CHOSEN TO TELL

It was hot, so hot, as she trudged yet again to the well. Her jug was already heavy and it was still empty! This journey exhausted her every day, but going at noon was her only choice if she wanted water without conflict.

She was a Samaritan, after all, a mixed-race woman who most likely worshipped pagan gods. The Jews reviled the Samaritans and absolutely would not associate with them. Besides that minor problem, she wasn’t exactly living a stellar life. But on this day, she was surprised to see that a man sat by the well. Could he be waiting for her?

He was.

John 4:4 says of Jesus, “And he had to pass through Samaria” (italics mine) Jesus was headed for Galilee from Jerusalem (in Judea) – if you look at the map below it’s obvious that traveling through Samaria was the most direct route. This didn’t make sense to me, so I went digging.

It turns out that John 4:4, when translated directly from Greek (the original language of the New Testament), reads:

“It was necessary for Him now to pass through Samaria.” (Emphasis mine.)

Why was it necessary? Because when the Jews made this particular journey, they avoided Samaria by going all the way around it, which included crossing the Jordan twice and added three days to their trip.

That’s a lot of avoidance. And hate.

Jesus was all about breaking cultural norms with the religious folks, so their reaction to His travel plans wouldn’t have concerned Him.

So why was it necessary for him to go to Samaria, and now? Very simply, he was there for HER. He had to go when she was there.

Beyond being a Samaritan, this woman was disgraced even in her own community. So how would Jesus handle this abhorrent pattern of sin?

He told her to go get her husband.

And she said simply, I have no husband.

Jesus said (and I imagine he used a gentle voice): “You’re quite right, you don’t. You’ve had five. And the one you’re living with now is not your husband. What you have said is true.”

Hold on a minute. Think about how very brave the woman was to speak the truth to him – it could even have been dangerous. Wouldn’t she have wondered how he would respond to her? Just like all the other men in her life, probably. Surely she felt shame and expected to BE shamed.

Instead, recognition slowly dawns on her. “I know that Messiah is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

I find this so interesting – Jesus just … moved on from her sin. And then so did she. They didn’t dwell on it, there was no punishment.

Rather, his immediate answer was this: “I, the one speaking to you – I AM he.”

With those words, she knew he was the Messiah – the Savior – that the Jews had been waiting for.

Did you know that Jesus revealed that he was the Messiah to her FIRST? Not the disciples, not the religious leaders, but instead to this broken, rejected woman.

Why?

Listen to what happens next.

The disciples showed up right then and were very surprised to find him talking to her. They immediately started bugging him to eat something. Even after he said, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about,” they said hmmm did someone bring him food?

They were still so clueless.

But she got it.

I think that’s at least part of why he told her first – she KNEW he was coming, and by his words she immediately believed.

Now pretend that you have a bird’s eye view of this scenario. Jesus and the woman are chatting at the well, and here come the disciples (maybe in a cloud of dust). First they are surprised to find him with her (but also too chicken to mention it), so they start scurrying around Jesus to “sort things out” for him.

When you can see through the dust, scan just a bit beyond the disciples and you will see a another smaller cloud. You squint through it and what you see is … the Samaritan woman running. RUNNING! She dropped her water jar and just took off for town.

When she got there she said to the people (excitedly, I imagine), “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did!” V. 39 says, “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him” … why? Because of the woman’s testimony. “He told me everything I ever did!”

And what was their response? They went with her, into the presence of Jesus, and listened to him. And because of his words, many more became believers. At the end of the passage they said to the woman:

We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know this man really is the Savior of the world.

What would happen if we RAN TO TELL? To tell all the things Jesus has done for us, said to us, and the way he loves us no matter what? Could that lead to a big impact, to others understanding and believing? I think yes.

But we must be brave. Let’s take our cue from this woman. Let’s pray for courage, and swift feet. Let’s wear our shoes out. May this year be one of our “telling” and may we be running when we do!

Love,

Angie

PS I hope you’ll take the time to listen to this beautiful song:

The Woman at the Well (Olivia Lane)