The Woman at the Well

I was reading the book of John chapter four, the story of the woman at the well, a story I've read many times before and noticed for the first time how the story offers two perspectives on salvation. It offers a viewpoint of the person offering the salvation and the side of the person receiving it. The Savior and the soon to be saved.

The story goes that Jesus was leaving Judea and on his way to Galilee, in an effort to avoid the disputes among the Pharisees going on in Judea about His ministry. To get to Galilee Jesus needed to go through Samaria. This would be all well and good except for the fact that Jews and Samaritans did not get along. Jews considered Samaritans a mixed breed and therefore they were looked upon as Gentiles and not real Jews. The Samaritans also worshipped other gods and did many atrocious things.

But this place, Samaria, is where Jesus needed to travel through.

Jesus takes a break from His journey to Galilee and stops in, of all places, Samaria. Not only does He need to go through it but now He STOPS!

In the story, it is late afternoon. We find Jesus sitting by Jacob's well and He is alone because the Disciples went into the city to buy food. Then a woman approaches the well. She begins to draw water from it when Jesus asks her for a drink of water. She immediately recognizes Jesus as a Jew and wonders why He wanted a drink from her, a Samaritan, a woman.

Here is where the story reveals an opportunity, a window, into both sides of salvation.

First let us observe the perspective of the soon to be saved Samaritan woman and while we do let's try to remember who we were and how we felt before we were saved.

As the story of the woman at the well unfolds we discover that she was a woman of ill repute. A woman who had five husbands and the man she was with now was a married man. She was in adultery. We also discover, as we read on, that she feels remorseful and ashamed. It is never written but it is picked up in the exchange between her and Jesus. She knew the life in which she was living was wrong.

How do we know that she was ashamed?

Simple, it was late afternoon when she went to draw water from the well.

It was customary for the women to draw water early in the morning while the weather was still cool. There would be no one by the well in the late afternoon, in the heat of the day. She knew this. She avoided the crowd of women by the well earlier because she was ashamed and afraid of being ostracized. She would not take the chance. She did not want to risk the stares, the name calling, the whispers , the judgement and the rejection. So she waited until the "coast was clear" and no one was around.

Can you imagine how she must have felt?

She was not a woman who flaunted her sin. She was very mortified. She was depressed.

Do you remember how you felt before you were saved?

Perhaps you were depressed, in search of a better way of life, embarrassed of your lifestyle, looking for something to fill that empty void in your life, remorseful for the things you had done that were not pleasing to God, feeling guilty and ashamed.

It is a good thing to look back every so often and remember who we were before we were saved and what it felt like. In this way we are not so quick to judge others who are not saved, so harshly, because not too long ago we were in the same place.

We were like the woman at the well but God, as always has perfect timing. Just like the woman, God placed us, in the right place at the right time so He could show us His grace, kindness ,love and compassionate mercy so that we may be saved.

Now let us look at the point of view of the one who offers salvation.

Here, we find Jesus, the Messiah, at this time and place by the well in Samaria. He is tired, as anyone would be after a long journey. He needs rest. The disciples were off getting food for Jesus and we read here that He asked for water.

He was tired, hungry and thirsty. But he knew He had to be there at that time at that place and He did not let His discomfort stop Him from showing sincere compassion, kindness and revealing salvation to a lost soul.

After being saved ourselves, have we let our personal discomfort get in the way of ministering to the needs of others with sincere compassion and kindness?

Jesus knew the woman was a Samaritan, yet He spoke to her kindly.
He sat there and when she approached, He didn't get up and leave, instead He asked for water. He spoke to her as if she were any other person in need.

Three reasons why someone would think this was not a good idea (they’d be wrong) but some people back then and perhaps now think...1. Why is Jesus talking to her, she is a woman? 2. She is a Samaritan and... 3. She is in adultery.

But Jesus saw none of that. He saw a sad and lost soul in need of salvation.

He had no favoritism. Look at the message He brought to her.

The mere fact that He struck up a conversation with her, let her see that she was significant and valued enough to be spoken to. He was not acting as if He needed to do her a favor. He did not treat her as if she were garbage. He did not look at her as if she was lower than Him AND He did not insult her intelligence when He spoke to her deep, spiritual truths.

Jesus looked beyond her exterior and saw her spiritual hunger. And He valued her even though He knew her failings.

Later in the chapter we will see how she admitted to her adultery. She was honest and owned up to her sin. She acknowledged it and yet He still valued her.

Like Jesus, we need to offer salvation to the lost sinner with kindness, without judgment without demeaning the person or without thinking we are better than they are.

Remember where you were then and remember who you are now.

There but for the grace of God, go I.

At one time we were at the receiving end like the woman at the well and now many of us are at the giving end, offering salvation , like Jesus.

Two experiences. Two perspectives.