DEVOTION FOR WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2017
Read John 4:1-26
Identity Unmasked
A mask can be worn to disguise your identity, whether for entertainment, protection, or criminal reasons. In today’s passage, we see masks removed as Jesus encounters a Samaritan woman at the community well.
Even a simple conversation between Jesus and this woman was out of the ordinary. In that culture, women did not speak casually with men. And Samaritans were despised by the Jews, a fact she acknowledged: “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (v. 9).
As they spoke, Jesus revealed something about Himself. His identity was significant, and He had something much greater to offer her than ordinary water. He could give her “living water” (v. 10). The woman was perplexed. She mentioned some obvious obstacles, such as the deep well and His lack of a bucket. How and where would He get this living water? In response, Jesus revealed just a bit more, explaining that living water does not satisfy temporal thirst but rather brings eternal life. The woman was now convinced: “Give me this water” (v. 15).
Jesus’ reply revealed that He saw through her mask of excuses and disguises. “Go, call your husband” (v. 16). Jesus knew she had no husband and that her past was cluttered with broken relationships. He knew that she was someone in desperate need of the truth He alone could offer.
While His physical body needed a drink of water from Jacob’s well, the Samaritan woman needed a drink of eternal water to quench her heart’s thirst. Jesus, the Messiah, revealed His true identity to her. He was not just an unusual Jewish man looking for water. He was her Messiah (v. 26).
APPLY THE WORD
What would you do if you encountered Jesus in an ordinary moment of life such as the grocery store checkout line or the gas station. What would you ask? What might He ask you? The truth is that we can have this personal conversation with Jesus anywhere and at any time. Spend time today in honest, one-on-one communion with your Messiah.
Today in the Word is a production of Moody Global Ministries
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