The Woman at the well

 

In the Bible, there is a story of the Woman at the Well (John 4). Her past was full of bad choices, multiple failed marriages (five to be exact), and was currently living with a man who was not her husband. She felt unloved, unworthy, damaged, and unclean. I can image that she felt rejected, condemned, and beyond hope. On that day, the Samaritan Woman took the journey to Jacob’s Well in the heat of the day, around noon to draw water. Women from the village would usually travel to the well in the cool of the morning; furthermore, they walked together, not only for safety but also for community visiting along the way. The Samaritan Woman was not accepted by the women of the community; thus, she was an outcast. She would travel to the well alone when no one else was around.

I recall when the boys and I attended a small Baptist Church in a rural town. I was the Children’s Sunday School teacher and the church pianist. One Sunday, the boys and I walked into church, and no one would make eye contact. Coy whispered to me that when he went to shake hands, they turned away. When the sermon was starting, I gathered the boys with my head hung down and headed to the door to leave. The Pastor announced from the pulpit that “Satan has her family.” We had fellowshipped there for several years. No one called to check on us, in fact no one from that congregation even made eye contact or spoke to me again. At times I would encounter church members at the local grocery store, they would turn their head. I was at a loss to explain to the boys what had happened. Too often churches attack the wounded; I was no longer welcomed in that place.

The Samaritan Woman knew of God, was waiting for the Messiah, and knew what it meant to worship. In fact, she stated, “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain” (John 4:20), and “I know that Messiah is coming (who is called Christ). When He comes, He will tell us all things” (John 4:25). I wonder if her only hope was waiting for the Messiah to rescue her from her circumstances.

This Samaritan Woman met Jesus at the well when she went to draw water. Jesus knew her past, “For you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband” (John 4: 18). Many people in town knew her past and her currently living situation. Obviously, those facts were not a secret or the women in town would not have shunned her. However, this man (a Jew) was not from her town. I am sure she was puzzled wondering how he could know those things about her. At that point, she responded, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.” I can feel her shame; I am sure she thought, “Great, even strangers know who I am and my past”. I would have wanted to run and hide. Perhaps there was something different in His eyes, or the peace in His voice. In this story, her name is not recorded, only the Samaritan Woman. I find that her name not recorded is out of compassion; who would want their name recorded with those facts? I do not think John (the writer) even knew her name, only that Jesus (a Jew) was speaking with a Samaritan Woman, which was against all cultural customs. She realized that she had met the Messiah when He responded, “I who speak to you am He” (John 4:26). Jesus offered her living water, forgiveness, and hope.

Olivia Lane sings a song, Woman at the Well (Lane Train Music, 2021) which tells the story of “A broken hearted woman who met the Savior of the World”. In that song, the lyrics state, “I think that woman might be me.” The words resonated with me, I certainly was once the damaged broken heartened woman, rejected, unloved, and unclean. 

I sat at the jail visiting with eleven women. None of them had heard the story of the Samaritan Woman before. I read the story and explained how that woman met Jesus. One of the ladies said, "I can relate to that woman." I explained how they too could meet the Savior the World; how they could bring their broken past to him. The Samaritan woman used her past as a testimony of what God can do and she ran to her village and stated, "He told me all I had done" and "offered me living water!" Many were saved because of her testimony and a church was established there within three years. 

Do many want to hear about Christ because of your testimony? Do you share your past so that others can see the power of Jesus?  Have you met the Savior of the World?