John 4:10 If you knew…_
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.” John 4:10 NKJV
There are several incredible things about Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, and particularly in these words he spoke to her. Consider first the context: she is a Samaritan, a woman, and one that had had five previous husbands. Aside from being a gentile or a leper, religiously the Jews would consider her to be the least qualified to have an encounter with the Messiah – yet here she is with Jesus. And later in the story she becomes the first person to whom Jesus reveals plainly his identity. I love the messages: look to the least likely places and you will find him. What a man disqualifies, God will qualify. Be humble; know your place; know littleness and humility and in these things his grace dawns.
But the words spoken in this verse deserve special attention. “If you knew…” Should she have known? Oh! how far we have drifted from knowing him and his goodness extended to man. Strip away the hurtful experiences in this life that have resulted in scars and mingled with lies from our adversary, and search for our Father and God and His character and redemption for us. He is good. His intent for us from the beginning was a beautiful life and a journey of wild and fulfilling exploration and discovery and the opportunity to grow a character and become the sons and daughters of God, eventually inheriting his kingdom. He loves us beyond what we could imagine. It only registers as we open our hearts to see and embrace him. Jesus hits the reset button with this woman: “If you knew the gift of God…you would have asked.” The funny thing about this interaction is that now she does know about the gift and who it is that was speaking to her.
She didn’t know what she didn’t know, until Jesus showed up. And if I don’t know something about his kingdom, at the lowest denominator I should at least expect his grace, goodness, and free gifts daily. Jesus spoke to her as though she should have known. And we should too. Expectation is an incredible thing. If you expect someone to minimize or dismiss you, the events that you see transpire will usually support your expectation. If you think someone is racist, you will often interpret their behavior with those glasses on your eyes. What if you expected someone to like you? Be your best friend? Think you are cool and wishes to know you? Don’t you think there is a chance you may find that to be true? Treat the world as your friend and you’ll find many. Treat the world as your adversary, and you will live a life that is barricaded, protected and sealed off. Regardless of what I may expect of man, I should expect nothing less than absolute goodness and pure love from the Father and his Son.
Now fast forward a bit. What about the grace and gifting deposited in me? Shouldn’t I expect that others could freely draw from the springs of life that are bubbling out of me? Of course! He intended this living water to be springing constantly from my life, and not just for me. Yield to it, and let it take over! Presume upon his generosity and abundant supply.
The desert is a parched place. But when you spend any amount of time here, you will find life and beauty bursting at the seams. Yes, there are difficult seasons throughout any year, but our Father designed life to be erupting even from the least likely places. Just ask the Samaritan woman.