The Well of Jacob or The Spring of
Life?
Scientists tell us that
water is the nurturer of life. So when astronomers investigate if there is life
on other planets, the search for a water source becomes an important indicator
of the existence of life. Where there is a source of water, there is life.
Jesus Christ used a water source as a metaphor of the life that He bestows on
us. ¡§Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I
give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
(John 4:14)
The fourth chapter of the
Gospel of John contains several important Truths. 1) Jesus Christ is the Spring
of the Living Water, the source of the life of God. Referring to water from the
Well of Jacob, Christ allegorized how the bountiful life of the Son of God is
sufficient to satisfy the spiritual needs of generations upon generations of
people. (In the New Testament, the words ¡§well¡¨ in verse 6 and ¡§spring¡¨ in
verse 14 are the same word in Greek) Also, Christ wants especially to let us
know that He is greater and more powerful than Jacob.
The
Samaritan woman knew of and was proud of their common ancestor Jacob. She
considered him to be very capable because he found a water source in the
immense, semi-arid expanse of Palestine. Using simple digging techniques, he
successfully dug quite a deep well. He, his sons and all their livestock
depended on water from this well in order to survive. He also left this well to
his descendents, all through to the time of Jesus. (From Jacob to Christ was a
span of over 1,900 years) It is almost inconceivable that a well that was dug
by hand lasted over 1,900 years and still remained, the well water continuously
supplying uncountable people and livestock. For the people of Sychar in
Samaria, generations of them were beholden to Jacob. No wonder the Samaritan
woman felt proud because of Jacob, and was grateful to him for leaving the well
so that they could survive by its water.
From a
human perspective, Jacob was a competent, successful person. He was able to dig
a well with a bountiful source that was adequate to supply water for thousands
of years without drying up. It was indeed a work of the centuries. (It is said
the Well of Jacob exists today) Yet, if we think deeper, Jacob had merely
discovered the correct spot for the water source and patiently dug down.
Eventually, God gave him a never-ending supply of water. Dear readers, if you
have developed interest in the Bible and want to know more of God and Jesus
Christ, this writer can tell you that you have found the right place. I hope
you will continue to search patiently, dig deep just as you would dig a well,
and God will let you find it. For Christ had made this promise: ¡§Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.¡¨ (Luke 11:9) Our Lord is the Spring
of Life. He gives your soul abundant provision that lasts longer than the
supply of Jacob¡¦s Well and even more, can relieve the thirst and desiccation of
your soul.
Dear
brothers and sisters: If you have been a believer for many years, have tasted
the Lord¡¦s living water, and your soul has been well-watered by the Word of
God, but now you have temporarily fallen into spiritual weariness and seem to have
lost peace and joy, this writer will also say to you, perhaps your spiritual
well has been obstructed by other things. Is it the lure of money, lusts of the
senses and flesh, arrogance or worries of this life, or sins that you will not
confront that have blocked your spiritual well? You must be resolute, pray and
rely on God, submit to the light of the Holy Spirit, and remove these things
one by one from the well of your soul. Then the living water of the life of God
will gush non-stop from your heart, and peace and joy will flow without end.
The writer also wants to remind you not to act like the Israelites of the past
and forsake the Son of God, this spring of the living water, to dig their own
cisterns - broken cisterns that cannot hold water (Jeremiah 2:13) - and replace
God with the world.
¡§Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.¡¨ (Isaiah 12:2-3)
By Daniel To