Three Ways Jesus Has the Final Say With the Woman at the WellSample

For a long time in my relationship with the Lord, I did the bare minimum so to speak. I would go to church, serve in one capacity or another, read my bible every now and then, tithe. You know, all the checklist Christian things we’re supposed to do, right? I knew I’d been forgiven and was going to Heaven, and that was essentially enough for me. I didn’t consciously think to myself, “I’m saved from hell so let me do what I think a Christian is supposed to do and that will be enough.” I don’t ever remember knowingly having those types of thoughts, but I lived like I did, and that was seemingly enough. Until it wasn’t.

The Samaritan woman hears from Jesus what sounds like an escape from her shame-ridden life, and we see her jump at the chance to take it in verse 15.

The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this Water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water again.”

She sees a way out and wants to take it. And listen, Jesus is our way out. He’s our way out of sin, shame, and death. But that’s not all He is. He is more for us than just an escape route. You see, she was worn out from living in shame. It’s exhausting trying to hide all the time. Isolation and shame wore her down, but Jesus just offered her a way to never have to hide again. She was convinced He was going to give her water that would allow her to never have to come out of hiding and expose herself in her shame at this well again. She saw a bare minimum escape and wanted to take it.

Jesus came to be that escape for her. He came to set her free. He came to be the Savior we all needed. But He doesn’t just stop there, and He shows us this in verses 16-26. He goes on to tell her about her life in detail. He knows everything about her that she tried so hard to hide. He knows the deepest, darkest places of her heart. But the most important truth He revealed is that He is the Messiah. Jesus, for one of the first times since the start of His earthly ministry, revealed the nature of who He is and what He came to earth to do. The intimacy of what was shared shattered the walls she’d taken years to build. For so long, she kept everyone out. But now, Jesus had written upon her heart and she was all in.

It was early 2018 when Jesus gripped my heart in a way I’d never known before. As I said, I was living that checklist Christian life–I loved the Lord, believed in Him, and served Him and His church for years. However, He didn’t have my whole heart. I was still raising up idols and chasing things that were never going to satisfy. But, much like the Samaritan woman, He showed me my heart in detail, He uncovered the hidden places, He revealed Himself to me like never before, and He transformed my belief in Him. And I was all in.

God’s transformation in my heart and mind wasn’t overnight. It was gentle and wrapped in grace. He changed (and continues to change) the kind of wife I am, the way I parent, how I work, and my relationships with others.

I knew God’s love for me was unconditional, but I didn’t live like I believed that. I lived as though I needed to do better and be better. But Jesus showed me that being in a relationship with Him means simply remaining in Him (John 15:5). It’s not based on my performance, good or bad. My relationship with Him is built on who He is and what He’s done. My part is to surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit in my life, obey as He leads, and join Him in the work He’s already doing around me.

Just like the woman at the well, I realized being used by God wasn’t about me, but it was all about Jesus. The woman at the well's encounter with Jesus changed her. It changed her so much she couldn’t keep it to herself. She ran and told anyone with ears to listen to Who she’d just encountered and what He’d done. This is a drastic change from the woman walking at the hottest part of the day to get water just so she’d be alone and wouldn’t have to face anyone. Now, she was in everyone’s faces telling them about Jesus.

You see when we surrender to follow Jesus, He invites us into the work He’s already doing. He doesn’t need us, but He wants us. And it’s as simple as telling our story. Just like the Samaritan woman did. She didn’t have all the answers to all the people's questions. She just told her story about what Jesus had done for her and then directed them to Him.

You and I don’t have to have all the answers. We don’t have to have a theology degree or a ministry title or a position at church. We are called to join Jesus in the work He’s doing right where we are and point people to Him. We complicate it and try to make it into something it’s not.

Do you want to know what "all in" with Jesus looks like? It looks like sometimes getting caught in the checklist routine of Christianity and then shifting your gaze ever so slightly back at Jesus. It looks like feeling unequipped for what He’s asking from you, but trusting in Him anyway to give you what you need to obey. It looks like not knowing how or not being sure of what He’s leading you to do, but moving forward in obedience, confident that He is in control and is working for your good and His glory. It looks like simply telling your story—no matter what part of your story you’re in. Telling your story with Jesus as the main character shines a light on Who He is and all He can do. Your past or your present doesn’t disqualify you. We’ve just watched a woman go from being full of shame to being full of hope. Jesus does that. Because He has the final say.

If you’re reading this and you feel like God can’t or doesn’t want to use you because of your past or maybe even current situation, learn from the Samaritan woman and what Jesus told her–it’s not about who you believe you are or your past, it's about who He is in you that makes the difference.

If you’re reading this and wondering how God is going to do what He said He’s going to do, remember the Samaritan woman and the truth Jesus spoke to her–Jesus is the source of how. He is the answer. He provides and He keeps on providing. He sustains and He keeps on sustaining. He works and He keeps on working. It’s not our job to fix it or figure it out. It’s our job to surrender and follow His voice.

And if you’re reading this and God is stirring more in you, follow the Samaritan woman’s lead and the changing power of Jesus in her life–make it your life goal to make Jesus known right where you are with the people right in front of you. Because we know that it’s not about who we are but Who He is, we know that He will give us everything we need to do what He’s called us to do.

Father, thank You for Your word over me. Thank You that my choices–both my successes and failures-- don’t define me. Thank You that You have the final say over my life and all that has happened and will happen. Give me the courage to be all in. Give me the courage to share my story as You continue to write it. And help me to trust You when I cannot see or understand what You are doing. Thank You for inviting me into the work You are already doing. Help me to work for Your glory, not mine. Help me to love those around me the way You love them. Help me to serve who You’ve put in front of me with humility and grace. I love You, Lord, Amen.