Mensa Otabil - The Gift of God
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So, John 4:10, 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.»
At the beginning of their conversation, Jesus was the one who asked for the water, and that water he asked for was the water from the well. Water from the well is still, and it’s stale most of the time. Jesus says, «If you knew who I was, you would have made a counter offer, or you would actually have made a first offer. You would have asked me to give you living water.» So, Jesus says, «I’m asking for what you have so that I can give you what I have.»
There’s going to be an exchange here. So, what do we learn from this conversation? That Jesus offers us far more and of far better quality than what he asks from us. So, when God asks something of us, we have to look at his nature. Jesus says, «If you knew who I was, you would have taken advantage of my offer and asked for something better.»
So, he’s asking for something, but he’s ready to give us something better. And that’s what we have to learn about God: that when he says, «Give me something,» he’s ready to give you something better. You cannot outgive God. So, he says, «Give me your water, and I’ll give you my water.»
Now, what’s the difference between well water and living water? Well water is stagnant and in one place. Remember, Jacob’s well, where the woman is fetching the water, is about 1,800 years old. It’s quite an old well. That’s all they had in the village, and that’s all they’ve been drinking. It’s water that does not move; it’s still water. Jesus says, «What I offer you is better than this. It is fresh water, it is flowing water, it is bubbly water. And if you ask me, I will give you something fresher, something bubbly, something better.» And that is what the salvation message is all about.
When we come to Jesus Christ, we give him what we have, and what we have is not the best. Sometimes it’s a still life; it’s a confused life, a troubled life, a worried life. But we give him our life, and then he gives us his life. He gives us a life that is bubbly, that is effervescent. He calls it abundant life, and that’s what he’s offering this woman. For each one of us, that is what Jesus offers us. You give him your old life, your still life, your confused life, and he gives you the peace that surpasses all understanding. But for us to receive what he has, we have to exchange what we have, lay down what we have, and ask him for something better.
The Christian life is about recognizing that what we have is not the best and that what God has for us in Christ is far better than the life we have. When God says, «Give yourself to me,» he’s not going to make your life more boring or disappointing. If you give him your life, he will give you living water, freshness, abundance, bubbliness, a life that flows, a life that is qualitative, a life that has meaning and purpose. Are you ready to exchange what you have for what Jesus has? If you’re ready, you can ask him to take your life as it is and give you his life, which is far better than what you have.
Let us pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, open the hearts of people everywhere to your gift of salvation. Give our world a thirst for God. In Jesus' name, Amen.» And amen.