“The woman saith unto him, Sir, Thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep” John 4:11. Jesus was seated there at the well, before the woman came. He was hungry. He was thirsty. His disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. And as He sat there by Himself, weary (for He had been walking since early morning), hungry, and thirsty, His thirst was increased by the thought of the cool water there in the well. It was near, and yet inaccessible to Him. He who made the great ocean and the springs of water sat there thirsty.

And then when this woman came and He asked her for a drink, the conversation ensued which led to her accepting the living water that He had come to give. But I would like to have us note something that concerns our relationship to our God.

The woman spoke truer than she knew: “Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep” John 4:11. The well that I would like to have you think of is your heart and mine. The living water that He longs for is our love, our sympathy, our understanding, our fellowship.

You mean there are some things that God can’t get, unless we give them to Him? That’s right! 

Some years back, there was an add around Christmas time that said, “A gift for the man who has everything.” You get the picture? You are going over your Christmas list, and here is “Uncle George”. What are you going to give him? Well, he is a multi-millionaire. Anything you could give him he could buy. He already has it. Give him a tie? He has 40 already. A picture? The walls are just full of pictures. And so you go on up and down the list. If you were so rich you wanted to give him an automobile, maybe he has six already. What will you give “Uncle George”, anyway? A present for the man who has everything.

Well, what will you give Jesus? He has 10 million, million times more than “Uncle George”. He owns the universe. Any money you would give Him is such a tiny bit. He paves His streets with gold. What can you give Him? Well, there is one thing you can give Him, friends, and He would rather have it than all the gold, all the silver. It is your love. That is this water. And as cold water is to a thirsty soul, so love is to the thirsty heart.

I want to read you a Spirit of Prophecy statement in this chapter, on this encounter at Jacob’s well. You will find it in Desire of Ages: “Our Redeemer thirsts for recognition” Desire of Ages, page 191.

He thirsts for what? Recognition. “He hungers for the sympathy and love of those whom He has purchased with His own blood” Ibid. 

Can Jesus be hungry? Oh, yes. He is hungry. Can He be thirsty? Yes. He thirsts. “He hungers for the sympathy and love of those whom He has purchased with His own blood” Ibid.

You mean that you and I have something that would satisfy His hunger? Indeed. That is what this is all about. Jesus is hungry, and you can feed Him. Jesus is thirsty, and you can give him a drink. But He can’t get it, unless you give it to Him. He has nothing to draw with, and the well is deep, deep down in your heart. And if He ever gets that water, it will be because you give it to Him.

Will you do it? Will you give Him your love, your sympathy, your understanding? You see, so many people think of coming to Jesus as satisfying their hunger and thirst. And indeed it does. It should. God wants it that way. He says: “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” Revelation 22:17. “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters” Isaiah 55:1.

Yes, friend, coming to Jesus certainly satisfies our hunger and thirst. But that is not our subject right now. I am talking about satisfying His hunger and thirst. And would you agree with me that that is more important? Isn’t it? Isn’t it more important to satisfy His hungry heart than just to make you feel good? Oh, He deserves everything, and we deserve nothing.

But the beauty of it is that when you feed Him, He feeds you. When you give Him to drink, He satisfies your thirsty heart. Not that it’s just a bargain – you do this for me, and I will do this for you – that isn’t the point. This is the only thing that can satisfy, really satisfy, your hunger – to feed Him.