The Bible speaks of God's use of the well as a sign and location where God makes his presence and favour felt.A striking example of this is the story of Hagar in the desert holding on to her baby Ishmael, crying for water: "Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water, and then let the boy drink" (Gen.21:19) On an earlier occasion, she had to run away on her own from Sarah because she could not endure her persecution and there in the desert God spoke to her; that vision took place near a well called "Beer-lahai-roi" , situated between Kadesh and Bered. God made her a promise at the well and sent her back to give birth to child in Abraham's house. Hagar so had an experience of God near a well, a symbolism that cannot be forgotten.
In the Bible God refers to himself as the real well that gives water, true and living water. Through the mouth of Jeremiah God utters that powerful prophesy that identifies God as the source of living water and laments about the evil they have done by rejecting him, the source of living water, "two evils have my people done: They have forsaken me, the source of living waters: They have dug themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that hold no water" (Jer. 2:13). Then Isaiah, we find God appealing to people come and drink freely from him, "all you who are thirsty, come to the water!" (Is. 55:1). That water is the salvation that God gives to his people as Isaiah points out, "With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation" (Is. 12:3).
Water too was a symbol of love between man and woman; so if a woman offered water, she was worthy of a man's love as we see Rebecca offering water to the servants and camels of Isaac, "With that, she quickly emptied her jug into the drinking trough and run back to the well to draw more water, until she had drawn enough for all the camels" (Gen, 24:20). Similarly, if a man came to the rescue of women harassed by others and enabled them to have water for themselves and their sheep their father would certainly want to take that man to be husband of one of the daughters.Moses in Median was such a lucky son -in-law, "But Moses fled from him and stayed in the land of Midian. As he was seated there by a well, seven daughters of a priest of Midian came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father's flock" Ex. 2: 16-17). Next there followed for Moses a wedding proposal and a happy encounter with his bride and her family (Ex.2: 21-20).
Giving with water symbolizes also the practice of love expected of the chosen people, as Isaiah teaches, "Meet the thirsty, bring them water, you who dwell the land of Tema, greet the fugitives with bread" (Is.21:14). Jesus are re-emphasizes this point and even speaks of reward for a small gesture like giving a drink to a disciple sent by him, "And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple- amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward" (Mt. 10"42).
Here the context is clear to anyone who knows the sense of hospitality in ancient times when water would be offered to any stranger in need. Jesus adds greater value to that gesture when it is done to a messenger of his. But he takes service of the poor in need of water as even more important, :(For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me"(Mt. 25:35) and the King will say to them in reply,'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me'" (Mt.25:40).
In the Bible God refers to himself as the real well that gives water, true and living water. Through the mouth of Jeremiah God utters that powerful prophesy that identifies God as the source of living water and laments about the evil they have done by rejecting him, the source of living water, "two evils have my people done: They have forsaken me, the source of living waters: They have dug themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that hold no water" (Jer. 2:13). Then Isaiah, we find God appealing to people come and drink freely from him, "all you who are thirsty, come to the water!" (Is. 55:1). That water is the salvation that God gives to his people as Isaiah points out, "With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation" (Is. 12:3).
Water too was a symbol of love between man and woman; so if a woman offered water, she was worthy of a man's love as we see Rebecca offering water to the servants and camels of Isaac, "With that, she quickly emptied her jug into the drinking trough and run back to the well to draw more water, until she had drawn enough for all the camels" (Gen, 24:20). Similarly, if a man came to the rescue of women harassed by others and enabled them to have water for themselves and their sheep their father would certainly want to take that man to be husband of one of the daughters.Moses in Median was such a lucky son -in-law, "But Moses fled from him and stayed in the land of Midian. As he was seated there by a well, seven daughters of a priest of Midian came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father's flock" Ex. 2: 16-17). Next there followed for Moses a wedding proposal and a happy encounter with his bride and her family (Ex.2: 21-20).
Giving with water symbolizes also the practice of love expected of the chosen people, as Isaiah teaches, "Meet the thirsty, bring them water, you who dwell the land of Tema, greet the fugitives with bread" (Is.21:14). Jesus are re-emphasizes this point and even speaks of reward for a small gesture like giving a drink to a disciple sent by him, "And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple- amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward" (Mt. 10"42).
Here the context is clear to anyone who knows the sense of hospitality in ancient times when water would be offered to any stranger in need. Jesus adds greater value to that gesture when it is done to a messenger of his. But he takes service of the poor in need of water as even more important, :(For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me"(Mt. 25:35) and the King will say to them in reply,'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me'" (Mt.25:40).
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