Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep.”
John 4:10-11 NLT
I remember as a child first reading from the King James version of the Bible and being surprised to discover that Adam “knew” his wife and she conceived a child. I did not appreciate that meanings change over time, and any understanding that knowledge was a reference to sex lay beyond my understanding!
In any committed relationship, sex stretches way beyond information about the other person. This is an intimate and tender act of self-surrender and self-giving. Similarly, any thought that the knowledge Jesus speaks of is conceptual or informational is to miss the power of Jesus’ invitation.
Many people have not experienced self-giving in the act of sex. It can be purely transactional or for self-gratification. Most people will know what to do, yet to discover the rich joy of mutual self-giving, trust and love lies beyond the mechanics of lovemaking. This Samaritan is gently led to discover a reality beyond the obvious connection she first makes with Jesus’ words. What appeared a simple transaction, however culturally strange for a Jewish man to request assistance from a Samaritan woman was, turns into a first-century riddle. A riddle that still has the power to confuse today.
Her answer reveals the limits of human knowledge when it comes to encountering God. We can live a Christian life, high on conceptual content yet low on real experience. This is like knowing I was married because I had a marriage certificate. Not much use when it comes to building my marriage. Knowing God is far more than knowing biblical truths about God. Like the Samaritan we must look beyond the blindingly obvious and seek the miracle of divine knowledge.
QUESTION
What encounters with God have you experienced?
PRAYER
My heart craves friendship with you, living Lord. Come close to me today and help me to see you and know you in spirit as well as in truth.
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