With New Eyes

With New Eyes

“Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.” John 4:15

JESUS HAD A FASCINATING CONVERSATION with a woman at a well in Samaria. At several points, he presented her with timeless truth, and each time, she brought the conversation back to immediate questions and needs. She was caught up in the novelty of a Jewish man speaking to her—a marginalized Samaritan woman—against all cultural protocol. Then she turned an obvious metaphor into a literal observation, then marveled at his prophetic insight, and took the opportunity to ask a controversial question that divided her people from his. Still, Jesus kept bringing her back to his true identity as an answer to her false one.

That false sense of identity—as a sinner, a lowly woman, a rival to Jews—blinded her until the piercing nature of Jesus’ words broke through. That’s often our story too. We see ourselves as stuck in sin, though we’ve been freed from its power and consequences; as weak in faith, though we have the presence and power of Christ within us; as flawed and tainted, though we’ve been resurrected to new life with Jesus. The examples could continue, but the point is the same: We have a hard time seeing past our old identity and embracing the new, just like the Samaritan woman did.

As a result, we often seek answers to the wrong questions, just as she did. We often talk to God from a limited sense of identity, just as she did. We often fail to see the enormity of his promises—things like living water and pure, true worship—as too far beyond us to grasp, and we bring them back down to our level, just as she did. But if our old identity continues to shape our faith and prayers, we have not fully embraced our new identity. Only when we radically change the way we see can we experience radically new faith—just as she did.

I have seen the hidden things of God.