John 4: 1-42; The Woman at the Well

I remain fascinated by this story. While at Sunday service, the pastor led off by stating, “the woman at the well was the first person who Jesus clearly identified himself.” I melted into the pew. The remainder of the sermon floated above, inaudible. My mind raced in contemplation, “what did this declaration represent for women?”

The story begins with Jesus taking the shortcut to Galilee, via Samaria. Although the shortest route, it represented the least desirable for a Jew. Jesus had a plan.

To say Samaritans and Jews were enemies is an understatement. The Jews considered Samaritans something to be scraped off the bottom of their sandals. At one time exiled to the region, a remnant of Jews remained, intermarrying with Samaritans. Merging of cultures created a spattering of people who were half Samaritan, half Jewish.

This segment of Samaritans embraced the first five books of the Torah, referred to as the books of Moses. These books represent the first five books of our Bible. Their religion was an awkward blend of those books and lingering pagan worship. However, because of the Jewish influence, Samaritans understood there was a foretold Messiah and were eager for His arrival.

Back to our “woman”. For us to appreciate what happened between Jesus and the unnamed Samaritan woman, it is important to better understand her. I imagine her as breathtakingly stunning. She had been married five times and was living with yet another man. Surely men found her attractive. Our woman went to the well at noon, in the scorching heat of the day. Only then could she avoid the scorn of other women.

Isn’t it interesting, our cultures and base natures refuse to change? Unfortunately, some of us share snide remarks about women more attractive than ourselves. Layer on socially inappropriate behavior and whispers often run amuck. I was among these whispering women in my twenties. I digress.

It was just another drudgery of a day as she went to the well. She had no idea she was about to encounter Jesus. He had sent all his disciples to Samaria for food. I can’t help but wonder why Jesus did not ask any of them to stay and rest there with Him. Perhaps He needed their potential interruptions out of the way for the conversation ahead.

Unchaperoned, He began speaking to her. Scandalous behavior indeed. He told her to draw water for Him from her vessel. Apparently, buckets were not left at the well lest someone steal water. He then chose to further place himself, and her, in an awkward position. He was about to drink from a vessel provided by this harlot of a woman. The inappropriateness continues. Her mind is reeling with disbelief. In today’s term: she was inwardly freaking out! The conversation progressed as He told her of water giving eternal life and He could provide her with this living water. Side note: the phrase living water is used in the Old and the New Testament to indicate God’s gift of salvation (Jeremiah 17:3, Zachariah 14:8-9, Psalm 36:9; Isaiah.55:1).

Jesus then told her to go, get her husband. Ashamedly she told Jesus she had no husband. Here’s what sent her mind racing. Jesus affirms her statement as truth. He continues by telling her He knew her history of five husbands, and she current status of living with a man. They exchange more words climaxing in verse 26, Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he” (the Messiah).

Few women were educated during this time. However, she along with other women, knew a Messiah was coming. The foretold Messiah would be all knowing, including all secrets. His words made perfect sense to her, for the most part. She mentally begins to connect the dots. The man in front of her was the Messiah. I don’t know how she was able to make her feet move.

In the remaining verses, the disciples showed up with the food, the woman rushed to get other Samaritans so they could quiz Jesus. The Samaritans agreed He was the long-awaited Messiah, leading to the early converts of Samaria and salvation. Three years later, Christ died on the cross, rose from the grave and was witnessed as alive by multitudes. Before His sacrifice, the Samaritans were already believers in the deity of Jesus. All of this is extraordinary; everything Jesus did was extraordinary.

What is astonishing for us, is Jesus could have chosen anyone to reveal His deity. He chose a woman. Not just any woman, but a woman shunned for a lifetime of sinful choices.

We are important to God. Satan whispers, “you are insignificant.” God whispers to us: “there has never been anyone and will never be anyone, I love more than you. Not Moses, not King David, not Abraham.” Women matter to God. He sees us, catches our tears, bathes us in His grace and forgiveness.

We are all the Woman at the well, each bringing our trainload of sins to the altar. To think our sins are somehow less than hers is absurd to God. But we have a Savior in Jesus. He paid the sacrifice of death as a penalty for our sins, allowing us to stand at the throne of God innocent and pure. Jesus took our sins upon His shoulders to bear.

Sometimes we feel all we have done, all we left undone, or all the things done to us make us somehow unworthy. God whispers to us, “you are my woman at the well, and I love you.”

My prayer is to always remember I am the Woman at the Well.

Research taken from:

English Standard Version of the Holy Bible

Dr Constable’s Notes; Sonic Light

John Macarthur’s book: Twelve Extraordinary Women

Warren W Wiersbe: The Wiersbe Bible Commentary