"If you only knew!"

Everybody walked in those days. On that particular day, Jesus was walking north toward Galilee. About midday, growing tired, he decided to stop at Jacob’s well. While his disciples went into town for food, he sat down to rest a bit. A Samaritan woman was there, having come to the well for water, so Jesus, tired from the journey, asked if she’d get him some water to drink. You will remember how startled the woman was to hear a Jewish man asking her, a Samaritan woman, for water. “How is it that you, a Jew, are asking me, for a drink of water?” (No Jew would ever drink from a cup used by a Samaritan). And Jesus’ answer was, “If you only knew the gift God has for you, and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water” (v. 10 NLT)
         Two things strike me as I read this passage that most of have known from kindergarten days. The first is that the water Jesus gives is “living water,” that is, “water that gives life." Drink from that well over there and before long you’ll be thirsty; drink the living water that I give and you’ll never thirst again (v. 13).
​         The metaphors of scripture are a beautiful way to help us understand a bit more about another kind of life, life in the Spirit. Water from a well is wonderfully refreshing for the tired walker on a warm day. But what about living water, the refreshing presence of the Spirit in your life? Not only does it lift us to a higher level, but it refreshes as only God’s Spirit can. And more than that, it never stops. What Jesus is offering the Samaritan woman . . . and us. . . is a relationship with the triune God that satisfies the deepest longings of the heart.  And it never stops! What’s the hook in all this? There isn’t any! God cannot lie! It’s as true as true can be. “Drink the living water that I give,” Jesus says, “and you’ll ‘never be thirsty again’” (v. 15).
         The other point that strikes me is Jesus’ immediate response to the woman’s surprise. “If only you knew!” he said. As I picture it, Jesus is saying to her, “If you were only able to understand what it is that I am offering you! Your life right now is so difficult and you’ve come so far for water!” But that is only a word picture of a deeper need, the need for “living water,” the longing of one's soul for the refreshing presence of God. He created us in his own image; he knows that we need the only thing that truly satisfies, and that is, Jesus himself, the living water. “If you only knew!” This lament reveals the heart of God. It provides insight into the kind of life that God wants us to have, and enjoy. It is wonderful beyond words.
         God is still sitting by the well, waiting for you to come. He wants to give you something far greater than you could ever imagine. In his outstretched hand he holds a cup of “living water.” It’s for you. Take a sip and you’ll find it so refreshing that you can’t stop . . . and you don’t need to because living water never runs out.