Jacob’s well is located 1/2 mile south of Sychar and 1 1/2 miles east of Schechem.  McGarvey states that “Maundrell, who visited it in 1697, said that it was 105 feet deep, and had in it fifteen feet of water. But travelers have thrown stones into it to sound its depth, until at present it is only 66 feet deep, and has no water in it except in very wet winters. It is seven and half feet in diameter, and is walled with masonry to a depth of about ten feet, below which it is cut through the solid rock. It lies 400 yards nearly due south from Joseph’s tomb.”  The area has a large number of springs so a well would only be dug by a stranger who did not know this or by someone who wanted to remain independent of his neighbors, both of which traits would apply to Jacob.  The well had a curbing upon which Jesus sat.

The 6th hour would be 6:00 p.m. if it were Roman time or, more likely, noon Jewish time.

Jesus was “tired” (NIV) or “wearied” (KJV) from the journey. John has already declared the divinity of Jesus and we know that God cannot be wearied (Isa 40:28), so, how can Jesus, Who is God, be tired when God can’t be tired? Because He set aside His rights and powers of divinity and truly became human.

Isaiah 40:28  Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no-one can fathom.

This has incredible significance for us. Since He experienced our weariness, He is uniquely able to meet our needs (Mt 11:28). Because He took up our infirmities (Isa 53:4), He is more than able to increase our strength (Isa 40:29). In (Heb 5:8-9) it says that Jesus was made perfect (or complete). He was already perfect in the sense we use the word, but He was not yet complete until He stepped into our shoes and shared in our weaknesses. The One Who meets our needs must be all-powerful and not subject to weakness Himself, and yet to really meet them, He needs to know them completely enough to empathize with us, which can only come from experiencing them. Jesus is both.

Matt 11:28  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Isaiah 53:4  Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.

Isaiah 40:29  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Heb 5:8-9  Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him

In (2 Cor 12:9) God told Paul that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. Though He was speaking to Paul about when Paul is weak then God is able to move, the principle also applies here. God’s strength was perfected when Jesus became weak.

2 Cor 12:9  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

“Obed” is a Hebrew term used in the Old Testament. If I told you that there was an obed who could be delivered for $100, you might be reluctant to give me the money. If I then explained to you that an “obed” was a slave, you would be more likely to meet his needs. But if you had been an obed for several years, you would jump at the chance to set this fellow slave free. Just think about how much Jesus wants to lift your burdens and set you free!

Frankly, though, Jesus didn’t need to suffer our weaknesses for Himself as much as He did for us. The “completeness” He gained was not for His benefit, but for ours. Knowing that He knows our weaknesses as fully and completely as he does gives us the confidence to come to Him with our needs and know for certain that He can meet them, He wants to meet them, and He will meet them. Amen.