John 4:7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”
I was thinking this morning about Jesus asking the woman for a drink of water. There were several times when we lived in Asia that there would be a kid walking down the street eating some bread or even candy, and they would tear off a piece, or pull out a chunk, and hand it to me to eat. It was not because they thought I was so hungry, or because they had so much that they could share foolishly (which is God’s character, by the way) but because hospitality was a way of them showing love and kindness. There were actually a very very few times that I turned such offers away, though I knew that whatever I was eating might make me sick.
Jesus comes to this lady as a humble man in need. I can only imagine how men have treated her over her life, if she’s had 5 husbands and is with a man now. And here is Jesus asking her, “WILL YOU give me a drink?” – not even commanding her.
Isn’t that just like God? He isn’t afraid of whatever cooties she has, but he immediately gives her a little honor boost. She has a water bucket and he does not. She is able to draw water and He can’t. He made water flow out of a rock, in the desert nonetheless, but now He has limited Himself the point that He has to ask an unclean Samaritan woman for help!
God is not afraid of what is unclean. He isn’t afraid to take it by the hand and walk an unclean woman towards righteousness!