Seeking Jesus First Feb. 10, 2026
Go, Call Your Husband
Today’s Reading: John 4:15–18
(Read the full passage before reflecting below.)
“Jesus said to her, ‘Go, call your husband, and come here.’” (John 4:16, NKJV)
The conversation has been gentle so far. Jesus has spoken of living water—of a gift that satisfies thirst forever. The woman is intrigued, hopeful, even eager. “Sir, give me this water,” she says. And then Jesus changes the direction.
“Go, call your husband.”
This is not a diversion. It is the moment where grace meets truth.
Jesus does not expose her life to shame her. He does not ask this question to accuse or condemn. He asks it because living water does not bypass reality—it heals it. The gift He offers is not poured into denial, but into honesty.
Her response is careful: “I have no husband.”
Jesus answers with perfect clarity—and perfect compassion. He affirms her truthfulness while revealing what she has not said. Five husbands. A current relationship outside covenant. Jesus knows her story in full.
What matters most is not the number of her failures, but how Jesus handles them.
He does not recoil.
He does not lecture.
He does not withdraw the offer of living water.
Instead, He stays.
This moment teaches us something essential about salvation. Grace is not the avoidance of truth; it is the safe place where truth can finally be told. Jesus does not require the Samaritan woman to fix her life before receiving His gift. But He also does not ignore what is broken. He brings it into the light—not to condemn, but to redeem.
This is where many misunderstand the gospel. Jesus does not say, “Your life is fine as it is.” Nor does He say, “Your life disqualifies you.” He says, in effect, “I know you—and I am still here.”
The call to repentance is not a demand to clean ourselves up. It is an invitation to stop hiding. Living water flows where truth is welcomed. Healing begins where pretense ends.
There is also something deeply personal here. Jesus speaks to her life before speaking to her worship, her theology, or her future. God deals with us as whole people. He addresses the places we’ve learned to avoid—not to wound us, but to free us.
This passage reminds us that Jesus’ love is not vague or impersonal. He knows names. He knows histories. He knows relationships. And He still offers Himself fully.
Today, let this truth rest in your heart:
Jesus already knows the truth about you.
And He has not withdrawn His invitation.
Living water is not for the unbroken.
It is for the honest.
And it flows where light is allowed to enter.