Jesus is traveling – remember last week he met with Nicodemus in Jerusalem. Now he’s headed back home to the Galilee area. We see in the midst of this journey, a chance encounter. Most Jews would travel the Jordan River Valley so that they could stay out of Samaria. But that's the hot route and the longer route. Jesus chooses to go through the hill country of Samaria - more direct and much cooler in the warm Judean climate. There he comes across the city of Sychar near where Jacob’s well was located. That's the first thing we notice.
The second thing that we note about this scene is the time: noon. The sun would have been bearing down and very warm. When we were in Jericho in May, it was 115 degrees in the shade, so although this would have been a cooler location, it would have still been very warm. This was when most people stayed home out of the sun. That’s why there was no one else at the well. The disciples had gone into town to buy food leaving Jesus alone.
Women who draw water do so in the early morning hours so that they will have fresh water all day long. They would usually meet in the morning to visit and gossip while they filled their water jars. This was as much a social gathering as it was a functional activity. But this woman has come at noon – deliberately avoiding the other women.
When Jesus speaks to the woman, he is breaking two taboos. He is speaking to a Samaritan – This woman is "the other" - an outcast both as a Samaritan and as a woman who's lifestyle was not approved by those around her. No self respecting Jewish man would speak to a woman in public that he was not related to - but Jesus does.
Jesus speaks to the woman – maybe from the shade of a tree – if there is a well, there would have been trees in the area. He asks for a drink of water. Innocent enough, a traveler would be wanting water and he obviously doesn’t have any way to draw water himself. She is aware that he is breaking a taboo and challenges him on it – “How can you, a Jew, talk to me - a woman, a Samaritan?”
An interesting conversation ensues. If you have been reading from the book, Living Well through Lent, it focuses on listening and on honing our listening skills as we talk to others, to truly hear what they have to say. This is a really good example of listening - there is true communication, a give and take, listening and responding. There are a lot a people out there in the world who just want someone to listen to them, to hear what they are actually trying to say.
As this conversation unfolds we find that this woman has some pride in where she lives. This is Jacob's well and through it God has provided for the people of the town. But we also find that she is ashamed, and embarrassed, to be seen by the other women in public. She wants that living water so that she no longer has to come to the well. Sometimes you really have to pay attention to these chance encounters – Christ encounters - those times when it seems more than a coincidence. When we listen to the words being said, and we find God purpose behind them.
Years ago, I had just come off a Cursillo weekend, so I was pretty in tune with the Spirit. I took my car in to be serviced and went across the street to the pharmacy get some breakfast. As I sat in the booth by myself, reading, a woman came up and asked if she could sit with me. I was somewhat surprised – I didn’t know her – and there were only 2 other people in the place leaving plenty of free tables and booths. I graciously said yes and she slid in an introduced herself. I told her my name and she said, “Oh, I went to school with a Danny Doerr.” I said that was my husband’s brother – and then things got a little weird.
She said, “He had an uncle, Sammy, about his age that died while we were in school.” Now that’s the last thing I would have expected. It was true, Sam is named for his uncle Sammy who dies before he was born. All this had happened 40 years before – and I found it odd that of all the people who would have sat down with me that morning, this woman would know and remember all this.
As our conversation unfolded, it became obvious that she was deeply disturbed by a family situation. Without going into detail, it was something that I could relate to and speak confidently about. I felt like I was able to instill hope into her situation. I came away feeling that God had used me that morning, and that I had encountered Christ in a very real way.
I'll be the first to admit that I'm human and I don't always listen as closely as I should and that's another reason this story speaks to me. This morning, my reading from Jesus Always spoke to those times we fail to act or respond as Jesus would. It said, "It's tempting to gloss over what you have done or failed to do. You may not be overwhelmed by feelings of shame, but you feel restless and unsettled - mildly guilty. Even at times like this, I continue to love you perfectly. . . Remember I can make all things, including your failures, work together for good because you . . are called according to my purpose. . . Realizing how much I cherish you even when you're not living well deepens your relationship with me." That is not unlike our story and it describes this woman very well, and Jesus comes to her just as he comes to each of us.
Even though the woman has not responded kindly to his request for a drink, Jesus has offered her living water, which she more or less sneers at. But he doesn’t turn away. He knows the kind of life she had lived and is currently living. He knows the pain and anguish she suffers from and so he says the words that will catch her attention. "When you drink this water, you will never thirst again." He wants to help her to overcome the things that restrict her - that hold her down.
She latches on to this – she comes at noon to draw water, because she wants to avoid the other women, those who sneer at her, and whisper about her behind upraised hands. They don’t approve of her lifestyle and if they speak at all, they make snide comments to her. She would rather not have to come to the well at all. Her response is, “Sir, where can I get this water so I don’t have to keep coming to this well?”
Her physical thirst is a symbol of the spiritual thirst. So now he takes the conversation to a new level, “Go call your husband." And she replies, “I have no husband.” She tells the truth about her marital status – not about her living conditions. But Jesus sees right through it. God knows the truth about us, we might as will admit those things that we do wrong. It doesn't do any good to try to hide or cover up those mistakes, errors, or sins in our life. They cannot be hidden from God. Now that she is being honest, they can get somewhere in this newly born relationship.
Notice that Jesus does not treat her as if he consider himself above her in any way - he actually treats her as an equal. He never condemns her - he simply states the facts of her life. He meets her where she is in life. He doesn't tell her that she is going to hell, or that she has to change. He simply listens as she complains about being forced to come for water in the middle of the day and He listens as she talks about not having a conventional marital relationship.
She begins to see that this man is truly different - he makes her feel different. He makes her feel better than she has felt for a very long time. By his very presence and conversation, she begins to see that her life is worth living and she, as a person, does have value. She asks him if he is the Messiah and he reveals himself to her. "I am the Messiah. I am the one who saves."
Jesus meets us where we are - anywhere we are - in any state of sin - or any state of grace. Jesus comes to us and offers to make our life better. We don't have to go searching for him - he's right here with us. When we meet Jesus - he always takes what he finds in our life and he elevates it - to become all that it can be - so that we can become all that we can be. He gives us new life and new reasons for living.
Our view of Jesus here is a living witness to the way we are being asked to treat people we meet who are different from us - not as beneath us, or unworthy, nor as sub-human, but as equals.
This woman responds to grace by going into the town (the same town that has rejected and ostracized her) and she brings the people back - to meet Jesus themselves - to see and understand for themselves - just how gracious God is. The story ends with - " Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony... "he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. "
In our lesson from Romans, Paul tells us, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” He didn’t wait for us to repent and be forgiven. He didn’t wait until we changed our ways or were good enough, or without sin. He did it, knowing that his love and action on our behalf would be a beacon to gather us into his fold to redeem us.
Let us pray: O precious Jesus, open our ears to hear the cry of those who are hurting, and help us to graciously invite them into the fold by being a living witness to your caring mercy. Amen.
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