"And he had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.
A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her,“Give me a drink.” (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her,“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob?He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”
Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” They went out of the town and were coming to him."~ John 4:4-30
INTERPRETATION
What historical background
is useful in understanding this story?
Jews (and perhaps even
Gentiles??) used to take the long road around Samaria so that they did not have
to interact with Samaritans, who were a sort of half-breed of Jews and Gentiles
and seen as the lowest of the low.
On top of that, women had very little honor, if any to begin with. But the fact that this woman came to
the well midday, when it was very hot, means that she was trying to avoid the
other women. It was more typical
for women to go first thing in the morning to retrieve water while it was still
cooler, and then they would likely spend some time chatting and just being
friends. Her purpose of going
later in order to avoid other women can be affirmed by the fact that she has
had five husbands and is now living with a man whom she is not married to,
meaning that she has reason to be ashamed and avoid the criticism (at least to
her face) of the other women.
What then, would this woman, who
feels entirely disgraced and worthless, feel upon finding out that a Jewish man
is not only talking to her, but he is also the Messiah, and willing to confess
that to her and have a dignified conversation with her, despite knowing all of
this about her?
It would hopefully tell her that
she has worth. The Messiah of the
world does not judge her by her status as a woman, or a Samaritan, or a whore
(sorry). He overlooks all of that,
and not only that, but he uses her as a great tool for his kingdom as an
evangelist.
How would the Samaritans in the
village feel upon hearing this woman’s testimony that she had spoken with the
Messiah?
Probably equally as shocked. And maybe that’s why they were so
intrigued. Not only because of her
claims, but because the Messiah would be willing to associate with someone so
undignified. It also tells them
that, if he’s not too good for someone they see as below them, then he’s not
too good for them either, even though most of the world looks down on them.
TIMELESS TRUTH
Nobody is too far
gone/undignified/disgraced to receive honor and love and attention from God,
and to be used by him.
TIMELESS TRUTH #2
God can use imperfect people.
TIMELESS TRUTH #3
God has his own cultural
standards.
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