John 4:5-42
Jesus shocks. He shocked the woman by talking to her. A man in Jesus' position would have avoided being alone with a woman, and if that was unavoidable would not have spoken to her. Jesus spoke to her. What was worse, she was a Samaritan, and all Jews hated Samaritans and avoided them. Even worse, she was a bad character - she came to the well at that time to avoid the other townswomen and their animosity.
Jesus not only talked with her; he told her things he told no-one else. He kept secret who he really was - but not from her. He offered her eternal life - without any preconditions, she had only to ask for it. When she brought up the question that lay at the heart of the division between Jews and Samaritans - the question of worship - Jesus gave her an answer that challenged both sides. He treated her as a Somebody, a very important Somebody, who ought to be taken seriously. No-one had ever spoken to her like that. He made it plain that he knew all about her, but in a way that carried no condemnation. He certainly was not condoning her way of life - she saw he was a prophet, and knew that no prophet would approve of her immorality. But his uncovering of it was in such a way (affirming the little bit of truth she had spoken when she said she had no husband) that she knew that his offer of eternal life still stood. Amazing grace!
What Jesus had to say to her is vital for us to hear, too. He offers us living water (elsewhere Jesus uses that expression to talk about the Holy Spirit), so that we might have a new life that will never die. He knows the secrets of our hearts, but that does not put him off. He knows how far short we fall of our own ideals, let alone God's standards, but that makes no difference to his love for us, nor to his offer of living water. He wants us to worship God in spirit and in truth, not in the shallow or hypocritical way that comes so easily to me if I'm not careful, not just in a 'religious activity' but in a genuine and personal relationship.
What Jesus had to say changed her life. Leaving the water jar she went back into the village and straight to the people she had just been trying to avoid, telling them to come with her! When they came, they met Jesus for themselves; yet her part in bringing them to Jesus was vital. One can speculate that there might have been on-going transformation in which her life was put back together again and she was able to reclaim her place in village life - we don't know, but it seems unlikely that she could simply go back to her past ways.
The story remains shocking. Jesus stayed in a Samaritan village - a village of people who hated the Jews! Our divisions count for nothing in the kingdom of God.
Questions:
1) Who are the outcasts, like this woman, in our situations? What does Jesus' treatment of her teach us about how we should relate to them?
2) What does Jesus' attitude towards this woman teach us about his attitude towards us?