John 4:13: “Jesus answered and said unto her, whosoever drinketh of THIS WATER shall thirst again.”
In this verse Jesus mentioned that “this water” will cause her to thirst again, obviously because water must be sought after and the thirst is never quenched. Also water gives only temporary physical life with no lasting or eternal benefits.
Jesus is wanting to give this Samaritan woman at the well an eternal value that can’t end, and an endless supply that will spiritually quench her soul. Which would continue to lead her into eternal life, and Jesus used the well-water to illustrate His point.
You know, everything that comes from Jesus is not bad, and water is certainly one of them, but Jesus is referring to “this water” as an element that can only quench the physical thirst temporarily. And Jesus plainly tells her that “whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again.”
This story is so much like all the desirous things this world has to offer, and because the sinful nature naturally craves those things – like a vacuum – the human soul will continually keep trying to quench itself. And even though it’s never satisfied and quenched, it continues to keep trying the next thing that comes along – until like the woman at the well— receives a well of water that springs up into everlasting life within her. All along it was Jesus who knew what would truly quench her human soul.
In Mark 8:36 it says; “for what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
Jesus puts a thirst inside every born-again Christian, and that thirst is a thirst for Him. Some learn this lesson soon and others later in life, but the sooner it’s learned is definitely better.
Jesus comes with the good news in John 4:14, and it says; “but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him/her shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be IN him/her a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”
If you do drink (Jesus doesn’t force) from the Lord’s well, He gives you the whole well: Jesus Himself! Jesus doesn’t withhold Himself, and it really doesn’t take long to realize that, no other well will do, for salvation can only come through One Name. And that name is Jesus. You can find that in Acts 4:12, which says; “neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
The disciples realized this important spiritual element as they put their trust in Jesus, and in this next verse you hear Peter proclaim what all Christians must conclude.
“Then said Jesus unto the twelve, will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter [speaking for them all] answered Him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6:67-68).
The disciples realized that the “well” for them was Jesus; there was no other person who had the words that would lead them to eternal life.
Psalm 34:8: “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.”
Scott R. Holder is a bible student and occasional writer for OUTLOOK.
