The Intention of Christ

John 4:1-7 “Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar (shy-car), near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”

If we look at this chapter through the lens of Jewish culture, Christ is doing everything wrong. Number 1, He chooses the wrong route, going through Samaria. Next, He speaks to a strange woman in public, a big cultural no-no for a religious leader. To add insult to injury, He asks a Samaritan woman to give Him a drink from her vessel. Now, He’s touching something that she has made unclean. These choices were all against the cultural norms of the time and certainly outside of common Jewish practices. It’s almost as if Jesus is breaking all the rules on purpose. So, we look back to where John tells us that “He needed to go through Samaria.”

This is what I propose. In every interaction Christ is intentional. In Mark Chapter 5, He intentionally crosses the sea to the country of the Gaderenes to deliver the demon-possessed man. In John Chapter 11 Jesus intentionally waits until Lazarus is dead in the grave for 4 days before He returns to raise him from the dead. This is no different. Jesus needed to be at that well, at that time, and on that day because she, the Samaritan Woman, would be there. This was not a chance interaction. Jesus intentionally directed His path to interact with her.

Just as He was intentional then, He is intentional now. Christ is intentionally meeting every need we have as we come to Him. Meet with Him today. Don’t let the lies of the enemy ring louder than the compassion of our Savior as He intentionally meets you right where you are at.

Pastor Amber Clendenin