Living With Unmet Longing: A Study of the Woman at the WellSample

Who is Jesus?

People have been asking themselves this question since the day he was born and cradled in a feeding troth. Some say he was a wise teacher. Some say he was a prophet. Some say he was invented by first-century Jewish religious nuts. Some say he was divine—God made flesh.

In the gospel of John, people gossiped and speculated about who he was. Jesus, however, kept his cards close to the chest and told very few people (directly) who he was.

But this Samaritan woman is the exception.

The way Jesus treats this woman is remarkable. He pursues her. He listened to her. He understood the most vulnerable parts of her story. He respected her enough to disagree with her and show her where she was wrong.

And, in John 4:25-26, she became the first person in the gospel of John to get the truth, from Jesus himself, of who he was. He tells her without hesitation, “I am the Messiah.”

“Messiah” is the title the Jews held for a long-awaited king from David’s line. This king was meant to come and set the Jewish people free from oppression and restore it to the height of its glory and power under David.

The Jews were expecting a sword-wielding, chariot-driving warrior. But Jesus came as a powerful yet gentle healer—the kind of man who took time to speak with a heartbroken woman while she’s doing her daily chores.

Towards the end of John’s gospel, he turns this question onto his readers: Who is Jesus? He explains his purpose in writing, “But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name” (John 20:31, NLT).

John wants us to have the same experience that this woman at the well had: A life-changing encounter with the king who meets us in our suffering and promises living water.

Let’s go to him in prayer:

Jesus, I honor you as the king of my heart. I believe you are God’s chosen one sent to rescue me from my enemies and restore me to glory. You are the only source of abundant life. I praise you for your loving kindness. In your name I pray, amen.