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Scripture Reading: John 4:1-15, 29
The Scriptures we have read today record something very marvelous. The Lord preached to a most immoral woman, and this woman eventually turned to Him.
John 4:3-7 says, "He left Judea and went away again into Galilee. And He had to pass through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar...and Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from the journey, sat thus by the well; it was about the sixth hour. There came a woman of Samaria to draw water." Please note that about the sixth hour the woman came to draw water. When is the sixth hour? We all know it is twelve o'clock. The Lord Jesus was wearied from His journey and rested at the well. It was at that moment that a woman came to draw water.
By reading the Old Testament, we know that every time women came to draw water they always came as a group. They either came in the morning or in the late afternoon. However, in this instance it was high noon, and the weather was very hot. This woman came to draw water by herself. Did she not have any companions? Did she not have neighbors? Were there no other women that would come with her to draw water? Indeed, she had no companion or friend. Why? The latter section of this chapter tells of her history. She was a very immoral woman.
When she came to draw water, it was high noon. It was the hottest time. This woman was a lonely woman! No one would be her companion, and no one sympathized with her. In the hearts of many women, she was a sinner, a filthy woman; they could not go with her to draw water. Not only were people afraid of her, but she also was afraid of people. If she came in the morning to draw water, she was afraid someone would point to her and say, "This is a very immoral woman." If she came in the evening to draw water, she was also afraid that people would point to her and say, "This is a very defiled woman." Therefore, she had to come at high noon to draw water by herself. She was a lonely woman, despised by the world. At the same time, she also despised the world. She was a lonely woman, and no one sympathized with her. But when she came to the well to draw water this time, she met another lonely person. She was lonely and despised by people. He also was lonely and despised by people. Her loneliness was caused by her sin; His loneliness was caused by man's jealousy; He could only go back to Galilee. Oh, when the lonely sinner met the lonely Savior, she was saved.
"Jesus said to her, Give Me something to drink" (v. 7). This was an invitation for her to draw near. Many times you are afraid of God, but you are not afraid of a person who asks you for water. There are many times when you are afraid of God, but you are not afraid of God asking you for water. Many times you fear God and think that He is high and fearful. But if you know that the One who is as lonely, wearied, and sweating as you are is the very God Himself, you will believe. The Lord is here. The Lord has the affection of a friend and is very approachable.
The Samaritan woman said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask for a drink from me, who am a Samaritan woman?...Jesus answered and said to her, 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" (vv. 9-10).
The Samaritan woman said this because there was no contact between the Jews and the Samaritans. The Lord answered by saying that if she knew two things, (1) the gift of God, and (2) who it was who was saying to her, "Give Me a drink," she would have asked of Him, and He would have given her living water. It is a pity that there are many people in the world who do not know these two things. Today even some among us may also not know these two things. Some sitting here may be bored, weary, or disappointed because of the burden of sin or dissatisfaction in life. The worldly road is indeed a very rugged road, and the sea of sin is indeed stormy. But if you know these two things, all will be well.
God never sells anything. Gift means a present one gives to others. God's things are always given to man as gifts. As long as one wants it, it will be given to him. If someone does not want it, it will not be given to him. This is the way with everything that God gives to man. This is true not only with spiritual matters, but with material things as well. God gives us sunshine and never asks for money. The rain comes from heaven, and He never asks for money in return. It is the same when you ask for spiritual satisfaction.
Once there was a child who loved his mother very much. He wanted to buy some flowers for her to make her happy, but he only had two coins in his pocket. He saw a very beautiful garden, and he went in, thinking that he could buy some flowers. A gentleman was there, and the child told him why he had come. The man just picked a bunch of flowers and gave them to him. The boy said, "I cannot take them for free." The man responded, "My flowers are always given away. If you want them, I will give them to you." Who was that man? He was the Prince of Wales. The garden was the royal garden. The things of the royal family were never for sale. If he gives you something, you only have to receive it.
If you want satisfaction today, you can have it right away; you do not have to wait until you have completed something to get it. In writing a book, you have to spend a great deal of time preparing it. But in receiving a book, you do not have to do anything. Preparing a meal is time consuming, but eating the meal does not take much time. Preparing a dress is labor-intensive, but putting on the dress does not take much labor. If you have worries within, if your environment is oppressing you, and if you want satisfaction, you can have it right away. You do not have to do anything. He will come to you and provide for you. Oh, the gifts of God are free; He never sells anything.
