A Model Believer - The Samaritan Woman
I know, I know. Many of you are reading the title, your face scrunched in confusion. The Samaritan woman? You mean the woman at the well? The woman who had five husbands and was living out of wedlock with another man? That Samaritan woman--a model believer?
Sure. Why not? As I've already stated none of these model believers were perfect. They each had their own faults and failures. We have no problem accepting Paul, the Christian killer, as a model believer because of all he accomplished after his conversion. For some reason though, we have a hard time accepting an adulterous woman. What could she possibly teach us about being a Christian? I'm glad you asked!
1.) She sought to understand. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? (John 4:10-12) When Jesus told her He could give her water, she asked questions to better understand what He was saying. As Christians, we are often guilty of using the phrase "my pastor says." We take what we hear and read at face value and fail to study it out for ourselves. We don't seek to understand; we just mimic what we've heard.
2.) She made an earnest request. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. (John 4:15) When she learned what Jesus had to offer, she asked him to grant her request. As Christians, we've already requested that living water, but have we gone beyond that. Sure, we ask for blessings or healing, but when was the last time we requested something from God, knowing that He was the only means to obtaining what we requested? The Bible says, "Ask and ye shall receive." Could it be that we're not receiving because we're not asking?
3.) She responded by pointing others to Christ. The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. (John 4:28-30)
Once she had tasted of the living water, she couldn't help but tell others. In just a few moments, she accomplished what the disciples had failed to do. They went into the city and came back with food. She went into the city and came back with souls. Which do you think Jesus appreciated more?