The Woman at the Well

Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” ¹⁷The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; ¹⁸for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” ¹⁹The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. ²⁰Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” ²¹Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ²²You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. ²⁴God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” ²⁵The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” ²⁶Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.” John 4:16-26

Jesus met the unnamed Samaritan woman at the well during the middle of the day (John 4:6). This detail is significant because the normal custom for those getting water was to go to the well either in early morning or evening. When Jesus meets her at the well they were most likely the only people there. She goes to the well by herself because she had been shunned by her community. We are not told the circumstances of her previous relationships, but having five husbands and living with one who is not her husband would have been quite scandalous at the time. She goes to the well when no one else would be there to avoid further shaming and judgment.

When the woman meets Jesus she does not lie about her story or pretend to be something she wasn't. Instead she has an open conversation with Jesus and sees what God is doing through Jesus. She also confesses her hope that the Messiah will come and bring liberation not only to the Jewish people, but to Samaritans as well. In other words, this ostracized and shunned woman knows she has a place in God's kingdom. She has not allowed what others have said about her to change her belief that the Messiah would come for her too. She reminds us that our worth depends upon what God says about us and no one else.

Jesus' encounter with the woman at the well is remarkable in many regards. She displays great spiritual insight, perseverance and belief that through God all things are possible. She believes the Messiah will come for her and her people; that God's plan of salvation is for all people. For this faith, Jesus reveals to her his true identity. He reveals that he is the Messiah she has been waiting for. While so many others have either misunderstood who Jesus was or rejected him altogether, Jesus reveals the fullness of God's promise to the woman at the well. No one is excluded from God's love, no matter what their life has been like. God sees our heart and knows us fully and for those ready to receive it, Jesus speaks transformational truth to our hearts.

Prayer: Lord, help me to remember that no matter what we have done we are loved by you. Help me to see in others the child of God you created and extend the same love and grace you show me to others, in Jesus' name, AMEN.