Leaving the old life behind is what happens when the Lord begins to transform us through the work of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus encountered the Samaritan woman, her life was filled with regret and shame. She went to the well in the hottest part of the day to avoid other women who disapproved of her. A woman married five times and living with someone not her husband in a small town was probably looked down on.
When we live a life apart from God, our path often takes us in the wrong direction. Our lives become full of disappointments and self-centeredness, which is not very fulfilling. For many people, the past holds a hurtful childhood, a troubled marriage, or a stressful job. Yet, people want to hang on to the past and not let go. When we encounter Jesus and place our faith in Him, we can take the past to the cross and begin again.
Encountering Jesus Changes Us
The Samarian woman met Jesus unexpectedly, but it did not surprise the God of intervention. While she was at the well, drawing physical water, Jesus offered her living water. John 4:13 Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” [1]
As Jesus spoke to her, He drew her into the conversation by not condemning her but showing her a different way to live. When Jesus asked about her husband, she was honest and said she did not have one. Jesus then told her she had been married five times and was now living with a man, not her husband. Realizing Jesus was a prophet, she told him the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ. John 4:26 Then Jesus told her, “I Am the Messiah!” [2] At this moment, something happened in the woman’s heart, and she went from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light.
Leaving the Old Life Behind
As the disciples returned from purchasing food, they were surprised Jesus was speaking to a Samaritan woman. John 4:28 The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, 29 “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” 30 So the people came streaming from the village to see him. [3]
The woman was so excited after meeting Jesus that she left her bucket behind when she returned to the village. The water bucket represents leaving her old life behind. She told her neighbors that she encountered a man who said He was the Messiah and they should come and meet Him. Many people believed her testimony because she left her old life behind.
To learn more about leaving the old life behind, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/the-woman-at-the-well
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.