When the prodigal son in Luke was hungry, "he longed to be satisfied with the carob pods which the hogs were eating, and no one gave him anything" (15:16). This is the principle of the world: when you have it, you have it; when you do not have it, you do not have it. One is just one, and two is just two. The principle of the devil is the same. In the world, if you give me something, I must give you back something. The world never gives you anything for free. Even if you have nothing, you have to give your soul away. However, there is one place that will provide things for free: the Father's house. The best thing for the prodigal son was to go home. He once said to his father, "Give me the share of the estate that falls to me. And he distributed to them his living" (15:12). Later when the son returned to his father's home, did he deserve to eat a meal? Did he deserve to have a robe? No. Everything was grace because he had spent all that he deserved to have. God's way of salvation is to give you something for free. It is not how much you give Him, but how much He gives you. Many people think that as long as they can behave well or pray more, God will grant something to them. However, this is the concept of their commercial mentality; God never acts this way.
What is the gift of God? We can read John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that every one who believes into Him would not perish, but would have eternal life." This gift is not gold or silver, but the Son of God. God sent His Son to die for us and laid all our sins on Him. God gives us such a Son.
I like putting John 3:16, which says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son," together with John 1:12, which says, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God." John 3:16 says that God gave us His Son; John 1:12 says that we receive His Son. He gives and we receive. If there is anyone among us today who does not know how to be saved, let me tell you the way. All you have to do is receive the Son of God. One woman said that she had been doing good for more than thirty years and that she hoped that God would save her. But I can tell you that this is the tiding of woe from hell. The Bible says, "Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10:13). As soon as you call on Him, you will be saved. The Bible also says, "He who believes into the Son has eternal life" (John 3:36). As soon as you believe, you will be saved. This is God's gospel. If you think that you can be saved by doing good and that salvation is dependent upon good works, the whole world will perish.
We must know not only the gift of God but also the One who says, "Give me something to drink." Today the One who is sitting by the well, who is lowly and wearied, and who has experienced so much hardship is the very gift of God. It is useless for you to merely know that God's gift is free. You must know that the Christ who is opposed by men today is the gift of God. You must know that the Jesus who is called a bastard by many is the gift of God. This Jesus who was sitting by the well, who was wearied and despised by men — the One whom men would not worship or believe in — is the gift of God. Many of those who go to hell believe in God. The first one among them is the devil; he believes that there is God. Everyone in hell believes in God, but no one believes in Jesus. This lowly Jesus, who was called a bastard, a traitor of Rome, and an imperialist, is the gift of God. If you know this Jesus, you will surely say to Him, "You are the gift of God, please give me the living water that I may be satisfied."
"You would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water" (John 4:10). Who can have the living water? Only those who ask. As soon as you, who are sitting here today, ask, "Please give me this living water," you will surely receive it. I have seen many people in many places who were saved just by saying, "God, save me."
The Bible records the story of a man who was a filthy publican. He would not so much as lift up his eyes unto heaven. He smote his breast saying, "God, be propitiated to me, the sinner" (Luke 18:13). His prayer did not last five minutes. Even if he had uttered his words slowly, they could not have lasted for more than one minute. What did the Lord Jesus say? He said that this man went down to his house justified. In other words, this man was saved; he had eternal life.
The Gospel of Luke also tells us of a man who had murdered and committed arson all his life. He committed numerous crimes during his life. When he was caught, he was put on the cross. On the day of his execution, he saw the Lord Jesus also being crucified on the cross and joined the other robber, who was being crucified, in mocking Jesus. Later he heard the Lord's prayer on the cross and was touched. When he saw such a One there, he pleaded, "Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom" (23:42). How long was this prayer? Five hours? If it were five hours, he would have already died. His prayer was just to ask the Lord to remember him when He came into His kingdom. What did the Lord say? He said, "Truly I say to you, Today you shall be with Me in Paradise" (v. 43). Oh, he was saved, justified, and had eternal life.
If there is a sinner among us here today who would lift up his eyes and believe in the Word of God, he would be saved. The Lord says, "You would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." If you would have asked, He would have given you living water. This is not our doing, but God's doing; it does not depend on our work, but on the redemptive work of the Lord; it is not what we are, but what the Lord is before God.
What did the woman do? She said, "Sir, You have no bucket, and the well is deep; where then do You get this living water?" (v. 11). She had two concerns: (1) this man had nothing to draw with, and (2) the well was deep. She was asking, "Do You not know that the well is deep, and You have nothing to draw with? How can You get the living water?" Every unbeliever thinks, "Oh, I want to have the living water to quench my thirst, but I do not know how deep this well of living water is! How can I touch this with my hands? I want to be saved, have eternal life, and have the Holy Spirit to quench my thirst, but how far this salvation is from me! How far this eternal life is from me! How far the Holy Spirit is from me! Is there any way for me to obtain it? Oh, the well is deep, and there is no vessel! I do not know how far God is from me. I do not know how far Jesus is from me. The deeper the well is, the farther away the living water is from me. I do not know how far salvation is from me."
Some may think, "I have no way to be saved. I cannot go up to the heaven and say, `O Christ, please come down,' nor can I go down to Hades and say, `O Christ, please resurrect. ' This is so difficult. How can I be saved? Oh, salvation is but a dream, and I cannot hope for it in this life."
