31 Days of Jesus: Jesus Gives Us The Gift

Today's word prompt for the 31 Days Five Minute Friday Writing Challenge is Gift.

Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”-John 4:10

John chapter 4:1-26 is the account of Jesus’ interaction with a woman at a well. He is talking to her in the middle of the day, in public. And he is explaining spiritual truths to her.

And in this passage he refers to a gift of God. What is that gift?

I think if we look at the process of the passage we can discern some of the meaning. He goes through what seems like a pattern. He is talking. He mentions the gift. Then He refers back to himself. Then back to the gift.

At first I wanted to say the gift was Jesus, but I don’t think he is the gift in this passage. I think he is referring to the living water. And if we investigate the word a little further, we will discover that the gift has a different meaning than him.

One way to further explore the meaning of the word is to look it up in the original language. When we do that, it makes clearer how the author intended to use the word.

According to my Greek Dictionary, the word “gift” in the passage of scripture above is the word “dorea.” It means a free gift and is always used in regards to a spiritual or supernatural gift.

In Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman, He is talking about giving her a gift that only He can give her. Jesus is physically standing their with her, and he wants to give her something else. He wants to give her living water.

Earlier in the Gospel of John, the prophet John the Baptist explains about Jesus, that he will baptize with the Holy Spirit. That is the gift Jesus is sharing with the woman in John 4.

Later in Acts 2:38, Luke recounts Peter’s message after they have all been baptized in the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Gift in that passage is also the word “dorea.”

Jesus is not the gift in the passage, but he is the means through which the gift comes.

Jesus is the one who baptizes us in the Holy Spirit, and that is the gift we receive. We cannot do anything to earn it, or buy it, or merit it in any way. It is a free gift that comes to us when we believe in Jesus.

Have you received the Gift?

 To read more in the series, please go to 31 Days of Jesus.