“Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria.
So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”” John 4:1-9………..
The story of Jesus and the woman at the well is powerfully rich with lessons about everything from faith and the Holy Spirit to proclaiming Christ to the world and turning from worldly desires to desiring Christ, and I encourage you to read in your own Bibles the entire story in Matthew 4, and in your study of this incredible story please don’t miss an incredibly important point – and message – about what at first glance might seem like an insignificant fact about Jesus in this story.
“Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.”
Jesus was tired! Jesus was weary! So Jesus took a nap, right? No! So Jesus decided He was too tired to minister to the woman at the well, right? No! So Jesus was too tired to help her, right? No! Too tired to talk to her, right? No! Too tired to think of anyone other than Himself, right? No!
There is a time and place for rest, and rest is an exceedingly important part of our lives and resting when the Lord desires us to rest, and to take time away from everything and everyone, and to be with Him, to spend time with Him, and to sleep, and to unwind, and relax, etc., is absolutely important in order for us to love and honor God, to take care of the bodies He has given us, and ultimately to be of maximum use to Him in loving and serving Him and others, and, yes, to enjoy the lives He has blessedly given us. But sometimes when we are tired, God does not call us to rest but instead calls us to deny ourselves, to lay aside our fatigue, and in His strength, for His glory, to do what Jesus did that day. He took the love, time, and care to help a woman in need.
I can’t tell you how many times I have been tired, and needed rest, and the Lord in my streets ministry work has sent me someone in need. And while my flesh is screaming to be satisfied, my mind telling me I should go hide under the covers and refuse to love and serve the person God has sent to me, and not take the time to share the Gospel with that person and/or to encourage the person in following Christ, or to pray for the person, or to help the person in one way or another, the Lord by His Spirit is speaking to my heart that my rest can wait, and that I need to humble myself before Him, and the person, and take the love, time, and care, right then, and right there, and serve. I am so thankful for all the times the Lord gave me the strength to obey Him, and to love and serve someone with whom He had me cross paths, knowing full well He would give me the time to rest later.
If we are careful to seek, hear, and obey the Lord, we will know when to rest, and when to serve. And when we are weary as Jesus was that day, and we are clear God is calling us to serve and to delay our rest, let us in loving obedience to God do as He says. Imagine if Jesus had decided He was too tired that day to talk to the woman at the well. Oh, the opportunity He would have missed! And what she would have missed! And what we would have missed all these centuries later in hearing her story! Like among the many rich lessons in this story, the lesson about loving others as the Lord leads us to even when we’re weary.
Is this message for you, friend? Please rest when He wants you to rest. And please serve when He wants you to serve. And may your rest, and may your service, be done in His name, for the Lord’s glory, Amen!