However, I beg you to hear God's Word: "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart...that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Rom. 10:8-9). What do these verses say? They say that the word is near you. Why do you say that some have to go up to heaven to bring Christ down? Why do you say that the well is deep? And why do you say that some have to go down to Hades to raise Christ from the dead? The word is near you; the well is not deep. The word is in two places: in your mouth and in your heart. Do you have a mouth? Yes. Do you have a heart? Yes. They are here, right here. The well is not deep. If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will have the living water. The water is here; it is in your mouth and in your heart. If you confess and believe, you will have it. If you said to God with your mouth, "I confess that Jesus is Lord," and if you believed in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, God would be unrighteous if you still went to hell. God cannot be unrighteous. His word says, "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Is not God's Word dependable?
"Jesus answered and said to her, Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again" (John 4:13). I do not know if you realize what thirst is. Once a ship was about to sink, and all the people on board ran to the small lifeboat. In this small boat, there was food, but no fresh water to quench their thirst. Although water was all around, they remained thirsty. Although water was on all sides of their small boat, they were still dying of thirst. Doctors know that thirst is more intolerable than hunger. Thirst is a desire unfulfilled, a request ungranted. Someone may say, "I have a hope, but it is not fulfilled," or "I have a wish, but it has not been realized. My mouth is thirsty."
The world has many good things. But even if it gives you the best thing, you will still be thirsty. The world has many beautiful things. But even if it gives you the most beautiful thing, you will still be thirsty. The world has many great things. But even if it gives you the greatest thing, you will still be thirsty. All that the world can give to you is temporary. If you drink it, you will still be thirsty. After drinking a cup of wine, you will want more to drink. After seeing a movie, you will want to see more movies. After attending a big feast, you will desire to eat again. After gaining a reputation, you will desire to have money. After you have money, you will desire to have a good family. After you have a good family, you will desire to have good children. After you have good children, you will desire to have a long life. Once you drink what the world gives you, you will still be thirsty. If you receive something from the world, it will only make you desire more the next time. The Lord says, "Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again." What kind of water is "this water"? "This water" is whatever the world can give to men. "This water" is the worldly things which temporarily satisfy a person. However, the world simply creates a bigger capacity within you; it causes you to drink and still want more to drink.
There was a person whose father died for his faith during the Boxer Rebellion. He thought at one time that if someone would help him to graduate from elementary school and make twenty to thirty dollars, he would be satisfied. Later someone helped him graduate from elementary school, and he was making twenty to thirty dollars every month. But after a short while, he compared himself with others and desired to go to high school. Eventually, someone helped him finish high school. As soon as he finished high school, he desired to go to a university. Someone helped him study in a university. After graduation he wanted to study abroad. He thought that if he could get a Ph.D. degree, he would be satisfied and have no other desire. Again someone helped him, and he was able to study abroad. Eventually, he also received his Ph.D. degree. He came back to China and became a university professor. But he said, "Someone with a Ph.D. is not necessarily happier than an elementary school graduate." One day he was satisfied; he received the Christ that his father had died for. He now works for the Lord and is no longer thirsty.
Some may think that as long as they can gain something in school or in business, they will be satisfied. But I must tell you that even if you gain something it will only be a temporary satisfaction; it cannot quench your thirst. Those sitting here may have some desires and strong cravings to be satisfied. You may have a dream before you. But I must tell you that even if your dream comes true and your desires are fulfilled, you will not be satisfied; you will still dream and still say that there is a place within that is not yet satisfied. Friends, may we see that all things are vanity and will not quench our thirst after we drink them.
I had a friend who grew up in the same place as I did. He went through college and was the Chief of Police for one term. After he believed in the Lord, he went to testify to one of his former colleagues, a military person who had some power. When his colleague saw him with a plain cloth gown, he asked, "Are you happy?" He said, "Just look at me, and you will know that I am happy." His colleague said, "What about your wife and children?" He answered, "The Lord Jesus is the One thinking about them; He is the Lord." The colleague said, "Have you ever thought about what you will do for the rest of your life?" He said, "God is responsible for me for the rest of my life." His colleague marveled at him. Here was a person who had gone through college and had been the Chief of Police. After he had believed in the Lord, there was a peace within him which others did not have. When he departed, his old friend said to him, "I wish that I could drop all I have to get what you have." No political power can satisfy man, nor can an excellent position satisfy man. If there is any friend here who is not yet satisfied, I must tell you that everyone who drinks of the worldly water will thirst again. The worldly water can never satisfy you.
