The Woman Who Met Jesus At the Well

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.

Last week, I told the first part of my story about this man who sat at the well. He clearly was Jewish which was a problem for two reasons: he was a man and he was a Jew. He surprised me when he spoke. As a Samaritan and a woman, I didn't expect this. 

Any way, He told me about some special water. Those who drank this water would never be thirsty again. I live in a desert land. To never be thirsty was something I really wanted. So I asked him for this special water. 

He said, "Go, call your husband and come back."

I couldn't. "I have no husband," I said.

He nodded like He knew! He said, "You are right when you say you have no husband. The truth is, you have had five husbands, and the man who lives in your home is not your husband. So you spoke the truth."

How could He have known? As a Jew He would not have gone to my village and talked with the people there. I decided to test him. "Sir, I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."

He leaned back against the well and said, "A time is coming when you will not worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You worship what you don't know. We worship what we know because salvation is coming through the Jews. The Father above is Spirit. He is seeking those who worship in spirit and in truth whether you are in Jerusalem or on this mountain. So, if you don't search for and worship the Father in spirit and in truth, you do not worship."

"I know that the Messiah is coming," I said. "When He comes, He will explain everything to us."

Then the man said, "I who am speaking to you am he."

Can you believe it! Could he really be the Messiah? As he finished saying those words a group of men came up to him like they were his followers. They brought food for all of them and not one got after the man for talking to me.

I ran back to the town, leaving my water jar behind. I waved my hand to get the villagers to come listen to me. When they came close they asked me what was wrong.

"I met a man at the well," I said. "He was a Jew. You must come see him. He knew everything I had ever done without me telling him a single thing. Could he be the Christ?"

"The Christ? Here? At the well? And he spoke to you?" They didn't wait for me to answer any of their questions. Instead they ran to greet him.

I know I'm telling this story fast. I'm just so excited. There is more to tell. Be sure to come back.

Come back to read the rest of this story.

From Mary Vee, the day our tour group was scheduled to see this well, there was a skirmish. For our safety the police did not allow us 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.