John, in his gospel, shows us Jesus as fully man and fully God. He shows us Jesus weary and thirsty, weeping after a friend dies (John 11:35), troubled in spirit (John 13:21) and so on: very definitely a man, whose death is described in some detail (John 19:16-37). Yet John is also adamant that Jesus is God: the Word who was there at the beginning and who made the world (John 1:1-3), the ‘I Am’ before whom men fall in awe (John 8:58, John 18:6).
In John 4:1-42, we see a very human Jesus. He is tired, hungry and thirsty.
Yet He does not let tiredness, hunger or thirst divert Him from doing the Father’s will. I am so different. When I’m tired or hungry or thirsty, I become irritable, like a ‘bear with a sore head’, unwilling to engage in conversation, unwilling to do anything except look to these needs being met. My conversation with the woman would have gone something like this
Me: Can I have a drink, please?
Woman: How can you ask me for a drink?
Me: Duh! Because I’m a thirsty and you’ve got a bucket! [End of conversation. No evangelism, even if I ended up with a drink.]
Or:
Woman: Are you greater than our father Jacob?
Me (as Jesus): Yes, I’m the Son of God! [End of conversation. No engagement.]
I’m so glad Jesus shows us how to engage in conversation with people and also how He demonstrates His commitment to doing God’s will above His physical needs. What a challenge this is for us all. Evangelism can’t be reserved for those times when we are all ready for it! As we listen to God’s Spirit, He will lead us to people who may not seem likely candidates for evangelism… who will interrupt our preconceived ideas and plans… who will be there at times when we feel weak and inadequate. As Paul later wrote, ‘“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.’ (2 Cor 12:9-10) Tiredness, hunger and thirst are no barrier to reaching out to others. If living water is within us, let it flow out to others!