Most of us are familiar with the story of the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. It’s an impactful story because most of us relate to her in some way.
This woman had to face questions that most of us face in our lives. Am I worthy of salvation? If Jesus knew about my sin, what would he say? Have I done things so wrong that I can never be forgiven? My own family doesn’t want to be with me, why would God want me to be with him? If Jesus showed up, would he know who I was? Would he talk to me?
The big idea of this story—and I think the reason that John puts it in his gospel—is that Jesus has eternal life that He offers to everyone and anyone can have that eternal life. And when we accept that eternal life we have a testimony (regardless of our good or bad past) that should be used to bring others to share in the eternal life that we enjoy
Jesus tells this woman,“Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; 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, NASB).[1]
In John 4 we learn that Jesus is offering living water to everyone. Notice a few words here. He says “everyone” (v. 13) and “whoever” (v. 14). He’s not saying, “A Jew” or “a righteous person” or a “Gentile that has converted to Jewish faith.” He’s saying everyone: Samaritans, Greeks, Romans, Sinners, righteous, men, women, “everyone”is able to come to this living water.
John puts Jesus’s words in the strongest way possible to say a negative. The text, “shall never thirst” is a translation from the Greek which reads, ou me dipsesei, which means “no not ever.” This type of Greek construction describes something that won’t happen. There is a guarantee of Jesus that once we accept this offer, we’ll never need anything ever again.
In John 4 Jesus declares He’s the Savior of the world. Notice if we jump to the end of the story it says Jesus is “savior to the world” (v. 42). This is John’s way of reminding us that this was his whole purpose in writing this gospel. John makes it clear that Jesus came to bring salvation for people of all races, and this story brings out that truth. The Savior is sufficient for John the Baptist, Jesus’s disciples, Nicodemus, and the Samaritan woman. John’s telling us that the Savior—the Messiah—has arrived and he’s offering salvation to everyone in everyplace.
[1] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.