Home > Lenten Blog 2023
I’m really thirsty, would you please give me a drink?
March 12, 2023
Exodus 17:1-7 | Psalm 95 | Romans 5:1-11 | John 4:5-42
Reading Scripture has been an exciting and interesting exploration for me ever since I was a little girl and my father let me use his precious copy of “The Abingdon Bible Commentary.” I was overjoyed when we were cleaning out my father’s books that none of my siblings fought me over that three-inch tome that now proudly stands on my bookshelf. Today, as I sat down to write this blog and felt led to reflect on the Gospel lesson from John 4:5-42, I was drawn to look up the lesson in this cherished commentary and it gave me the direction I sought. Yet again I could say – thanks Daddy for the book!
I’ve always loved the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. Each time I read it I see something different reflected in the people of this story. The reading of it today was no different.
Certainly, it is surprising for us to even hear that Jesus was talking with a Samaritan woman, no less that he was asking her for water; he must have been very thirsty! Samaritans were looked down upon terribly in those days, but, of course, Jesus was not about to follow those cultural taboos when the woman in front of him was clearly in need.
It began with a simple conversation about water, which quickly turned to a discussion of the “living water.” Jesus then zeroed in on her need to never have to be thirsty again but in a far deeper way than just about a drink of water! He was talking about the satisfaction of her soul’s deepest need. Once he touched that part of her soul with his words and shared with her the revelation of who he was, her life was completely changed! We see that reflected in how she talked about him and gave testimony to others in town, who then came to Jesus themselves.
What strikes me about this story is Jesus’ ability to see and address this woman’s deep need rather than focusing on the fact that he was thirsty and didn’t have a way to get water for himself!
This is an area of interaction with others that I’m working on during Lent this year – to take the time to look and see someone else’s need rather than trying so hard to satisfy my own need. It’s really a core part of life and human interaction, right? I mean, it affects simple things, like:
- Whether or not I let a young woman carrying a sleeping baby go before me in line at the grocery store because I stop long enough to see she needs to get home before the baby wakes up.
- Whether or not I rush to the next available table at a restaurant before someone else gets it so I can get back to work as soon as possible … or take a moment to notice that the crying child at the table I’m passing is crying because his ball rolled underneath someone else’s table and all I need to do is reach down and get the child’s ball.
- Whether or not I am so focused on getting to work by a certain time that I don’t even consider that other people in their cars might have a far greater need than I do and just let some of them move into the lane ahead of me.
So, this Scripture provides yet another opportunity to learn to love as Jesus loves, to love so deeply that we are actually falling in love with the people around us – loving them so much that we can’t help but see their needs and be there for them! Maybe picking up a child’s ball doesn’t help meet the deepest need of someone’s soul. But the kind of love that notices the need? That’s a good place to start!
Nance Arnold
