A Cup of Water, Please?

With her head bowed, her eyes partially shielded, barely looking up to check her path, too afraid she might be noticed, she timidly walked on to her destination. Her mission was to get where she intended to go and leave as quickly as possible. She was in deep thought, concentrating all her energy on her mission, when suddenly she was startled by a male voice.

 Moving her veil ever so slightly, she raised her head, wondering to herself, Who could this man possibly be? With her thoughts racing, she thought of the time of day. Had she miscalculated the time? Was it not high noon, the sixth hour of the day? Would not all the women and girls already have attended to filling their water jars? And yes, she thought, men do not usually come to the well to draw water. It’s usually the women and girls. So why is this man here?

 When she shook herself back to reality and out of her deep thoughts, the woman was astonished to see a man sitting on the edge of the well, asking, “May I have a cup of water, please?” She looked around. Only the two of them were present at the well. He must be addressing me, she thought. Their eyes met, and she noticed His features and His dress. He was not from her tribe.

“Your dress and your features betray you. You must be a Jew! Can you not tell from my clothing that I am a Samaritan? Yet here you are, asking me to give you a drink of water from our father’s well—Jacob’s well. The Jews hate us Samaritans so much they usually spit on the ground when they accidentally come near us. Yet you ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a cup of water?” Christ met her where she was, a flawed woman with a deep spiritual longing.

 I invite you to join the club of ordinary, flawed, hungry, thirsty people who are drawn by the incredible grace and love of Jesus. Like John, the beloved disciple, we also can claim to be the beloved of Jesus. I invite you to drink from the well that never will run dry, the well from which just a cup of water will quench your spiritual thirst and make you whole and fit to spend eternity with the Living God.

Avis May Rodney.