Read John 4:4-6. Circle the words that stand out to you. What is the Lord saying to you?
4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
Digging Deeper
Long day. Rough day. Tiring day. Who has experienced that! With Thanksgiving a day away, the food preparations, the house cleaning, and the extra dishes to be set, and who knows how many pots and pans that one to clean unless you’re one of the lucky guests. Those are the things a host/hostess has to do when guests are invited.
Did Jesus had long, tiring days? The trip from Jerusalem back to Sychar is about 24.5 miles. It’s an uphill climb. It was about noon that Jesus and his disciples made it to Sychar. It is likely that they stopped overnight some place and left early to the next town, Sychar. Those last couples of miles must have been grueling for Jesus and His disciples. Jesus was tired when He made it to Sychar.
What do you do when you are tired? You rest. You want a drink and you want something to eat. You don’t want to go on and definitely you don’t want anyone to bother you. You want to be left alone. It appears that the men ran out of water and bread. Jesus stopped by the well to rest and to get a drink of water.
Do you ever regret making that long hike or long distance drive? Was it worth it? I wonder if those 12 men said to themselves, “Why is Jesus taking us through Sychar? Jews never go on this alternative route. If we stayed on the main road, it would have been a lot easier on all of us! Now we have to get water and buy bread from Samaritans! Ugh.”
The disciples didn’t know that God had something more for them to learn than just meeting their own physical needs. At the moment when you are weakest, God may have something greater for you and me than we think. It’s unfolding at that moment, but it will become clearer soon.
What is your normal response and is there a spiritual response to our physical tiredness of a long day? What are you thinking about after a long, tiring day? Does God has something more for you or is it more about yourself? Jesus stopped at the well for water. Where are you stopped at today? See anything coming?