LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
Three Kinds of Water
In the Scriptures it is possible to see the existence of three kinds of water: that of the fountain, that of the well and that of the pool. They serve to quench thirst, but all three are of very different quality, and symbolism. The water of the pool is detained in a cavity in the earth, exposed to all dirt; the water of the well is at a certain depth under the earth, exposed to certain contaminations; the water of the fountain, on the other hand, is a living water, always flowing, coming from deep in the earth, uncontaminated and pure.
They can be related to the three parts of the human being: spirit, soul and body, and specifically to the satisfaction of each of them. When man seeks to quench his inner thirst with feelings and emotions, he is drinking the water of the well; when he indulges in sensual, bodily pleasures, he is drinking from the water of the pool. Only when he drinks of the water of the fountain, that is, the water of God, is his whole being truly quenched.
The Samaritan woman drank water from the well (John ch. 4). She had sought satisfaction for her soul in the affections of the husbands she had had; however, she had not found it. She had to go to the well and drink again and again. The feelings and emotions of the soul may satiate the soul at times, but not always. That is why the Lord said to her: "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again" (v. 13).
The Lord offered him, instead, the living water: "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (v. 14), referring to the Holy Spirit whom the Lord sent to earth after his ascension to heaven (Jn. 7:39). When someone has drunk of this water, his spiritual thirst, the deepest and most essential thirst, is quenched forever.
The thirst of the soul cannot be quenched with water from the well or the pool. Today, men are drinking from the water of the pool. Sensual pleasures occupy the hearts of many. But this water is never clean, for he who drank of it before soiled it with his feet; so that he who drinks of it is not satisfied. This kind of water will meet you; it will be offered to you everywhere. Yet if you drink it, your thirst will not be quenched.
It is only the living water that Jesus offered to the Samaritan woman that quenches. And not only will it quench you, but it will cleanse you from all filth and from so many years of drinking polluted water.