Reflect on today’s reading using these questions:

• How did Jesus treat this woman who was socially outcast because of her lifestyle?
• How does this passage compare physical and spiritual hunger and thirst?

Life-Giving Water

Jesus was full of kindness, care, and forgiveness for a socially rejected woman because she had multiple romantic partners. Instead of shaming her choices, Jesus gently showed that the spiritual water he provided was more satisfying and meaningful than the comfort she sought through relationships (4:17–18). With physical hunger and thirst, we need continual nourishment. Additionally, we often seek temporary solutions (relationships, media, money, busyness, etc.) to distract us from our deeper needs. Jesus shows us in this story that our greatest desire is spiritual and that he alone can offer this inner spring of living water (4:14).

Reflect on your story:

• An encounter with Christ brings new hope after a life of disappointments. How did Jesus’s interactions with the woman at the well give her a new sense of hope?