Buckets of Water

Recently, I carried bucket after bucket of cold water to fill up my toddler’s water table. We don’t have a hose on this side of the house, so I resorted to the old-fashioned way of using buckets of water to fill the water table to the brim. As I hauled my buckets of water, I recalled that many children – particularly girls, do this chore daily in order to get water.

I start my day off under the assumption that I’ll have running water. I brush my teeth, take a shower, make coffee, wash the dishes, and run a load of laundry. How many times a day do I turn on the faucet without thinking twice? In many countries, people do not have that same luxury. Water is a precious commodity, requiring hours of walking and the back-breaking labor of hauling it home. It is common for girls to be taxed with the chore of carrying water for their families. Instead of going to school, many girls spend their days going back and forth to water sources in order to provide enough water for their families to exist.

Perhaps this is why Jesus’s words to the woman at the well in John 4 were so startling to her: “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.”(John 4:13-14) Like anyone who has spent years of their existence fetching water, she jumped at the idea of never having to do that chore again. Running water? Yes please! “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty anymore or have to come here to draw water.” (Jn 4:15) And then, Jesus rocked her world. “By the way, how about you call your husband to come, too? Oh, you don’t have a husband? I know. You’ve had five and now the guy you are with won’t marry you.” Instead of being defensive, this woman’s response is incredulous faith. The woman went back into town (leaving her water jar at the well). She told her neighbors and anyone who would listen to her: “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” (Jn 4:29)

Many have speculated about the reputation of the Samaritan woman. Showing up at midday to draw water, when the sun is the hottest, is unusual. Most people draw water when the sun is less harsh – early morning or in the evening. Usually women came to get water in groups for safety. A woman alone by a well was a recipe for disaster. From these details given to us in John’s account, it seems that this woman did not have a good reputation or many friends (five husbands and a lover doesn’t look good now, I can only imagine that it was viewed even more poorly in Biblical times). Her neighbors probably wanted very little to do with her, and she probably didn’t care to spend a moment longer in their judgmental glances than absolutely necessary.

I wonder how the people in her town reacted when she excitedly ran through the town grabbing them and saying breathlessly “Come and see! I met someone who knows everything about me. Everything. He must be the Messiah. Come and see!”
Whether or not they wanted to spend time with her, their curiosity was stronger than their prejudices, and so the townspeople followed her to meet this man who knew all things. Because of her faith and testimony, “many Samaritans from that town believed in him.”

The Samaritan woman had woken up that day assuming it would be like any other day. She probably sighed as she grabbed her things and headed out, again, to get water. Just another ordinary day, filled with mundane tasks. She had no idea that Jesus was about to change her life. Forever.

You may not have to haul water every day like the Samaritan woman did (and like many women across the world do), but I’m betting you have some mundane chores in your life. Look for Jesus in the mundane. You never know how He will show up. Look with eyes of faith like the Samaritan woman chose to do. Be faithful in your mundane tasks, and pray for your sisters around the world who are also doing their mundane jobs. Whether it’s hauling water, or washing the dishes, Jesus sees and He knows. Everything.