In many ways John 4:1-41 is a very radical piece of scripture. For a start what is Jesus doing in Samaria?

Jews travelling between Judah and Galilee as Jesus was doing usually went around Samaria not through it, despite the fact that going round it adding six days to the journey.

Secondly, Jews and Jesus was a good Jew, did not normally associate with Samaritans. In fact they hardly acknowledged them let alone talk with them. Because as the Jews saw them the Samaritan version of the faith was compromised, somehow not quite right.

Thirdly who is this woman and why is she at the well during the hottest period of the day?

The Jews so loathed the Samaritans that they preferred to add almost a week to their journeying between different Jewish territories.To the good Jew, Samaria was a tainted country. The Samaritans worshiped the Hebrew God ‘Yahweh’ but they did not believe that he had to be worshiped most especially in Jerusalem. The Samaritans built their temple on Mount Gerizim in Samaria which to the Jerusalem focused Jews made their worship inferior, (inferior not different note). The Jews also disapproved of the fact that the Samaritan version of the Pentateuch was in Aramaic not Hebrew and also the fact that the Samaritans did not acknowledge the poetic books and prophetic writings really put them beyond the pale and I quote:

“The Jews regarded the Samaritans as ignorant, superstitious mongrels, outside God’s favour or consideration.” (Wikipedia)

So in talking to this Samaritan woman Jesus is really defying convention. He is conversing with a heretic woman about the Hebrew faith. He is also challenging convention by talking to a woman any way! For women were not part of God’s chosen people (only free born males were included in that gang). This woman is also rather questionable. Why is she alone at the well in the middle of the day? Is she ‘no better than she ought to be’? Is she a woman of loose morals awaiting a pick up? This is what seems to be implied by John:

She is obviously living in sin! She is also probably going to the well at noon to avoid the mockery and disapproval of other women, who would not approve of her life choices or circumstances. Yet, it is this outcast woman who recognises who Jesus is. She is one of the first to be converted by that knowledge and in her joy she sets out with missionary zeal to convert others:

Jesus recognises in the woman a spiritual thirst and tells her that the water he offers will quench that thirst. He describes the living water welling up inside her and flowing eternally if she can accept his gift of living water, meaning the Holy Spirit. Jesus is also very canny with the woman in his full acceptance of her, as she is. In no way does he condemn her for having had so many husbands and for now cohabiting with another man. Because of this she is so taken aback and continues to express a deep interest what Jesus has to say to her and what he says quite literally overwhelms the woman for Jesus basically says to her:

“I do not care how bad you are, I still want to give you the living water.”

New birth and living water are both terms for receiving the Holy Spirit, the salvation of God. They are gifts freely offered and given once and for all time after one has repented of one’s past sins.

How would you respond to Jesus’ offer?