Will you be mine? That’s not only a question we might ask another this time of year for Valentine’s Day, but I believe is also the fundamental question Jesus asks each of us. Everything Jesus did was relational.
Jesus and the story of the woman at the well
Do you love a good “love story?” In the Gospels, in the book of John, we are told of Jesus’s travels from Judea into Galilee. John 4:4 tells us that Jesus had to pass through Samaria. I think He had to go through Samaria in order to show one woman just how much He loved her.
Tired from his long journey, Jesus took rest alone at the well where He encountered the Samaritan woman. Jesus asked her for a drink, which took her by surprise because it was not customary at that time for Jews to associate with Samaritans.
Jesus looked past the societal expectations of the day, concerned with the need of only one.
He explained that if this young woman knew with whom she was speaking, rather than he asking her for a drink, she would be asking to drink of his living water.
She was perplexed and wondered what made this man so special, and how he would offer her a drink when he had nothing to use to fetch the living water to which he referred.
Jesus went straight to the heart of her need.
Rather than focusing on the relatively unimportant details of her questions, He went straight to the heart of her need.
Those who drink from the well will continue to thirst, but those who drink of His living water will not only never thirst again but that which Jesus offers will become within all who drink a well of water springing up to eternal life.
Jesus always desires to get to the heart of matters
Jesus always desires to get to the heart of our matters just as He did with the woman at the well. He guides us in truth to come to a more complete revelation of Him. When he told the woman to bring her husband to the well, he knew that not only did she tell the truth that she didn’t have a husband, but he also knew that she had had five prior husbands and was currently in a relationship with a man who wasn’t her husband.
If their conversation hadn’t yet sparked her interest, this surely did because he told her things about herself she had not revealed: she then believed he was a prophet. In their conversation, she told Jesus she was watching for the Messiah to come, Jesus explained to her that He was the Messiah.
Putting myself in this woman’s place, her encounter with Jesus must’ve been life-altering. First, a Jewish man willingly acknowledged and conversed with her against all societal norms. Then he spoke to her about her areas of sin – not in a condemning or shaming way, but out of love and honesty. He exuded patience with her when she didn’t initially understand that He was trying to tell her who He was and what He had to offer her. He was the only man who didn’t condemn her because of her sin and remained with her until she understood the magnitude of this encounter.
This was the greatest show of love this five-time divorced woman had ever received. And yet, as she went into the city and told others of her encounter with Jesus and all He knew about her, she questioned: “This is not the Christ is it?”
How often do we do the same thing?
How often are we left alone, discarded, and misunderstood by friends, family, co-workers or society, accepted only by Jesus in our darkest shame? And yet as time goes by, we forget the magnitude of his acceptance and forgiveness?
How often do we look for confirmation from others that what we’ve encountered is real and reliable, rather than trusting in the Creator of our encounter?
Photo Credit: Debra Trautmann Johnson
How often does God bestow on us a garden of love and we focus on the weeds?
In this season when the world focuses on love, may we focus on the One who loves perfectly, and then give of that well to others.
Loved this blog… and how appropriate for the upcoming holiday! Thank you for taking time to share!
Thanks for the encouragement Stacy! I hope you’ll feel His love in a special way this weekend.
Dr. Michelle, this is an uplifting reminder of God’s love, just in time for Valentine’s Day. I “heart” it! Jw
Thanks Jone’t! Without His love, we can’t love. Blessings!
The ‘weeds’ quote is what I need for my son! Thanks! Found you via #HomeMattersParty
Glad you read something applicable Crystal! Hope you’ll come back often! Enjoy His love today.
A great love story! Perfect timing for this post.
Thanks KC. Hope you feel loved by Him today.
I love this testimony of the Samarian woman. Here Christ shared with her the way to eternal life through the living water only He can grant. She was astonished when Christ told her about her many husbands. Thanks Michelle for a wonderful valentine gift of Christ;s love.
Thanks Walter! He is the lover of our soul!
Thank you so much for this! You are spot on with the “weeds” focus. A great reminder of who the author of love truly is. Thanks!
Thanks Megan…it’s a lesson I had to learn in my own life! Thanks for finding me and checking out the blog! Hope to see you back!
This is such a beautiful post, sometimes suffering from the blues brings us far more down then we know! The weeds quote is very true.
I appreciate your kind words.
Beautiful post and graphics and tweets.
Thanks so much! I pray it touches someone who needed it today.
Really sweet post – wonderful reminders for all of us!
Thanks Clare. I so appreciate your kind words! Blessings.
This is beautiful. I love the story of the Samaritan Woman for all those reasons. I’m so happy to have the best Valentine of all. 🙂
Jesus is the lover of our soul – no one could be a better Valentine than Him. Thanks for your kind words.
