Water Pots and Hidden Wells

John 4:10 “Jesus answered and said unto her, If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you, Give me to drink; you would have asked of him, and he would have given you living water.”

Jesus shows up sometimes looking like an Israeli Jew and at others like the Samaritan.  If we get stuck at the outward appearance we can miss the gift of God standing right in front of us.  If we get distracted by what he’s asking of us, we can miss the wealth of what he came to give.

We are the Samaritan woman standing before Jesus, who is disguised as the black and brown child asking for water.  We claim historical ownership of the well.  We stand with pride in our knowledge of the local customs and possession of the water pots.  And Jesus stands before us, hands empty, yet full of the living water we need to bring new life.

We may feel uncomfortable in His gaze, exposed by His questions.  But if we will ourselves to stay in the conversation and adjust our posture from give to receive, our eyes may be opened to see the Christ.  What’s more, we can become partners with the Spirit, inviting and helping others to see Him as well.

But others stand in trembling anger, through clenched teeth sputtering, "This is my water from my well on my mountain and you can’t have it!” And they hate the Jew because he reminds them of the sins of their past, all the rejection, all the shame and all the hurt.  They curse him because, despite their best attempts at avoidance, he is here seeing their frailty and weakness, seemingly shouting out their failures.  They do not trust his gentle voice or his offer of forgiveness.  They do not believe his invitation to contentment and new life.  So they snatch their pots and they storm away with backward glances through bitter tears.  And they reject the Lord of glory, standing in the guise of a pauper child.  For after all, what could he possibly have to offer them?

Prayer:

Help me not to miss you today when you’re standing in front of me in unlikely vessels.  Help me not to reject you because of my pride and fear.  Help me rather to be open to receive from you, both grace and correction and to demonstrate my gratitude by inviting others to come to you, my source of living water.

Decisions, Decisions

It was the second day of the new year and my devotional led me back to Genesis, back to the beginning where the man and his wife were in the garden with God, naked and unashamed.  I love finding new insights in old familiar passages and once again the text does not disappoint.  It is the dialogue between the woman and the serpent, the familiar exchange we have heard time and again. 

The conversation begins innocently enough with a question, “Did God really say…”  The serpent, described as more cunning than any of the wild animals that God made, places his suggestion in question form and it is enough.  Enough to lead the woman to rehearse and then eventually reexamine what, until now she had simply accepted as true.  Sensing the open door, the serpent moves her forward, quickly turning the question into the lie.  Can’t you see him roll his eyes, shake his head and exaggerate a chuckle as he hisses, “You certainly will not die: for God knows that in the day when you eat, then your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good…and evil.”

The first sin was not the act of disobedience but rather the decision to disobey.  The point of decision is always where rebellion first occurs.  It is here that we question God’s law and His right to require it of us.  We scrutinize His motives which attacks His nature or at the very least calls it into question.  We challenge His omniscience and resist His sovereignty for it takes all of this to choose to disobey.

The questions arise when Satan presents an opposing position or outcome to what God has said.  “You shall not surely die.” 

It is then that we begin to reason within ourselves, “Well, after all the tree does have fruit on it.  What other purpose does it have if not for food?!  And it looks so good.  And it will be good for me, making me wise.  What harm can eating one piece do?  Just…one…bite…”

But immediately, there is shame and guilt and fear and our attempt to hide ourselves from God.  However, here is the beautiful irony.  God does not move away from us.  We – like Adam, Eve, Cain and the countless men and women who came after – move away from Him.  The presence of the one true and living God comes for us, calling us by name, and we hide amongst the trees of our busyness in fear and disbelief.  God is always pursuing us.

As we step timidly across the threshold of a new year, we may be tempted to quickly construct our own fig leaf resolutions in a feeble attempt to cover the mistakes of 2014.  But in fasting and prayer, in solitude and stillness, I am reminded that the sacrifice for our sin has already been met in Christ.  There is now no condemnation, no need to cover ourselves and hide.  No, rather, we can come boldly before Him, like little children, naked and unashamed once again.