WOMAN AT THE WELL

WOMAN AT THE WELL by Doug Fortune

Now Jacob's well was there... There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink." (John 4:6-7) I believe there's still a 'woman' at the well...

In Biblical symbolism, the 'woman' speaks of the SOUL. Thayers Greek Definitions defines the word most often translated as soul, which is psuche in Greek, as "the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions (our heart, soul etc.)", or as we have so often heard it, the mind, will and emotions. There are also a couple of words translated as 'life' in the New Testament, one of which is psuche in Greek and the other is zoe in Greek. First, let me say that the soul is NOT intrinsically bad. Father gave you your soul! What is bad is when the 'life' that originates from the SOUL dominates the Life that originates from the Spirit, or the 'zoe life'. Jesus said He came to give us Life 'more abundantly', and that Life is the 'zoe life'; "I am come that they might have LIFE (zoe in Greek), and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)


There is a 'woman' at the well, looking for something deeper, looking for something that will satisfy her thirst. The soul of man knows that there has to be something beyond just the surface of things, something deep that will bring refreshing. However, so often she finds herself at 'Jacob's well'.

Jacob's well is located at the entrance to the valley between Ebal and Gerizim, south-east of Sychar, also called Shechem. Jacob's well still exists today, and even though after much rain it contains a little water, it is now usually quite dry. We can gain some insight from the location of Jacob's well between Ebal and Gerizim; "And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this LAW very plainly... Thou shalt therefore obey the voice of the Lord thy God, and do his commandments and his statutes, which I command thee this day. And Moses charged the people the same day, saying, These shall stand upon mount Gerizim to BLESS the people... And these shall stand upon mount Ebal to CURSE..." (Deuteronomy 27:8, 10-13)

Indeed, 'Jacob's well' still stands between 'Ebal and Gerizim', between blessing and cursing based upon religious performance. This religious mentality goes something like this: "If I do enough good stuff for God, maybe I'll be blessed. But I know that He's really waiting for me to mess up, so He can punish me." The book of Hebrews deals with this mentality; "Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest NOT, but a BODY hast Thou prepared Me... Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin Thou wouldest not, neither hadst PLEASURE therein; which are offered by the LAW..." (Hebrews 10:5, 8) Father is not interested in a LAW-based relationship based upon performance, rather He is looking for a BODY that is prepared for Him, a mature son that delights to do His will. What Father is looking for is someone who will say, I come to do thy will O God! "Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the FIRST, that he may establish the SECOND. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (Hebrews 10:9-10) As we read the context in Hebrews 10:5 ("Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest NOT, but a BODY hast Thou prepared Me...), verses 9-10 declare plainly that indeed Father is taking away the FIRST- sacrifice and offering, a LAW-based relationship based upon performance. He is establishing the SECOND- a BODY that is prepared for Him, a mature son that delights to do His will. This happens as we gain the understanding that we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ ONCE FOR ALL. We are not sanctified based upon our performance, but rather through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ ONCE FOR ALL. My friend, 'Jacob's well' of religious performance is dried up today, you won't find any water there.

We also know that Jacob's well was in a town called Sychar, also called Shechem; "...He arrived at a Samaritan town called Sychar, near the tract of land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph." (John 4:5 Amplified Bible) According to Thayers Greek Definitions the word translated as Sychar means DRUNKEN. 'Jacob's well' is still in 'Sychar'. In Biblical symbolism drunkenness often portrays the religious mentality. The book of the Revelation speaks of this; "And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made DRUNK with the wine of her fornication... And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, The Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth. And I saw the woman DRUNKEN with the blood of the saints..." (Revelation 17:1-2, 5-6) Indeed, the 'great whore' sitting upon the many waters of the unregenerate is Babylon, she is 'religion', man's approach to God based upon performance. She makes men drunk and she is drunk with their 'blood', she is drunk with their soulish carnality. When you are drunk, you think you are wonderful and charming when you are not. Drunk people think they can do all sorts of things they are not capable of, perhaps that's why most karaoke happens in bars. Drunkenness produces an illusion that all is well and wonderful when it is not. This is what religion produces as we busy ourselves with our programs and activities, an illusion that all is well and wonderful and that we are making a difference when in reality it is not well and wonderful and we are not making a difference. Perhaps that is why the 'woman' at the well is still thirsting for something deeper...

