How can the thirst of a Savior become the salvation of a sinner?
The Meaning of Thirst in the Ministry of Jesus
John’s gospel recounts the occasion of a thirsty Jesus sitting by a well. His lips dry, tongue sticking to the roof of His mouth. It’s hard to imagine God being “wearied . . . from his journey,” but here He is. His disciples went into town to get food, but Jesus hung back. He’d rest and wait for them to return with lunch. When a local woman came to collect water, Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”
That is certainly one way for the Creator to begin a conversation with His creation! The woman was shocked. “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” So far, this woman knew only two things about Jesus: He’s a man, and He’s Jewish. According to the culture, men did not address women socially. And Jews did not, under any circumstances, associate with Samaritans. These were social chasms that couldn’t and shouldn’t be crossed. Little did she know, there was a much larger chasm at play here, and God in the flesh was crossing it to reach her.
How Thirst Makes Jesus Relatable
But there was a third thing she also knew about Jesus: He was thirsty.
Thirst as a Bridge Across Brokenness
And while His masculinity and ethnicity separated Him from her, even elevated Him above her to a point she couldn’t reach, His thirst did the opposite. It made Him relatable—everyone gets thirsty—and to go further, it made Him lower than her, in a sense.
Why Thirst Breaks Down Spiritual Walls
He needed her help. She had the water. He asked her for it. In a culture and life where she was usually treated as less than, Jesus invited her to stand above for a moment. He gave her the authority to pull Him up out of the ditch of thirst. And so, walls came down, still brick by brick as the conversation went on, but this was an important first brick.
Can you imagine if Jesus tried to spark up the conversation any other way? “So, you like water too, huh?” What if He had opened with one of the other lines that He used later? “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again,” or “True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth,” or especially that bit about her five husbands—that wouldn’t have gone well!
Thirst and Intentional Vulnerability
As best as we can read it, she was a tough woman on the outside and a scared little girl on the inside. Jesus had to slip past the first while not terrifying the second. So, He asked her for a drink of water. He related to her. He stooped down to her. He even, in a way, submitted to her for her sake and ultimately her salvation. And she couldn’t believe it.
Jesus, in asking for a favor at her well of labor, had the opportunity to reveal Himself to this woman as the well of grace. But also, I do have to wonder, did Jesus ever get any water? After all, the man was thirsty, but I guess that wasn’t the point. Truly, Jesus could have gotten His own drink, but He wasn’t the one whose thirst really needed quenching. His thirst was an invitation for this woman never to thirst again, and her rush to town proves that she understood the offer. Her jar of water wasn’t the only thing left behind at Jacob’s well, but also her sin and shame. She dragged herself there that day thirsty; she sprinted away filled.
Pastoral Thirst and Honest Leadership
Pastors, I have been told over the years that I am often too vulnerable. Not oversharing or airing out private matters but just being honest about weaknesses. I was once told, “The people need someone to look up to and emulate.” I responded with, “Yeah, that should be Jesus!” Jesus called himself The Good Shepherd. Shouldn’t we, as his sheepdogs, desire to follow His good lead?
Jesus was willing to be vulnerable as a means for ministering to others. Being fully God, He was still fully man too, and man in the flesh has inherent needs, weaknesses, vulnerabilities.
Why Pastors Fear Admitting Thirst
As pastors, what are we so afraid of? Do we fear that our weaknesses will be exploited if they are known? We are all too familiar with the latest scandals and failures of pastoral leadership. And this may suggest that the real exploited weakness is our unwillingness to be transparent.
Thirst, Transparency, and the Healing Church
It might seem too basic, but maybe if we shared our weaknesses with our people, they would know better how to pray for us; perhaps they would be ministered to in the process, blessed by participating; and if we pastors were more hospitable with our needs, maybe our people would be with theirs as well.
TOMMY SHELTON grew up joyfully as the son of a pastor in North Carolina and is thrilled that God called him to follow in his father’s shepherding footsteps. He loves his wife and six children. He also loves to preach the Bible, pray over people, and build things. Tommy is the pastor of Live Oaks Bible Church in Palm Harbor, Florida. Tommy’s latest book is The Hospitality of Need: How Depending on One Another Helps Us Heal and Grow Together, coauthored with Kevan Chandler.
