Jacob’s Well

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. In that day you will say: ‘Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.’” —Isaiah 12:3-6

Holy Saturday is a heavy reminder of the endurance and persistence necessary to witness blessing. Endurance and perseverance despite the lack of evidence to reassure you. Endurance and perseverance rooted in faith: the currency of the Kingdom of God. The Lord includes a silent Saturday in His greatest rescue mission to show His commitment to the fruit of suffering well. He asks us to sit in the weight of our frustrations, fears, doubts, grief, etc., while He gears up to perform the supernatural. He doesn’t need the “extra” time to prepare Himself. Rather, the extra time prepares us for the manifestation of what He’s promised. 

Endurance and perseverance are often exercised in the mundane, small, and seemingly routine acts—ushering us into the supernatural. Unbeknownst to us, our internal decision to remain despite the natural response to difficult circumstances invites us to experience the fulfillment of glory. 

Jesus’ tomb would be empty, as promised. But on Saturday, it wasn’t. On Saturday, His body lay behind a stone, guarded yet alone. Naturally, those who loved Him grieved. They began to mourn their beloved Rabbi, Friend, Brother, and Son. 

Surely, if He were to be raised, He would’ve risen by now. 

Resurrection should come easily. 

The point is made. 

He didn’t need more than a day to prove He is capable of defying death. He didn’t even need more than a second. 

So why would He take one?

I can imagine the words of Jesus ruminating in the minds of His disciples—all His prophecies that foretold His return. It didn’t resonate with them then, but they were now at the turning point of what they initially misunderstood. The moment when it would all make sense was rapidly approaching. They probably carried the tension of grief and expectation—the uncomfortable position that serves as a breeding ground for faith. Grief in what’s lost while simultaneously expecting gain. 

To me, this paradoxical posture parallels the digging of wells. 

Throughout scripture, the early patriarchs of the faith are mentioned digging wells. Their ancient wells were often dug throughout the land of Canaan to provide water to their homes/families. Though crucial to their survival, the process was extensive, time-consuming, and demanding. Wells were hand-dug and lined with masonry for sustainability. 

The most strenuous part of the process, however, wasn’t the building of the well. 

Before a well could be built, named, and used, water had to be found below the surface. You typically needed to dig seventy to one hundred feet below the surface to strike pure water. Imagine the endurance and perseverance necessary to dig through a layer of grass, tough soil, and/or rocky surfaces. Now imagine the endurance and perseverance necessary to dig, despite the uncertainty of water. The uncertainty was the most strenuous part of the process. The cycle of expectation met by grief, then swiftly followed by expectation again.

You need water.

You’ve been promised provision.

So you keep digging, despite the feeling of hopelessness. 

For every well, there are many, many holes in the ground—each one mascoting its own disappointment. Whether it’s disappointment rooted in thirst, disappointment rooted in fatigue, or disappointment rooted in exasperation, each hole territorialized shattered hope. However, for those who dig until they can see the intention of their work—the creation of a pure well—hopelessness is replaced with optimism. The kind of optimism that arises from the delivery of what was awaited. The kind of optimism that fuels your confidence enough to recognize the purpose in your travailing. 

On Saturday, Jesus presented His followers with the opportunity to dig a spiritual well. Friday was not the end of their faith. It was the beginning. Sunday would be the day they struck water. Though only a day, the reality of Saturday likely taxed their emotional/spiritual strength in the way constructing a well would be taxing on physical health. However, they had to hold fast to the promise of resurrection, despite the evidence of hopelessness all around them. With endurance and perseverance, they had to carry the weight of expectation, knowing that Jesus spoke of a water line: a day when the Son of Man would be exalted. 

Finished wells became more than sources of water. They become places of divine appointments and where covenants were established. In the Bible, husbands often met their wives at wells. Isaac met Rebekah. Jacob met Rachel. Moses met Zipporah. Lastly, Jesus met the unnamed Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, foretelling the spiritual matrimony between the Messiah, Jews, and Gentiles. 

“Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’” (John 4:5-7)

While the Samaritan woman was completing an errand, she was addressed by the Messiah. She is unable to recognize it immediately, but once she does, her countenance changes, and joy ravishes her heart. The trajectory of her life is forever changed. Jesus, seated at a physical well, paints a spiritual picture which is promised to all who dig. 

“Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.’” (John 4:13-14)

Living water.

Digging is costly. Again, holes would need to be dug seventy to one hundred feet into the ground. But you must endure. Persevere. When the water line is finally struck—when the dawn breaks on Sunday, rivers of living water will burst forth.

Water, unlike that which ran in Jacob’s well.

Water that would eternally satisfy.

The fulfillment of glory.

This is the gift of Saturday: the opportunity to dig a spiritual well.