AN ABANDONED WATERPOT
John 4:25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. 26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. 27 ¶ And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? 28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
In a former circumstance the Lord used the available waterpots. That was in regards to his first miracle. John 2:6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. 7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. 10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. 11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
But in our passage the issue is An Abandoned Waterpot. But why was it left behind? Let us spend a few moments to investigate.
First of all, that waterpot was only required by the natural, or physical man. Both the woman and the Lord Jesus spoke of being physically thirsty. John 4:6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. 7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. 15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
But by the effectual revelation of himself to her soul she was given the spiritual water of life! John 4:13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
In verse twenty-six of our text we read that the Lord Jesus revealed himself to her as the Messiah; the God-man! And this revelation brings salvation! John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. For the Lord had told her if she only knew of the Holy Spirit i.e. the gift of God, and who it was requesting a drink from her, she could have the living water. John 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Therefore she was instantly regenerated, changing everything from the concept of the physical into the spiritual. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. Colossians 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
The Holy Spirit began to ‘flow’ within her soul. John 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
This was also the language of the prophets of Israel, preaching of God’s regenerating grace. Isaiah 35:4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you. 5 ¶ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. 7 And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
Secondly, we see that this waterpot is associated with her identity. She is coming out of the city to a well. She is acquainted with the implements and procedure to obtain water. John 4:7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. 11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
When we think of Zacchaeus, we associate him with a sycamore tree. When we think of Lazarus, we associate him with a burial cave. And the implement with which we associate this woman is her waterpot at this well.
And this is exactly the implement God uses in order to reveal her as one of his elect. Consider this order of circumstances previously set forth in Genesis twenty-four in the account of Abraham’s servant seeking a bride for Isaac. Hear the servant’s prayer: Genesis 24:14 And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.
Now read of Rebekah’s integrity, as she is associated with drawing water from a well. 17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher. 18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. 19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking. 20 And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.
Both women are associated with the drawing of water from a well. Both are asked to draw water for a stranger. Both converse alone with the stranger. Both have an issue of a husband. Both bring the stranger into contact with their associates. Both are brought into the realm of the Holy Spirit symbolized by rivers of living water.
Both were only required to offer that which was commonly held within their grasp. When Moses communed with the Lord God as to how the people would know that he was sent to deliver them, listen at the question which the Lord asked him. Exodus 4:2 And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. That which you perceive as of little value in your character, or life, may be that which the Lord sanctifies to be of great benefit in his kingdom!
Matthew 10:42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. 2 Corinthians 8:12 For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
Therefore thirdly, we see that An Abandoned Waterpot comes to be a great witness of her newly acquired spiritual life! Before, her life was associated with this waterpot. Now her life is associated with the Holy Spirit and the revelation of Jesus as the God-man!
Just as a pillar of salt left behind calls to our attention the lack of spiritual character of Lot’s wife, so this forsaken waterpot reveals that someone has forsaken the ways of the natural, and has been engulfed into the realm of the spiritual.
Genesis 19:26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. Luke 17:32 Remember Lot’s wife. 33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. 9:62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Hebrews 11:15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
The fourth observation concerning this abandoned waterpot is that she had to hurry back into the city, and therefore must not be encumbered with it! We must take careful notice of the word “then” in verse twenty-eight of our John 4 passage. For it reveals the urgency of her mission, requiring her to lay aside all that hindered its progress. For the preceding verse (v.27), reveals that the disciples had returned with the Lord’s meal. Therefore in her mind she thought he would eat and then precede upon his journey, leaving her area.
And her “spirit of faith,” newly received, caused her belief to urgently speak out! 2 Corinthians 4:13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;
It also prompted her to abandon all else which might hinder her from doing so. Matthew 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. 9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, 10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.
For behind the flock of God’s people, down through the ages, is strewn the now useless, and even hindering possessions which might have hindered their urgent mission. Luke 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. Hebrews 10:34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.
Also, her new Master had asked her, Give me to drink. And now his meal had arrived, therefore he would need water to partake with it. And she had instructed him earlier that this was a very deep well, and he had nothing with which to draw water. So in leaving that which now would hinder her, she afforded those implements which might prove useful to her Master, should he care to use them.
And lastly, this abandoned waterpot was a strong part of the witness for the town’s people to respond to her plea to “Come see a man.” For as has been previous stated, she was associated with this waterpot, going to the well at this time of day. Yet, here she was, crying out to them, without the association of her waterpot! Therefore her disassociation with it spoke loudly of her association with the Lord. And it spoke loudly of her urgency to have them come to him themselves.
Lot had the same urgency for his family, but without the same result. For evidently there was not enough physical evidence of his own personal belief that warranted their being uprooted. There was no ‘abandoned waterpot’ in his life. Genesis 19:12 And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: 13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it. 14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
Yet in our woman’s account, there was a great effect upon those of her city. Not only the abandoned waterpot, but her delightful urgency in stating, “Come see a man!” For to them they were sure that the last thing this poor soul would ever want again was another man! She had evidently five husbands. But the one she presently had was not a “husband.” John 4:16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. 17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: 18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
Poor soul! She had gone through all these men, seeking one to qualify as a spiritual “husband,” but found none. For men can be married, but not biblically qualify as a “husband’ before the Lord! Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Therefore, having no waterpot and speaking of “A man,” was so noteworthy to them, they went out of the city, and came unto him. (v.30). Therefore they came to believe in him for themselves! John 4:42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
Pastor Gene Breed
May 17, 2018