The story of the Samaritan Woman is one of my favorites. As women, we are so quick to condemn ourselves and others, yet He was always gentle, non-judgemental, and loving in all of His interactions with women. Thank you, Michelle!
So thrilled to see you here Elayna! He was the absolute gentleman and loved us women perfectly!
I love the story of the woman at the well! There is so much to learn from her. Thank you for bringing her story out in a very helpful way.
Gina, I too love this story. I can very easily picture myself as that woman. Jesus cared about the one, and about her heart. Thanks for stopping by!
This is a great post. How blessed we truly are for such a loving father.
Oh Yes Emmy! We are so blessed by His love. Blessings to you!
Love all the quotes!
Thanks Jess! He inspires 😉
Great analogy – beautiful post! Thanks so much for joining us at the #HomeMattersParty – we hope to see you again next week!
Much appreciated Kristen! Thanks!
I love this part: “How often do we look for confirmation from others that what we’ve encountered is real and reliable, rather than trusting in the Creator of our encounter?”
This is so true…..such a trap for us…..even when we think we won’t be lured by it, we can find ourselves there once again.
It is such a trap Deborah! It makes it more clear why God encourages us to take captive EVERY thought, and to be daily renewing our minds through the washing of the water of the word!
What a beautiful post! I love exploring Jesus’ message through his relationships. You did a wonderful job of that here. Thank you!
Thanks Sheri! Jesus is just waiting to be found by us when we seek Him! Thanks for stopping by!
God never shuns us, I believe even when we are in our darkest shame. He will come to us when no one else will. I loved the message in your last paragraph.
You’re so right Hillary – God never shuns us. He promises to never leave us or forsake us. I hope you feel His love today.
The story about the Samaritan Woman is one of my favorites, I love how He chose ..willingly… to seek her out and offer her freedom. She was the first person He revealed Himself to, as the Messiah, and she believed Him instantly. She has an awesome conversion/ministry ratio… she met Christ and brought a town to meet the Salvation of their souls with grace.
He is the well of love that we can dip ourselves into and be coated, clothed, and covered by mercy and grace.
Great words of encouragement, Dr Michelle. Thanks!
Blessings,
Dawn
Dawn, it’s one of my favorites too. So often we tried to hide our sin, hide our shame from Him, but He already knows and He seeks us out anyway. That’s a Savior I want to know. Glad you came over today! Hope you’ll come back again soon!
Thank you for the words of encouragement! What I love about God is that he knows us, really knows us—and yet he loves us.
So very true Anita. I’m so humbled by His unconditional, unfailing love for me, because I know me, so I know His grace and mercy towards me. Thanks for stopping by!
Michelle, thanks for the reminder to look to Christ.
My pleasure! Thanks for stopping by! Blessings to you.
This was so good. I loved it. Thank you.
Thanks so much! I hope you’ll stop back in again some time!
This woman’s story and her encounter with Jesus always touches my heart. I love when you said that this was the greatest show of love she had ever received.
So many times when I’ve heard this story preached, there has been an assumption that this woman was loose and immoral because she had been divorced five times and was currently living with a man not her husband. But I recall that laws and economics for women in those days were vastly different from those today, at least here where we live. As women living in the US today, we probably cannot imagine the circumstances of this woman’s life and the obstacles she faced. Was she desperately seeking love? Did she need to keep a roof over her head? Maybe both? Her heart was no different than ours are today. Jesus simply stated her circumstances without judgement or condemnation, with love and compassion, and freely offered her the Water of Life.
It’s the same love story he offers each one of us. So whether we have a human “Valentine” this Valentine’s Day or not, we have the lover of our souls, patiently offering His love, waiting for us to turn and answer His “Wilt thou be mine?” with our free and joyous “Yes!” How can we help but love Him back?
Mary Lee,
A free and joyous “Yes!” is the answer He hopes we will all give to Him. He gave up everything for us. No other human can or will ever do for us what Jesus already did. Human relationships will let us down EVERY TIME. But He is faithful to supply EVERY need, to be with us ALL the time, to NEVER leave us, to give us NEW mercies every morning, to catch EVERY tear in His bottle, to be the lover of our soul with an everlasting love. You’re so right: How can we help but love Him back? Because of Him, #HopePrevails
As I read this precious message, my heart and my thoughts went to the little song I have sung most of my life,”Jesus loves me this I know. For the Bible tells me so.” Yes, His love is perfect, unconditional and available to all. I have often thought about the Woman at the Well and her encounter with Jesus. Thank you for sharing this beautiful love story and encouraging me to always know the depths of His love for each of us, FOR ME.
The woman at the well…or, as I refer to her as Sam from Samaria! This is definitely one of my most favorite stories in the NT. I have written about Sam probably more than any other character in The Word. Sam, the one who realized just how deep that well was and that its water would quench her soul for all eternity! xo