First, she was a Samaritan, and, as the apostle comments, “Jews have no dealings with Samaritans” (v. 9). The Samaritan woman’s spirit is enlightened, accelerated, and illuminated by Jesus. Scholars differ as to whether the Samaritan references in the New Testament are historical. Where do you get that living water? This page was last edited on 17 December 2020, at 15:40. In fact, even though it is probably hot outside, she herself cannot even believe that someone is asking her to get them a drink. In Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico, a celebration of the Samaritan woman takes place on the fourth Friday of Lent. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. A. Her continuing witness is said to have brought so many to the Christian faith that she is described as "equal to the apostles". The custom of the day involves churches, schools, and businesses giving away fruit drinks to passers-by. I Don’t Want You To Join My Church, Be Added to His! In contrast, the woman was female, a Samaritan (despised by the Jews), and probably uneducated. [14], Samaritan woman at the well 1651 by Gervais Drouet, Christ and the Samaritan Woman, by Duccio di Buoninsegna, Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the Well, by Giacomo Franceschini, Christ and the Samaritan Woman, by Stefano Erardi, Christ and the Samaritan Woman, by Jan Joest van Kalkar, Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the Well, by Guercino, Christ and the Samaritan Woman, by Josef von Hempel, Christ and the Samaritan Woman, by Lucas Cranach the Elder, Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Samaritan_woman_at_the_well&oldid=994793277, Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the Well. Now here comes the kicker. The Samaritan woman was blessed to believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah. She was a receptive woman (John 4:13-15, 21-25). Weary from the countless times we have been rejected, hiding in certain areas because of shame, thirsty … B. The woman appears in John 4:4–42, However below is John 4:4–26: But he had to go through Samaria. 4:7). The woman thinks Jesus is talking about real water. 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." Conspiracy to Stop the Work. The following are some outstanding characteristics of the Samaritan woman: Lord, please grant us more women with the above characteristics, in Jesus’ name, Amen! What you have said is true!" Samaria was once part of the northern kingdom of Israel, which had broken off from the Davidic Kingdom. You do not have to have the doubtful motives of a candidate for the American presidency to wish for some things in your past life to be forgotten or secret. The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Jesus knew her history but still accepted her and ministered to her. Woman of Integrity in the Bible – Abigail, God's Unforgettable Call of Abraham - God's Call and Promise, Sermon on Wisdom | The Wisdom of God or the Wisdom of Man, Parable of the Ten Virgins Sermon | The Ugly Truth on Being Ready, Sermon on Victory - More Than Conquerors, Sermon on God's Invitation | The Invitation of Jesus, Healing at the Pool of Bethesda Sermon - Wondrous Miracle at the Pool, Be Not Weary In Well Doing Sermon Warning to be Faithful. Some interpreters have taken this anonymity as an invitation to view her as an abstraction, a symbol of Samaria itself. She was a perceptive woman (John 4:19). Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the Well (John 4) Jesus Heals on the Sabbath (John 5) Jesus the Bread of Life (John 6) Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind (John 9) Jesus' Sacrifice (John 10-12) Servant Leadership (John 13:1-20) Farewell Words: Upper Room Discourse (John 14-17) The Importance of Workplace Relationships (John 14-17) I am the Vine and You are the Branches (John 15) My Kingdom … [10] For example, Dorothy A. Lee lists several discrepancies between Hebrew betrothal scenes and John 4: “the Samaritan woman is not a young Jewish virgin and no betrothal takes place; the well is not concerned with sexual fertility but is an image of salvation (see Isa. 5-6,12). Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you.". Shawna R. B. Atteberry. Eventually, having drawn the attention of Emperor Nero, she was brought before him to answer for her faith, suffering many tortures and dying a martyr after being thrown down a dry well. The Samaritan woman at the well is a figure from the Gospel of John, in John 4:4–26. John records these words: “There came a woman of Samaria to draw water” (Jn. Adultery. Samaritan, member of a community of Jews, now nearly extinct, that claims to be related by blood to those Jews of ancient Samaria who were not deported by the Assyrian conquerors of the kingdom of Israel in 722 bce. Since village women normally drew water only at dawn and dusk, a … It was just another ordinary and busy day in which she carried out her routine household duties. The Samaritan’s personal history seems to have run parallel to the religious history of Samaria. Therefore the Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?" But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. This aspect of her life is certainly worthy of us imitating today. And in whatever form you choose to pray, put yourself in the same position as the Samaritan woman… approach the well as you are, with all your gifts, characteristics, problems, worries, failings… and meet Jesus there. This is the only time in Scripture where you will see Jesus come right out and say that He is the Messiah. She went back to the city and began telling others about Him. . The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." Only God knows the fullness of her life and ours, but regardless of what her former life might have been, in the end she had a good influence on those around her. "When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us." This is huge! She came to draw water at the hottest part of the day, instead of the usual morning or evening times, because she was shunned and rejected