Water is life. We may not fully appreciate this truth, because when thirsty, we just turn on the tap or grab a bottle of water from the refrigerator. For most of us, finding drinkable water has never been an issue. Yet more than half the world’s population faces severe water shortages, and most diseases in developing countries are linked to an insufficient supply of clean water. Water is essential for life, yet in John 4, Jesus offers a new kind of water that’s even more critical than the cool, refreshing liquid we pour down our throats. Without water you die. But without “living water” you die forever. If Nicodemus was important and sophisticated, the woman at the well was simple and nameless. He was a devout Jewish man; she was an immoral Samaritan woman. He was a member of the social elite; she was an outcast. Yet both were spiritually lost. While Nicodemus reminds us that no one can rise so high as to be above their need of grace, the woman proves that no one can sink too low. Indeed, God’s saving grace transcends all barriers of gender, ethnicity, socio-economic class, and religious tradition. Jesus begins the conversation by asking a simple favor: “Give me a drink.” She is shocked that a Jewish man would be speaking with “a woman of Samaria.” Samaritans were a mixed breed, half-Jews who practiced a different faith. Centuries of prejudice and hostility had separated the two groups (v 1-9). But Jesus continues, raising her curiosity as He speaks of “the gift of God” and “living water” that quenches thirst permanently. In Jewish speech, living water typically meant water that was flowing, as in a river or stream. But the water Jesus describes is like an inner fountain, a spring that never stops bubbling. As in the previous chapter, He is again speaking of the Holy Spirit, given by God to satisfy every longing of thirsty souls (v 10-14). The woman is intrigued, but still not facing her spiritual emptiness. Jesus loves her too much to not press in further, exposing her real thirst. He knows she has been through a miserable chain of unfulfilling relationships. No doubt she feels worn down, rejected, and useless. After five failed marriages, she is now living with a boyfriend to see if it will work out. But this conversation has become rather personal now, so she changes the subject. Jesus graciously answers her questions, still penetrating to issues of the heart, helping her see that He is the only Savior, the only answer to her deepest longings (v 15-26). Leaving her water jars behind, the woman runs back into town, excited to tell others about this unusual man: “Can this be the Christ?” (v 27-42). For further meditation: