I Will Take Some of That – The Woman At The Well’s Story
The fourth chapter of John tells of an encounter between Jesus and a Samaritan woman. This encounter is full of ironies and what people of that day would have considered taboo. One thing it lacks, however, is coincidence. But then, nothing is a coincidence where Jesus is concerned.
The Woman at the Well’s Story
She has no name. She is considered an outcast and undesirable by the Israelite people. She is the last person the disciples would have expected Jesus to spend time with while they were out rounding up something to eat.
From there the conversation moved on to a much deeper level…
- Jesus offered her ‘living water’ (life eternal through him)
- The woman didn’t understand what Jesus meant by ‘living water’, but was intrigued to know more
- The woman revealed that she knew who God was, that her ancestors worshipped him, and that she knew a Messiah was coming
- Jesus told the woman he knew about her past and that she was currently living in sin with a man she wasn’t married to
- Jesus told her he was the Messiah she was waiting for
The Samaritan woman did not doubt. Instead, she ran to share the news and bring others from her village to see and hear Jesus.
What We Can Learn From The Samaritan Woman at the Well
Her story isn’t lengthy, too exciting, or one you would consider a good example of Christian living, but there are still a few things we can learn from this woman…
Lesson One:
God doesn’t care where you are when you come to him. He’s more concerned about where you go once you accept Jesus as your Savior.
This woman’s reputation was far from stellar. She was (as your grandma would say) a floozy. Loose. Easy. The marriage vows meant nothing to her. But Jesus saw past this. he saw the spark of belief in her and wanted to ignite it into a full-blown fire.
To do so he had to break through the barriers of trust. After all, she was a Samaritan and he was a Jew.
Jesus wants to ignite a full-blown fire in you, too. Where you are going and the condition of your heart is far more important to God than where you’ve been in the past.
Lesson Two:
Color, nationality, economic status, age, your level of education, your past… none of these is a barrier to salvation through Jesus unless you allow it to be.
To Sum It All Up
Jesus told the Samaritan woman who he was that he was the Messiah. When she did, she believed. She ‘got it’s much quicker and easier than even his own disciples did. Why? Because she chose to believe and she chose to not let her past keep her from moving forward. Will you do the same?