Today’s Devotion
Topic: If You Knew The Gift Of God (Part 1)
Self Assessment (221)
Introduction: We begin a new series today that will be based on John chapter 4. By the end of the series we hope to know what the gift of God is and why is it important everyone got to know about it.
Background: Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard He was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but His disciples. So He left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.
Now He had to go through Samaria. So He came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. Let us see what ensued afterwards and see how it helps us explain what the gift of God is.
Text: John 4: 7- 14
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Amen
Questions
1. Jesus asked the Samaritan woman if she will give him a drink. Yet she reminded Him of the differences between their tribes that should make that a difficult thing to do.
From you study of the sprictures and biblical history, what was the situation between the Jews and Samaritans at that time and what were the reasons for that?
2. Kindly read verse 10 again. What did Jesus want to imply by saying:
a) If you knew the gift of God.
b) And who is it that ask you for a drink.
c. You would ask Him (rather)
d) And He would have given you living water.
3. In reading verses 11 and 12, how do you think the woman understood what Jesus said?
4. In trying to help the woman understand the perspective He was coming from, Jesus explain the difference between the water the woman is drawing from the well and the water He is talking about. From your understanding of verse 13 and 14:
a) what is the water Jesus was talking about?
b) if Jesus had a kind of water that made all who drank from it never thirst, why did He ask the Samaritan woman for a drink then?
c. What did Jesus mean by saying the water He gives, become in those who drink of it, a spring of water welling up to eternal life?
4. What have you learnt from today’s discussion?
Kindly share your answers with us through this same social media platform (WhatsApp/Facebook). We also learn a lot from what you share.
(www.yonghana.org; Like our Facebook page: Y OUTREACH NETWORK)
