How would you define satisfaction? The Collins Dictionary defines it as “the pleasure that you feel when you do something or get something that you wanted.”1 This can refer to hunger, thirst, money, revenge, and recognition, among other things. But is complete satisfaction ever really possible? If you eat six hamburgers, you will still need to eat tomorrow. If you drink a gallon of water, you will still need to drink later on. If you earn a million dollars, will you ever need more? If you get revenge on someone, will the hurt feelings ever disappear? If you won a prestigious award, would you never want more recognition? It seems that satisfaction is not something that will really ever be achieved. However, the Bible tells us that Jesus once offered satisfaction that would last forever. What do you think He meant?
- What does it say?
When the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard he was making and baptizing more disciples than John (His disciples baptized them not Him), He left Judea and headed toward Galilee, but it was necessary for Him to go through Samaria. On the way, He came to a city in Samaria called Sychar which was near the land Jacob had given to his son Joseph. There was a well there and Jesus sat by it because he was tired from His journey. It was about 6 pm.
When a Samaritan woman came out to draw water, Jesus asked her to give Him a drink. (His disciples weren’t there because they had gone into the city to buy food.) In response, the Samaritan woman asked why He would ask her for water since the Jews didn’t associate with Samaritans. Jesus told her that if she had known the gift of God and the person who had asked for a drink, she might have asked Him and He might have given her living water.
The woman responded by noting that He had nothing to draw with and that the well was deep.2 So, she wondered where He would get that living water. She asked if He thought He was greater than their father Jacob who had given them this well that had provided water for him, his children, and his livestock. Jesus told her that everyone who drank from that well would thirst again. But whoever drank from the water that He would give him, would never suffer from thirst because the water he gave to him would become a spring inside of him springing up into eternal life. The woman asked Jesus to give her this water so that she wouldn’t be thirsty or have to go to the well anymore.
In response, Jesus told her to go home to summon her husband to come to where they were. The woman stated that she didn’t have a husband. He told her that she had spoken the truth because she had had five husbands and was currently living with someone who was not her husband. The woman told him that she thought he must be a prophet.
She then stated that her ancestors had worshiped on this mountain and that the Jews said it was necessary to worship in Jerusalem. Jesus told her to believe Him about what would happen in the future. People would not worship the Father on that mountain or in Jerusalem. The Samaritans were worshiping something they did not know while the Jews were worshiping what they knew because salvation was from the Jews. But a time was coming and already existed when authentic worshipers would worship the Father in spirit and truth because the Father was searching for such people to worship Him. He told her that God is Spirit and those who worship Him should worship in spirit and truth.
The woman stated that she knew the Messiah was coming who was called Christ. When he arrived, he would disclose everything to them. Jesus told her that He, the One speaking to her, was the Messiah. - What does it mean?
Jesus knows what will satisfy you (John 4:7-15).
After a long journey, Jesus waited by a well while His disciples bought food in a nearby village. When a Samaritan woman came to draw from the well, Jesus asked her for a drink of water. She was surprised that He would talk to her because she was a Samaritan. Samaritans were a mixed-race of people who were half-Jewish. Because of this and their corrupted beliefs, many Jewish people avoided them. But Jesus looked past their difference because He had a purpose in addressing her. He told her about the gift of God, who He was, and the living water He could give her. While she did not quite understand what he was saying, she wanted something that would quench her thirst permanently.
Back then, most people didn’t usually have water piped into their homes. Most had to send someone with a bucket to draw water from a well. In this case, the well was some distance from the town and was very deep. Albert Barnes says that the well may have been 100 feet deep. This would have been a big hassle on a daily basis. So, when Jesus offered living water that would spring up inside of those who took it, the Samaritan woman was very interested. She liked the idea of being able to stay home instead of drawing water from the well each day.
However, Jesus was not talking about physical water. He was simply using water to illustrate what He could provide spiritually for anyone who would accept it. There have been many times when Jesus used stories, illustrations, and parables to help people understand the truth. This time, it was no different. His point was that she was searching in life for something that would satisfy her longings. These desires could only be satisfied with what He could give her. What exactly was Jesus talking about? He was talking about what happens when someone becomes a Christian. When a sinful person repents of his sin and put his faith in Jesus, God gives him the Holy Spirit to live inside of him. The Spirit regenerates every believer and gives him a new life that finds its complete satisfaction in God.
Jesus knows what you have tried (John 4:16-19).
It appears that the woman didn’t completely grasp what Jesus was saying about living water. So, he told her to go and get her husband so that they could talk some more. When she explained that she didn’t have a husband, Jesus noted that He already knew that. He revealed that she had had five husbands and that she was currently living with a man who was not her husband. Can you imagine what she was thinking at that moment? Her eyes probably opened wide as He told her everything she had done (John 4:28-29).
Apparently, this woman had been involved in multiple marriages that had failed. Jesus doesn’t explain why. He just stated that she had had five husband and was currently living with a man to whom she was not married. Why had she been married to so many men? While it could be possible that each husband had died unexpectedly, I think that these failed marriages were mentioned in relation to her true need. She had probably sought for satisfaction in five different marriages and none of them worked. After so many failures, she was probably living with another man because she was afraid to fail again.
