March 9 -- John 4:27-42
“The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone…” –John 4:28 (NLT)

After learning that Jesus is the Messiah, the woman at the well went to tell others. In her excitement, she left her water jar behind. This was no small thing. In the first century, a woman’s water jar was an important possession because it was her means for carrying life-sustaining water to her home. It was also a burden she carried. So, the woman at the well left behind her burden and her means for gathering her own water, and she did this to go tell others where “living water” could be found (see John 4:10).
Jeremiah 2:13 says, “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” The woman at the well had been “digging her own cistern,” trying to make her life work by living with a man who was not her husband. The way she was living failed to satisfy the thirst in her soul. Then, Jesus came into her life, and she was never the same when she realized that He was the One who could provide the spiritual water that would satisfy her deepest thirst. Hopefully after that, she left behind the ways she tried to satisfy her own thirst in the same way that she left behind her water jar.
The encounter at the well didn’t just affect the woman. It also deeply affected Jesus. It was “food” for Him (v. 32). He had done the work of His Father and saved a soul, and more than that, the soul He saved went to tell others. In fact, the woman ran to tell the very people who had ostracized her! Jesus’ compassion toward her made her brave.
Because of the woman’s testimony, many Samaritans came to see Jesus. As a result, He stayed two more days with them, and many believed in Him. This is a wonderful example of what happens when we witness to someone. Like the woman, we can tell people what Jesus has done for us, but they must “come and see” for themselves. Once they personally encounter Jesus, they are changed forever.
Consider: How do I try to dig my own cisterns and find my own “water” (i.e., satisfaction) in life without relying on God? How do my attempts to do this actually place a heavy burden on me as I try to quench my own thirst? Ask God to help you lay your burden down and look to Him to be your spring of living water. Imagine Jesus’ pleasure in you coming to Him as your Source of life.
Then, think about someone in your life who needs to meet Jesus. Pray for that person (or people) today and ask God to give you an opening to share and the courage to do so.
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