1 – The separation between men and women

The Wailing Wall in Jerusalem is the only remaining wall of the Temple of Solomon that was destroyed around 70AD by the invading Roman army. This in turn led to the scattering of the Jews and end of Israel as a nation until 1948. If you go to pray at the Wailing Wall the men and women are divided with men to the right and women to the left. In Orthodox Judaism, men and women do not pray together and barely talk with each other when they celebrate the Sabbath. The status of women at the time of Jesus’ ministry was not very high. It was actually being debated in Rabbinical schools of that time whether a women had a soul at all!

2 – The attitude of Jesus to women

Jesus had twelve disciples who were all men but he had many followers who were both men and women. Among all the religious leaders of ancient times, Jesus was the only one who accorded women on equal terms with men.

3 – The unnamed woman

The woman’s name is never given to us. She came at a time of the day to avoid others. She was planning her day to avoid the whispers, stares and unkind gossip of others. She was considered to be a woman of low repute.

4 – The lonely woman

The scene is Jacob’s well and Jesus is thirsty and dirty from the heat of the day. Jesus is a Jew in Samarian country. A Samaritan woman comes to get water. We notice some important things about this woman:-

• The time of day – She comes during the mid-day sun. Most women would come early in the morning when the sun is less hot. This is to avoid others.
• She is alone – It was not safe for women to come alone to the well as they could have been attacked or raped by thieves.
• She is not shy of men. Jesus is there and she still decides to approach the well alone.

5 – Jesus the water of life

The water that Jesus offers would mean she would never be thirsty. Jesus was not talking about physical water. He was not interested in her as other men had been. He knows all about her relationships with other men. She knew that this man was different from others she had known. He is not interested so much in her past and changing her life now for the better.

6 – Jesus meets her needs

The woman has questions about the differences between the Samaritans and the Jews. She longs for the Messiah. She has moved from being trapped to longing to be set free. Jesus reveals to her that He is the Messiah that she seeks. Jesus is unlike any other man she has met. He does not conform to the world view.

• Jesus challenges gender – He speaks directly to the woman.
• Jesus challenges culture – She was a despised Samaritan.
• Jesus challenges social norms – A woman was to have no more than three husbands. She has had five.
• Jesus challenges religion – The Mountain is irrelevant.

Jesus offers her a change of life and goes to tell others that she has the Messiah. Jesus brings clean water to other people resulting in changed lives. We need to treasure water as without it there is no life. Water from the sea or water which is dirty brings death, not life.

7 – Real grace in action

Real grace is God loving us even when He knows everything about us. Jesus knew all about this women’s sins but yet he treated her with love, respect and kindness.

Categories: John