In this message we come to the case of the Samaritan woman in John 4. This case is the second of the nine cases. There is a great contrast between this case and that of Nicodemus in chapter three. Nicodemus was a moral, high-class man; the Samaritan woman was an immoral, low-class woman. The first case sets forth a man with superior attainments while the second sets forth a woman with dishonorable behavior. The man was a Jew whereas the woman was a Samaritan. The Jewish religion was very sound, proper, real, and genuine, but the Samaritan’s religion was false and very decadent. It is also interesting to note that the Lord talked with the man at night, but that He talked with the woman at midday. In the nighttime the man came to the Lord; in the daytime the Lord came to the woman. The place where the Lord talked with the man was in a house or a building, but He talked with the woman in the open air.
In the case of Nicodemus the first need of mankind is covered. According to spiritual experience, mankind’s first need is regeneration. In God’s economy man’s first need is regeneration. God’s economy is that man have His divine life and be one with Him in life and nature for the fulfillment and accomplishment of His eternal purpose. God’s eternal purpose is to have a group of people who have been regenerated by His divine life and who are the same as He is in both life and nature, that they might become His corporate expression for eternity. This is God’s eternal purpose and this is God’s economy. In order to fulfill this purpose, we must be regenerated that we may have His divine life.
The kingdom of God is entered only by birth, never by works. For example, a bird is in the bird kingdom only by birth; a fish can never enter the bird kingdom by any kind of work. The only possible way for you to enter any kind of kingdom is by having a particular kind of birth. Therefore, the first aspect of the Lord becoming our life is that He gives us divine life by means of a divine birth, which is the only way to share the things of the kingdom of God.
What is man’s second need? What is his need following regeneration? The second need is satisfaction. In chapter three the problem is that man is void of the divine life. Regardless of how good or superior you may be, it means nothing as far as God’s eternal purpose is concerned. As long as you have not been regenerated, you are void of the divine life. You only have human life. The human life is simply a vessel to contain the divine life. If you do not have the divine life, you are void. You are just an empty vessel. Although your human life may be wonderful, you do not have the divine life. The divine life is God Himself. You need this divine life to fill you up as your content. Your human life is a container to contain this divine life. When this divine life is within you, it becomes your content. As your content, it will also be your satisfaction. Before we were saved, we all had the experience of being empty. Regardless of our success or attainments, there was a continual emptiness within, the sensation of having no satisfaction. Whether we were good or bad, we were empty. Although we had the container, the vessel, we did not have the content. We were empty. Young and old, rich and poor, high and low—all are empty. One day we received the Lord Jesus. We not only obtained God’s salvation, but we also received the divine life, which immediately became our content. Now we have satisfaction. Therefore, following the case showing the need of regeneration, we have a case showing genuine satisfaction. Nothing can satisfy man except Christ Himself. As long as Christ is not the satisfaction of our human life, nothing can satisfy us. There is no satisfaction apart from Christ. As human beings, we always feel thirsty; only Christ can quench our thirst.
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