"Sir," the woman said to him, "give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and come here to draw water."
— John 4:15 CSB
If I hadn’t previously read the story of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well (see John 4), I’d expect him to answer differently after she asks him (v.15) for living water (v.10). Perhaps a simple “Here you are!” or even a “You have chosen well,” (assuming Jesus liked to use the occasional pun).
But no! Jesus answers her by talking about her husband instead.
In fact, John never states that Jesus gives her the living water he offers.
Which is odd.
Why offer something you’re not actually going to give?
But then I had a revelation. What if the rest of Jesus’ conversation with this Samaritan woman is the process by which he gives and she receives this living water?
Go call your husband
"Go call your husband," [Jesus] told her, "and come back here."
"I don't have a husband," she answered.
"You have correctly said, 'I don't have a husband,'" Jesus said. "For you've had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you said is true."
— John 4:15-18 CSB
Jesus highlights gently, but directly, the woman’s deepest pain. Women could not divorce men in her ancient culture, so Jesus’ comment tells us that five men had divorced her (or died while being married to her).
The story does not say which, but it tells us she’s visiting a well at noon (vv.6-7) and that she’s given up on marriage (v.18). Her self-imposed isolation and avoidance of marriage are an obvious reaction to trauma. By the time she encounters Jesus hanging out at the well, her attempts to prevent further rejection and shame are defining the quality of her life and relationships.
Her past owns her present.
An offer of living water
Typically, we give only brief consideration to why Jesus calls what he’s offering living water. The woman encounters Jesus at a well, where talking about water is an entirely natural topic of conversation. And that’s the end of our thinking.
But what if Jesus calls his offer “living water” because it’s specifically linked with her history of five marriages?
