“Jesus is bone weary from the journey. He is hot and thirsty. He decides: ‘yes, even now, just now, I will seek someone to worship the Father—a Samaritan adulteress. I will show My disciples how My Father seeks worship in the midst of real life from the least likely. She is a Samaritan. She is a woman. She is a harlot. Yes, I will even show them a thing or two about how to make true worshipers out of the white harvest of harlots in Samaria’”
-John Piper, Desiring God
In my recent journey of discovery I’ve struggled with a thought. Life is really great right now and I’m growing exponentially. But what will happen when life places real and good demands on my time and I can’t just order my day with hours of reading and meditating? How will I minister out of life that looks so much different than the time I’m in currently? How will I find the time and energy to spill over into other people?
I was encouraged by J.P. interpretation of Jesus’ motives with the woman at the well. Jesus was exhausted. He had probably walked some godly amount of mileage to reach this well in Samaria. And yet, even in the fatigue of that situation he is seeking someone for His Kingdom and His Father’s glory. After interacting with the woman she runs into town to exclaim whom she had met. Jesus’ disciples urge him to eat. And he replies to them saying, “I have food you aren’t even aware of”. He goes on to say that his food is to do the will of Him who sent Him. That is to say, that some how, pursuing the will of God and the Glory of his kingdom is more important than even food. And one must assume, that it somehow brings Him greater life than even eating after a long journey would.