Even Me

I have long been intrigued by the story of the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:1-42. Many argue that this woman must have been an outcast in her own town, based on her promiscuous life and the fact that she was alone at the well at midday. Cultural understanding indicates that this was not a typical time to go to the well, nor did women go alone. Yet here she was. And here Jesus was. And His social blunders were many: He spoke to a woman; He spoke to a Samaritan woman; He spoke to a Samaritan woman who was even of low standing to the Samaritans.

All of those factors find themselves in sermon after sermon, but my fascination rests elsewhere. It lies in the response of the townspeople.

Here comes this woman proclaiming through town that a strange Man, possibly the Messiah, actually spoke to her at the well. Why would the townspeople listen to her? Why would they actually respond to the grand announcement of a social reject?

A few possibilities present themselves.

1. One possibility is that this woman was not the social outcast we make her out to be. None of us were there. We just do not know. There might have been other reasons she found herself at the well alone at that time of day. Even if this possibility stands as the correct one, the next two thoughts still hold credence, and they are actually the ones that bear the most spiritual significance to me today.

2. Whether this woman was a social reject or an accepted member of society, her lifestyle had to be known. Relationships just cannot be kept secret in a small town. So, everyone knows she is not perfect. Yet she declares that she has met a Jewish Man who, first of all, spoke to her at the well and, secondly, spoke to her even knowing her lifestyle. Curiosity alone had to drive the townspeople to wonder about this strange Visitor.

3. There might have been even more to it, though. I will just go ahead and say it: we compare our sins. We would rather not admit it because we know, in truth, that any sin condemns us. So, how could one be worse than another? Yet in our heart of hearts we cannot help it. Now, transfer that line of thought to these townspeople. I can almost hear the thought process, “This Man sat and talked with her? Even knowing all she's done? If He did not condemn her, then He won't condemn me, either! Even I can go to this amazing Man!”

Admittedly, these are mere speculations. I have no idea what the townspeople thought of this woman. But the truth remains that her testimony brought them to Jesus, and they gave her credit for bringing Him into their town.

Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to Him, they urged Him to stay with them, and He stayed two days. And because of His words many more became believers. They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” John 4:39-42

What does this mean for me? Truth and the Gospel win out over anything. They win out over negative opinions. They win out over my past. They win out over any walls I have built between myself and others. They win out over feelings of condemnation.

But they only win through me when I share. In all honesty, I am no better than the woman at the well. I am also no worse. We both will stand before God as sinners. But we will also stand together covered by the precious blood of Jesus. If she can share boldly, with joy, with excitement, and even with trepidation that her words may not be heeded because of her reputation and her past mistakes, I can too. Truth and the Gospel win. Will I be a part of the victory?