiah has made salvation possible, but none of us would receive this precious gift if we do not reach out our hands to eagerly accept it. Yahweh's gift is for every person, both Israelites and gentiles alike.

Yahweh's gracious invitation of salvation is continuously active today. From the Scriptures, He calls out to all of us, yes, even us gentiles, to go to Him to satisfy our souls (our own selves). When we come to Him to seek fellowship with Him, we'll be filled to the brim. His Word ends with this very invitation, "He who is thirsty, let him come. He who desires, let him take the water of life freely." (Revelation 22:17) Will you answer God's call to take the water of life freely? The water of life is the same as the living water that Jesus spoke of, and it refers to the Holy Spirit of God; God is the Source of the Holy Spirit, which He lets His Son distribute, and those who come to Jesus will receive this water to refresh and purify them of their spiritual uncleanness. So, come, be washed and satisfied in Yahweh and the Christ and enjoy everlasting fellowship with them!

The King's Revelation About the Woman

Aiming to get to her heart, Jesus turned the focus onto the woman. He told her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." (John 4:16) This implied that he would give her the water if she brought her husband to him. Of course, he didn't need her husband to be present, or anyone else for that matter, but he wanted to use this opportunity to reveal himself to her.

The woman told Jesus that she had no husband. Jesus then took this chance to reveal to her his divine insight, saying, "You said well, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands; and he whom you now have is not your husband. This you have said truly." (John 4:17-18)

In those days, it's generally only the men who could divorce their wives; women had no right to file for divorce. This meant that this woman had one husband after another who discarded her like an object after they were done using her. This likely bruised her spirit and shattered her heart. Unbeknownst to her, she's talking with the one who could restore her to her fullness and make her shine even brighter than before. Our Lord is the good Shepherd who seeks out the lost and the broken to heal and bind them up!

The woman would have been taken aback by what Jesus just revealed about her life, and concluded, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet." (John 4:19) Certainly, no stranger but a man of God would have known about her past. She was correct to believe that Jesus was a prophet. Now, it was time for her to know that he's so much more than a prophet.

The Proper Worship of God

The conversation was now getting too personal for the woman's comfort. Instead of lingering on her broken past and current sin of being a fornicator, she changed the topic. She noted to Jesus, "Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship." (John 4:20)

"This mountain" the woman spoke of is Mt. Gerizim, on which the Samaritans had built a temple to worship God but it was destroyed by John Hyrcanus, as the Jews saw it as a pagan temple, and rightly so. But the Samaritans continued to worship on Mt. Gerizim, for they believed that it's the mountain where Yahweh had ordered Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. This, as we know from the Torah, is not true. The actual mountain was one of the mountains in the land of Moriah, not Mt. Gerizim. Though the Samaritans accepted the Torah, they had made many changes to it; their version of the Torah is called the Samaritans Torah.

The woman didn't understand why the Jews believed that people must worship God in Jerusalem exclusively (though the Jews had been worshipping God in all the synagogues within and without Israel). She didn't know that Yahweh chose Jerusalem, particularly His temple, for His worship. However, this was about to change.

Jesus revealed to the woman, "Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, will you worship the Father. You worship that which you don't know. We worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshippers. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:21-24)

There comes a time--and it has already come--that people don't have to worship Yahweh exclusively or specifically at a certain place. The location of true worship of Yahweh won't matter, but the worshipper's heart attitude and manner of worship is what counts. Prior to Jesus' sacrifice, proper worship must be at the Jerusalem temple. Animal sacrifices could not be offered anywhere else, not even at the synagogues. Forgiveness or atonement could be received only at the Jerusalem temple. But after Jesus' sacrifice, this all changed. Due to his sacrifice, people can be forgiven from anywhere, and thus worship God anywhere. The place for atonement no longer matter but the Person: Jesus Christ.

