Scripture
John 4:9-14 (ESV)
The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Devotional Reflection
Jesus hadn’t come here just to remind this woman of her emptiness. He had come to fill it with his love and forgiveness. He had come through this country, to this well, at this hour, for this purpose. To announce to this woman—to this forgotten and lonely daughter of Abraham—the good news that the days of her emptiness were ending. That the God of Heaven was not content to dwell high up on a sacred mountain or be worshipped from a distance in a marble Temple, but that he himself had come to gather a new community of worshippers. The great “I AM” who brought forth water from a rock in order to satisfy a rebellious and stiff-necked people had also loved the world so much that he had taken on the frailty of human flesh so that he could dwell among the people who needed him most. So that he could meet them in the very places where they had become brittle and dry. So that he could share in their weaknesses and their struggles. Indeed, the hour was coming when he would even shoulder the weight of their burden and carry it to the cross. Where he would know the torment of thirst that cannot be satisfied. Where he would die as an outcast. Hated. Rejected. Alone.
And yet, when at last they would pierce his side, a fountain of blood and water would come forth. On that day, as the prophets foretold, the great “I AM” would again open up a fountain in the wilderness. From his wounds would flow a life-giving stream. On that day, this spring of life that was unleashed on Mt. Calvary would turn into a flood that would send its torrents into every dry and dusty valley that sin had hollowed out. So that sinners could bathe in this flood of forgiveness, life, and salvation. So that they could drink from this fountain of living water--which is able to satisfy the deepest needs and longings of every dry and empty human soul.
Image Description (AI Prompt)
A painted abstract interpretation of a water fountain, where the predominant color is blue, capturing the essence and fluidity of water. This artwork is to be visualized as if created with brush strokes and paint textures, giving it a rich, tactile quality. The image should blend the simplicity of abstract shapes with the depth and variation of paint on canvas, using shades of blue to convey the movement and serenity of the fountain. The brushwork adds dynamism and a sense of spontaneity to the composition, with lighter and darker blues creating contrast and depth. This painted version emphasizes the artistic expression of water's flow, imagined as a piece that could hang in a gallery, inviting viewers to feel the movement and tranquility of the water through the medium of paint.