We don't often read of Jesus being weary, but I do find it of interest that John records, "Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being WEARIED with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour." (John 4:6) Perhaps this is merely my opinion, but I believe that Jesus is still weary with 'Jacob's well'. "There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink." (John 4:7) You just never know who Father is going to have you ministering to when you are sensitive and obedient. A 'Samaritan woman' is not where most of us would begin our 'church growth' campaign.

Just to give us a bit of the context here, remember that the Samaritans were quite a 'mixed bag' ethnically and not exactly desirable to the Jews; "And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof." (2 Kings 17:24) Upon the return from Babylonian Exile, the Jews refused the Samaritans participation with them in the worship at Jerusalem, so the Samaritans separated from the Jews altogether. The Samaritans even built a rival temple for themselves on Mount Gerizim, although their temple was razed to the ground by a Jewish king in 130 B.C. Also a system of worship was instituted similar to that of the temple at Jerusalem. Therefore the bitter enmity between the Jews and Samaritans continued in the time of Jesus, as it is recorded that "...the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans." (John 4:9)

It is into this context that Jesus thrusts us as He speaks to the woman saying, "Give me to drink." (John 4:7) The spiritual application for us in this is that we may have to lay down some of our exclusive and judgmental Christianized thinking and start actually asking questions of those who are of different belief than we are. It seems that so often we view unbelievers and those of different spiritual background as threatening. And we certainly wouldn't want to ask them any questions about their beliefs! It's like we are afraid they might talk us into something. We are quick to pull out our Four Spiritual Laws tract and begin our prepared 'evangelism talk'. Perhaps, like Jesus, we need to start asking them, Give me to drink... tell me what is in the 'well' you are drinking from? Granted, many today are drinking from some pretty polluted 'wells' as their spiritual thirst seeks to be satisfied. However we have nothing to fear, for we live in a higher realm, the third heaven, and are not subject to any kind of spiritual influence from the second heaven realm of principalities and powers. The 'woman' at the well is not a threat, she just needs Jesus. Let us make sure we have 'Living Water' to offer her.

I find the next exchange between Jesus and the woman quite enlightening, "Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water." (John 4:10) Do we really know the Gift of God that is within us, and Who is really speaking to the 'woman' at the well? Let this sink in a moment- If thou knewest the gift of God, and WHO IT IS that saith to thee, Give me to drink...
If it is merely US ministering to the 'woman' at the well, we will have limited results. Now then, there is nothing wrong with memorizing some Scriptures and being prepared, however it cannot merely be US doing the talking! We must understand the Gift of God, the fullness of Christ that is within us, and allow Him to minister THROUGH us. Our words and actions must originate from the Christ within! He is the Hand that does the ministering, we are simply the glove. His are the Words that do the ministering, we are simply the mouthpiece.

We must have it absolutely settled in our hearts exactly WHO we have within us and the extent of His power to minister to the 'woman', for she will surely ask questions; "The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?" (John 4:11-12) In other words the 'woman' at the well may say, You don't necessarily LOOK like anything special, what makes you so sure that what you have is greater than what I already have? Our response is to be the same as the Master's response, "Jesus answered her, All who drink of this water will be thirsty again. But whoever takes a drink of the water that I will give him shall never, no never, be thirsty any more. But the water that I will give him shall become a spring of water welling up (flowing, bubbling) [continually] within him unto (into, for) eternal life." (John 4:13-14 Amplified Bible) This response cannot merely be a declaration of doctrine, an announcement of our mental ascent to a spiritual concept... it must flow from our life EXPERIENCE. The 'woman' at the well can see through our religious veils, she is looking for something REAL and experiential.