by the other women of the area for her immorality. According to S.G Sloyan, she is a moral outcaste, a treble minority: a woman: a Samaritan: a polygamist. As further recounted in John 4:28–30 and John 4:39–42, she was quick to spread the news of her meeting with Jesus, and through this many came to believe in him. The story of the woman at the well follows on the heels of the account of Jesus’ interaction with Nicodemus, a Pharisee and prominent member of the Jewish Sanhedrin (John 3:1–21). In Eastern Christian tradition, the woman's name at the time of her meeting Jesus is unknown, though she was later baptized "Photini". “Jesus Gave Me Water”, a gospel song by The Soul Stirrers in 1951. The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). She is celebrated as a saint of renown. A skid row prostitute can become a child of God. (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Editor’s Note: This article is the lightly edited manuscript for the accompanying audio message that Vickie delivered. Lynn Cohick writes that the Samaritan woman’s history fits a pattern we find among first-century women of “marrying in their early to late teens, living with fairly simple marriage traditions, relatively easy divorce laws, and haunted by the threat that death might at any time steal away a husband . "[9] Other scholars note significant differences between John 4 and betrothal type-scenes in the Hebrew Bible. ", Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come back." As I listened to her, I began to think about the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:4–42). Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman. 4 Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John — 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. Think of what it would have been like to bear and raise a son who would receive more esteem from his father and the rest of societ… Characteristics of Samaritan Woman D.A Carson calls her the “unframed,female,Samaritan peasant who had made a mess of her life.” In the words of P. Duke, she is “a five-time looser.” T.L Brodie says that she had to face a “double-handicap” of being a Samaritan and a woman. 3 So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. It is interesting that the place for this encounter with the Samaritan woman was chosen by the Lord of providence in such a beautiful way: an emotionally alienated woman who feels unprotected while she lives in or near the city of refuge, is having a faith-founding, covenant conversation with the Renewer of God’s Covenant – God’s Royal Son Jesus. This is not normally something that in our culture we would be particularly keen to announce to all and sundry. C. Encounters aren’t seasonal or geological. The following are some outstanding characteristics of the Samaritan woman: She was an observant woman (John 4:9). 12:3); Jesus is presented not as a bridegroom but as giver of living water.”[11], This Gospel episode is referred to as "a paradigm for our engagement with truth", in the Roman Curia book A Christian reflection on the New Age, as the dialogue says: "You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know" and offers an example of "Jesus Christ the bearer of the water of life". … Second, her gender presented an obstacle. And I saw parallels immediately, even as I recognized the distinct qualities of each culture. 4 Now he had to go through Samaria. The Samaritan woman’s understanding is blocked by a particular sin, so Jesus pinpoints it to take it out of the way. The Priceless Woman – Virtues of a Godly Woman. Types of Giving in the Bible, Examples – What is Giving in the Bible? That the Samaritans were separated from and looked down upon by the Jews makes them important in the New Testament. She is remembered on the Sunday four weeks after Pascha, which is known as "the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman". What was that sin? This truth is like life-giving water. This episode takes place before the return of Jesus to Galilee. She was an honest woman (John 4:16-18). Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself didn't baptize, but his disciples), he left Judea, and departed into Galilee.He needed to pass through Samaria.So he came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son, Joseph. The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water. The Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well is a picture of a rational sinner who can come to Christ. We can experience an encounter regardless of the season or place if we seek the experience earnestly. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." The Samaritan Woman John 4:3-42. From The Fellowship Room, the Daily Nudge asks this morning, “What stands out in your mind in the story of Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well?” (cf. In Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic traditions, she is venerated as a saint with the name Photine (Φωτεινή also Photini, Photina, meaning "the luminous one" from φῶς, "light"). Right from the beginning, we can see that this Samaritan woman was not seen as someone worthy of communicating with a Jew. A Samaritan Woman Approaches. The priest and Levite walked past. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." “The Peacemaking Role of the Samaritan Woman in John 4:1–42: A Mirror and Challenge to Rwandan Women.” Neotestamentica 46 , no. (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and the man you are now living with is not your husband. She is set apart, and not in a good way. "Fill My Cup Lord", a hymn written by Richard Blanchard in 1959. The woman was not silent, nor was she limited to the private world of women. She had a … The Samaritan woman Jesus met faced prejudice from her own community. The Samaritan woman at the well is a figure from the Gospel of John, in John 4:4–26. ATLA. Samaritans appear briefly in the Christian gospels, most notably in the account of the Samaritan woman at the well and the parable of the Good Samaritan. 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