Woman at the Well

I never realized what a beautiful story the ‘woman at the well’ was until now. Today, in my New Testament class, we talked about how the woman was essentially a sinner and a social outcast. Women in those days would usually go to the well in the morning or the evening, it was seen as sort of a social gathering for them. However, it is mentioned in John 4:6, that when this particular woman went to the well, it was the sixth hour, which would be noon. The woman was going to the well in the afternoon, probably because she was a social outcast and wanted to avoid seeing the other women because of the things she had done.

The woman was a Samaritan and when she comes to the well, she sees a man, and not just any man, a Jew sitting on the edge of the well. Yikes! Jews and Samaritans did not speak to one another and the fact that Jesus does speak to her was probably very surprising. It’s interesting to note the different titles the woman gives to Jesus while they are conversing. In verse 9, she refers to him as “Jew”. In verses 11, 15 and 19, she calls him “sir”, illustrating her increased respect for Him. In verse 19, she then realizes that there is something special about him and calls him a prophet. Finally, by verse 29, she is fully converted and realizes who this man really is. He is the Christ. She immediately goes and shares her knowledge with other people.

One of the principles that I took from this story is that as we come to know Christ, our testimony will grow and we will come to know Him, as he truly is, our Savior and Redeemer and we can share that light and knowledge with others.

This story also illustrates that Christ is really no respector of persons. He loves each and every one of us. He knows we have shortcomings but He still loves us and through Him we can repent and become clean.