It’s interesting to imagine Jesus sitting by the well that day, thirsty and without a bucket to draw water. He may have been waiting for a kind stranger to come along, confronting the very real feeling of thirst. When you’re parched, it’s hard to think straight; your mouth feels dry, making it difficult to speak. This aspect of the story is significant: Jesus was thirsty. While we often contemplate Jesus’s divinity—being God incarnate—it's important to remember that he had a physical body.

Turnip greens are complicated. They’re polarizing. They come with baggage. They’re a lot like John 3:16.