Living Water

I’ve written about Jesus’ claiming to be the Light of the world and the Bread of Life. These two claims not only give us insight into the true character of Christ, but also give claim to His deity. There is no getting away from the fact that Jesus claimed to be God. The “I AM” passages in the book of John make up a large part of this affirmation.  When Moses asked the name of the One who spoke to him out of the burning bush (Exodus 3:11-15) God answered, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.”  God goes on to say “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me.”

Jewish culture highly respected this name, in Hebrew rendered YHWH, also known as the Tetragrammaton (which is Greek for “four letters”).  Jehovah became a translation of the four letters outside of Hebrew. It is considered the most sacred name for God and speaks of His eternal existence, the eternal I AM. 

When Jesus referred to Himself as I AM, you can imagine the response. He made an outright claim to the most sacred name of God.  In John 8:58 Jesus said “before Abraham was I AM”. Pretty clear what He was saying.

These I AM passages beautifully illustrate our Savior, Jesus.  So Jesus said, “I AM the Light of the World” and “I AM the Bread of Life.” We talked of God’s provision to Israel in the wilderness after escaping Egypt. God, in addition to providing manna and quail, provided water. Where no water was naturally available, God provided it.  Moses struck a rock and out came water.  We can live quite a while without food, but not so long without water. I read we can only survive 3-7 days without water, but, without food, if we have water we can survive much longer, even a month or more. So water becomes the most essential provision for life.

In John 4, Jesus encounters a Samaritan woman at a well. Jesus is by himself, the disciples having gone to obtain food. He asks the woman for a drink. She is shocked and a bit alarmed, as she is a woman and a Samaritan, both cursed by Jewish men. Jesus responds to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” (John 4:10) She, understandably, wonders what water he is speaking of. Jesus, referring to the water in the well, says “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst again…a spring of living water unto eternal life.” (John 4:13-14) What follows are her questions, and His revealing how well He knows her. They discuss the differences in worship between Samaritans and Jews, and eventually she brings up the promise of a coming Messiah, to which Jesus responds, “I AM He.” (John 4:26)

In noting Christ’s character, I think it is important to repeat how amazing this conversation is. Jesus took the time to address a Samaritan, a people despised by most Israelis. And not just a Samaritan, a woman, lower than low in a male dominated world. To make things worse, she is a woman of questionable moral character.  All of this would have kept most any Jewish man (and many Samaritan men) from approaching her, let alone asking her for a drink and holding a lengthy, theological conversation with her. But not Jesus. He is very comfortable and purposeful. The woman is so taken by the experience, she runs back into town and, despite her probable low standing, convinces the people to come out and meet this man “who knew me”. 

Jesus knew this woman needed a relationship with God. He knew she was “thirsty” for more to life than she had found. He freely offered her a different life. And she, though hesitant and skeptical at first, takes what Jesus offers her, and then exploding with the news, ran to share with anyone who would listen. Jesus revealed Himself fully to this lowly woman, and it changed her forever.

Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, said “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness” (Matthew 5:60). He stands as the Bread of Life and the Living Water. While bread and, especially, water are absolute essentials to our physical life. Jesus is saying that even more those things are absolute essentials to our spiritual life, and they come in the form of the great I AM.

Do we hunger and thirst for righteousness in our life? Are we seeking an answer to life’s disappointments? Do we long for something more filling and satisfying than the bread and water found in our world? Jesus calls us to try the bread and water He offers. Like the woman, He can make our lives something different, something explosive. We can change! We can become more like Him, loving and accepting those around us, sharing The living bread and water with our world.