I love the way that Jesus then begins to speak prophetically into the woman's life; "Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet." (John 4:16-19) Firstly, in a purely natural sense we see that as He speaks to her, there is no condemnation. He realizes that the woman is longing for intimacy, but just like the old Country Western song goes, she has been "Looking for Love all the Wrong Places." Here, once again, I believe that this is a model for us as we must lay down our judgmental religious mindsets if we are to truly minister to the 'woman' at the well. Too many of us are offended when sinners sin... duh! Sinners sin because that is their nature. Jesus does not bring condemnation because of the woman's actions, for He knows she is only doing what she knows to do. I love what Jesus says about this woman, as I believe He is looking beyond her actions and her current circumstances; "Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband." Now then, we are going to dig beneath the surface of these words of Jesus and see a spiritual truth that is laid open before us. Remember that the Bible is first and foremost a spiritual book written in spiritual language to spiritual people; "And we are setting these truths forth in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the [Holy] Spirit, combining and interpreting spiritual truths with spiritual language [to those who possess the Holy Spirit]." (1Corinthians 2:13 Amplified Bible)

Five, the number of GRACE... that's how many husbands the 'woman' at the well had previously. I believe this speaks of the measure of GRACE that Father extends to the soul earnestly looking for something deeper, those looking for something that will satisfy their thirst, and yes, even those "Looking for Love all the Wrong Places." Now then, I am NOT saying that 'all paths lead to God' or anything remotely like that, for the Bible is clear when it says, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but BY ME." (John 14:6) Jesus also said, "I am the door: BY ME if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." (John 10:9) However, I sincerely believe that Father extends a measure of GRACE to the soul that is earnestly searching for something deeper. "But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou SHALT FIND Him, if thou seek Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul." (Deuteronomy 4:29) Just as with the 'woman' at the well, He will make Himself known to those who earnestly seek truth.

Jesus then makes such a freeing proclamation over this 'woman' at the well, "he whom thou NOW hast is NOT thy HUSBAND: in that saidst thou truly." She had previously had five husbands, but the sixth man was NOT her husband, she was NOT bound to him. Six is the number of carnality, it is the number of the earthly Adamic man. Friend, the spiritual truth that is being unveiled here is that the 'woman' at the well is NOT bound to the Adamic carnal nature! She is NOT married to him! Yes, she is living with him but there is no permanent bond. She is free to separate herself from the 'sixth man' and be married to the 'Seventh Man', which is Jesus Christ!

Remember, this 'woman' is a seeker, she's no dummy, she is at the well looking for something deeper, and she has lots of questions; "Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." She is spiritually oriented, she understands there is a 'high calling', thus she shifts the conversation to mountains (a high calling) and worship. Genuine seekers of truth understand that there is a 'high calling', a greater purpose, that it is really NOT all about them in life. Friend, THESE are the very people that we want to bring into the Kingdom! Yes, they might appear to be a bit more intimidating than those who are attracted by a 'needs oriented' gospel, but they are worth the effort.

So the conversation has now shifted to mountains- Our fathers worshipped in THIS mountain, you say THAT mountain is the place to worship! Remember that Jacob's well was located at the entrance to the valley between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, so the mountain she is speaking of is Mount Gerizim. This speaks of a LAW-based relationship based upon performance- blessed if you keep the law, cursed if you don't. Zion was the mountain where the Jews worshipped. It seems that in life there are always two mountains where we can worship. One is born of a LAW-based relationship, the other is born of intimate relationship and covenant. "But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem... To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven..." (Hebrews 12:22-23) One is a mountain of WORK, the other is a mountain of REST.

I love this visual imagery of mountains, it is so easy to understand. A mountain simply speaks symbolically of those places that we lift up high in our lives, those things of the greatest importance, those things we worship. The Old Testament is filled with references to the 'high places' where people worshipped. Now don't forget our context of the encounter with the 'woman' at the well, but come with me to a mountain we find in the book of Genesis; "And the ark RESTED in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat." (Genesis 8:4) We tend to think of the flood of Genesis in negative terms, we think of God's judgment upon the earth. In reality, it was God's judgment upon carnality. In reality, it was God cleansing the earth... that is a good thing, not a bad thing. It was Father providing a new beginning, bringing forth a new creation of sorts.

