Woman at
the Well
by Doug Fortune
"Now Jacob's well was there... There cometh a woman of Samaria
to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink." (John
4:6-7) I believe there's still a
'woman' at the well...
There
is a 'woman' at the well, looking for something deeper, looking for something
that will satisfy her thirst. The soul of man knows that there has to be
something beyond just the surface of things, something deep that will bring
refreshing.
In
Biblical symbolism, the 'woman' speaks of the SOUL. Thayers Greek Definitions
defines the word most often translated as soul, which is psuche in Greek, as
"the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions (our heart, soul
etc.)", or as we have so often heard it, the mind, will and emotions.
There are also a couple of words translated as 'life' in the New Testament, one
of which is psuche in Greek and the other is zoe in Greek. First, let me say
that the soul is NOT intrinsically bad. Father gave you your soul! What is bad
is when the 'life' that originates from the SOUL dominates the Life that
originates from the Spirit, or the 'zoe life'. Jesus said He came to give us
Life 'more abundantly', and that Life is the 'zoe life'; "I am come that
they might have LIFE (zoe in Greek), and that they might have it more
abundantly." (John 10:10)
Jacob's Well
There
is a 'woman' at the well, looking for something deeper, looking for something
that will satisfy her thirst. The soul of man knows that there has to be
something beyond just the surface of things, something deep that will bring
refreshing. However, so often she finds herself at 'Jacob's well'.
Jacob's
well is located at the entrance to the valley between Ebal and Gerizim,
south-east of Sychar, also called Shechem. Jacob's well still exists today, and
even though after much rain it contains a little water, it is now usually quite
dry. We can gain some insight from the location of Jacob's well between Ebal
and Gerizim; "And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this
LAW very plainly... Thou shalt therefore obey the voice of the Lord thy God,
and do his commandments and his statutes, which I command thee this day. And
Moses charged the people the same day, saying, These shall stand upon mount
Gerizim to BLESS the people... And these shall stand upon mount Ebal to
CURSE..." (Deuteronomy 27:8, 10-13)
Indeed,
'Jacob's well' still stands between 'Ebal and Gerizim', between blessing and
cursing based upon religious performance. This religious mentality goes something
like this: "If I do enough good stuff for God, maybe I'll be blessed. But
I know that He's really waiting for me to mess up, so He can punish me."
The book of Hebrews deals with this mentality; "Sacrifice and offering
Thou wouldest NOT, but a BODY hast Thou prepared Me... Sacrifice and offering
and burnt offerings and offering for sin Thou wouldest not, neither hadst
PLEASURE therein; which are offered by the LAW..." (Hebrews 10:5, 8)
Father is not interested in a LAW-based relationship based upon performance,
rather He is looking for a BODY that is prepared for Him, a mature son that
delights to do His will. What Father is looking for is someone who will say, I
come to do thy will O God! "Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O
God. He taketh away the FIRST, that he may establish the SECOND. By the which
will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once
for all." (Hebrews 10:9-10) As we read the context in Hebrews 10:5
("Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest NOT, but a BODY hast Thou prepared
Me...), verses 9-10 declare plainly that indeed Father is taking away the
FIRST- sacrifice and offering, a LAW-based relationship based upon performance.
He is establishing the SECOND- a BODY that is prepared for Him, a mature son
that delights to do His will. This happens as we gain the understanding that we
are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ ONCE FOR ALL.
We are not sanctified based upon our performance, but rather through the
offering of the body of Jesus Christ ONCE FOR ALL. My friend, 'Jacob's well' of
religious performance is dried up today, you won't find any water there.
Sychar (Shechem)
We
also know that Jacob's well was in a town called Sychar, also called Shechem;
"...He arrived at a Samaritan town called Sychar, near the tract of land
that Jacob gave to his son Joseph." (John 4:5 Amplified Bible) According
to Thayers Greek Definitions the word translated as Sychar means DRUNKEN.
'Jacob's well' is still in 'Sychar'. In Biblical symbolism drunkenness often
portrays the religious mentality. The book of the Revelation speaks of this;
"And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and
talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment
of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the
earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been
made DRUNK with the wine of her fornication... And upon her forehead was a name
written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, The Mother of Harlots and Abominations of
the Earth. And I saw the woman DRUNKEN with the blood of the saints..."
(Revelation 17:1-2, 5-6) Indeed, the 'great whore' sitting upon the many waters
of the unregenerate is Babylon, she is 'religion', man's approach to God based
upon performance. She makes men drunk and she is drunk with their 'blood', she
is drunk with their soulish carnality. When you are drunk, you think you are
wonderful and charming when you are not. Drunk people think they can do all
sorts of things they are not capable of, perhaps that's why most karaoke
happens in bars. Drunkenness produces an illusion that all is well and
wonderful when it is not. This is what religion produces as we busy ourselves
with our programs and activities, an illusion that all is well and wonderful
and that we are making a difference when in reality it is not well and
wonderful and we are not making a difference. Perhaps that is why the 'woman'
at the well is still thirsting for something deeper...
