SCRIPTURE | John 4:5-12
So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.
A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink” (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink’, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?”
REFLECTION
Jesus ignored the societal norms of his time. He did so again when, as a Jew, he talked to the Samaritan woman at the well. She was not just any Samaritan, though: her romantic past rivaled Elizabeth Taylor’s at a time when women had no social standing apart from their spouse. This conversation would have been shocking.
Jesus preaches to the Samaritan woman, telling her to worship God in spirit and truth. He knows her past and does not shame her. Instead, he tells her that he is the Messiah and offers her salvation through “living water”, prompting her to forget her chores, go into town, and tell others about him.
Our pasts may not be as colorful as the Samaritan woman’s, but we all have things we strive to hide from one another, ourselves, and God. Just as with the Samaritan woman, God sees us–all of us–and accepts us as we are. He promises us salvation, no matter our history, and asks us to share the Good News.
PRAYER
Dear God,
During this season of Lent, help us to remember that you see us as we are. We are perfectly made to worship you in truth and to share your Good News. Amen.
WRITTEN BY | Catherine King
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