The Woman at the Well

Devotion for the week...

I'm starting to prepare for the Easter 2025 QAL, which had me thinking about the Moments with Jesus devotions, so I'm sharing one of them today.

You’re probably familiar with the story of the woman at the well. She had been married four times and, at the time of her meeting with Jesus, she was living with a man who was not her husband. Her reputation among the people of Sychar was so bad that she chose to draw water at noon rather than going at dawn when it would have been cooler, but she’d also have to face all the other women. On top of that, she was a Samaritan and Jews never associated with Samaritans.

Yet, with all that, Jesus "had to go through Samaria on the way" (John 4:4) from Judea to Galilee. Except He didn’t have to, because Jews would purposely travel the long way around, adding miles to their journey, just to avoid going through Samaria. The reason Jesus 'had to' go through Samaria had nothing to do with the route from one place to another and everything to do with meeting this unnamed woman.

When she came to the well where Jesus was sitting, even she was surprised He would bother to speak to her, let alone ask her for a drink of water. "The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, 'You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?'" (v. 9). You can almost hear her surprise and confusion, can’t you?

"Jesus replied, 'If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water'" (v. 10). That’s not really a straight answer, is it? But it is a hint at what Jesus plans for this conversation. This unnamed woman, one who preferred to avoid the company of others so she could avoid their judgement, she was the one to whom Jesus said, "I am the Messiah!" (v. 26).

This woman wasn’t accepted by her neighbours, but she was accepted by Jesus. Society says our sins make us unacceptable, worthy only of judgement, shame, and scorn. Jesus seeks out the people who are shunned for their past. He said Himself, "For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost" (Luke 19:10). He talked with this woman, answered her questions, and treated her kindly, something her fellow townspeople weren’t in the habit of doing. He didn’t pretend her sins didn’t exist, but He accepted her anyway. In fact, when she went to tell everyone to come meet this extraordinary man, she said, "Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?" (v. 29). The fact that He knew everything about her and still accepted her was amazing to her.

When we are weighed down by our sin, Jesus still accepts us. When society says what we’ve done is shameful and terrible, Jesus offers us forgiveness if we only believe in Him. That He knows everything about us and accepts us anyway is no less amazing now than it was to this woman in Sychar back then.

Jesus’ time with this woman brings a question to mind: are we more like the people of Sychar, or more like Jesus? Do unbelievers try to avoid our company because we make them feel full of shame, or are they drawn to us because they feel love and acceptance from us? If our default is one of judgement, how can we change that so we are more like Jesus?