Jesus left Judea and returned to Galilee and passed through Samaria on the way. As he came to the Samarian village of Sycar he came upon the field that Jacob had given to Joseph and which had the well known as Jacobs well. At noon Jesus tired from the walk sat by the well and sometime later a Samaritan woman came there to draw water. Jesus said to her "Please give me a drink" He was alone at the time because the disciples had gone into the nearby village to buy some provisions.
The woman was surprised because at that time Jews refused to have anything to do with the Samarians She said "You are a Jew and I am a Samarian women, why are you asking me for a drink" Jesus said "If only you knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me and I would give you living water". "But sir you do not have a rope or a bucket and this well is very deep, where would you get this living water? Besides do you think you are greater than our ancestor Jacob who gave us this well How can you offer better water than he received?
Jesus said anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again but those who drink the water that I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh bubbling spring within them giving eternal life. "Please sir said the woman''give me this water then I will never be thirsty again and I wont have to come here to get water" "Go and get your husband" Jesus told her "I don't have a husband" the woman replied. Jesus said "you are right You don't have a husband for you have had five husbands and you are not married to the one you are living with now"
"Sir you must be a prophet, so why is it you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship while we Samaritans believe that it is here at Mount Gerizim where our ancestors worshiped". Jesus replied "Believe me dear woman the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship while we Jews know all about him for salvation comes through the Jews.
But the time is coming indeed it is here now when true worshipers will worship the father in spirit and in truth. The father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is spirit so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. The woman said "I know the messiah is coming the one who is called Christ. When he comes he will explain everything to us. Then Jesus told her "I am the messiah"
At this point the disciples returned and were shocked to see Jesus talking to a woman but all of them were afraid to ask why? The woman left her water jar by the well and ran back to the village telling everyone "Come and see the man who told me everything I ever did ! Could he be the Messiah" So the people came out of the village in great numbers to see him. Meanwhile the disciples were urging Jesus to eat something. But Jesus said that he had a kind of food that they knew nothing about and the disciples wondered if somebody had given him something to eat whilst they had been away.Then Jesus explained "My nourishment comes from doing the will of the father who sent me and from finishing his work John 4 4-30
SOME THOUGHTS In this very short story Jesus cuts through two major cultural norms of the day. It was not acceptable for men to speak to women in public who were non family members, nor would it have been normal for a Jewish person to speak to a Samarian. In recent years in our society much has been done to overcome racial and gender discrimination but here was Jesus 2000 years ago being counter cultural and extending the hand of love and friendship. Jesus is confronting Racism and sexism before the words were invented but also explaining that the Kingdom of God is for all people not just the Jews. It is this message of inclusiveness that so infuriated the Jews who saw themselves as Gods chosen people and guardians of his law. He does this by saying that the law does not matter, the place where you worship is unimportant for God is for all people in all places. In using water to explain the power of God as a form of spiritual nourishment Jesus tells us that the food we eat only satisfies our physical hunger. The living water gives spiritual life but the women first has to admit the truth of her past sin but also to have faith in Jesus as her Saviour. He would not give her the living water until she did those two things. To repent and have faith. Jesus explains that the spiritual water ( the holy spirit ) continues to bubble up from within whereas the water from the well only satisfies for a while before we are thirsty again. We are also told that we become further nourished when we do the will of God. Christians the world over will give testimony to this new spiritual life but we have to do as the Samarian woman did to enjoy it. To admit our own error to God in prayer and have faith.