As we continue our journey through Jesus' conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, we see a crucial moment when Jesus shifts from offering her "living water" to confronting her sin. Today, we'll explore why true repentance is the necessary gateway to experiencing the life-giving refreshment that only Jesus offers.
John 4:16-18 "He said to her, 'Go, call your husband and come here.' The woman answered and said, 'I have no husband.' Jesus said to her, 'You have correctly said, "I have no husband"; for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.'"
Have you ever noticed how Jesus doesn't follow the modern evangelism script? In our world of feel-good religion, we often want to address felt needs without ever touching on the uncomfortable reality of sin. We want to skip straight to the "living water" without talking about why we're so desperately thirsty in the first place.
But Jesus takes a different approach. He offers this woman living water—but before she can taste it, she must be confronted with her sin. The great physician doesn't just treat symptoms; He goes after root causes.
Jesus' omniscience is on full display here. He sees through her mask, her posturing, her attempt to conceal her true identity. In that moment, all her ambitions to hide her sinful condition vanish in the heat of the all-knowing Savior.
Why does Jesus expose her sin? Is He trying to embarrass her? Is He performing a parlor trick to impress her? Absolutely not. He's revealing to her that He knows what no one else knows—because only when a wound is found can it be healed.
Was this woman trying to be sinful? Probably not. She was trying to find happiness, and she was willing to embrace what she wanted at the expense of what she knew to be right. Sound familiar? We do the same thing all the time. We rationalize sin, then justify it, then indulge in it—all while telling ourselves that God just wants us to be happy.
But worship of the one true God can only begin when our idols have been exposed—when our false masters and pseudo-saviors have been brought to light. Some people want to come to Christ while still hanging on to the idols of sex, prestige, reputation, or wealth. But Jesus isn't interested in half-hearted commitment or partial surrender.
There are three types of sinners in the world. First, there's the total prodigal—the hedonist who plunges headlong into sin without any regard for consequences. Second, there's the self-righteous moral person who sets a high bar but still falls short of Jesus' command to "be perfect." And third, there's the person in the middle who thinks they're neither—and that person is probably more lost than either of the others.
The point of Scripture is that we are all condemned, regardless of where we set our own moral bar. The experience of Living Water is only tasted by those who are confronted with their sin.
Remember, God exposes our sin not to push us away, but because it's the necessary prerequisite for Him to shower us with grace and bring us near. Later, this woman will go and say, "This man told me everything I ever did!"—and she'll become a powerful witness for the Savior. Her excitement, engagement, and passion are built upon the bedrock of knowing that nothing is hidden from God, yet God has forgiven her of all of it.
1. In what areas of your life have you been rationalizing sin by telling yourself "God just wants me to be happy"?
2. Which of the three types of sinners do you most identify with, and how might that be hindering your relationship with God?
3. How has confronting and confessing your sin actually drawn you closer to God rather than pushing you away?
Stay dialed in,
Jonny Ardavanis