Samaritan Woman - John 4

Definitely an amazing story here. . .Jesus encounters a most unlikely hero.

Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. (John 4:4-6 NIV)

Reading a story like this requires a little bit of detective work to figure out the full meaning of the events.

Why does Jesus sit down at the well?

He's tired and wants some water.

What is the significance of this being the well that Jacob gave to Joseph?

Because this is a well that plays a central role in Joseph's story. Look at Genesis 24. Isaac (who will be Jacob's dad) wants a wife, so he sends a servant to sit at this well an wait for a kind, beautiful virgin to come give he and his camels some water. Rebekah shows up, waters the camels, the servant gives a nose ring and some bracelets, talks to their family and explains what is happening and how their camel-watering daughter is an answer to his master's prayers. Then Rebekah goes home with the slave, marries Isaac, and they live happily ever after. . .or until the kids cause then a bunch of trouble.  They have two sons, Esau and Jacob, who fight over the birthright.  Jacob obtains it, and eventually has twelve sons of his own, one of which is Joseph, his favorite son.  He gives Joseph an amazing technicolor dreamcoat and apparently, a well.  Joseph tells his brothers about a dream that they will all bow down and worship him, so they take him, beat him up, and toss him in his well.  He his fished out of the well, sold into slavery, becomes a prince of Egypt and later saves the day.  All's well that ends well!

What part of this story sounds like what is in John?

Same place, several thousand years later.

Jesus, like the servant sits by the well and waits for a kind woman to bring him some water and in exchange for her help, he will bless her.

But that's where the similarities end. What is different about this story?

The woman isn't some beautiful, pure Jewish virgin. She's a used-up foreigner, who is a Jewish man would normally stay away from, and definitely not talk to and drink with in public.

Why is the woman at the well at high noon?

When did the Rebekah go to the well? In the evening, right? If you are going to fetch potfulls of heavy water, you would go first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon when it is cool. The woman is likely going to the well at noon so she won't have to talk to anyone. She's avoiding the townspeople because she is a black sheep, five times divorced and currently living in sin. She's a mess and it's easier to avoid than explain.

Woman at the Well - Hyatt Moore

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. ) (John 4:7-9 NIV)

Why don't Jews associate with Samaritans? Purity laws, and stuff about cleanliness. It's kind of like the Jim Crow era of the south when white people wouldn't use the same water fountain or eat at the same part of a restaurant as a black person. It's also a little bit like cooties. . .there's an invisible "unclean ness" about these foreigners and if they touch you, you'll get their cooties.

The big difference is that the cleanliness cooties is part of God's law in Leviticus. Only when Jesus showed up and the Jews were following these laws to the finest detail, he asked what was the greatest commandment in the law:

He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” (Luke 10:27 NIV)

But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” (Luke 10:29-37 ESV)

Jean Francois Millet

Cleanliness schemliness, love your God and love your neighbor. Sometimes that means getting dirty, having to take your donkey to the donkey-wash, blowing the money that would have been for your Alabama-LSU tickets on the hospital room for a sick man. I'm on earth to love, and that's why I'm sitting by this well at high noon, so I can speak with you. . .and don't start telling me how unclean you are, I came to cleanse the unclean and love the unlovely.

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.” (John 4:10 ESV)

Ma'am, I appreciate the thought in cleanliness and that you are looking out for me, but I'm about to blow your mind. Go ahead, ask me for a drink!

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.” (John 4:11-14 ESV)

What is this living water that Jesus is talking about?

I honestly don't know for 100% certain, but I think Jesus is referring to the Holy Spirit or to himself ad the fact that he is the source of life. http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/John/Jesus-Source-Living-Water-All

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.” (John 4:15 ESV).

How is the Samaritan woman's answer different from Nicodemus in John 3?

She doesn't fully understand, just like Nicodemus, but whatever Jesus has, she wants. She had questions, but she doesn't tell Jesus that he is crazy. She speaks and questions, but from an honest place in her heart, and her heart is humble.

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.” (John 4:16-18 ESV)

Why does Jesus switch subjects as start asking personal questions?

If we say we have no sin, the truth is not in us, but if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us of our unrighteousness.

Jesus can't reveal himself to the woman without addressing her uncleanness. He can't give her life without exposing her death.

Why is this so, so important?

Because Jesus is not afraid of our crap! He does not ask us to come to him clean. Or perfect. This woman is a mess and so are we. Jesus knows what is in a man. No skeleton in our closet is a surprise. We may hide our shame from the world, but we need not hide it from Jesus.

Do you have a deep, dark secret? Have you ever admitted it to God?

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.” (John 4:25, 26 ESV)

Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” (John 4:39-42 ESV)

This is such a cool picture of how the good news is shared.  The woman tells everyone in town, but they come and see for themselves.  They watch Jesus, ask him questions just as she did, and they believe for themselves.  Our task as Christians is to be like this woman, to create the desire in others - through our words and actions - to come and see who this Jesus is.  And hopefully they will see and believe just as the Samaritans did!