What a tiring 4km walk! He exhaled, plopping onto a wooden bench by the well. He wiped the beads of sweat on my brow and leaned back to rest. The Messiah had arrived from the neighbouring city with his closest followers. While they left for the village to grab food, he preferred to regain strength for the next journey. ‘Now I wish I had gone with them. I am thirsty,’ He said, staring at the pulley. If only I had a cup! That minute, his eyes caught a figure staggering down the lane. A woman at this time of day? He thought as she arrived at the well.
With her brow kissing each other, the woman dipped her pulley into the well. She drew it and turned the water into her bucket. The Messiah cleared his throat.
‘Hello, lady.’
She muttered a greeting.
‘Please, can I have a drink?’
‘I don’t have a cup with me.’ She dropped the bucket on the ground, grabbing her waist. ‘How can you come here without a bucket or cup to fetch water?’
‘Perhaps it’s the reason we had to meet today.’
‘Why would you ask a scorned person for water?’
He grinned. ‘I do not judge as men do.’
She scowled. ‘Sir, we are enemies, so I can’t offer you water.’
‘I am a peacemaker and peace giver, not your enemy.’
She lifted her bucket and turned to leave when he said,
‘The water you come here to fetch will not satiate your thirst. I’ll offer you water that will quench your thirst forever.’
She faced him, dropping the bucket with a thud and the water spilt. ‘Sir, when our forefathers dug this well, they knew it would serve several generations after them. From childhood, I’ve drunk and had satisfaction from this source.’
‘The water I give will never dry as long as you drink from me, the eternal source.’
‘Sir, Jacob gave us this well to meet our needs. Who are you?’
‘The well Jacob gave to you satisfied for a short time. Can’t you see you keep coming to draw to fill your drums and jars? He tapped his chest. ‘I am here to give you water to quench your thirst forever.’
She smirked, folding her hands around her body. ‘Why does your tribe still go to Salem?’ She asked. Before he could reply, the woman told him about the gods her fathers worshipped, places of worship her ancestors attended, and also listed the sanctums she visited from childhood until date. He listened to her for a couple of minutes, and compassion enveloped him.
‘Well, I hear you,’ he said with a deep sigh. ‘You have now met the One who will show you the way of life and true worship.’
‘Not to worry,’ she replied. ‘Someday the Saviour will come and show me the way to the Father. She sat on the ground, crossed her legs, cocking her chin. ‘Sir, please, give me the water you talked about.’
‘Before I offer it to you I’d like to meet your husband.’
Head lowered, she drew a circle on the ground with her fingers. There was silence between them. Finally, she mumbled, ‘I have no husband and no lover.’
He smiled. ‘You have no spouse. Right now, the man you live with isn’t married to you, nor does he cherish you.’
Puzzled, she asked, ‘Are you a soothsayer?’
He stood up. ‘I am the Way to the Father. By me, you will have salvation.’
Still doubtful, she asked again, ‘Do you have a place of worship like my forefathers did?’
‘Lady, you won’t find me on mountains or hills. I don’t dwell in houses built with hands. Instead, I came to restore true worship, intimacy beyond the religious practices of this age.’
She glanced around, then hinged closer to him. ‘I want to know more, Sir.’ Tears filled her eyes. ‘I came to the well to escape from my problems.’
‘Follow me,’ he said. ‘For your sake and many others, I came to the world. Follow me, and you shall know the truth. And no man can take this truth from you because the Father will imprint it in your heart.’
That minute, his closest followers returned, looking puzzled. She sprang to her feet and ran off, screaming. ‘Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did. I think he’s the Messiah, the Saviour we’ve been waiting to see.’
Then his closest followers offered him food. He tossed it aside. ‘The field is ripe,’ he said excitedly, fixing his eyes in the direction she ran. ‘I’ve got food in abundance. I am satisfied with this harvest.’
They glanced at each other, wondering if he had a meal.
Seeing their reaction, he reminded them of his purpose on earth. ‘I came for the lost sheep of Israel. I came to set captives free, to raise many sons and prepare them for the kingdom of God.’
Still, they looked alarmed, and he smiled, knowing that his closest followers would understand everything he said someday.
A few minutes later, the excited woman returned with a band of apprehensive men and women following behind her. She returned with the same people who once despised, rejected and mocked her. They said to the Messiah in unison, ‘We came with her to experience the things she told us.’ They believed the minutes they heard and saw the Messiah.
And many more believed because of the things he said. They called him the “Saviour of the world.”
The Lord is not looking for men who can keep religious rites nor men dedicated to mere traditions. He wants worship, intimacy and commitment. He’s raising sons to occupy and build His kingdom!
