The Woman at the Well (John 4:6-29) is one of my Bible favorites. But, to be honest, I had been reading it all wrong. I used to think that Jesus was pointing out the sin of this woman as a call to repentance. Now, don’t get me wrong, Jesus is a rightful judge who holds us accountable, but I’m no longer convinced that repentance is the major theme of this story.
The narrative begins when Jesus asks the Samaritan woman at the well for water. She must be shocked that Jesus would even speak to her because their people groups hated each other (think Hatfield’s & McCoy’s). But He assures her, “If you knew to ask me for living water, I would give it to you.” He’s not just talking to her, He’s offering her something (the greatest gift there is!). Then, when the woman tells Him she wants His living water, things take a sharp turn. Jesus tells her to call her husband, knowing that she does not have one. He reveals that He knows she has had five husbands and isn’t married to the man she has now. Now, I used to think that maybe Jesus is trying show her what she needs to do (get married) in order to have His living water. But that’s not how God’s Grace operates. It’s not something you can earn with good works. So, if that’s not the case- what is His point?
We can be sure that there were no “Girl Power” t-shirts in biblical times like the one in my closet. The right to pursue divorce back then was solely given to men. So, when Jesus speaks of her five divorces, He speaks of the five times that a man has given up on her and tossed her aside. The most common reason men divorced women back then was because they couldn’t bear children- so maybe she’s barren. We don’t know, but we can assume that in her society, as a five-time divorcee, she is probably an outcast. So, when He says she’s not married now, He’s referring to a man who likely won’t marry her. I believe that Jesus means to uncover this brokenness and rejection in an effort to become intimate with her rather than to judge her. He wants her to know that He knows her, and He calls her worthy. It’s not that He knows the good stuff about her and thinks she’s worthy, but that He knows all her struggles, and still calls her worthy. I love how Jesus jumps to her broken places as soon as she says she’s ready to receive His living water. We see our own brokenness and messy past experiences as something we should hide, and He sees opportunity for Him to be glorified. It’s true; His power is made perfect in our weakness. This is why the enemy wants us to keep the dark places of our lives to ourselves, so that He can continue to use them against us. The enemy knows that when our stories are exposed to the light of Christ, He will turn them into a testimony that is used to glorify Him.
As soon as the woman at the well realizes that Jesus has a divine connection to God, she jumps at the chance to ask Him the most important spiritual question in her world. This was the primary disagreement among the Samaritans and Jews: “Where is proper to worship?” Jesus responds by teaching her what true worship is. Can we just take second, as 21st century Christians, to appreciate how honored the woman at the well is in this moment, being taught by Jesus face to face? Jesus gives her the ultimate education- that He is the Messiah. Upon hearing this, she up and leaves her water jug, and runs off to tell people. She is so shaken up by Jesus, that everything she was doing before the King of Kings interacted with her is no longer important.
The Samaritan woman runs to tell everyone just how Jesus has rocked her world, and she changes her city. Jesus used this rejected and broken lady to further His kingdom. He not only acknowledges her existence- he converses with her, invites her, and teaches her. She was taught by Jesus face to face, and was likely the first person ever of Gentile descent to spread His name. God used this woman in a powerful way for His kingdom, and He does the very same thing with us today. Even when we feel under-qualified, shamed, or rejected, Jesus is inviting us into relationship with Him and inviting us to partner with Him in the sharing of His Gospel, and, you know, changing the world. The question is- are we willing to bring our broken places into the light and leave our water jugs to do so?