We
don't often read of Jesus being weary, but I do find it of interest that John
records, "Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus
therefore, being WEARIED with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was
about the sixth hour." (John 4:6) Perhaps this is merely my
opinion, but I believe that Jesus is still weary with 'Jacob's well'. "There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus
saith unto her, Give me to drink." (John 4:7) You just
never know who Father is going to have you ministering to when you are
sensitive and obedient. A 'Samaritan woman' is not where most of us would begin
our 'church growth' campaign.
Just
to give us a bit of the context here, remember that the Samaritans were quite a
'mixed bag' ethnically and not exactly desirable to the Jews; "And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and
from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed
them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they
possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof." (2 Kings
17:24) Upon the return from Babylonian Exile, the Jews refused the
Samaritans participation with them in the worship at Jerusalem, so the
Samaritans separated from the Jews altogether. The Samaritans even built a
rival temple for themselves on Mount Gerizim, although their temple was razed
to the ground by a Jewish king in 130 B.C. Also a system of worship was
instituted similar to that of the temple at Jerusalem. Therefore the bitter
enmity between the Jews and Samaritans continued in the time of Jesus, as it is
recorded that "...the Jews have no dealings with the
Samaritans." (John 4:9)
Give me to Drink
It
is into this context that Jesus thrusts us as He speaks to the woman saying, "Give me to drink." (John 4:7) The
spiritual application for us in this is that we may have to lay down some of
our exclusive and judgmental Christianized thinking and start actually asking
questions of those who are of different belief than we are. It seems that so
often we view unbelievers and those of different spiritual background as
threatening. And we certainly wouldn't want to ask them any questions about
their beliefs! It's like we are afraid they might talk us into something. We
are quick to pull out our Four Spiritual Laws tract and begin our prepared
'evangelism talk'. Perhaps, like Jesus, we need to start asking them, Give me
to drink... tell me what is in the 'well' you are drinking from? Granted, many
today are drinking from some pretty polluted 'wells' as their spiritual thirst
seeks to be satisfied. However we have nothing to fear, for we live in a higher
realm, the third heaven, and are not subject to any kind of spiritual influence
from the second heaven realm of principalities and powers. The 'woman' at the
well is not a threat, she just needs Jesus. Let us make sure we have 'Living
Water' to offer her.
I
find the next exchange between Jesus and the woman quite enlightening, "Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the
gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest
have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water."
(John 4:10) Do we really know the Gift of God that is within us, and Who is
really speaking to the 'woman' at the well? Let this sink in a moment- If thou
knewest the gift of God, and WHO IT IS that saith to thee, Give me to drink...
If
it is merely US ministering to the 'woman' at the well, we will have limited
results. Now then, there is nothing wrong with memorizing some Scriptures and
being prepared, however it cannot merely be US doing the talking! We must
understand the Gift of God, the fullness of Christ that is within us, and allow
Him to minister THROUGH us. Our words and actions must originate from the
Christ within! He is the Hand that does the ministering, we are simply the
glove. His are the Words that do the ministering, we are simply the mouthpiece.
Who is Within Us?
We
must have it absolutely settled in our hearts exactly WHO we have within us and
the extent of His power to minister to the 'woman', for she will surely ask
questions; "The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast
nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that
living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well,
and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?"
(John 4:11-12) In other words the 'woman' at the well may say, You don't
necessarily LOOK like anything special, what makes you so sure that what you
have is greater than what I already have? Our response is to be the same as the
Master's response, "Jesus answered her, All who drink of this
water will be thirsty again. But whoever takes a drink of the water that I will
give him shall never, no never, be thirsty any more. But the water that I will
give him shall become a spring of water welling up (flowing, bubbling)
[continually] within him unto (into, for) eternal life." (John
4:13-14 Amplified Bible) This response cannot merely be a declaration of
doctrine, an announcement of our mental ascent to a spiritual concept... it
must flow from our life EXPERIENCE. The 'woman' at the well can see through our
religious veils, she is looking for something REAL and experiential.
I
love the way that Jesus then begins to speak prophetically into the woman's
life; "Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy
husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus
said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five
husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou
truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet."
(John 4:16-19) Firstly, in a purely natural sense we see that as He speaks
to her, there is no condemnation. He realizes that the woman is longing for
intimacy, but just like the old Country Western song goes, she has been
"Looking for Love all the Wrong Places." Here, once again, I believe
that this is a model for us as we must lay down our judgmental religious
mindsets if we are to truly minister to the 'woman' at the well. Too many of us
are offended when sinners sin... duh! Sinners sin because that is their nature.
