Leave Your Waterpot
By Linda Gray
The woman then left her waterpot… John 4:28 NKJV
I have read the account of the Woman at the Well in John 4:4-30 countless times. And each time, I find a new nugget that I have never seen before. This happened as I was reading my daily devotional. Although, what I saw this time wasn’t part of the devotional topic.
The phrase, “The woman left her waterpot” really stood out to me. It truly was an “ah ha” moment. I began to see this “divine appointment” in a new light. Verse 4 set the stage. Jesus had to pass through Samaria.
Let’s take a look at this woman and what the waterpot meant to her. She took it with her when she performed her daily chore of drawing water. She depended upon it to carry the fresh water from the well to her dwelling place.
Then she encounters Jesus. He asks her for a drink of water. A simple request from a thirsty traveler, becomes a complicated discourse between them. She is truly taken aback. He was a Jewish man and she was a Samaritan. She had heard from childhood that Jews hated Samaritans. Add to this the gender issue. Men and women didn’t speak to each other in public. Maybe she saw His “brazen” request as an advance. Afterall, she had a “reputation.” And she lived up to it with five husbands in her past—not to mention, her current live-in lover.
Maybe she held her waterpot a little closer as a defense mechanism against this strange Jewish man. He mentions “living water” to her. She points out that He has nothing with which to get the water and she doesn’t offer her vessel. She is definitely uncomfortable, but intrigued. She reveals her intelligence while trying to change the subject. She learned at her mother’s knee about Jacob and the importance of the well at which they were sitting. She even knew that the promise of the Messiah included her people. Who was this man?
Then further into their conversation, He reveals to her that He is the Messiah. She quickly forgets about her valuable waterpot and goes into the village to spread the news. If she had taken that heavy pot with her, it would have only slowed her down. But she held nothing back. She no longer hid behind that pot. She left her comfort zone to share with others about the man who told her everything she had done. She wasn’t even concerned about what the men would think of her.
This made me ask some questions, “Am I holding onto something that is hindering me from sharing the Gospel? Do I need to venture out of my comfort zone in order to be used more effectively for God? Am I worried about what others will think of me?”
The times I have let go of my waterpot and allowed God to take me out of my comfort zone, I grow. I can look back and see where God gave me the strength, ability, and energy to carry out what He asked me to do. The Samaritan woman gained courage to share with the men in the village. She had found what her soul longed for—Living Water. And she was anxious to share with all who would listen.
Father, I place whatever may be hindering me from sharing the Gospel with others at Your feet. I am willing to step out of my comfort zone and go wherever You lead. Amen.
© 2020 by Linda Gray. All rights reserved.
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Originally published Friday, 23 October 2020.
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