ALIVE: Chapter 129, Conversion by Living Water

Glowing with the spirit of their baptism, and teeming with the concept that their leader, Jesus, was the Son of God, the disciples, each man in his own way automatically tried to settle back into being the same person he had always been, not realizing why that was impossible. It was important for everyone to carry on the work of the itinerant teacher and healer, to be the shield and support that Jesus needed to surround Himself with. What they didn’t know yet was what their lives and reputations would be after He was gone. In those first days of revelation, they just knew that the reality of who Jesus was, and who by relation they were was overwhelming. The intensity of it all was muffled by performing the practicalities of life. Food, shelter, travel, and washing clothes. Each of the twelve matured at his own rate and ability. 

Mary’s house was shaping up. In fact, it was almost complete. Fresh paint, some new furniture. Jesus was pleased with what they had accomplished in just a few weeks. It was time to return to Nazareth to tell her that she could move in whenever she was ready. 

They would leave the following week, on the Second Day. Meanwhile, the men scattered for a few days, walking around the big city, shopping, visiting people they knew, and going to the temple. Jesus went alone to visit the tomb of His grandparents, and to His grandmother’s garden in Gethsemane. Taking in the great and ancient city, Jesus thought to Himself, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” He lamented the blindness, the stubbornness, the hardness of heart that characterized so many of the inhabitants of a city rich in gifts from God. The most magnificent gift being that from Jerusalem He would someday sacrifice Himself. But it wasn’t time to think about that now. There was still much to do. After spending the entire day on His own, wandering around Jerusalem without His disciples, in anonymity, it was time to go home. How He had enjoyed the day to Himself, and the city where even as a child He came with his mother and father Joseph to celebrate the Passover. ‘Oh what a Passover have I in store for the people of God!’

The sun was setting in the west behind the hills and buildings. The darkening sky was illuminated with blazing red streaks. He walked in the front door just in time before total darkness descended up the city, and just in time for supper. 

“Oh good! Here you are!” greeted Bartholomew. “We wondered if we should start without You? Did You have a good day Jesus? I have made lamb stew, the best ever. Wash up.” And in a louder voice to the rest of the men who were not on his cooking crew Bartholomew said, “Come on, time to eat.”

The men all washed in the ceremonial way, and sat in their regular places around the table and in their scattered seats. The buffet was set up, and the disciples filed up to it to take their utensils and fill their plates. When everyone was seated and waiting politely, Jesus stood and offered the thanksgiving prayer. 

Some evenings they would dine in silence, but this was not one of them. Each man wanted to tell of his adventure of the day and listen to the others. Conversations among two or three filled the room. 

Before empty plates, Thomas said to Jesus, loud enough for all to hear, “Where do we go from here and when?”

Jesus replied, “We will go north via Samaria.”

The disciples looked at each other thinking that they had never been to Samaria, which was a town of foreigners. Why would Jesus want to go there? 

Jesus explained, “I want to visit Jacob’s well, and besides, it’s a good second stopping point, towards Nazareth. We will go in a caravan that stops at Giv at Asaf. We will spend the night camping there, and the next day the same caravan will take us to Sychar, near Nablus, near Jacob’s well that he gave to Joseph.”

James and Andrew nodded in agreement thinking that was as good a route as any, lamenting having to leave the cozy renovated home to go back to camping. 

“We leave soon, so let’s make the house sparkle, wash our clothes and pack some food for the journey.” said Jesus. 

On the morning of their departure and as they it filed out of the house, Jesus, being the last to leave took a good look around and imagined that His mother would be very comfortable there, with her memories of her mother, and her father’s books. He blessed the house with protection, and gently shut the door.

“I’m ready. Let’s go.”

The men walked in twos and threes over to the caravan stop to pick up the camels and donkeys that Peter had reserved. Four legs are so much quicker than two. The road was straight and well travelled. The earth was so hard that little dust was given off. The sound of so many hooves sounded like drum beats in the air. 

