Charles Spurgeon Commentary John 4:15

"The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come all the way hither to draw." — John 4:15 (ASV)

The woman says to him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come here to draw.

The woman had not even the faintest idea of the spiritual truth of which Christ had spoken to her. The fact is, conviction must come before conversion. No sinner is made alive until he is first killed. You cannot clothe him until he is naked. So now the Saviour began that conviction work in this woman; and he did it very wisely. He did not at first charge her with criminality, but he led her to accuse herself.

The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

She had caught the Lord's meaning so far as the perpetuity of the water was concerned, but still she did not know what the living water was. It was all a riddle to her, as I am afraid it is to some of you. There is many a Doctor of Divinity who cannot explain what the living water is.

The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

This was an ignorant prayer on the part of the woman; but it is one which I would commend to every enlightened soul: Sir, give me this water. Do you want a form of prayer? Here is one for you: Sir, Lord,–give me this water. The Lord is ready to hear that petition, and to give this precious living water even now.

The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

Until now she has not imbibed a single idea from Christ. The Lord has spoken to her in parables, but she has not seen through the thin veil, so she has missed his meaning. Now he fires another shot, and deals with her in another fashion.

The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

Christ's words were coming true. He said that, if she had known, she would have asked; and, then, in her poor groping way, she began to pray, hardly knowing what she was asking for. I advise you also to pray even before you quite understand your own prayers, before you are sufficiently instructed to know what you really need.

Ask God to give you what you need. Very often we make a discovery of our needs through having them supplied.