Isn’t it amazing how an entire life can change in a moment? That’s the way it happened for the unnamed woman we meet in John 4.
On a nothing-special day in the Samaritan village of Sychar, she was minding her own business when she realized her household water jar was empty. It was unbearably hot out. Perfect, she thought. She probably wouldn’t have to see anyone or talk to anybody. Grabbing her water jar, she slipped out the door.
Feeling like the neighbors were glaring at her through their windows, she quickened her step. Upon arriving at Jacob’s Well, she froze. Slumped wearily against the stone was a young Jewish man. He was alone. When he asked her for a drink, she almost dropped her container.
Gathering herself, she managed to ask, “How is it that You, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (John 4:9). The intriguing stranger sidestepped the question. Then he suggested that maybe, on second thought, he should be offering her “living water” (John 4:10).
A wise guy, she thought. “You don’t even have a bucket,” she observed (John 4:11). Before she knew it, she was in a deep conversation. He kept talking about thirst. And when he looked her into the eyes, it was like he was seeing straight into her heart. It was almost as if he was asking, “You’re thirsty for a whole lot more than water, aren’t you?” And of course, she was.
The clincher came when this kind but direct stranger gave her a matter-of-fact, accurate summary of her long and checkered marital past. Staring at the ground, she stammered uncomfortably, “I see that You are a prophet” (John 4:19). Part of her wanted to turn and run and save what little shreds of dignity she had left. Something else told her if she ran now, she’d never be saved. It was all so unexpected. She felt uncomfortable, unmasked, and unable to move.
She tried to reroute the conversation toward theoretical chitchat about obtuse religious matters. When that didn’t exactly work, she tried to end the discussion by concluding, “I know that Messiah is coming. . . . When He comes, He will explain everything to us” (John 4:25).
That’s when it happened—her life-changing moment. In response to her Messiah comment, the young Jewish man said simply, “I am He” (John 4:26). In other words, I’m the One sent from God, the One you’ve been waiting for. And you’re right. I can explain everything to you: how much the Father in heaven loves you and wants to have a relationship with you, why you feel so thirsty all the time, how you can finally satisfy the deep needs of your soul and break free from your addictive behaviors.
Pierced to the heart by this unanticipated encounter, this unnamed woman set her water jar on the ground. Turning, she rushed lickety-split back to the village where everyone knew all her secrets.
Then the woman with the sordid past told about her spectacular encounter, and “many Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of what the woman said when she testified, ‘He told me everything I ever did’” (John 4:39).
The Takeaway
Why was it such a big deal that Jesus would have a discussion at a local watering hole with a Samaritan woman? First, there was the gender gap. Middle Eastern customs said that an upstanding man must not engage in conversation in public with a woman who was not his wife. What Jesus did was shocking, even taboo.
Second, there was a huge racial and cultural barrier. Jesus was a Jew; this anonymous woman was a citizen of Samaria. The Samaritans were the product of the Assyrian invasion and subjugation of the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC. Intermarriage with foreign peoples who had been resettled in the promised land resulted in a race of people with mixed ancestry and diluted devotion to Yahweh. “Pure-blooded” Jews viewed Samaritans with contempt; the Samaritans responded with equal hostility. John’s statement that “Jews do not associate with Samaritans” (John 4:9) was putting it mildly.
Third, there were issues of moral propriety. Jesus was a respected rabbi, a “holy man.” This woman was regarded in her culture as a “sinner” and thus a social outcast.
In every way, Jesus’ interaction with this woman was shocking. He crossed some huge barriers to engage her, to reveal eternal truth to her, and to call her to himself. This woman’s encounter with Jesus reminds us of God’s relentless love. It also screams the truth that life can change in a moment. Are you paying attention?
Food for Thought
- How can you apply how Jesus interacted with the Samaritan woman to the way you interact with other people?
- How is physical thirst a good metaphor for the spiritual longings that we all have?
- It seems like the Samaritan woman had been looking to male relationships to fill the void in her soul. What are some of the things you look to for security, a sense of well-being, significance, or meaning?