8th March 2026

In the fourth chapter of John’s gospel, he tells us about a Samaritan woman who met Jesus at a well. They talked about water, worship, truth, and ultimately her life. Then suddenly we read: ‘leaving her water jar’ (v.28). When this woman came to the well it was with a simple purpose: to draw water. Yet, after encountering Jesus, she left her water jar behind. Seemingly, this is an incidental detail that John could easily have omitted, and it would not affect the flow of the story. Yet include it he did – the question is why?

This jar represented her daily routine, her immediate needs, even her burdens – it represented her emptiness. But in the presence of Jesus, something greater captured her heart. She discovered ‘living water’ and with it hope, truth, acceptance, and new life. What once seemed urgent – collecting water from the well – suddenly became secondary.

Leaving this jar signifies that she has moved from physical need to spiritual awareness, and as a result has reordered priorities. Her old burdens of guilt, past mistakes, fear of what other people thought, and the labels she has been given lose their power; they no longer have to be carried in the way they were before. The water jar she carried was no longer important and so she left it as something else took priority. She “went back to the town back and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me everything I’ve ever done. Could this be the Messiah?’ ” This woman was so moved by this encounter with Jesus; he knew all about her past and yet still offered her ‘living water’ (v.10). She just had to share her experience with others, which resulted in many believing because of her testimony (v.39).

Sometimes we continue to carry our water jars: we hold on to old identities (I’m not good enough, I’ll never change); we are distracted (our busyness with day-to-day activities keeps us tied up), and we can’t get over past wounds (we carry them long after the event). Are there water jars you are still carrying? If so, Jesus gently and lovingly says you can leave them behind. 

Jesus still sits at wells, he still talks to thirsty people, and he still offers living water. When we truly encounter him, our focus shifts from merely sustaining life to sharing the life we’ve found in him.

Local congregation:
Grace Communion West Hampstead 
Sidings Community Centre
150 Brassey Road
West Hampstead
London
NW6 2BA

Meeting time:
Sunday 12.30 pm

Local congregational contact:
Gordon Brown
gordon.brown@gracecom.church

Word of Life contact:  
wordoflife@gracecom.church