Today, let’s talk about another woman who was saved by the power of Jesus Christ; a woman we have all referred to as “The Woman at the Well.” We find her story in the 4th chapter of the book of JOHN.
As we read the Gospels, we see that Jesus’ approach to proclaiming the Good News was decidedly different that the approach most churches have today. Whereas most churches wait until people walk into their church buildings at certain times to tell them about Jesus, Jesus and the disciples traveled the countryside on foot to take the Good News to the people.
In fact, we find Jesus constantly on the move, trying to reach more people for salvation. In today’s message, we find him in Judea where His cousin John the Baptist was.
The Pharisees were angry with Jesus because they heard Jesus was more popular than John the Baptist, and He was baptizing more people than John. So Jesus decided to leave Judea and go northward into Galilee, which was in Israel. But to get there, He had to go through Samaria, which was in-between the two.
Samaria was a place inhabited by 2 basic peoples. The original Canaanites, and those who were ½ Canaanites and ½ Jews. The Jews called them “half-breeds”, and considered them to be lower than dogs because of their mixed heritages. Any respectable Jew would never go into Samaria - much less a Rabbi!
Jesus chose to go through Samaria rather than go around it. There was a city in Samaria called Sychar. That is where Jacob had built a well long ago, and that well what where Jesus stopped on that day in this story.
In those days, the women carried the water, and most women went to the well in the morning hours to avoid the heat of the day. Jesus got there in the afternoon, and sent his disciples into town to get them some food. That is when he saw the Samaritan woman coming to the well for water.
Why would she be going so late in the day? Well, she was not only despised by the Jews, but also by her fellow Samaritans. She was one of ‘those kinds’ of people. She had been married 5 times, and was presently just living with a man out of wedlock. It seems that today’s worldly society, ‘is the only society that fully accepts ‘shacking up’ to be acceptable.
As a rabbi, Jesus should not have talked to her, but as we always see with Him, salvation always meant more than obeying mankind’s rules. Jesus always had a different way of striking up conversations with people. He didn’t ask her about the weather, but asked her for a favor; He asked her for a drink of water.
JOHN 4:7-9
“7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
Jesus began the conversation by asking her for some water. This drew a reply from her and now they were able to begin a conversation.
In JOHN 4:9, she reminded him that he should not be talking to her because of their differences.
In JOHN 4:10, Jesus responded to her -
“If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
Jesus was speaking spiritually, but the woman could only think of the physical meaning, and it made no sense to her. How could He bring water to her, and what did He mean by “living water”? This woman was still focused on the worldly; on the differences between her and Jesus. And then, Jesus begins to explain to her.
JOHN 4:13-14
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Jesus asked her for a favor. This started the conversation. She said he wasn’t supposed to be talking to her. He replied by offering her water. But this water was spiritual life, not water to quench an earthly thirst.
In JOHN 4:16, Jesus told her to do something – He told her to:
“Go, call your husband and come back.”
She responded and told him she had no husband. In JOHN 4:18, Jesus replied to her -
“You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
How would you feel if you had some secrets in your life that you were not proud of, and some stranger tells you all of them? She felt as surprised as we would! So she continued talking to Jesus.
And in JOHN 4:19-20 she said –
“19 “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
Jesus could have let the conversation go in the direction of WHERE to worship, but he brought it back to WHY we worship.
JOHN 4:21-22 –
21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father, but it will not be on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.
The Samaritan’s bible only included the first five books of what we have in our bible today. The Jews on the other hand had the entire Old Testament, so they were more knowledgeable about the bible than the Samaritans were.
This woman did not understand when Jesus spoke in a spiritual sense. She was bewildered by His ability to tell her details of her past, when He didn’t even know who she was, and she just didn’t know what to think. And so, with limited understanding but with a lot of blind faith, we read what she said in;
JOHN 4:25 –
“I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
She was not very mature in the word, but the lady did have faith. And by quickly quoting scripture, she showed her faith.
JOHN 4:26-27 –
“I, the one speaking to you - I am he.” 27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
Jesus told her he was the Messiah, something he rarely said publicly. But he knew that by telling this woman, he was letting her see the One she had been longing for. And as Jesus said that to her, His disciples came back from their trip into town. Out of great respect for Jesus, none of them asked why he was talking to her, or even mentioned it.
JOHN 4:28-30, tells us what she did next.
28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
To fully understand this story, we must realize just how excited this woman became. The Good News welled up inside her so much, she had to tell someone - so, she ran off into town, even forgetting her water pot! And in doing so, she became an evangelist herself, leading others to Jesus Christ!
There has never been anything stronger that a person can do in this world than to give an honest personal testimony. It carries the weight of God in it. Whereas before, nobody would have given this woman any attention other than disapproving scowls, now they not only listened to her, but followed her back so they could meet Jesus, too!
Why did she do this? Because she had an encounter with Jesus Christ, the Holy One who knows that when you have such an encounter, something happens; you become transformed from the inside out.
JOHN 4:31-32 tells us what His disciples did.
“31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
And now it was time to teach His disciples, also. Worried about Him, they urged him to eat, but He said He had food they didn’t know anything about. Of course, he was talking about the nourishment of God’s Word. Because of this woman and her eagerness to know Jesus, many townspeople were saved, and they, being Samaratins, even asked Jesus, a Jew, to stay with them and teach them more!
Scripture goes on to say that because He stayed for two days, many more were saved. The power of God transcends prejudices, differences, and even hatred. The power and love of God can also bring all people into God’s loving kindness.
Can belief in Jesus bring about an entirely new life, even here on earth? Church tradition teaches that this woman became an evangelist going into N. Africa and Asia Minor, or what we call Turkey today. She was eventually martyred all because she believed in Jesus Christ.
If the heroes of the bible were willing to risk being killed just so they could tell others about Jesus, don’t you think we might be willing to be mocked so we can tell others about Him? Being mocked never hurt anything but temporary feelings, whereas not trying to bring someone to Jesus can destroy souls for eternity.
Let us close in prayer.
