Jesus and the Samaritan Woman (Part 1)

Welcome

Well, good morning friends! Welcome to Lifepoint. If we haven’t met before, my name is Dan and I serve here as one of the pastors for our Worthington campus.

Introduction

I’m really grateful you are here with us today. We are beginning a new series in the New Testament book of John today and if you have a bible with you, you can meet me in John chapter 4.

New Series Set-up

Over the next four weeks, we are doing a deep dive into a single conversation. In fact, it’s the longest conversation Jesus had with anyone in the Bible.

For some of you, it will be a very familiar story…one you may have read many times before.

We know it as “Jesus and the Woman at the Well.”

But I think, like with many of the stories we find in the Bible, there is often so much more going on than we think at first.

In fact, the moment we begin to strip away what’s just on the surface, we realize we've domesticated something wild. The sanitized version of this story usually goes something like this: Jesus is tired from a long journey, sits by a well, and asks a woman for a drink. They have a slightly confusing chat about "living water," Jesus miraculously points out the fact that she's had five husbands (which we assume has something to do with “promiscuity” she’d rather not talk about), she realizes he must be a prophet, and she runs back to town to tell her neighbors.

The moral of the story usually ends up being either, "Look how nicely Jesus treats ‘outcasts’.” or, "Here is your step-by-step manual for sharing your faith with those around you."

And I’m not saying those are wrong.

Jesus does show incredible grace to a marginalized woman, and her response is a brilliant model for sharing our faith.

But I think treating this passage like a neat and tidy 'how-to' guide for evangelism tames a story that is actually a lot more rugged. When we reduce this to a simple moral tale, we lose the absolute scandal of what is taking place (more on that in a moment).

More than that, I think we tend to cast ourselves in the role of Jesus—the hero who already has the living water, generously going out to find the 'Samaritans' in our own lives.

But when we closely and think deeply about this story, we realize that John is doing something much more profound. In fact, we’ll quickly find that we’re not Jesus in this story.

No, for a whole BUNCH of reasons, we are far more like the woman at the well.

And far from a polite chat; this encounter was a cultural earthquake. A conversation that slowly reshapes all of what she believes about her background, her culture, her story…it’s reshapes her understanding of God and herself.

And it’s this that propels her back into her community with a message of “Come and see.”

Over the next four weeks, we are going to watch Jesus deliberately cross massive geographic, ethnic, and theological and cultural boundaries just to pursue one isolated, marginalized woman.

And finally, we will discover that telling others about Jesus isn't a guilt-driven checklist, but the natural, overflow of a deeply satisfied soul.

So if you’re not there yet, open with me to John chapter 4. Let me read the passage, I’ll pray, and then we’ll get started.

John 4:1–9 ESV

1 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), 3 he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. 4 And he had to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 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. 7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 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.)

Pray

Jesus’ Surprising Pursuit

Alright, let’s go ahead and get started.

Before we look at the whole story, we need to do a little bit of prep work. Because here is the challenge with reading the Bible: if we approach this story through our normal, everyday perspective—sitting right here in Columbus—we are going to completely miss the shock value of what happens in this chapter.

John wrote this account to an audience who instinctively understood the geography, the history, and the deep-seated hostilities of the ancient Middle East. When John mentions a certain road or a certain type of person, or how an interaction even takes place, his original readers would have immediately felt their blood pressure rise.

We don't naturally feel that. And it’s too easy for us to just read right past any of the visceral tension.

So, we have to adjust our framework. We are going to spend the bulk of our time today building out that background. We are going to deliberately step out of our modern context and put on the mindset of a first-century Jewish person.

Okay, now we can get started.

Jesus in Samaria

Jesus is on his way from the southern region of Judea to the city of Galilee, up north. And the first thing that stands out to me is what John says in verse 4.

John 4:4 ESV

4 And he had to pass through Samaria.

Now, this doesn’t immediately stick out to us today. It’s one of those details we can jump right over. But, I think it would have given John’s original readers some pause… it’s the first of many elements of this story that would have sounded odd to them.

First of all… Jesus did not have to travel through Samaria.

In fact, there is a well-worn travel pattern for this part of the country that any Jewish person living in the first century would have been very familiar with—and it was following a road that explicitly avoided the region of Samaria.

