Where I grew up, our only water supply was rainwater that ran off the roof of the house. It ran into a deep well about 30 metres away and it was our lifeline. Without it, we could not survive.

Old hands who had lived in the area a long time spoke almost reverently of our well. They said there was a spring of water at the bottom of the well and it would therefore never run dry. It was a reliable supply.

The well was made up of three main parts. The structure, which was the walls and ceiling of the well: the water, to which we related: and the pump that was the means of getting our daily supply.

When we spoke of it, we never differentiated between the three parts. We never said ‘the well-walls-and-ceiling, the well-water and the well-pump.’ We simply said ‘the well.’ It was all-inclusive, a brief object lesson of three being one.

And I cannot think of any better illustration of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father is the walls and ceiling; the Son, Jesus, is the water we need and interact with day by day; and the Holy Spirit is the pump that brings it into our hands. Each is essential and integrated with the other.

Perhaps this is why Jesus connects with us at a well. Sitting there at the well of Sychar, he said to the woman of Samaria, “Whoever drinks the water I shall give will never again be thirsty. The water that I shall give will be a spring of water within him, welling up and bringing eternal life.”

The spring of water welling up is a sure sign of a reliable supply.

(John 4:14.)

Elizabeth Price, Team writer with Just a Minute reprice@dragnet.com.au