All of us parents know that loving a child requires sacrifice. Love is why we do it, and we’re more than willing to give up whatever it takes to be a good mom or dad.

When we look at the life of Jesus, we see that he sacrificed, too, not just on the cross but every day in smaller ways. What were some of those day-to-day sacrifices he made because he loved us?

Last weekend I heard a sermon about the Samaritan woman at the well who had a one-on-one encounter with Christ without knowing who he was. We’ve all read that story from John 4 and have heard more than a few teachings on it. But as always in studying God’s Word, there’s more to learn.

Our speaker detailed the narrative, beginning with a simple descriptive statement that let us know what condition Jesus’ was in when he arrived at the well. Scripture says, “Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime.” So, in this very dry desert area, in the heat of the day, the man-Jesus needed a drink badly.

He asked the woman if she would draw a little water for him with the jug she’d brought, but a conversation ensued instead. They talked all around water without drinking any, and a considerable length of time passed. What was new to me, however, was realizing for the first time that although Jesus was still very thirsty, he never got his drink.

He could have insisted. After all, he was a man, and she was a woman, and it was the women of that day who drew the water. But his number one concern was not for his own thirst but for the woman’s dry soul and those of her friends and neighbors. His goal was to get them all saved. If it meant being parched, he’d do it.

Jesus was very thirsty another time, too: on the cross. He was suffering intensely, so tortured that he would soon die, but his severe thirst prompted him to ask for a drink. Once again, though, his thirst was left unsatisfied. The overwhelming love that kept him on the cross was willing to give up everything because of his goal to save our souls.

How often do I crack open a bottle of water without a thought of not being able to quench my thirst? Each swallow should remind me to thank him again for enduring such intense thirst so that I could drink his living water.

One day I came to Him, I was so thirsty.
I asked for water, my throat was so dry.
He gave me water that I had never dreamed of.
But for this water, my Lord had to die.

He said, “I thirst” yet he made the river.
He said, “I thirst” yet he made the sea.
“I thirst,” said the king of the ages.
In His great thirst He brought water to me. *

“Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. For he satisfies the thirsty…” (Psalm 107:8-9)

*(By Robin Walker)