Once forgiven, the person who accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior--whom we call a "Christian"--can fellowship with God anywhere. All they must do is to worship God in spirit and in truth. God is an unseen Spirit, so worship of Him is spiritual, shown by love for Him and humankind. People must worship Him spiritually--empowered by the Holy Spirit and in truth--in sincerity. In short, true worship of Yahweh involves the Holy Spirit and truth. Worshippers must follow the Holy Spirit's guidance in living a righteous life before God. A godly lifestyle is worship; it honors God, and anything that honors Him is worship of Him. Such righteous living must be done in truth, not in hypocrisy. This is what Yahweh desires from all His worshippers: worship in spirit and truth.

Jesus explained to the woman that she and fellow Samaritans didn't know what they worshipped, whereas the Jews knew, for the entire Torah was given to Israel only. Even more, salvation to the world comes through the Jews, as the Messiah is a Jew and the Bible is written by Israelites. The Samaritans were spiritually lost people who had all the facts twisted or left out altogether, since their pagan ancestors mixed in their false religions with the worship of God so what they produced was a breed of half-truths at best.

Today, many are in the Samaritans' situation: worshipping what we do not know. Many of us have religion tailored to our own liking, just like picking dishes off a restaurant menu. But do the dishes we choose for ourselves actually do us good? Do our own tailored practices and beliefs truly nourish us, or do they give us empty calories to bankrupt us spiritually and eventually cause our eternal demise?

Only the water that Jesus gives is true water that brings genuine satisfaction. Anything short of that would make us needing more and getting way less than what we need. So come, accept Yahweh's and Jesus' invitation to "buy" water without money. Come to Christ in faith, trust in him for your salvation, and be ready to receive the water that quenches your thirst forever!


~*~ Q&A with Dr. Shirley ~*~

Question: What does true worship entail?

Answer: There are two components to worship, and both are needed. They are 1) our righteous lifestyle and 2) our worship services.

Our lifestyle is extremely important to God. If we live in sin, God would hate our prayers, fasting, offering, gifts, sacrifices, worship services, etc. So true worship of God, where we honor and please Him, is about living a life of obedience.

Note what God said to His people:

"What are the multitude of your sacrifices to me?," says Yahweh. "I have had
enough of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed animals. I don't
delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of male goats.
12 When you come to appear before me, who has required this at your hand, to
trample my courts?
13 Bring no more vain offerings. Incense is an abomination to me; new moons,
Sabbaths, and convocations: I can't bear with evil assemblies.
14 My soul hates your New Moons and your appointed feasts. They are a burden to
me. I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you. Yes, when you
make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash yourselves, make yourself clean. Put away the evil of your doings from
before my eyes. Cease to do evil.
17 Learn to do well. Seek justice. Relieve the oppressed. Judge the fatherless.
Plead for the widow." (Isaiah 1:11-17, WEB)

Jesus likewise condemned the religious people for their hypocrisy saying, "You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, 'These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. And in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrine rules made by men.'" (Matthew 15:7-9)

So in order for God to take delight in our worship services, prayers, and offerings, we need to obey Him and do His will, and that's by living by the Bible.

Regarding worship, Jesus said, "But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshippers. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:23-24)

This means we must worship God sincerely from our hearts and spiritually by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

The Bible speaks of Christians gathering together with psalms, songs, teachings, words of revelation, etc. as part of their worship service and fellowship with one another (1 Corinthians 14:26; Colossians 3:17). So acceptable worship services to God can and should include singing and teaching of His Word. Worship should involve every aspect of ourselves--our bodies, mind and spirit.

This kind of worship gathering can be done anywhere, anytime, with any number of Christians. The earliest Christians fellowshipped and worshipped in their own homes (Acts 2:42-47). We call these house churches, so it's not necessary to have a particular building for worship.

Worship is all about honoring and praising God because He deserves all our deepest adoration and devotion. Not only has He blessed us with life but is sustaining us, and even had His only Son die for us to give us eternal life.

When someone does something good for us, wouldn't we thank them? When we enjoy a good song, wouldn't we say, "What a nice song!"? Our praise of something completes our joy.

When God is our very life giver and sustainer, then how much more should we thank Him and praise Him and have others share in our joy?

Do you have Bible questions and want answers? Contact Dr. Shirley and she'll be happy to answer your questions by the grace of God.

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