Woman at the Well, Sermon dialog

The Woman of Samaria, what she learns about Jesus is revelation. Their interaction is life changing for her.

Though we come into this story about the interaction between Jesus and the Woman at the Well knowing a lot about Jesus, this story is our only opportunity to learn about the Samaritan Woman at the Well.

For many years, I’ve thought about this story as the one about the Woman at the Well. And that’s sort of a shorthand reference to the story, but it’s too short. It’s the story of the Samaritan Woman at the Well. The Samaritan designation being so important that it should remain in all references to the story, even the shorthand references. This one word tells us much about the EXPECTED relationship between her and a typical Jewish man of that time, once we absorb those important details we can gain a sense of how differently this interaction goes from what might be expected.

At best, we would expect some ‘estrangement’ or ‘distance’ or hesitancy between Jews and Samaritans. At worst we could fully expect conflict, spite, hostility. Jewish travelers had often been victims of violence. This may be one reason why 12 went to get food for one. The disciples may have thought Jesus ‘safe’ by himself at a remote well in the heat of the day.

The Samaritan Woman

We must listen carefully to other details about this particular woman, since we learn much about her throughout the story.

She was bold. Or at the very least, determined. Kenneth Bailey, among others notes that the Greek is very specific—Jesus is sitting ON the well cap! This position is sort of a blocker for the Samaritan Woman. Will she approach the strange man/Jew/foreigner? Will she get her water or have to return home frustrated and exhausted?

If she is to get to the water for which she came so far in the heat of the day, SHE is the one that will need to ‘break through’ the social, ethnic, and gender barriers between them. In a sense Jesus’ very position is a sort of challenge to her.

She is at first, a bit impudent! Now

To make a statement that would certainly not have been written about until our current day, or at least since the 60’s, the woman is NOT PUT OFF BY the use of masculine pronouns. She just rolls with it and assumes that whatever Jesus says of the living water that He will give ‘to him’ that Jesus will surely give to her. The writer, John, is certainly aware that woman are seen as ‘second class citizens’ but he writes the story that tells us just how much respect Jesus has for them, beyond anyone of His or prior eras. He lifts women high. This woman seems to respond well to Him.

Her answer to Jesus, ‘I have no husband’, may seem like a white lie. But it is clearly THE TRUTH. I see is more as a confession. And when Jesus ‘confronts’ her with His ‘knowledge’ of the truth, she does not show any sign of shame, only amazement. It’s like she felt ACCEPTED even as she was FULLY KNOWN. This is her personal experience with ‘spirit and truth’ from Jesus. He knew the truth of HER spirit. But he did not condemn her in any way that SHE felt as condemning or shameful. Jesus must have delivered the words in something like a gentle way.

Why does Jesus bring up ‘living water’?

Jeremiah references

Jeremiah 2:13 ““For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.”

Jeremiah 17:13 “O Lord, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You shall be ashamed. “Those who depart from Me Shall be written in the earth, Because they have forsaken the Lord, The fountain of living waters.””

Qualitatively different

What Jesus says about this ‘living water’ suggests that he’s talking about something quite different than water, or just MORE of it in either time or amounts. It’s QUALITATIVLY DIFFERENT, something for which all the best water on earth is just a signpost, a pointer. The references clearly tell this.

But perfectly in line with what we hear from John later in the book is that

[Living Water] Here it reinforces the point that whoever “drinks of the water that I will give him will never ever thirst” (my italics),

just as Jesus’ sheep “will never ever be lost” (John 10:27), My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.

and just as those who believe in him will “never ever die” (11:26; speaking to Martha, just before raising Lazarus—And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

In very heated conversation with “the Jews” John 8:51–52 “Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”

Dawning of the woman’s understanding and recognition of who Jesus is: Messiah

One potent insight from the story is the woman’s growing (dawning) awareness of who Jesus is:

Man/Jew, Sir, Rabbi, Prophet, Messiah

Marvelous phrase from the woman, as if musing out loud: “The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (the one called Christ); “whenever he comes, he will tell us everything.” It’s as if she SENSES just who is before her, guesses at it, maybe even hoping for it

Her listening attitude and receptiveness spark a response from Jesus. He then responds to her with REVELATION: “I, the one speaking to you, am he.”

Notice that her listening and receptive attitude leads to speculation on her part that are INFORMED by what she has learned—“We know that when Messiah comes, He will tell us all things” In this sense, revelation need not always be unexpected.

Notice that, once recognized and acknowledged, Jesus then tells her—just as her ‘prophecy’ suggests—the MOST IMPORTANT thing she could know.

Lesson—learn how to assume a receptive and listening posture.

Comment on ‘rhetoric’, or ‘just how John writes and presents the story’.  

