Can I have the rest of your water?
The words were almost lost in the clamor of noise from the street, other people talking, and the rush to make it to the corner before the light changed. He wasn’t begging – at least I never saw a coin cup. Just sitting on a low wall in the shade on a 90+ day.
When his request registered, I turned around and went back. I wish I could say that I told him something impactful and life changing like Jesus is living water that quenches every thirst. I’m ashamed to say I forgot to even ask his name. Of course you can have the rest of my water. Two lukewarm swallows. God bless you.
How easy he was to overlook. How easy it would have been to keep walking and pretend I didn’t hear. You might think this is going to be a post about missed opportunities, but it isn’t. Could I have done more? Of course. But that doesn’t change the fact that the man had a need, a thirst. And God met it.
So this is a reminder for the ones who feel overlooked, disregarded, forgotten, the ones who are just asking for a sip of lukewarm water and wondering if there’s anyone even listening: God sees you. God hears you.
When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. John 19:26-27
John tells us that Jesus saw Mary and John at the foot of the Cross and He was moved with compassion. He’s in the midst of His own agony – body, mind and spirit all being put to the test – and He sees Mary. He knows her need and He makes provision for it – John will look after you and take care of you. God is not blind to your need or indifferent to your suffering.
Really, that’s the whole point of the Cross. Our need moves God. Jesus left heaven with the Cross as His destination precisely because He saw our great need. And He did something about it. He took care of us because we couldn’t care for ourselves. And if you’re reading this, He did all that before you even drew your first breath. Which means whatever has brought you thirsty to the foot of the Cross, He’s already got it covered. Before you even asked if He would meet your need, He already sent the water.
Jesus had other brothers who would logically be next in line once the oldest Son wasn’t available. But we know from church tradition that Jesus wasn’t the only “of Nazareth” to die. John, though, wasn’t martyred but eventually exiled. He was a good choice to care for Mary. Ultimately, it was God who was her protector and provider anyway. Just as He is for all of us.
That day on the street, I was asked more than just whether I would give the man my water. There were God’s unspoken questions: Will you give whatever you have? Will you give whatever I ask? Will you carry my love wherever you go and give it wherever it’s needed? God didn’t need my mostly empty water bottle to meet that man’s need – He is the one who sends rain, fills rivers and oceans. And He could have chosen someone with better qualifications, someone with a full bottle. But He invited me, as He invites all of us, to respond to Him, to partner with Him, to allow Him to transform a tiny offering into His something more.