The woman at the well, the one who had five husbands and was living with a man, not married to him, Jesus loved her. Jesus revealed His Messiah-ship to her and she believed. Jesus didn't start to reprimand the woman about her life choices. Jesus didn't wait for an upstanding married woman to converse with. Jesus spoke to a woman living a life as an outcast because of her sins. Why do you suppose Jesus made a point to go to the blatant sinners? Because the blatant sinners aren't hiding their sinfulness behind a cloak of self-righteousness. We need to recognize our sinfulness.
I read something recently about the fact that it was a full grown sheep that the good shepherd went to find- not a lamb. That realization hit home for me. I have a picture in my front entranceway of Jesus reaching down to save a lost sheep who was perched precariously on the side of a mountain. I stopped to look at that picture with the realization it was a sheep- one who knew better than to wander, one who was old enough to have spent time learning the ways of the herd. The sheep knew it had a good, protected life under the shepherd but it still wandered off. Am I giving the sheep too much intelligence, perhaps. I've never been a sheep herder, and unless I google it I won't know too much about them, but right now I don't want to google sheep behavior. I know that a shepherd guards the sheep- leading them to places to eat and drink, keeping them safe from predators, and then leads them to a safe pen at night. The shepherd is a caregiver and protector. Being cared for, being protected, these are good things. The adult sheep that wandered off was valued by the shepherd. The foolish sheep was valued by the shepherd. I don't know about you, but I do know I need my Shepherd to save me daily. I'm that old, chubby, scruffy, wandering sheep that is in need of protection, in need of saving, in need of being cared for in the way only my Savior can care for me. I depend upon my Shepherd for everything, for my very life and I can't let myself forget this. The Good Shepherd reaching down to save me, His sheep, this is a constant in my life, a knowledge of salvation only through Him. The evil of this world would have me forget my dependency upon Jesus, I must NEVER forget!
Joh 4:1 When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,
Joh 4:2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)
Joh 4:3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.
Joh 4:4 And he must needs go through Samaria.
Joh 4:5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
Joh 4:6 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.
Joh 4:7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
Joh 4:8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
Joh 4:9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
Joh 4:10 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.
Joh 4:11 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?
Joh 4:12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
Joh 4:13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
Joh 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Joh 4:15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
Joh 4:16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
Joh 4:17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
Joh 4:18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
Joh 4:19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
Joh 4:20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
Joh 4:21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Joh 4:22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Joh 4:25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
Joh 4:26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
Joh 4:27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?
Joh 4:28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
Joh 4:29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
Joh 4:30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
Joh 4:31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
Joh 4:32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
Joh 4:33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
Joh 4:34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
Joh 4:35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
Joh 4:36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
Joh 4:37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
Joh 4:38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.
Joh 4:39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
Joh 4:40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
Joh 4:41 And many more believed because of his own word;
Joh 4:42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
Joh 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
All through the love of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!!!!!!! Amen!
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