If you’ve grown up in church, you’ve heard the story of the woman at the well. She’s the one who had five husbands. The one Jesus offered the living water to. Why are we talking about her? How the heck do we relate to her as women? How can we be encouraged by this story? Grab a cup of coffee and let’s chit chat.
Background info
In the story of the woman at the well, Jesus was passing through Samaria. Samaria became a place of refuge for outlaws and had tweaked the mosaic law (old testament). The Jews (God’s chosen people) were not fans of the Samaritans.
During this time, women often went to the well in the morning together to avoid the heat during the day. However, the Samaritan woman was at the well in the middle of the day. We know that this woman had five husbands and was with a man who was not her husband. Because of this, I’m sure she was judged by the community (which was already a pretty shady bunch). I’m sure she felt shame and guilt. Can you imagine the life this woman must have led? Maybe she was even abused or mistreated. Maybe she was just hungry for love and affection and was searching for that hope in the arms of men. We don’t know too many details about her life, but I can relate to her brokenness. Let’s read what scripture says.
Jesus and the Samaritan Woman
4 When Jesus[a] knew that the Pharisees heard He was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), 3 He left Judea and went again to Galilee. 4 He had to travel through Samaria, 5 so He came to a town of Samaria called Sychar near the property[b] that Jacob had given his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, worn out from His journey, sat down at the well. It was about six in the evening.[c]
7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water.
“Give Me a drink,” Jesus said to her, 8 for His disciples had gone into town to buy food.
9 “How is it that You, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” she asked Him. For Jews do not associate with[d] Samaritans.[e]
10 Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would ask Him, and He would give you living water.”
11 “Sir,” said the woman, “You don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep. So where do You get this ‘living water’? 12 You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are You? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and livestock.”
13 Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. 14 But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again—ever! In fact, the water I will give him will become a well[f] of water springing up within him for eternal life.”
15 “Sir,” the woman said to Him, “give me this water so I won’t get thirsty and come here to draw water.”
16 “Go call your husband,” He told her, “and come back here.”
17 “I don’t have a husband,” she answered.
“You have correctly said, ‘I don’t have a husband,’” Jesus said. 18 “For you’ve had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”
19 “Sir,” the woman replied, “I see that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain,[g] yet you Jews say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”
21 Jesus told her, “Believe Me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans[h] worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. 23 But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship Him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah[i] is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will explain everything to us.”
26 “I am He,” Jesus told her, “the One speaking to you.”
The Ripened Harvest
27 Just then His disciples arrived, and they were amazed that He was talking with a woman. Yet no one said, “What do You want?” or “Why are You talking with her?”
28 Then the woman left her water jar, went into town, and told the men, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They left the town and made their way to Him.
31 In the meantime the disciples kept urging Him, “Rabbi, eat something.”
32 But He said, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.”
33 The disciples said to one another, “Could someone have brought Him something to eat?”
34 “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work,” Jesus told them. 35 “Don’t you say, ‘There are still four more months, then comes the harvest’? Listen to what I’m telling you: Open[j] your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ready[k] for harvest. 36 The reaper is already receiving pay and gathering fruit for eternal life, so the sower and reaper can rejoice together. 37 For in this case the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap what you didn’t labor for; others have labored, and you have benefited from[l] their labor.”
The Savior of the World
39 Now many Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of what the woman said[m] when she testified, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 Therefore, when the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him to stay with them, and He stayed there two days. 41 Many more believed because of what He said.[n] 42 And they told the woman, “We no longer believe because of what you said, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world.”[o]
Hold up!
Girl, do you notice how he used this woman, broken, sinful, lost, confused, ashamed. Have you ever felt so damaged and broken? That your mistakes were too many and you had a lot of work to do before God could use ya? Well let’s speak truth to that. He used this woman IN HER BROKENNESS to lead people to Himself. It was her voice that echoed as she proclaimed the name of Christ. Her words are the reason some of those Samaritans went to see Jesus. We learn in this that God can use us regardless of our past, pain, and sin. By the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are blameless and whole in the eyes of Jesus.
What does this mean for you, personally
Who saved the day?
Let’s stop right here and notice who saved these people. Jesus did. The Samaritan woman played a big role in leading and proclaiming her people to Christ. However, she didn’t save them. Christ does the work. We proclaim His name and the gospel. Ladies, there is freedom in this! We are not responsible for our husband’s salvation. We are not responsible for our kid’s salvation. We are not responsible for our friend’s salvation. If we were, our selfishness would mess it up and it would be just outright ugly. Jesus does the saving. Our job is to lead them and proclaim Christ. Jesus does the work and transforming. Let this sink in.
What are ways you lead and proclaim Christ in your home?
Jesus knows
I love how Jesus talks with this woman. He knows her past, present, and future sins, but He is still offering Himself to her. He says, “Yea, girl where’s your hubs at?” (Brooke translation) all along knowing she’s had five husbands and is with a man who is not her husband. But instead of condemning her, he offers her Himself, true love, peace, and joy. He is so gracious and so loving. He not only is kind to this woman who is openly rejected by her community, He tells her He can fulfill her better than anything or anyone else. He is on her team. For her and wants her. He also stays with those ragamuffin, outlaws for two more days (we are all ragamuffins, really) teaching and loving them. Jesus ain’t judging! He knows all the things.
Based on this passage, how can the grace Jesus extends to the Samaritan people influence the way you love and treat others?
A little personal story
Girl, I am a hot mess. That’s why I love this story so much. If you are like me, you might be a little self critical. I think it must be a woman thing. I beat myself up all the time. I yelled at my kid today, how awful am I? I let my sassiness hurt my husband, I suck. I judged that person based on appearances, I’m a snob. The list goes on. I have a hard time believing Jesus sees, me, ALL of me, and still loves me. That’s why this story is THE BOMB.COM (#mom). The cross covers all of this mess. Satan wants nothing more for me (and you) to feel like garbage and forget how much love Jesus has for us.
You are valuable
The woman at the well reminds us that we are to lead and proclaim the name of Jesus. We do this in our homes, marriages, relationships, and work. We are reminded that we do not save, that’s God’s job. We are instruments in His beautiful plan. We never know what or how our words will influence. The woman at the well teaches us that our sin is never too big for the cross. That Jesus, knowing all of our ugly, continues to offer Himself to us and desires us to be with Him. Sister, you are so loved and so valuable. I wish I could reach across this screen and squeeze your neck. Your are never too far gone. There is hope in the cross!
Your girl,
