The “Best Part” Jesus Saw in the Woman at the Well
When we read John 4, while reflecting on our past blog post on the story of Jesus and the woman at the well, it’s easy to rush past the interaction without stopping to ponder a tender mystery:
What exactly did Jesus focus on in her that was good?
What was the “best part” that allowed Him to reach her heart?
Today’s devotional hints at something precious — that Jesus didn’t focus on her shame, her sin, or her failures. Instead, He found a point of connection that honored the best part of her humanity, and through that, He drew her gently to confession and salvation.
But what was that best part?
Let's look carefully.
The Story Recap: John 4:4–26
When Jesus meets the Samaritan woman:
She comes to draw water at noon, avoiding the morning crowds — a hint of social shame.
Jesus initiates conversation by asking her for a drink — a shocking breach of cultural and gender norms.
He offers her living water — something she doesn’t fully understand at first.
Slowly, He leads her heart toward a realization:
She has had five husbands.
The man she lives with now is not her husband.
Yet Jesus never shames her.
Instead, He awakens her thirst — her yearning for real life, real satisfaction, real belonging.
What Was the "Best Part" Jesus Saw?
It wasn’t her past, or her religious knowledge (she had some), or her social standing (she had none).
It was her God-given capacity for thirst.
Her thirst for life. Her thirst for love. Her thirst for truth.
Even though she had tried to satisfy that thirst through broken relationships and hollow rituals, the thirst itself was good.
It was a vestige of how God created her — a longing for the living water only He could give.
Jesus honored that thirst.
He didn't say,
"You are ruined."
He said,
"If you knew who was speaking to you, you would ask Him, and He would give you living water."
He saw through her shame to her soul’s ache — and called it worthy of fulfillment, not worthy of condemnation.
He focused on her capacity for longing, because it meant she was still capable of being satisfied by God Himself.
Why This Matters for Us
When we meet people struggling in sin, brokenness, addiction, bitterness, or anger, it’s tempting to focus only on the outer wreckage.
But the Spirit of Christ within us teaches us something deeper:
Underneath every broken surface is a thirst.
A longing to be loved.
A yearning to be made whole.
A hunger for truth and meaning.
Rather than scolding people for seeking fulfillment in wrong places, Jesus invites us to call out their thirst, pointing them toward the only fountain that will satisfy forever.
Real-Life Analogy
Imagine a cracked clay jar found buried in the ground — dirty, chipped, and abandoned.
At first glance, it looks worthless.
But a skilled artisan sees differently.
He taps the jar gently and hears a clear, pure ringing from deep within — a sound that proves the clay is still good, still capable of being restored, still able to carry living water.
In the same way, Jesus tapped gently on the woman's heart — and heard a sound that no one else bothered to hear:
the sound of thirst.
The echo of design.
The readiness for redemption.
Conclusion
Jesus saw the best part of the woman at the well:
Not her sin, not her shame, not her emptiness — but her God-designed capacity to thirst for Him.
He honored her humanity by speaking to her longing, offering her the living water she had been aching for all her life.
When Christ lives His life through us, He teaches us to see others with the same eyes —
not as problems to fix,
but as thirsty hearts waiting to be filled.
Prayer of Confidence
Lord Jesus, thank You that You saw past my failures and found my thirst — my longing for You — and You honored it by offering Yourself to me. Thank You that You didn’t crush my brokenness, but gently awakened my heart to drink from Your living water. Today, I trust You to live through me, to see the hidden thirst in those I encounter, and to gently point them to the only fountain that never runs dry. I rest in Your perfect love that always seeks out the best part of every soul.