Jesus does not bring condemnation because of the woman's actions, for He knows
she is only doing what she knows to do. I love what Jesus says about this
woman, as I believe He is looking beyond her actions and her current
circumstances; "Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no
husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy
husband." Now then, we are going to dig beneath the surface of these words
of Jesus and see a spiritual truth that is laid open before us. Remember that the
Bible is first and foremost a spiritual book written in spiritual language to
spiritual people;
"And we are setting these truths
forth in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the [Holy] Spirit,
combining and interpreting spiritual truths with spiritual language [to those
who possess the Holy Spirit]." (1Corinthians 2:13 Amplified Bible)
Grace
Five,
the number of GRACE... that's how many husbands the 'woman' at the well had
previously. I believe this speaks of the measure of GRACE that Father extends
to the soul earnestly looking for something deeper, those looking for something
that will satisfy their thirst, and yes, even those "Looking for Love all
the Wrong Places." Now then, I am NOT saying that 'all paths lead to God'
or anything remotely like that, for the Bible is clear when it says, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the
life: no man cometh unto the Father, but BY ME." (John 14:6)
Jesus also said, "I am the door: BY ME if any man enter in,
he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." (John 10:9)
However, I sincerely believe that Father extends a measure of GRACE to the soul
that is earnestly searching for something deeper. "But
if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou SHALT FIND Him, if thou
seek Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul."
(Deuteronomy 4:29) Just as with the 'woman' at the well, He will make
Himself known to those who earnestly seek truth.
Jesus
then makes such a freeing proclamation over this 'woman' at the well, "he
whom thou NOW hast is NOT thy HUSBAND: in that saidst thou truly." She had
previously had five husbands, but the sixth man was NOT her husband, she was
NOT bound to him. Six is the number of carnality, it is the number of the
earthly Adamic man. Friend, the spiritual truth that is being unveiled here is
that the 'woman' at the well is NOT bound to the Adamic carnal nature! She is
NOT married to him! Yes, she is living with him but there is no permanent bond.
She is free to separate herself from the 'sixth man' and be married to the
'Seventh Man', which is Jesus Christ!
Remember,
this 'woman' is a seeker, she's no dummy, she is at the well looking for
something deeper, and she has lots of questions; "Our fathers worshipped
in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to
worship." She is spiritually oriented, she understands there is a 'high
calling', thus she shifts the conversation to mountains (a high calling) and
worship. Genuine seekers of truth understand that there is a 'high calling', a
greater purpose, that it is really NOT all about them in life. Friend, THESE
are the very people that we want to bring into the Kingdom! Yes, they might
appear to be a bit more intimidating than those who are attracted by a 'needs
oriented' gospel, but they are worth the effort.
Mountain of Work or
Mountain of Rest
So
the conversation has now shifted to mountains- Our fathers worshipped in THIS
mountain, you say THAT mountain is the place to worship! Remember that Jacob's
well was located at the entrance to the valley between Mount Ebal and Mount
Gerizim, so the mountain she is speaking of is Mount Gerizim. This speaks of a
LAW-based relationship based upon performance- blessed if you keep the law,
cursed if you don't. Zion was the mountain where the Jews worshipped. It seems
that in life there are always two mountains where we can worship. One is born
of a LAW-based relationship, the other is born of intimate relationship and
covenant. "But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto
the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem... To the general assembly
and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven..."
(Hebrews 12:22-23) One is a mountain of WORK, the other is a mountain of
REST.
I
love this visual imagery of mountains, it is so easy to understand. A mountain
simply speaks symbolically of those places that we lift up high in our lives,
those things of the greatest importance, those things we worship. The Old
Testament is filled with references to the 'high places' where people
worshipped. Now don't forget our context of the encounter with the 'woman' at
the well, but come with me to a mountain we find in the book of Genesis; "And the ark RESTED in the seventh month, on the
seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat."
(Genesis 8:4) We tend to think of the flood of Genesis in negative terms,
we think of God's judgment upon the earth. In reality, it was God's judgment
upon carnality. In reality, it was God cleansing the earth... that is a good
thing, not a bad thing. It was Father providing a new beginning, bringing forth
a new creation of sorts.
The
'ark' serves as a type of Christ, and only that which was WITHIN THE ARK
survived God's judgment upon carnality. And so it is for us, as the only things
in our lives that survive God's judgment upon carnality are those attributes of
the character of Christ, or that which is IN Christ. So it is within the
context of Father providing a new beginning, bringing forth a new creation that
we read, "And the ark RESTED in the seventh month,
on the SEVENTEENTH day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat."
