Begin Againনমুনা

The God of New Beginnings She had no idea who she was going to meet that day, and how He would change her life. She had been married five times and was now living with someone not her husband. Perhaps (as some Bible scholars surmised) she drew water at noontime because no one else drew water at this time. Perhaps she was not an acceptable member of the community. Perhaps because of her moral choices, she was an outcast. Definitely, as a Samaritan woman, she did not expect Jesus to speak to her that day - nor to even ask her for a drink. She pointed it out herself: “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?” She knew her “place”. But Jesus knew what He was doing; it was His greatest joy - like food to an empty stomach. He knew who she was, and He knew what and Who she needed. Yes, He asked her for a drink, human and tired as He was from walking under a sweltering heat. But then He offered her living water, so she would never thirst again. Her life showed how much she needed for her longings to be filled, for her heart to find its home. And here He was -- her Messiah, her home. Leaving her water jar beside the well, the water jar she used to fill her thirst, she ran back to the village to tell the villagers about the man who told her everything she ever did, and asked the question that would make everyone find out for themselves. “Could he possibly be the Messiah?” (v. 29) Many Samaritans believed in Jesus because of what she said (vv. 39-42). When Jesus showed her what she had done and offered her a life in which she would not thirst again, He turned her life upside down. She was forgiven, felt graced, and given a new lease on life. She basked in the Good News of grace and ran to everyone she knew because of the new life she received, and many found Life themselves. Her new beginnings gave others their new beginnings. This was Christ’s joy. Questions to ponder: 1. One might say that the woman’s water jar represented her attempts to fill her heart with the love of men. But that never truly satisfied the deep longings of her heart. How about you? What do you fill your water jar with? How well has it satisfied your heart? 2. Jesus offered the Samaritan woman what would truly satisfy her heart: Himself. He knew her sins and offered her what would truly give her life. Jesus offers the same to you. He knows you and the life that does not truly satisfy, and offers you Himself - the living water. Would you like to receive this gift of Living Water and experience new beginnings in your life?