If anyone among us would like to be satisfied, I can tell you the way. The Lord Jesus said, "But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall by no means thirst forever; but the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water gushing up into eternal life" (v. 14). You will never thirst after you drink the water that the Lord gives you because the water will become a spring of water gushing up. Will this satisfy you for three or five days only? No, it will spring up into eternal life. This is what the Lord will give to us. Whatever comes from outside is of no use because anything that comes in from outside cannot satisfy us. Once you receive Christ, He will be in you a spring so that you will be satisfied every day. What we lack is the inward satisfaction.
One day someone went to a doctor and said to him, "I have lost all taste to live. I have lost all hope. What is wrong with me?" The doctor examined him and said, "You do not have any illness." He asked, "What shall I do?" The doctor answered, "You should look for some pleasures. Perhaps you should watch a comedy show more often. A comedian can make people laugh and be happy." The patient said, "I am a comedian. Although I can make other people laugh, I cannot make myself laugh." This is all that the world can offer to men.
Why is it that in the church someone can lose everything and still be happy? It is not because he had a good outward environment or that he lived a good life materially. It is because he has something satisfying within him — Christ. Some missionaries went to isolated islands to live with the natives. Sometimes they only received one letter from the outside world in a year. They should have suffered more loneliness than lighthouse keepers. How could they be happy? They could be happy because there was something within them which caused them to sing and say, "Hallelujah!" Although I do not know music, I want to sing; even though I cannot sing, I want to say, "Hallelujah!" I have said before that we do not love the world because we have lost our taste for it or because we are disenchanted with the world, like some old folks who no longer enjoy the worldly blessings because they have lived long in this world. Christians overcome the world because they have drunk enough and are full. What are the worldly things worth? Since Christ has satisfied our heart, we have left the world behind.
"The woman said to Him, Sir, give me this water so that I will not thirst nor come here to draw" (v. 15). When the woman began to ask the Lord, did she understand what she was asking? She understood nothing at all. Even though she did not understand anything, did the Lord answer her request? He had to answer because He had said, "You would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water" (v. 10). Mr. Wilkes said, "The woman just asked once, and she received." This is true. Jesus did not say that one will have something when he understands in his mind. Rather, when one asks, according to the Lord's word, He has to give it to him.
"Then the woman left her waterpot and went away into the city, and said to the people, Come, see a man who told me all that I have done. Is this not the Christ?" (vv. 28-29). "Is this not" surely means that it is. Whenever a sentence begins with "is it not," the answer is surely affirmative. This shows that she had obtained the gift. Although she did not understand and did not know what she was asking for, she recognized that this man was the Christ. She was satisfied. Today many are weary and thirsty. But as soon as you believe in Him and ask Him, you will be satisfied.
Mr. Wilkes told of a story. A naval vessel was once anchored at a certain place. Several sailors went ashore to listen to the preaching of some women missionaries. One of them heard and believed. After returning to the ship, he prayed on his knees beside his bed at night. The sailor's nickname was "Old Seventy." Among the sailors, he liked to play tricks and joke with others the most. When he knelt down and prayed, his companions said, "Look! Old Seventy is playing new tricks again; he is mimicking a praying Christian." They threw shoes on his head and mocked him one by one. He did not pay any attention to them. They said, "Look, Old Seventy is really acting well." He stood up and told them, "I have believed in Jesus." They did not believe him and said, "You are really acting well." The next day, Old Seventy met a half-converted Christian and told him, "I have believed in Jesus." The man said, "Once a man believes in Jesus, he must feel peaceful and happy like being in heaven. Do you feel this way now that you have believed in Jesus?" He said, "I do not have those feelings." The man said, "Then your faith is not trustworthy." He went to see the women missionaries quickly and said to them, "You told me that once a man believes in Jesus, he is saved. This is not right because when others believe in Jesus, they feel peaceful and happy within. Why do I not have those feelings at all?" One missionary said, "I do not ask if you feel different or not; I only ask if there is any change in you." He pondered and stopped for a while. Then he jumped up and said, "Yes, there is a difference. I used to make fun of others more than any of the other sailors on the ship. They could joke, but I could joke better. However, when I believed in Jesus and went back to the ship, I heard my companions' talk and felt that their words were very offensive and filthy. I worried about what would happen to them because of what they said. Before it would have been a wonder if I did not fight them all. I would have been in a rage when they threw their shoes at me like they did last night. But I was not mad at all last night. On the contrary, I pitied them and felt sorry for their ignorance." The Western missionary said, "Good! It is not important whether or not you feel different; as long as you are changed, that is good enough."
O friends, the Lord Jesus can satisfy your heart and quench your desire for anything in the world. If you are willing to say to the Lord today, "Lord, I believe in You; I give myself to You," you will be saved. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but the Lord's words shall not pass away. It is not important whether or not you can feel it. If you believe, it is enough. Believe first, and then the feelings will follow. You do not feel first and then believe. Peace and joy come after one believes. One does not believe after he has peace and joy.