Every few hours the caravan of camels and donkeys, with two coaches occupied by the very young and very old would stop to rest and water the animals. It wasn’t until dusk that they stopped for the night. It was a desolate place but the solid still ground under their feet was welcome. The travelers all dispersed to find their own camping ground. Reconnoitering, John spotted an abandoned fire pit with space enough for Jesus and His men. He called the others to come and claim it. After so many hours of bobbing up and down in the monotonous terrain, they were happy to be still. They set up camp for the night and spread out their food. Jesus lead a prayer service, the men recited psalms and Jesus, having inherited His mother and His grandmother’s talent led them in chant. 

Having first thanked and glorified God, they quickly spread out food for supper, ate, cleaned up, set up their bedrolls and fell into deep and revitalizing sleep. Daybreak woke up some and the sounds of the those awake, especially the loud children, woke up the rest of the members of the caravan. 

The second day of travel was easier to endure and shorter. The caravan stopped in the city of  Sychar in Samaria about the sixth hour when the sun was at its highest. This was the stop for Jesus and His men. They dismounted and bid the team leader thanks and farewell to their fellow travelers.

The men dispersed to scout out this city of strangers and to buy more food while Jesus, weary from the journey went directly to Jacob’s well to rest. ‘So this is the parcel of land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. And this is the famous well.’ thought Jesus to himself and He thought about Jacob and his love for Rachel, about his sin with Esau and how he paid many times over for stealing his brother’s inheritance by feigning Esau’s identity. How poor Jacob was duped himself when homely Leah appeared after working seven years for Rachel. He deserved it, he accepted that. Patient and humbled. Jesus thought about the joy that Jacob felt when at last Rachel was pregnant, and then about the day of Joseph’s birth. His eleventh son, but no. Something more than that, much more. With the hot sun beating down on Jesus He became very thirsty. He prayed that people who came to Jacob’s well for relief could drink of Jacob’s patience and his humility. Joseph was the reward. 

Jesus was shaken out of his daydreaming by a woman who was approaching the well. Wasn’t it too late in the day for a woman to be fetching water? And she was alone. In His village the women would gather at the well early in the morning to gossip and help each other to lift the heavy buckets out of the well and onto their heads. When this woman came close enough He said, “Give me water woman.”

The woman who was already brave enough to approach this strange man at the well replied, “How is it that you, a Jew are asking me, a Samaritan, to give you water?” She was not just brave, she was brazen.

Jesus, matching her hutzpah replied, “If you only knew who I am, who asked you to give him water, you would have asked him to give you living water.”

This woman smiled thinking that she had met her match. So she kept it up. “You don’t even have anything to draw the water up with, and this well is very deep. How do you expect to get your living water? Are you greater than our father, Jacob, who gave us this well, and drank of it himself, and so did his sons, and his cattle?”

Jesus enjoyed that she mentioned Jacob and as if they were sparring with words twisted the conversation and went right for her heart. “Everyone who drinks this water,” then He looked at the dark deep bottomless hole and then up into her green eyes, “Everyone who drinks the water from this well will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks of the water that I have and will give, My water will become a well of water inside him that will spring up into eternal life.”

Her eyes opened wide, her forehead furrowed. ‘He won.’ She thought to herself. “Are you offering? I’ll take it! Give Me this water so I won’t ever thirst again and never have to shlep all this way to fetch water” she stopped short of saying ‘in the hot afternoons to avoid those  bitches.’

Jesus replied, “Alright!”

She perked up in anticipation of receiving the magic potion from this Jewish stranger. 

Jesus added, “Go back. Get your husband and bring him here. I’ll wait.”

She said, “I don’t have a husband.” not wanting to take the chance that He would leave, but instead challenged Him to produce this magic potion right then no there. She had never enjoyed such an extensive conversation with such an interesting man before, especially a Jew! She didn’t want to leave for that reason too. She was having too much fun.

