John 4:15 “Please, Sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.” 16 “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her. 17 “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband— 18 for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!” 19 “Sir,” the woman said, “You must be a prophet. 20 So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?” 21Jesus replied, “Believe Me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans know very little about the One you worship, while we Jews know all about Him, for salvation comes through the Jews. 23 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship Him that way. 24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” 25 The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.” 26 Then Jesus told her, “I AM the Messiah!” 27 Just then His disciples came back. They were shocked to find Him talking to a woman, but none of them had the nerve to ask, “What do You want with her?” or “Why are you talking to her?” 28 The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, 29 “Come and see a Man who told me everything I ever did! Could He possibly be the Messiah?” 30 So the people came streaming from the village to see Him.
When we look closely at the exchange between Jesus and the Samaritan woman, some astounding events are revealed. The Samaritan beliefs were in opposition to the Jewish beliefs so Jews did not associate with Samaritans. Yet here is Jesus sitting and talking with a Samaritan woman. Women were considered lower class citizens but Jesus speaks to her as an equal. In addition, she was living with a man out of wedlock. That made her an outcast in her community. That is why she went to the well at noon, during the heat of the day, so she wouldn't have to tolerate the ridicule of the other women.
The Samaritan woman left her water jar and ran to tell everyone about Jesus. Since she was an outcast, telling everyone about Jesus took a lot of courage. She could have been mocked and ridiculed even more. Yet she was so excited to have spoken face to face with Jesus, she had to tell everyone about Him.
We have an opportunity every minute of every day to talk to Jesus. He is listening and He will answer. Yet we don't run excitedly and tell everyone to come meet Him. We are afraid of being mocked and ridiculed. Why was this sinful woman unafraid to tell an entire village yet we are afraid to tell our neighbor, our family or our community? Isn't it time we leave our water jar at the well and run to tell the village we have met the Messiah?
Blessings, Cecilia
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