Why?

I think if you’ve spent any amount of time in church, you’ve probably heard something about the tension between Jewish people and Samaritans. But I don’t know if we always do a good job of talking about where that tension comes from because it’s never explained in the New Testament.

But this is actually critical for us if we’re going to understand all of what happens in this story—so bear with me for a moment… I promise I’m going somewhere with this!

The Old Testament Storyline

Here’s a super high-level summary of the Old Testament storyline.

After the Israelites are freed from slavery in Egypt (the book of Exodus), they head into the wilderness for 40 years. In that time, God makes a covenant with them that outlines what it means for Him to be their God—and for them to be His people (that’s really the books of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy).

From the book of Judges onward, it’s really the long story of the Israelites failing to live up to their end of the deal. There are definitely some bright spots, but it’s mostly going down hill.

Towards the end, God begins to send specific individuals to speak on his behalf to the people. These are the Prophets of the Old Testament. And God sent them to sound the alarm with a very simple message: "You are breaking the covenant. Return to God, or you will face the devastating consequences of exile."

After years of not listening to the prophets, this is exactly what happens. And this brings us to the book of Second Kings.

The Assyrian Empire invades and conquers Israel—specifically the region of Samaria.

Now, as a historical point of interest, the Assyrians were masters at building an empire. What they would do after conquering a territory is remove the residents from the major city and resettle a bunch of other conquered people there. It was their way of keeping a city functioning but completely removing any possibility of rebellion from a local population.

Look with me at 2 Kings 17.

2 Kings 17:24–25 ESV

24 And the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharva’im, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the people of Israel. And they took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. 25 And at the beginning of their dwelling there, they did not fear the Lord…

I know this feels a bit random, but I want you to notice: the Assyrian King brings in people from five different nations… with different languages, customs, beliefs… and they get all mixed together along with any of the remaining Israelites.

And again - when they began putting down roots, they did not know the God of Israel.

Historically, we know this took place around 700 years before the time of Jesus. That is 700 years for this division to fester and calcify.

And over those next seven centuries, the hostility only escalated between the ethnically Jewish people and this conglomerate of partly Jewish group of Samaritans.

When the Jewish people eventually returned from their own exile to rebuild their temple in Jerusalem, the Samaritans offered to help, but the Jewish leaders flatly rejected them. In response, the Samaritans built their own rival temple on Mount Gerizim.

And then, the match in the powder keg: about 150 years before Jesus, a Jewish army marched north and burned that Samaritan temple to the ground.

This wasn't just a theological disagreement; it was a deeply entrenched, violent blood feud. By the time Jesus steps onto the scene, Jewish people recognized Samaritans not just as different, but as compromised, contaminated, and profane.

No self-respecting Jewish person went through Samaria. It was universally agreed: it is better for everyone if this place, and these people, are just avoided.

And that brings us right back to the dusty road in Jesus’ day and why verse 4 jumps off the page.

John 4:4 ESV

4 And he had to pass through Samaria.

What’s really interesting…because as we read this, in English, the could mean a couple things.

It could just mean that Samaria was just on the way to where he was going - like if you went south on High Street from here, you had to pass Fresh Thyme market.

But when you look at the original Greek language John uses here, the word for "had to" actually means something more like, “he was compelled to”…like if I stop at Kitty’s coffee shop, I “have” to get a latte.

It’s a word that implies a “divine necessity.”

Here’s what we can’t miss today.

Jesus didn't end up in Samaria because the map dictated it or because he took a wrong turn. He didn't just happen to end up at a well outside a Samaritan city.

No, as John writes this account he is going OUT OF HIS WAY to say there is a divine, missional pull deep within Him that absolutely compels Him to go exactly where He is “not supposed to go.”

Do you see that?

Everything else that happens in this story, happens because Jesus wants it to happen.

He is looking for this encounter. He is going there on purpose.

PAUSE

And I don't want us to skip over this too quickly.

Because how radically different is that from the way we tend think about Jesus?

PAUSE

If we are really honest, I think in our own imaginations, Jesus is often the ultimate "Holier than Thou" figure. He is pristine. He is clean. And the natural assumption is that, of course, He wouldn't want to be contaminated by us. We might not say that out loud in a room like this, but it so often dominates how we feel.

