The Woman At The Well

The Pharisees were quick to pick up on anything negative that they could use against Jesus. There designs were to get rid of Jesus any way that they could, but the best way would be to find him guilty of some crime punishable by death and be rid of him for good.

Thus it seems that possibly some of the disciples of John the Baptist had become envious of Jesus and his disciples because the disciples baptized more converts than John did. That was a threat to them and their teacher. Not all of John’s disciples understood that Jesus was the Messiah, in fact few did. So they were quick to tattletale to the Pharisee, who could use that information against Jesus in some way.

But Satan’s plans, formulated in the hearts and minds of evil men, are never a surprise to Jesus. He knew their thoughts, intents and motives. Since it wasn’t time for his arrest and crucifixion, Jesus decided to leave town and let things cool down some.

John 4:3-4, "He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs go through Samaria."

Jesus was back on the ministry circuit again, in fact the very name Galilee, means “circuit”. Jesus had no place to call home anymore. His place of rest was wherever he could find it when the time came, whether it was a rock by the side of the road, or a bed in the home of a friend. He didn’t have a mansion in Nazareth, a summer home in Bethelehem and a vacation home in Jerusalem. He had no home at all. He didn’t have a Camel, a donkey or a horse to ride. He didn’t have a cart to carry all his worldly goods. In fact, he had no worldly goods other than the clothes on his back, a few coins to buy food and the shoes on his feet. And he let the most untrustworthy disciple in the bunch take care of the money.

But he was prosperous in all that he did. He healed the sick, raised the dead, cleansed the leper, gave sight to the blind, opened deaf ears and had a close relationship with his father in Heaven. He had it all, but he had nothing of worldly value. Jesus’ sights were set on things eternal, not on the things of this world. The only thing that Jesus cared about in this world was the souls and suffering of man and the manner in which the House of God was honored.

Jesus walked out of Jerusalem that day, turned North and headed for Galilee, but to get to Galilee in the shortest route possible, would mean going through the heart of Samaria. As you know, he had another motive, other than convenience for going through Samaria.

There was a woman in Samaria that needed him, and in the mind of God, Jesus knew that her time had come to know about him. He would reveal his true identity to this woman at the well in a way that few other people would receive. It wasn’t until much later that he would even reveal his true identity to his own disciples, and when he did, he told them to keep it quiet. He didn’t do that with this woman of Samaria.

John 4:5-8, "Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat)"