“Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony…” – John 4:39
One of the great encounters in the gospel is between Jesus and the Samaritan woman. Jesus and his disciples were traveling through the region of Samaria, a place that most Jews would never venture because of their disdain for the Samaritans. Jesus, not wanting to exclude anyone from His message of good news, traveled the direct route through the region and sat down to rest at the well, purchased by Jacob and given to his son Joseph long ago.
At this well, Jesus encounters a woman, whose name we never learn. They entered into a deep discussion that begins with Jesus asking for a drink and ends with Jesus telling the woman that he is the Messiah, the long-awaited Christ. It was a powerful conversation that brought life and hope to the woman at the well. It helped to build a bridge between Jews and Samaritans, and it helped to show that all people were acceptable because of the grace of God found in Christ Jesus.
This conversation was witnessed by the disciples. The scriptures record that they were, “surprised to find him talking with a woman.” The woman leaves and after she does, the disciples give little thought to her or the conversation she was having with Jesus. In fact, she seemed to be of little consequence to the disciples.
After her encounter with Jesus, the Samaritan woman left and went back to her city and said to everyone, “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done!” The people listened and many went looking for Jesus. She becomes a powerful witness for Jesus. Because of her, several people in her community come to faith in Jesus.
Often, like the disciples, we find ourselves focused on the wrong things about the person Jesus encountered at the well. We focus on the fact that she was a woman, or on her past. When we do this, we are missing the point of the story. God is at work in and through all people. All of God’s children are called to share God’s hope and love with their neighbors. The disciples dismissed this encounter at Jacob’s well, but the woman did not. She took the gift God offered her and shared it with others.
All people are created by God to do good. God can and will work through all to bring love and hope to the world. God does not see limitations in us. Our gender, our age, our past are not factors that keep us from being used by God. Like the Samaritan woman at the well, we have been offered the gift of God’s love. Let us look for ways today to offer that gift to the world.
-Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