I know it happens in my own life. When I have one of those moments where I lose my patience... when I am just deeply frustrated and angry with Evelyn, Malachi, and David... there is a part of me that immediately feels this profound shame. In my heart of hearts, in those moments, I assume Jesus is ashamed of me. I assume He is disgusted by my baggage. I assume He wants to take the long road around my mess to avoid the contamination.

What about you? What are the parts of your story that you, for whatever reason, tend to believe that Jesus wants to avoid. [EXPAND.]

But look at what Jesus does in this story.

Jesus knows all of the 700-year backstory. He knows all the religious baggage. He knows the absolute mess of a situation He is walking into. He knows it all!

And knowing all of it, John says, He had to go there. Jesus doesn't avoid the broken places; He is drawn to them. He feels a divine compulsion to walk directly into the mess.

Transition

Now, we could leave it there, but John has another trick up his sleeve in how he’s setting this story up - and I think it’s brilliant. Because at this point all we know is that Jesus is going there on purpose.

But that doesn’t really tell us anything about the posture he has going there. He could be there for a bunch of different reasons. In fact, it’s more than likely that John’s original readers would have been waiting for Jesus to show up in Samaria and completely tell them off! To setting the debate about who is right and who is wrong once and for all!

After all, doctors show up to the operating room on purpose, but so do generals on a battle field! [Does this analogy make sense?]

So how does Jesus show up?

The Wedding Trope

Look with me starting at v. 5.

John 4:5–6 ESV

5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 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.

Let me ask you this.

Imagine you’re watching a movie…you’ve got two main characters, a man and woman working in an office…and in the frantic moment during one particular scene, they bump into each other, knock things out of each other’s hands, never having noticed each other before…

How does that movie end?

Wait for people to respond.

How do you know that?

Because you’ve seen it before! It’s what literary folks call a trope. That’s how a trope works! It’s playing on a pattern.

Again - hang in here with me. I promise I’m going somewhere with this - it’s it’s not some Dan Brown level conspiracy theory stuff.

Do you know the Bible has tropes? Patterns and predictable outcomes?

Interestingly enough, one of the clearest tropes takes place around a well.

Whenever a Jewish person in the first century heard a story about a man traveling to a foreign land and sitting down by a well, alarm bells went off in their head. They knew exactly what was about to happen.

Think about the history of Israel. In Genesis 24, Abraham sends his servant to a foreign land to find a wife for his son, Isaac. Where does he stop? At a well. And who shows up? Rebekah.

A few chapters later in Genesis 29, Jacob travels to a foreign land, stops at a well, and who does he meet? Rachel. His future bride.

In Exodus 2, Moses is a fugitive on the run in a foreign land. He stops and sits down by a well. And who does he meet? Zipporah. His future wife.

In the Old Testament, the well is the ultimate ancient Near Eastern “meet-cute.” It is the biblical equivalent of bumping into someone at a coffee shop in a romantic comedy. When a man goes to a foreign well, it tends to mean a wedding is coming.

More than that, John the author has been dropping some massive hints along the way. Think about how this Gospel started. Jesus’s very first public miracle in chapter 2 didn't happen at a synagogue or a religious festival—it happened at a wedding. And then, just one chapter later in John 3, John the Baptist is asked to explain who Jesus really is. How does he describe Him? He says, "The one who has the bride is the bridegroom."

John the Baptist literally points at Jesus and says, "Look, there is the Groom."

So, when John writes that Jesus—the ultimate hero of the story—travels to a foreign land, and sits down at Jacob's well… John’s original readers are holding their breath.

And look again starting at v. 6.

John 4:6–7 ESV

6 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.

The trope is set.

The scene is perfectly staged. The Divine Bridegroom is sitting at the well...

Verse 7.

John 4:7 ESV

7 And a woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”

And I know this sounds really odd to us. Hang with me for sec. As the cool kids say, let me cook.

You see, the question isn’t really if John is doing this on purpose…it’s why?

Why would he set up this trope?

To answer that, we have to look at how we normally think about God. Most of us picture God as a King, or a Judge, or maybe a Boss. A king wants subjects. A boss wants employees. They just want your compliance.

