Charles Spurgeon Commentary John 4:10

"Jesus answered and said unto unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water." — John 4:10 (ASV)

And who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

There are two things worth knowing — what grace is, and who it is that gives it.

Want of this knowledge often leads to lack of prayer, and lack of prayer leads to lack of receiving.

Perhaps someone asks, "Why does not God give without prayer?" Because it is not His will to do so. His will is that we should pray about everything.

Did you ever notice that, even when the harvest is ripe, it cannot be gathered in without prayer? Jesus said to His disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

Prayer seems indispensable; it is part of God's necessary machinery. He has pleased to make it so.

But what condescension of love it is that the prayer of man should be necessary to effect the purposes of God!

God even says to Christ Himself, Ask of me and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

So that, from the woman at the well up to the Lord Jesus Himself, prayer seems to be the indispensable requisite of blessing.

Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

Something better than the water from Jacob's well. Though you have denied him a simple drink of water, he would not have denied you something infinitely better, namely, living water. She little knew what that living water was.

Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

Oh, that ignorance, that baneful ignorance! If thou knewest thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee.

Sometimes, my brothers, the key to a man's salvation may lie in your instructing him in the simplest matters of the gospel, for, if he only knows, he will ask, and Christ will give. Great issues may depend upon this, which seems merely the turning of a straw.

Therefore, go and tell people the way of salvation; for, in most cases, ignorance, alas! bars the door.

I do not mean among those who have long heard the gospel, but I mean the outsiders who do not know anything about it. Tell it to them, and in that way you may open to them the kingdom of heaven.