The 'ark' serves as a type of Christ, and only that which was WITHIN THE ARK survived God's judgment upon carnality. And so it is for us, as the only things in our lives that survive God's judgment upon carnality are those attributes of the character of Christ, or that which is IN Christ. So it is within the context of Father providing a new beginning, bringing forth a new creation that we read, "And the ark RESTED in the seventh month, on the SEVENTEENTH day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat." (Genesis 8:4) The timing of the ark finding its' resting place is significant- the seventeenth day of the seventh month. Now then, years later the Feast of Tabernacles would begin on the FIFTEENTH day of the seventh month; "Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord." (Leviticus 23:34) So the ark RESTED on the THIRD DAY of what would become the Feast of Tabernacles! Is this a spiritual picture for us or what?! Remember that Father is outside and beyond the confines of our time and space continuum. He sees the end from the beginning. He planned the Feast of Tabernacles long before the flood ever happened, and He planned that the ark would REST on the THIRD DAY of the Feast of Tabernacles! I believe that this is a picture of the very time we are living in now, as Father is bringing forth a new creation in the earth in this prophetic millennial THIRD DAY; "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that ONE DAY is with the Lord as a THOUSAND YEARS, and a thousand years as one day." (2 Peter 3:8), "After two days will He revive us: in the THIRD DAY He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight." (Hosea 6:2)

The ARK is RESTING on the THIRD DAY of the Feast of Tabernacles! And on what mountain is the ark resting?... "upon the mountains of Ararat." Now get this, the Hebrew word Ararat means, "the CURSE REVERSED." Did you catch that?... the CURSE REVERSED!

Father is providing a new beginning, so that all who are truly IN Christ (the ARK), are RESTING in the Finished Work on the THIRD DAY of the Feast of Tabernacles because the CURSE is REVERSED! This is exactly what was happening with the 'woman' at the well, as the curse of 'many husbands', the curse of the 'sixth man'- carnality, was being reversed. Jesus was providing a new beginning, so she could REST in Him. This woman knew ABOUT Christ, but until then did not yet have a 'revelation' of Christ; "The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things." (John 4:25) Then Jesus REVEALS Himself to her, "Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am He... The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?" (John 4:26, 28-29)

As soon as the woman got a 'revelation' of Christ, the many questions stopped and she "left her waterpot" (John 4:28), she left her old way of satisfying her thirst behind. She left the 'sixth man'- carnality behind. She left Mount Gerizim behind. So it is for us, as the 'woman' at the well gets a 'revelation' of Christ, she will leave her old way of satisfying her thirst behind, she will leave carnality behind, she will leave Mount Gerizim (a LAW-based relationship based upon performance) behind. She will REST in the Finished Work on the THIRD DAY of the Feast of Tabernacles because the CURSE is REVERSED!

And WHERE will the 'woman' at the well get a 'revelation' of Christ? "Thus saith the LORD... men of stature, shall come over unto THEE, and they shall be THINE: they shall come after THEE; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto THEE, they shall make supplication unto THEE, saying, Surely GOD IS IN THEE; and there is none else, there is no God. Verily thou art a God that HIDEST Thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour." (Isaiah 45:14-15) Indeed, He is the God Who hides Himself, and Paul tells us both WHERE He hides Himself and WHERE the 'woman' at the well will get a 'revelation' of Christ; "...Christ IN YOU, the hope of glory!" (Colossians 1:27) Yes, my friend, this is the day Christ is being glorified and admired IN His people; "When He comes to be glorified IN His saints [on that day He will be made more glorious IN His consecrated people], and [He will] be marveled at and admired [in His glory reflected] IN all who have believed..." (2 Thessalonians 1:10 Amplified Bible)

The 'woman' at the well is looking for something deeper, looking for something that will satisfy her thirst. Let us not leave her at 'Jacob's well', pursuing a LAW-based relationship based upon performance. Let us take her to a different 'Well' that Jesus introduces us to in the Feast of Tabernacles; "He who believes in Me... as the Scripture has said, From his innermost being shall flow [continuously] springs and rivers of living water." (John 7:38 Amplified Bible) Our passage ends with the woman at the well making an announcement that is more of a declaration than a question, "...is not THIS the Christ?" (John 4:29) I believe this too shall be the declaration of the 'woman' at the well as she gets a 'revelation' of Christ glorified IN His people, "...is not THIS the Christ!?" Or in other words, Is not THIS just what and Who we have been searching for? Friends, this is the day that all who are truly IN Christ (the ARK) are RESTING in the Finished Work on the THIRD DAY of the Feast of Tabernacles because the CURSE of Adamic carnality is REVERSED!

Source: www.InChristInternational.com