Jesus knows everything about everyone. There is nothing hidden from Him. As God, He knew everything about the Samaritan woman and everything about each one of us. The Bible says that “there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Heb. 4:13). In other words, Jesus knows all the ways we have tried and failed to find satisfaction outside of Him. Relationships, possessions, money, entertainment, and recognition are some of the ways people try to find satisfaction nowadays. But they all fail to provide lasting joy. They are never enough. But Jesus offers what can satisfy us forever, if we are willing to find it in Him.
Jesus knows what God wants (John 4:20-26).
After having her past failures revealed in front of her, the Samaritan woman chose to change the subject. Apparently, there was a difference of opinion between the Jews and Samaritans about where to worship God. The Samaritans worshiped on the mountain in Samaria while the Jews worshiped in Jerusalem. Jesus made it clear to the woman that the Samaritans were wrong about worshiping God. God had clearly spelled out His requirements for worship, and the Jews were right to worship in the temple in Jerusalem. However, that was about to change.
Jesus explained that God the Father was searching for people who would worship Him in spirit and truth. Because God is spiritual, people need to worship Him from their spirit (from the heart). But they need to also worship Him in truth (according to what God has revealed). The woman was not immediately convinced. She noted that when the Messiah came, he would make things clear to everyone. She must have been very surprised when Jesus told her that He was the Messiah. The rest of the chapter tells us that she ran back to town and told people about her conversation with Jesus and that He might be the Messiah.
With different opinions about proper worship, the Samaritan woman was right to look to God’s promised Messiah to clear things up. Moses had said that someone like him would come in the future who would teach them the truth (Deut. 18:15-19). But now she was talking to the Messiah. God had revealed the truth to her through Jesus. And the truth was that God wanted people of all kinds to worship Him in their spirit and according to God’s revealed truth. This is still true today. Jesus has revealed that God the Father wants people to worship Him in an authentic way and that includes all people. - How does it apply?
Has your spiritual thirst been quenched?
Like the woman at the well, we all have searched for things that promise satisfaction but never deliver. She had tried to find satisfaction in multiple marriages. Others, like Nicodemus, have tried to find it in religious activities. Others try to find satisfaction in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:15-17). I recently heard about an actor who had two prestigious awards but wasn’t satisfied because he wanted one more. The truth is that God has given us many things to enjoy. But none of them were designed to fulfill the spiritual thirsting of our soul. That thirst can only be satisfied by God.
What about you? Are you still looking for satisfaction in things, people, or recognition? If so, you will never be satisfied because they will all fail you at some point. You will only find true satisfaction when you make God the delight of your heart (Psalm 37:4). You will only find true satisfaction when you put God’s kingdom and His righteousness first in your life (Matt. 6:33). Don’t waste your time looking for something else. Jesus has revealed what you need today. All you ever need is found in Him.
How have you responded to what Jesus said?
Did you notice something about this chapter and the last one? In chapter three, Jesus addressed the need in Nicodemus’ life. He needed to be born again to be part of God’s kingdom. But the chapter never says that Nicodemus left his false religious beliefs and that he put his faith in Jesus. In chapter four, Jesus addressed the need of the Samaritan woman as well. She needed to be changed on the inside so that she would find true satisfaction in God. But apart from her asking the people in the town if Jesus could be the Messiah, we don’t know if she became a believer herself. The point is that someone can hear the truth from God Himself and leave without being changed by God.
How about you? You have heard the truth about Jesus today. But how have you responded? As we have seen today, Jesus knows everything about you. He knows the many times you have searched for satisfaction and failed. But today, you have heard that Jesus offers to satisfy you completely. There are two ways that this can apply to you. If you are not a Christian, you can only find satisfaction in Jesus. You need to be born again and given God’s Spirit to transform your life. If you have yet to be born again, call out to God and ask Him to change your heart and to draw you to Him.
However, this message can also apply to those who have already been born again. Christians have everything they need in Jesus. He has provided everything we need in Him (2 Pet. 1:2-4). But there are times when you turn your gaze away from Him and try to live life without Him. You think that something else might satisfy, but you will always be left unsatisfied. So, if you have turned away from the Lord, make today the day when you turn back and find in Him everything you need.
Conclusion
Look around you and you will find that there are many people who have not found what they are looking for. They have discovered that popularity, pleasure, and possessions do not equal satisfaction. This is why so many people are not satisfied with all that they have accumulated. On one hand, we have learned that satisfaction is never found in things. On the other hand, we have learned that God provides complete satisfaction for those who seek Him. I hope that you will seek Him and find that He is all you ever need.
Bibliography
Barnes, Albert, Barnes’ Notes on the Bible as viewed in the Pocket Bible app.
Blum, Edwin A., “John” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary New Testament, USA: SP Publications, 1983.
Kent Jr., Homer A., Light in the Darkness, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1974. Reprint 1986.
Footnotes
- https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/satisfaction ↩︎
- Albert Barnes says that the well was 100 feet deep. ↩︎