(Genesis 8:4) The timing of the ark finding its' resting place is
significant- the seventeenth day of the seventh month. Now then, years later
the Feast of Tabernacles would begin on the FIFTEENTH day of the seventh month;
"Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth
day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto
the Lord." (Leviticus 23:34) So the ark RESTED on the THIRD
DAY of what would become the Feast of Tabernacles! Is this a spiritual picture
for us or what?! Remember that Father is outside and beyond the confines of our
time and space continuum. He sees the end from the beginning. He planned the
Feast of Tabernacles long before the flood ever happened, and He planned that
the ark would REST on the THIRD DAY of the Feast of Tabernacles! I believe that
this is a picture of the very time we are living in now, as Father is bringing
forth a new creation in the earth in this prophetic millennial THIRD DAY; "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that
ONE DAY is with the Lord as a THOUSAND YEARS, and a thousand years as one
day." (2 Peter 3:8), "After two days will He revive us: in the THIRD DAY He
will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight." (Hosea 6:2)
The
ARK is RESTING on the THIRD DAY of the Feast of Tabernacles! And on what
mountain is the ark resting?... "upon the mountains of Ararat." Now
get this, the Hebrew word Ararat means, "the CURSE REVERSED." Did you
catch that?...the CURSE REVERSED!
A New Beginning
Father
is providing a new beginning, so that all who are truly IN Christ (the ARK),
are RESTING in the Finished Work on the THIRD DAY of the Feast of Tabernacles
because the CURSE is REVERSED! This is exactly what was happening with the
'woman' at the well, as the curse of 'many husbands', the curse of the 'sixth
man'- carnality, was being reversed. Jesus was providing a new beginning, so
she could REST in Him. This woman knew ABOUT Christ, but until then did not yet
have a 'revelation' of Christ; "The woman
saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is
come, he will tell us all things." (John 4:25) Then Jesus
REVEALS Himself to her, "Jesus saith
unto her, I that speak unto thee am He... The woman then left her waterpot, and
went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told
me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?" (John
4:26, 28-29)
As
soon as the woman got a 'revelation' of Christ, the many questions stopped and
she "left her waterpot" (John 4:28), she left her old way of
satisfying her thirst behind. She left the 'sixth man'- carnality behind. She
left Mount Gerizim behind. So it is for us, as the 'woman' at the well gets a
'revelation' of Christ, she will leave her old way of satisfying her thirst
behind, she will leave carnality behind, she will leave Mount Gerizim (a
LAW-based relationship based upon performance) behind. She will REST in the
Finished Work on the THIRD DAY of the Feast of Tabernacles because the CURSE is
REVERSED!
And
WHERE will the 'woman' at the well get a 'revelation' of Christ? "Thus saith the LORD... men of stature, shall come over
unto THEE, and they shall be THINE: they shall come after THEE; in chains they
shall come over, and they shall fall down unto THEE, they shall make
supplication unto THEE, saying, Surely GOD IS IN THEE; and there is none else,
there is no God. Verily thou art a God that HIDEST Thyself, O God of Israel,
the Saviour." (Isaiah 45:14-15) Indeed, He is the God Who
hides Himself, and Paul tells us both WHERE He hides Himself and WHERE the
'woman' at the well will get a 'revelation' of Christ; "...Christ IN YOU,
the hope of glory!" (Colossians 1:27) Yes, my friend, this is the day
Christ is being glorified and admired IN His people; "When
He comes to be glorified IN His saints [on that day He will be made more
glorious IN His consecrated people], and [He will] be marveled at and admired
[in His glory reflected] IN all who have believed..." (2
Thessalonians 1:10 Amplified Bible)
The
'woman' at the well is looking for something deeper, looking for something that
will satisfy her thirst. Let us not leave her at 'Jacob's well', pursuing a
LAW-based relationship based upon performance. Let us take her to a different
'Well' that Jesus introduces us to in the Feast of Tabernacles; "He who believes in Me... as the Scripture has said,
From his innermost being shall flow [continuously] springs and rivers of living
water." (John 7:38 Amplified Bible) Our passage ends with
the woman at the well making an announcement that is more of a declaration than
a question, "...is not THIS the Christ?"
(John 4:29) I believe this too shall be the declaration of the 'woman' at
the well as she gets a 'revelation' of Christ glorified IN His people,
"...is not THIS the Christ!?" Or in other words, Is not THIS just
what and Who we have been searching for? Friends, this is the day that all who
are truly IN Christ (the ARK) are RESTING in the Finished Work on the THIRD DAY
of the Feast of Tabernacles because the CURSE of Adamic carnality is REVERSED!
Doug Fortune