The Woman Who Met HIM

By Mary Vee
John 4

From The Woman's Journal 

Photo by Mary Vee
Shepherd and his sheep
Samaria, Israel

I am known to most people as the Woman at the Well. I, like other women, go to the well at Sychar each day to get water and bring it back to my home.

I am a Samaritan, which means Jews keep as far away from me as possible. I won't take the time to say why at this time other than the Samaritans and the Jews don't get along.

The well that I go to is well-known among the Jews. This well is said to be the one that Jacob gave to his son, Joseph. 

I carried my pot like usual, left home to get water, and was alone, as I usually am. I'm the kind of lady who has a bad reputation. Anyone seen talking with me is usually in trouble by the end of the day. So when the others saw me walk toward the well at the sixth hour, they stayed away.

As I left the city and continued down the road, I saw a man sitting by the well. He looked very tired. I knew I shouldn't go near the well when a man happened to be nearby, but I needed water. He stayed seated as I stepped close to the well. This was not a Samaritan, this was a Jew. 

In my culture, I knew I should not speak to this or any other man in situations like this. I also knew I should not speak to a Jew. I decided I would walk straight to the well, fill my pitcher, and leave without saying a word. I didn't want any trouble. Just water.

Honest, I didn't do anything to encourage him to speak to me. On His own He said, "Will you give me a drink?"

I answered, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" If anyone heard this conversation, I knew I'd be in a lot of trouble, but I looked around and didn't see anyone.

The man said, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

What he said took me completely by surprise. This gift of God he mentioned, I didn't understand it at all. And how could I know who he was? Of course I didn't know him. But I was really curious about this living water he spoke about. 

"Sir," I said, "you don't have anything with you to draw up water, and this well is deep. Where can you get this living water you speak about?" 

I think he must be trying to trick me. "Are you greater than our father, Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself? You know, his sons, flocks, and herds drank from this well too!" I laughed. I'm not the foolish one here.

The man didn't pause to think about his answer. Instead his eyes had this compassion look, like he cared that I understood what he meant. He said, "Everyone who drinks the water from this well will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst again. In fact, the water I give him will become like a spring of water welling up inside him as eternal life."

I was amazed. I have longed for something like this for so long. Just think, I won't ever have to walk all the way from my home to this well and carry the heavy pitcher of water back. I said, "Sir, give me this water so I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."


Then he said something that surprised me even more. And yes, you must wait until next week. But I will tell you what the man said then.

Come back to read the rest of this story.

From Mary Vee, the day we were scheduled to see this well, there was a skirmish. For our safety we were not allowed to go there. So today's photo is of a place near there.

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sources: 
*A Harmony of the Gospels for Historical Study, An Analytical Synopsis of the Four Gospels by William Arnold Stevens and Ernest DeWitt Burton, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York 1932
*New International Version, New King James Version. 
*My Bible College training.
*My notes and walk through classes I've taught in Children's church. Answers to student questions, etc.
*Pastoral sermons on this time
*Matthew Henry Commentary
*F. LaGard Smith Commentary
*My notes from my trip to Israel.