But all over the Bible, the primary picture God uses to describe the relationship He wants with us isn't a boss and an employee... it is a Husband and a Wife. He doesn't just want our compliance; He wants our devotion. He wants intimacy. He wants a relationship built on real affection, not simply duty or obligation.

And when you look for it, you’ll see this all over the Old Testament!t

I think the most famous example is the prophet Hosea (interestingly enough the prophet who was sent to the people who would become the Samaritans).

Remember what we talked about at the beginning. Hundreds of years before Jesus, God’s people were constantly running away, worshiping false idols, and giving their hearts to lesser things. So God tells the prophet Hosea to do something radical. He tells Hosea to go and marry a woman who is going to be continually unfaithful to him. God uses Hosea's actual marriage as a living, breathing sermon to say to His people: "This is what you have done to me. You have chased after other lovers. AND YET I am still your faithful Husband, and I am going to relentlessly pursue you and win you back."

Friends, you see, when we understand that—that God is the faithful Groom relentlessly pursuing an unfaithful bride—this entire scene at the well suddenly comes into sharp focus.

No, this is not a romantic scene between Jesus and this woman. Jesus does not marry her like the rest of the examples. In fact, this is precisely where John flips the script.

We are the Woman at the Well

Because the woman who walks up to this well is not who anyone expected.

She isn’t an insider. She isn't a respectable daughter of a wealthy family. She is a Samaritan.

In many ways, she is like us.

We are the ones walking up to the well in the heat of the day. We are the ones carrying the heavy baggage of broken promises, failed relationships, and hidden shame. We are the ones with the scars—some inflicted by the world, but so many inflicted by our own sin, our own selfishness, and our own relentless search for satisfaction in wells that always run dry.

And if we are honest, we know that Jesus has every right to put distance between us and Him. That is how the world works. Clean things avoid contaminated things. A pure, holy God has every right to look at our track record, look at our unfaithfulness, and say, "I'll take the long way around. I'm bypassing that mess."

But that is not what Jesus does.

Years later, the Apostle Paul would write a letter to the church in Ephesus, and he would explain exactly what kind of Husband Jesus is. Listen to what Paul says in Ephesians chapter 5:

Ephesians 5:25–26 ESV

25 …Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word…

Jesus doesn't stand at a distance, arms crossed, demanding that we clean ourselves up before He comes near. He approaches us right in the middle of our brokenness, sits down next to us, and offers to wash us Himself.

He didn't just cross the geographic border into Samaria; He crossed the cosmic border of heaven and earth to reach us.

He didn't just offer this woman a drink of well water; He ultimately offered His own life. He loves His unfaithful bride so much that He willingly goes to the cross, giving Himself completely for our sake. He takes the death our sin deserved, so that by His wounds, our deep, shameful scars can finally be healed.

This is the awe that changes everything.

If you are sitting here today assuming that Jesus wants to take the long road around your life… if you assume He is disgusted by your baggage… look at the well. Look at the cross. He doesn't avoid your brokenness. He pursues you right in the middle of it.

And when that reality actually sinks into your bones? You won't be able to keep it to yourself. You will leave your water jar behind.

Telling others about Jesus begins when we realize the massive distance He traveled to rescue us.

Simply put, mission starts with awe.

Conclusion

So, what are you supposed to do with this today?

If you have been following Jesus for a while, your next step this morning isn't to grab a clipboard, leave this room, and go knock on your neighbor's door. You can't manufacture the overflow.

Your next step is simply to sit at the well.

Before you do anything else, you need to take a moment and completely reimagine the kind of affection Jesus actually has for you. For some of us, we have spent years quietly assuming that God is just barely tolerating us. We need to let the reality of His relentless, boundary-crossing pursuit break our hearts all over again.

As we wrap up our time, our Next Steps team is going to be available down front to pray with you. And here is what I want you to consider.

If you have a hard time believing that Jesus would intentionally walk into your mess... if there is a part of your story, a specific scar or a hidden shame, that you have always assumed disqualifies you from His love... I want you to go pray with them.

You don't have to explain all the details of your history to them. You can just walk up to someone on the team and say, "Pray that I would actually believe Jesus loves me like this." Let them pray over you. Let them ask God to help the awe of the Bridegroom's affection finally sink into your bones. Because when it does, it changes everything.

Let's pray.