I had an hour and a half to wait before the bus left Brisbane for Coffs Harbour.  Since the Roma Street Coach Terminal isn’t far from the Queen Street Mall in Brisbane I figured it was a good opportunity to stretch my legs before the long coach trip home.  A coffee from one of the numerous coffee outlets was an added bonus.  It had been a very long time since I was last there.  Much had changed.  There was one rather unobtrusive change that caught my eye while sipping my coffee.  Back in the mid-1980s CCTV was only just being introduced into department stores for security reasons.  They were not yet on the streets.  Now I spotted a number of them around the mall.  Near one security camera, that was rather prominent, I was tempted to wave at whoever might be watching.

The sobering reality is that CCTV is prolific.  Big Brother is watching you!  Of course there are benefits to CCTV.  Many a crime has been solved by meticulously examining CCTV footage.  While closed-circuit television cameras may not prevent crimes of passion, anyone who wants to carefully plan a robbery is going to make sure they know where the CCTV cameras are.

That set me thinking.  If we’re worried that we’re being watched by Big Brother on CCTV we ought to keep in mind that we’re constantly being watched anyway.  Just beyond the limits of our vision, angels are watching us – maybe demons are too.  But more importantly we are living our lives before the face of an all-seeing God.  If you doubt that then read Psalm 139 which tells us there is no way we can hide from God.  The eyes of the Lord God provide much better coverage than any system of CCTV cameras.

An interesting story, in the fourth chapter of John’s Gospel, brings that home to us.  There’s a woman in the town of Sychar who comes to draw water from the well.  She comes at noon, in the heat of the day, instead of morning or evening when other women usually come for water.  The reason for this soon becomes obvious.  This lady has reason to avoid other women in town.

It so happens that Jesus is also at the well at that exact moment and He asks her for a drink of water.  She’s rather flabbergasted by His request.  Why?  Well, firstly because there is an ethnic barrier.  She is a Samaritan and Jesus a Jew – and Jews and Samaritans are not exactly best friends.  Secondly, there is the gender barrier in a culture where a male stranger just doesn’t ask a woman for a drink of water.  And thirdly there is a moral barrier: this is a woman with a reputation.

Jesus’ response to the woman’s question is to say that if only she knew who He was, she would ask him for the living water that He alone can provide.  When she expresses an interest, Jesus tells her to go and call her husband.  And that’s when it all comes out.  She tells Jesus that she doesn’t have a husband.  Jesus says, “That’s true.  You’ve had five husbands and the fella you’re with now isn’t your husband.”  It’s as if Jesus has access to CCTV footage of her life.  Nothing has escaped his knowledge.  The woman leaves her water jug, goes back into town and tells the townsfolk, “Come and see man who told me everything I ever did.  Can this be the Christ?”

Maybe you find it a scary thought that Jesus has access to the CCTV footage of your life.  That’s certainly what scares many people when they think of the coming Judgment Day.  There’s the fear that the Lord God might replay some of the CCTV footage of our life – especially footage of bits that we’re not proud of.

Well, that’s the lovely thing about that story in John chapter 4.  The other women in town might condemn this lady but Jesus doesn’t.  He just invites her to come and drink the water that He provides – water that wells up to eternal life.  Instead of worrying about us being watched why not just invite Jesus to fill your cup?

John Westendorp