There are times in life when something unusual happens. It seems strange at the time, but later we find there is a reason behind the happening.
Why am I doing this? Why am I here? Why did I come here at this time? These are questions one may ask oneself.
Jesus was going to Galilee. Instead of the usual route in leaving Judea, he chose a direct way to a particular city named Sychar in Samaria. Yeah, Jews and Samaritans did not intermingle. The Samaritans in previous years had married non-Jewish people. Legalistic Jews considered the Samaritans unclean. They were socially unacceptable in Jewish eyes.
Jesus had a mission in a strange city. This city, Sychar, is only mentioned in John chapter four. When Jesus arrived, He sent the disciples into town to buy food. Jesus waited at a well outside of town.
A woman of Samaria came about noon to draw her water. The reason for the timing was because the lady was not socially acceptable in the eyes of the other ladies of the town. As she drew water, Jesus asked her for a drink. She questioned His request. “Jewish people do not associate with Samaritans, why are You asking me for water?” Jesus replied, if you knew who was asking you, you would ask for living water. That stirred her curiosity. Sir, give me this living water, ”so I will not have to come here and draw water again.”
Then Jesus identified Himself as the Messiah. That really got her attention.
Upon realizing Jesus was indeed the Messiah, she left her water pot and went into town. There she told some men, “I found the Messiah. He’s at the well. He told me everything I did.” That’s an interesting statement because this lady had been married five times. And the man she was with at present was not her husband. Out of curiosity, the men went to see who this stranger was. Maybe the men who came out did not want their past to be known. But Jesus led them to Himself. They became men of faith. They returned to town and told others. An additional group of men then accepted Jesus as their Messiah.
In reviewing this chapter, my eyes saw something new for me. I asked myself, what if Jesus didn’t go to Sychar? What if the woman at the well decided to get water at another time? What if the Apostle Paul refused to listen to Jesus on the Damascus road? What if Ananias refused to see Paul (Saul) so he could receive his sight? Heaven would be less populated.
What happens when God directs our hearts to do something for Him? Whatever our response, heaven will be different. Somebody will be there because we were obedient, or someone will not be there because we were disobedient. It may be our one chance to do His beckoning.
