Speaking of water, I spent time this week in John chapter 4, teaching about the “living water” that Jesus offers.  I asked the students how many of them were affected by divorce in their family, or knew anyone that had been divorced.  Surprisingly, there were few.  I know that it’s not uncommon here for people to just live together like a married couple even though they have not actually exchanged vows before God, or gone before the justice of the peace.   That’s not a marriage.  It’s called fornication and is part of the pathway to hell if not repented of.  But this was my introduction to the story of the Samaritan woman at the well and her encounter with Jesus.

The Samaritan woman is the picture of the “broken cisterns” of Jeremiah 2:13.  The world’s advice, along with the forsaking of her first (and only valid) marriage covenant, had left her isolated and miserable – unmistakably dry spiritually.  Nothing in this 4th chapter of John tells me that she went on in her sin.  She really displayed a strong case of repentance to drop what she was doing and run into the village and announce the Messiah.  Oh that we would see more of this type of repentance today!