Going out of their way
"Anyone who drinks the water that I shall give, will never be thirsty again”: Jesus offers living water, the gift of the Holy Spirit.
How does it feel like to meet someone who knows everything you’ve ever done? Vulnerable for one thing, uneasy and slightly awkward for another. Who could stand up to such scrutiny? But the treasure of having, as a friend, someone who truly knows you and is still your friend!
It was such a friend that the crowd-avoiding Samaritan woman met at the hottest part of the day. It was like most of the deepest changes in life – a so-called ‘chance’ encounter. His thirst for her life changed a Samaritan woman with a chequered past into a follower. Most of us came to meet Christ in less dramatic ways than she did. Yet there was a path, however obscure or winding that led us to some well, where we realised that our thirst was deeper than anything earthly could ever satisfy.
Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the Well
‘Hunger is a good sauce’ is a saying that describes how desperate need can make us satisfied with what we have, inadequate though it may be. Jesus wants a full life, not a mere existence for his followers. ‘If you only knew what God is offering…’ (Gospel – John 4:10).
Two people went out of their way in the Gospel. The woman to a remote well, and God, who will always go out of His way to encounter us and offer us a life of renewal.