Posted: 12/11/06
BaptistWay Bible Series for December 17
In the light of the noonday, darkness abounds
• John 4:1-30; 39-42
By David Wilkinson
Broadway Baptist Church, Fort Worth
Jesus, as depicted in the Gospels, could be described in a lot of ways. But one thing he clearly was not was boring. No one left an encounter or conversation with this itinerate preacher-prophet-teacher-miracle worker-son of a simple Galilean carpenter thinking Jesus was dull.
Jesus was interesting. He was fascinating. He was mysterious. All these qualities—and more—are wonderfully evident in the contrasting, back-to-back conversations recorded in Chapters 3-4 of the Gospel of John.
A surprising conversation
The story of Jesus’ conversation with “the woman at the well,” unique to John, is among the best-known stories of the gospels. Its placement following Jesus’ discussion with Nicodemus is strategic, and the narrative, as well as the conversation itself, unfolds masterfully.
The fact that they were in Samaria at all probably had the disciples muttering to themselves as they went into the village to order take-out for lunch, leaving Jesus alone at the well (v. 7). Every self-respecting Jew, when traveling from Judea to Galilee as Jesus and the disciples were (v. 3), literally went out of his way to avoid the province of Samaria and any interaction with its occupants who were viewed by the Jews as unclean traitors and inferior heretics.
The disciples, therefore, had good reason to be “astonished” (v. 27) when they returned from the market to find Jesus talking one-on-one in a public place with a woman who also was a Samaritan—one social and religious faux pas compounded by another.
The comment that Jesus “had to go through Samaria” (v. 4) clearly refers to an inner, Spirit-led decision in striking contrast to social and religious custom. Jesus had every reason not to go through Samaria and, as it turns out, only one reason to do otherwise—the opportunity for an extraordinary conversation with a despised foreigner who in turn became the catalyst for introducing her townspeople to the Messiah.
Jesus’ need to go through Samaria is consistent with the central message of the Gospel—that “God so loved the world.” The story of the encounter with the Samaritan woman illustrates the “whosoever” of John 3:16. Learning that “whosoever” really does mean everyone is a key theological lesson not only for the first disciples, but also for the early Christian community, as the story of Acts dramatically reveals.
Comparing conversations
Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman echoes the earlier conversation with Nicodemus. Both the similarities and contrasts in these back-to-back conversations are striking and purposeful.
Nicodemus, a fellow Jew, approaches Jesus at night for a private conversation between teachers about theological concerns. The woman, a foreign Samaritan, is approached by Jesus in a public place, and the ensuing conversation occurs in the broad daylight in the middle of the day. Nicodemus is a religious leader presumably with a respectable reputation, while the Samaritan woman’s reputation is questionable at best. That she was at the well at noon in the heat of the day, rather than in the cool of the evening when most women gathered to socialize as they filled their water pots, also may suggest she felt ostracized.
Both Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman interpret Jesus’ words literally, while Jesus is speaking on a deeper, spiritual level. To each person, he offers the same gift, but wrapped in different metaphors of “born from above” and “living water.” In both conversations, Jesus exhibits the spiritual insight that enables him to penetrate quickly to the heart of the matter. In both cases, he touches a spiritual nerve: “He unmasks the spiritual emptiness of the one who seems righteously self-sufficient and opens up the alienation of the second, caught in a maze of tangled relationships,” commentator Roger Fredrikson said.
“Living water”—i.e., running water or spring water—was (and still is) greatly prized in Palestine. In literature, this precious water became a symbol of divine wisdom and teaching (Isaiah 55:1-3, Psalm 36:9, Jeremiah 2:13). Jesus, however, applies this rich metaphor to himself, “referring to his divine revelation and to the Holy Spirit who will be given as living water to those who accept that revelation,” theologian Raymond Brown points out.
The power of testimony
The progression of faith in this account unfolds masterfully. On the woman’s part, the conversation moves from surprise to curiosity to interest to witness. In a parallel sense, Jesus moves from stranger to prophet to Messiah, underscoring the dynamic quality of the gospel’s emphasis on “believing in Jesus.”
This story also illustrates the power of testimony. God uses the Samaritan woman’s testimony—despite her spotty moral resume and the tentative nature of her own faith in Jesus (she never makes an explicit declaration of faith in Jesus as the Messiah in this account). As one of my seminary professors liked to say, “God is perfectly capable of hitting a straight lick with a crooked stick.” The result is that “many” come to believe in Jesus “because of the woman’s testimony” (v. 39). Furthermore, Jesus stays two more days at the invitation of the villagers, and “many more” come to faith (v. 41).
The story concludes with an affirmation of faith in Jesus at two levels. The first is the response of the people to the testimony of the woman and to the words of Jesus. The second is the implied invitation to the reader to respond to the witness of the gospel. Faith in Jesus can be prompted by the testimony of a witness (in this case, the Samaritan woman or the larger Gospel account), but ultimately seekers must claim it for themselves.
We are invited to affirm with the Samaritan villagers, “It is no longer because of what (others have) said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world” (v. 42).
Discussion questions
• Who are the “Samaritans” in our society who challenge our commitment to the “whosoever” invitation of the John 3:16?
• The purpose of our testimony is to point others to Jesus. In what ways is the Samaritan woman a model for us as witnesses to the truth found in Christ?
• Like the Samaritan villagers, we must claim our faith in Jesus “for ourselves,” rather than relying indirectly on the testimony and the experience of others. How has this happened for you?
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