John 4:13-15

Posted by DJL on Aug 31, 2015 in Daily Bread | 0 comments

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”

Who wouldn’t want this kind of water?

After all, Jesus in just two sentences puts his finger on the difference between what we normally seek and what he offers. For all that we normally strive for, hope for, work and sacrifice for…all of it is ephemeral, temporary, transient, fleeting. It is of the moment and does not last. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value any more than the water we drink that quenches our immediate thirst doesn’t have value. It simply means that after quenching that thirst – with water, a new job or car or clothes or whatever – we’ll be back. Because we took care of an immediate need.

Jesus offers that as background and contrast to what he offers: eternal life, eternal satisfaction, eternal peace and contentment.

No wonder that the woman wants what Jesus offers. Never mind that she still misunderstands what he’s offering, still taking him literally. She nevertheless wants what he has to offer because it is, in brief, the difference between having our needs met for the moment and for all time. And so she wants it. Wouldn’t we all?

Which is, of course, the irony in this brief exchange. Because while we of course would like to have all our eternal needs met – needs like being loved, esteemed, honored, valued – Jesus continues to offer that. Yet too often we are so caught up chasing the transient, impermanent, but entirely Amazon-orderable baubles held in front of us that we barely hear his offer, let alone open our hands and hearts to receive it.

Prayer: Dear God, you will come offering eternal life and water to all who receive you. Lift our gaze from our daily pursuits for the temporary and fleeting so that we may see the eternal grace and goodness you offer us. In Jesus name, Amen.