When Helen Keller was 19 months old, she was stricken by a mysterious illness that left her blind and deaf and mute. In her autobiography, she recalled her first five years as nothing but “a phantom living in a world that was no-world.”
A teacher named Annie Sullivan tried to teach the little girl to communicate, but weeks passed in frustration. Then there was a breakthrough by a water pump. Sullivan placed one of the little girl’s hands under the flowing stream of icy water. She took Keller’s other hand and used sign language to form the letters “w-a-t-e-r” into the child’s palm.
Again and again Sullivan formed the letters until a look of recognition came to the child’s face. As Helen Keller later wrote, “The mystery of language was revealed to me! I knew that the letters ‘w-a-t-e-r’ meant the wonderful cool something that was flowing over my hand. That living word awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free.”
“Our soul thirsts for significance like our body thirsts for water”
Jesus had a similar breakthrough with a woman beside a well. As their conversation progressed, Jesus gestured to the well and said, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.”
Like Sullivan with little Helen Keller, Jesus was trying to help her understand something. But what?
Our soul thirsts for significance like our body thirsts for water. We seek to quench that longing with work or accomplishments or marriage or kids or things. Jesus offers a deep soul satisfaction that isn’t dependent on any of that.
Annie Sullivan spelled out “w-a-t-e-r” in little Helen’s hand, and a new world opened up for the child. Our Lord spelled out “J-e-s-u-s” until his conversation partner finally understood that he was the answer to her longing for significance and worth.
Read the story in John 4:4-29, and let’s study it together this weekend. Join me on campus or online this Sunday at 10am.
—Tom
Sign up here to receive Tom Goodman’s weekly devotional in your email inbox. Tom serves as pastor at Hillcrest Church in Austin, Texas. His sermons are available on YouTube and the HillcrestToGo Podcast. You can find him on Facebook and Twitter.