Knowing her mind, and to bring her closer to reality, He added, “You are right in saying you have no husband. You have had five husbands, and this man you live with is not even your husband.”

Shocked, once again how this Man pinned her down. Her cockiness melted away. In a sweet sincere voice she said, “Are you a prophet? It looks that way to me. Our fathers worshipped at this mountain, and you Jews say that Jerusalem is the only place men ought to worship.” She said that to distance herself from Him, as He was getting too personal, and she was becoming slightly frightened by Him. How would He, a Jew, respond to that?

“Woman. Believe me, the hour is coming when neither at this mountain, nor even only in  Jerusalem, shall God the Father of mankind be worshipped. You worship that which you don’t even know. You Samaritans are very wrong in your beliefs. Salvation is from the Jews.” Jesus said that because if she was going to push away, He would make her see that she was pushing away from Truth which the Samaritans have always done. Then He added, “The time is coming, and actually has already come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. That is what God the Father wants. He seeks to be worshipped in spirit and truth. You see woman, God is Spirit. That’s why He wants to be worshipped in spirit and truth.”

She was becoming increasingly amazed by this man and their extensive conversation. She didn’t even noticed that in this busy city, no one during the past half hour had walked by to fetch water and interrupt them. To show that she wasn’t completely ignorant she added. “I know that the Messiah is coming, and when He comes He will teach us all things. We Samaritans, like you Jews are waiting for the Messiah. We aren’t so different.”

Jesus replied so simply and matter-of-factly that such an understatement caught her off guard, “The One who speaks to you, woman, is He.”

Before the woman could mentally digest this shocking announcement by this Jewish man, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching. The conversation may have to end! She had so much more to say.

Peter nudged his brother Andrew, “Look! Now I’ve seen everything. Jesus is talking to a Samaritan. And a woman no less!” Andrew nodded but didn’t answer; they were approaching rapidly and he didn’t want Jesus to hear them. The others noticed too, but no one said anything.

“Did you see what I see?” said Thomas to Judas.    

“Jesus is talking with a woman.”

“Um yes, but a Samaritan woman.”

“He never ceases to surprise us. Didn’t God ask us to separate ourselves? Let’s give Him a hard time.” teased Thomas.

When Thomas and Judas came within earshot Judas gave the woman a sharp look and to Jesus a jerk of the neck that asked Him what He was doing talking with that woman. Jesus ignored Judas and looked at the woman to see what else she had to say. 

The woman, seeing that she was being replaced by His friends, quickly excused herself. She was so flustered that she left her water pot behind, which was lucky for the disciples and Jesus who used it to get water from the well. 

She walked quickly to the town square and immediately spotted her friend Hannah who was among the group of women she had been trying to avoid by going to the well late. But she was so flustered that she forgot about all that and said to Hannah, “Come, see a man, who told me all things that I ever did. Can this be the Messiah?”

“Calm down. What are you talking about?”

The other ladies wanted to walk away when they saw Jezebel coming toward them as it was their practice to shun her, but their curiosity forced them to stay and listen to what she was so anxious to say. Other women and a few men approached this group, attracted by Jezebel’s fervor. 

Hannah said, “Where is He?”

Jezebel replied, “He’s at the well. Do you want to see Him?”

“Sure, why not. But let me tell my husband. I’ll meet you there.”

Most of the other ladies and men were ready to go too. Some also went to fetch husbands and children. 

Meanwhile. All the disciples arrived at the well, fortified with sacks of figs and bread, smoked meat and olives. 

Peter said, “Come let’s sit down and eat. Jesus, you must be starving.”

Jesus, in His enigmatic way replied, “I have meat that you don’t even know about.”

Simon and Bartholomew looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. Simon said in a low voice, “Did someone come here and bring him meat while we were gone?”

Jesus heard Simon and said, “No one brought me meat, My meat is to do the will of the Father who sent Me, and to accomplish His work.”

Simon and Bartholomew nodded pretending to understand what He meant by that. 

