"The Woman At The Well”

In Jesus Holy Name March 8,2026

Text: John 4:4-7 Lent III – Redeemer

“The Woman at the Well”

There are two kinds of water in the Middle East: dead water and living water. Dead water is still water; living water is moving water. Water in a cistern, doesn’t’ move. Jews living in Galilee would often travel to Jerusalem to worship at the temple for the great Jewish feasts. But they would along the Jordan River, even though the shorter route would be to travel through Samaria. Jews would not travel through Gentile territory of Samaria unless there was no other option.

The Jewish /Samaritan schism was proximally 700 years old when Jesus came on scene. Jews and Samaritans worshipped in two separate temples and used two different scriptures. Jews tracing descent from Judah and accepting the whole Hebrew Bible, while Samaritans descend from the northern Kingdom of Israel, accepting only the Pentateuch (Torah) and viewing Mount Gerizim as the holy site, not Jerusalem.

Hundreds and hundreds of years later Jesus chose to travel through Samaria.

He sat with a Samaritan woman at Jacobs well. It is still there today. The well was dug in the days of Patriarchs. ( Abrham and Jacob)The well was a gathering place for the local women, while there they would catch up on local news or gossip and help each other raise the rope tied to a bucket This woman was an outcast which is why she came alone. Like the others she would have to crank the rope alone in order to draw the water up from the well.

Jesus the Jewish rabbi was breaking two rules: 1. He was traveling through territory not acceptable. It would require days of purification before he could enter the temple in Jerusalem. and He was talking to a woman.

The encounter of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well was not a random meeting. It was planned by God and it demonstrates Jesus’ mercy, passion and love for us, resulting in joy. Four invisible walls stand between Jesus and the woman at the well in Samaria. There is a religious wall, a gender wall, a racial wall, and a moral wall. Yet Jesus found a way through all of them. He found her, and then she found him! What does this story tell us about God?

First, that a Jew would speak to a Samaritan. Second, that a man would speak to a woman he didn’t know in public. Third, that a Jew would drink from a Samaritan’s cup. In the first century, it was almost unheard of for a man to speak to a woman in public. Asking for a drink of water was even more unusual since Jewish rabbis taught it was a sin to touch a utensil that a Samaritan had touched.

John writes: Jesus left Judea and departed again for Galilee. He had to pass through Samaria. What? He HAD to pass through Samaria. Were his feet too tired to cross the Jordan like most everybody else? Was there some kind of traffic accident or road construction which forced Him to go through the land populated by these religious rejects? There is only one reason Jesus HAD to go through Samaria. He had an appointment with a lady at Jacob’s well.

The conversation begins with a simple question from Jesus: “Will you give me a drink?”

He was thirsty and knew it.

She was thirsty and didn’t know it.

The woman did not come to the well seeking Christ, but he came to the well seeking her. He had an appointment to keep. As I noted last week God always acts first. To keep that private appointment is why Jesus sent his disciples into town to buy food. To keep the appointment is why Jesus sat by Himself at the well and waited. He knew she would come in the middle of the day.

She came alone to the well at noontime. This was potentially dangerous and somewhat unusual. Women normally came together to the well in the morning or the evening. It was something of a social event. The fact that this woman came alone means her checkered past was well known to the villagers.

This lady was shocked to see Jesus sitting there, It was obvious by his dress that he was a Jewish rabbi. When she arrived at well, Jesus asked: “”Will you give me a drink of water?” What could she say? Why did he speak to me? “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman.” She said. She could not believe that this man broke tradition and actually requested a drink of water from the unclean cup of an unclean woman. Some of you may well remember the days of “drinking fountains” for “whites” only. Thank the Lord that is no longer a reality but it is part of our American past. It may help you understand the situation at the Samaritan well. A Jew would not drink from the cup of a Samaritan.