The Picture We Can’t Live Without – March 13, 2026
Read: John 4:5-26
A Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” John 4:7,9,13-15
The Picture We Can’t Live Without
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Have you ever heard someone say, “A picture is worth a thousand words”? It means that sometimes showing a picture is better than trying to explain it with words. For example, I could describe a famous painting for a long time but seeing it in person makes it so much easier to understand.
When Jesus taught people, he loved to use pictures like that to help them understand really important truths. One of his favorite pictures was water. Why water? Because we literally can’t live without it! A human body can only survive about three days without water. Water is essential for life.
One day, Jesus met a woman at a well. She had come to draw water to drink. Jesus used that every day, important water to teach her about something even more important: spiritual life. He said: “Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). Jesus wasn’t talking about water you guzzle from a bottle that quenches your thirst for a little while. He was talking about the gift of salvation—forgiveness of sins and eternal life—something that lasts forever.
We all look for things in this life to make us happy. The woman at the well thought the right person in her life would make her happy. We might think games, friends, screens, or even AI will satisfy us. The problem is those things never fully satisfy us. They leave us wanting more. They leave us feeling empty.
Jesus gives us what we can’t find anywhere else:
- Forgiveness when we foolishly look elsewhere for fulfillment.
- Peace with God for the moments we need it most.
- Eternal life to someday replace this life.
And the best part? He fully satisfies us with salvation! We don’t need to keep going back and trying over and over—Jesus already gives us everything we need. Jesus even gave us a picture of this truth: his cross. Look at it, and you see the gift of salvation, love, and forgiveness—all in one picture.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank you for helping me understand how important your gift of salvation is for me. May your gift always satisfy me and make me truly happy. Amen.
The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.
Questions for Younger Children
- What happens to a person who doesn’t drink water? How is that like what happens to someone who doesn’t know or believe in Jesus?
- When you see a picture of a cross, what does it make you think of?
Questions for Elementary Age Children
- Why was the woman at the well so surprised that Jesus talked to her? What does that show us about Jesus?
- How is spiritual life like drinking water? How is it different?
Questions for Middle School and Above
- Name three other things people sometimes look to for happiness or fulfillment.
- Jesus used a normal, everyday thing (water) to teach a spiritual truth. Can you think of something in your life that could help you teach someone about Jesus? How would that look?