It’s very carefully crafted.  And far from being something to overlook, we benefit by ‘marveling’ from it.  God uses the intelligence of his human authors.

This author in particular, John, don’t just “go straight at you“ with “truth in your face”, well, he DOES sometimes, but often they have a LOT. MORE in store for us than just “here’s the main point”.

The gifts of John, the disciple, are on amazing display in the story.

I note this because this is not the first time I become amazed, stunned by, the amount of conscious organization and purposeful design built into a story.

Lesson for us—Becoming aware of this can give us a sense of freedom in the use of our own gifts. You know, he has given us an abundance of gifts, and these are for us to USE. Whether art, music, drama, staging, planning, writing, dreaming, speaking, saying, showing, designing, building, researching, learning, sharing, serving . . . 

And I’m sure there are MANY others to add to the list. It’s a big world, and God has room for all of us, a PLACE for all of us. A WAY, for all of us to be, to BECOME something for Him and be SENT, as the Woman of Samaria was sent!

Creatively and beautifully written

Conscious Organization

Many allusions to all that has come before, from the Logos discussion, to the calling of the disciples, to the conversation with Nicodemus

Also preparing the reader for what is coming in the subsequent story, and how John conveys it, so that, what is written later ‘alludes’ back to THIS story. It’s an integrated whole, extremely well organized and put together.

A Study in Contrasts

John presents us here with a study in contrasts.  He has several stark contrasts in the story for us:

—John contrasts day and night in this story with the one before (Nicodemus came to Jesus by night).  Jesus meets the woman at the well in broad daylight.  

—Within the day/night contrast is further contrast between the woman’s acceptance and understanding of what Jesus was saying with the lack of affirmation of understanding by Nicodemus.  

—the acceptance vs rejection of the Messiah by tagging both stories with “it was about the sixth hour“.  John 19:14-15—(Now it was about the sixth hour) Pilate said to the Jewish leaders, “Look, here is your king!” Then they shouted out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” 

—Between what is apparent vs what is real

Water/Food

—worship on temples versus worship on mountains.

—The contrast between Jews and Samaritan.

—The contrast between men and women.

—The contrast between the disciples and the woman.

—The contrast between worship acts and places on the one hand, and “in Spirit and Truth“ on the other hand.  

—The contrast between the woman and the people of the town (as evidenced by her coming to the well at the hottest hour of the day).

Specific issues

Does Jesus have ‘special insight’ into the woman’s life?

Though some doubt that Jesus had ‘special insight’ or supernatural knowledge of the woman’s life, her later comment to the villagers reveals that SHE thinks it was ‘special knowledge’.  “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”

Wells in ancient near Eastern culture, were ‘the perfect place’ for meeting ‘Mr Right’. If you as a Middle Easterner of that era heard a story involving a well, it might likely reflect some sort of romance, betrothal or wedding story. A well would be the perfect place for consideration of marriage. Since ‘wells’ are a trope of scripture (Rebekah found at a well, Isaac meeting Rachel at a well, Moses meeting Zipporah at a well. Marriage as such enters into the conversation between them. Jesus’ insight into the woman’s life was related to her ‘marriage’ status. As one who fully accepted Jesus’ claim as Messiah, she could be thought of as already being a part of the the church, or ‘the Bride of Christ’—the ones who recognize Jesus as Messiah.

Did Jesus really need to go through Samaria?

Why does Jesus go straight through Samaria, instead of around it like everyone else? Apart from His eager stance on welcoming Samaritans as His followers, the only indication we have regarding ‘why?’ is the use of the word ‘dei’ for ‘it was necessary’. This word is solely used to indicate ‘divine purpose’. So, in this case, it would be what we might call ‘divine necessity’. The word appears twice in this passage:

—He left Judea and set out once more for Galilee. But he had to (fulfill the divine purpose and) pass through Samaria.

—‘God is spirit, and the people who worship him must (when they do they suit the divine purpose by) worshipping Him in spirit and in truth.”

Questions for thought

Question—How do you see Jesus?  Where are you in the journey of becoming aware of who He is?

Question—What ‘triggers’ the dawning of understanding in the woman?

Question—What are the ‘wells’ that you keep going to that you could ‘replace’ with ‘living water’?

Question—What does it signify that the Samaritan Woman leaves her jar behind at the well?

Question—What ‘really’ happens in the story? Does the woman actually give Jesus a drink of water, or is that all just forgotten in conjunction with the story line that ‘you don’t need physical water, you need an eternal spring welling up inside of yourself’.

Question—Does revelation for you come from a receptive and listening attitude or more from a contrast by something that ‘takes you by surprise’ or ‘catches you up short’?