Jesus disregarded that and went on, “Don’t say there are still four more months before the harvest. I tell you to look up, look around at the fields, the harvest is ready.”

Many of the men looked around at the desert. 

Jesus said, “Whoever reaps this harvest will be rewarded, He will be paid for what you didn’t do; others have done the hard work, all you men need to do is to collect the harvest. Enter into their labor.”

Thomas nudged Judas and said in a low voice, “Is He asking us to make Jews out of Samaritans?”

Judas replied, “I think so. But I don’t think that’s a miracle I can do.” And then he went over to the well and picked up the woman’s bucket that the others had emptied. And lowered it down. ‘What as deep well,’ he thought.

After everyone had their fill of water and were just resting and a few of the men even found a place to nap, they heard a group of about twenty people approaching. Jezebel being among them. 

“Look He is still here.” And approaching Jesus she said, “Sir, my neighbors want to meet the Messiah.” Hearing herself say that, she wasn’t sure if she sounded a bit sarcastic, but she didn’t mean to, so she added, “Speak to them.”

“Of course.” Jesus went on and talked to them about baptism and repentance. He made clear the difference between the errors of the Samaritans and the truth of Moses, the commandments, the Law, especially to love, and trust the One True God and to have no other gods before Him. He spoke about helping the distressed. “If you see a person on the road who is hurt, don’t walk by him or her. Stop. Do whatever you can to heal the person, even at your own expense, and God will reward you, and you have made a friend for life. You never know when someday, that person that you helped, will come to your rescue, or even someone else.”

Besides His teachings the magnetism of Jesus’s persona attracted Him to many of the people in the crowd. One man stood out, “Please stay here with us. Come and stay in my home. My friends here can shelter your disciples. We want to know more. 

One man said to his neighbor in a low voice, “I’ve heard enough, I’m going home.” And his neighbor said, “i’m going with you. He’s an interesting guy, but He expects too much.”

As the crowd dwindled and the sun was lowering rapidly Jezebel said, “It’s time we all went home. Come stay at my house. What is your name by the way?”

Jesus chuckled to Himself. “My name is Jesus, what’s yours?”

“My name is Jezebel.”

“Okay, Jezebel, thank you, I will. How many of us do you have room for?”

“I can put up three people, but I’ll find room for the others.”

Other men and women came forward to offer their homes. They were fascinated by this rabbi and His disciples. He truly seemed to offer living water, teachings that could elevate them above the petty problems and rancor that they were accustomed to. They became believers and vowed to themselves to follow His advice. 

The next day a few of the townsfolk got together and prepared a feast for Jesus and His disciples for the following day. They prepared three lambs on the spit and cooked them all night long. Others baked loaves and loves of bread, while others gathered wine from the townsfolk for the feast. While the young men gathered and set up tables and chairs in the city square. 

Jesus was pleased by the reception. They were Samaritans, but they were good hearted, receptive and generous people. He stood up and offered thanks to God for the feast and for leading Him to their city. Then He thanked the people for their hospitality. 

After the prayer, Jesus sat down. Hannah’s husband stood up; he lifted his wine glass and said, “Now we believe everything Jezebel told us about You Jesus. Not because she told us, but because we heard it from You for ourselves. I for one, and I am sure that most of us here can say that we believe that You are indeed the Savior of the world. Our world has needed a Savior for as long as I can remember. God be with You.” Hannah’s husband, saying those words come out of his mouth, but from his heart got all choked up and teared up a bit. 

Jesus stood up again, “Thank you. May you be blessed and protected. Remember, don’t be harsh to the unbelievers. They hurt themselves enough. I wish I could stay with you always, there is so much for you to learn, but my men and I must be off tomorrow. We are headed to Nazareth to deliver a message to My mother. I will always remember you folks in prayer. Shalom.”

Then Jesus sat and enjoyed the festivities. After the meal there was dancing and singing. Men, women and children had indeed been drinking Living Water.