John 4:15-26

15 "Please, sir," the woman said, "give me some of that water! Then I'll never be thirsty again, and I won't have to come here to haul water."

16 "Go and get your husband," Jesus told her.

17 "I don't have a husband," the woman replied. Jesus said, "You're right! You don't have a husband-

18 for you have had five husbands, and you aren't even married to the man you're living with now."

19 "Sir," the woman said, "you must be a prophet.

20 So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?"

21 Jesus replied, "Believe me, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father here or in Jerusalem.

22 You Samaritans know so little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews.

23 But the time is coming and is already here when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for anyone who will worship him that way.

24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth."

25 The woman said, "I know the Messiah will come-the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."

26 Then Jesus told her, "I am the Messiah!"



The woman comes to the well to get water. She finds a totally different kind of water than she was seeking. She finds Jesus. She is intrigued by what he says. She wants some of the water he offers, but does she know what she is asking for?


Jesus knows the woman is really not ready for the water Jesus offers. He needs to prepare her to be ready, so he asks where her husband is. How amazed she must have been at his knowledge of her life. She is convinced that he is a prophet. She does not see Him as Messiah.

She asks another question. Jesus answers her. He has been preparing her mind and heart for what she needs to know -- I am the Messiah.

Jesus knows our hearts and lives as well. He prepares us for what we need to know, that He is Messiah. He opens our hearts and minds to the need we have for him, prepares us for becoming Christians.