The Samaritan Woman: Responsive, Burdened, Changed

Dear Listeners,

In this episode, we'll discover truths Jesus revealed in His conversation with the Samaritan woman. We'll also witness the Lord showing love in action and the results it produced. Let's learn more about this Samaritan woman who was fulfilling an ordinary task but encountered JESUS in the process. Her story relates to ours in various ways.

Thanks so much for tuning in. If you're blessed by this message, please share Indestructible Life with your friends. You are such a valuable part of this ministry, and I thank the Lord for you.

In Christ's Love,
Emily💕

Links to sources used in this message:
1) https://www.gadsdentimes.com/story/news/2008/09/13/the-savior-and-the-samaritan/32217724007/
2) https://weekly.israelbiblecenter.com/jesus-and-the-samaritan-woman/ 
3) https://womeninthebible.net/women-bible-old-new-testaments/samaritan-woman/

Transcript

Did you know that in Christ you have an indestructible life?

That’s fantastic news all the time, but it’s especially encouraging when life gets hard or feels uncertain.

Don’t give up!

Satan can’t have you, the world can’t overcome you, and the challenges you face can’t stop you!

In Christ, you’re indestructible.

Hello my friends, it’s time for another episode of Indestructible Life, a podcast for women who want to learn more about God and themselves through the lives of Bible people.

I’m Emily Wickham, a wife and mom plus a writer and speaker—but most importantly—I’m a  woman loved by God, just like you.

So, I want to welcome to each and every one of you to today’s episode.

Thank you for choosing to tune in as we consider the Samaritan woman, or as she’s often called, the woman at the well.

And I want to preface our study by sharing some information about the Samaritan people in general.

At gadsentimes.com, John Richey stated, and I quote,

“The Samaritans were considered ‘half-breeds’ by most Jews. This was because of the influx of the Assyrians when they conquered Israel, the Northern kingdom, in 722 B.C. They took a number of the Jews to Assyria as captive slaves, but they also moved a great number of Assyrians into the conquered land. Thus, the Jews intermarried with the Assyrians and this affected their religion, which became a mixture of Judasim and Assyrian idolatry” (end quote).

Alright, with that explanation in mind, please listen as I read John 4:3-30…

Let’s pray…

Jesus sat by the well because He was weary from His journey.

I just wanted to point that detail out as we get started because it describes Jesus’ physical state before He initiated this conversation.

I don’t know about you, but when I’m weary, the last thing I feel like doing is getting into a deep conversation with someone. 

Yet Jesus’ heart is so big, so welcoming, so full of love for all people.

Not only did He begin an intense conversation, He reached out to a stranger—a Samaritan woman.

Now, this was against the custom of Jesus’ day because Jews and Samaritans didn’t really interact.  

But He had seen her come to the well carrying her waterpot, and He knew He needed to speak to her.

You see, the Lord Jesus spent regular time in prayer with His Father in heaven, and He always did the work God set before Him.

In verse 4, we read that Jesus “had to pass through Samaria,” and listen to this note in my Bible—a note I wrote some time ago when my dad taught on John 4:

My dad said, Jesus had to go through Samaria to speak with this woman.

And I agree.

Even though Jesus was weary and probably hungry, He obeyed His Father’s direction to reach out to this woman, and I love what this shows us about God’s heart.

He saw and loved this Samaritan woman even though it would have been easier to ignore her.

Jesus chose to interact with her in obedience to His Father’s will, and as a result, her life was changed for eternity.

So let’s look more closely at their conversation.

Jesus basically commanded this woman to give Him a drink of water, and she questioned why He asked her for water since He was a Jew and she was a Samaritan. 

One of my initial questions as I began preparing for this message, was “How did the Samaritan woman even know Jesus was a Jew?

Was it evident because He sat at the well, something Samaritan men maybe didn’t do?

Or did an accent give Jesus away?

The Lord Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but He grew up in Nazareth in Galilee, which is located in the northern part of Israel.

Samaria is situated in the middle of Israel, so it’s possible people from different areas favored certain accents just like we do today.

Or perhaps did Jesus’ clothing and hairstyle set Him apart?

Maybe the Jews and Samaritans presented very distinct appearances.

So these are some possibilities I pondered as I wondered how the Samaritan woman knew Jesus was a Jew.

But let’s look at some facts. 

I googled my question as all good researchers do these days, and I’m thrilled to report two of the possibilities appear to be valid.

At israelbiblecenter.com I read, and I quote, “The Samaritan woman probably recognized that Jesus was Judean by his distinctive Jewish traditional clothing and his accent”[1] (end quote).

In another article at womeninthebible.net, the writer basically agreed with this assessment and added an interesting thought to consider as well.

I quote, “it may be that people from particular regions wore particular designs and coloursin their woven clothes – like peasants used to do in France, Belgium, Italy, etc. Jesus may have been wearing a patterned weave that identified him as a Jew from Galilee” (end quote).

So, there you have it, our mystery is solved.

Based on these insights, I feel it’s safe to say something about Jesus’ accent and appearance caused the Samaritan woman to quickly realize He was a Jew.

Even though she was aware of this, however, she was not afraid to talk to Him.

In fact, she was very responsive to the Lord’s effort to engage her in conversation.

Just as He did not ignore her, she did not ignore Him.

And she deserves to be commended for that because when we’re focused on a task, it can be inconvenient to get sidetracked.

In her case, she had come to the well to draw water, but when Jesus spoke to her, she stopped and responded to Him.

Instead of simply sharing a cup of water with Him, however, she engaged in further conversation with Him.

And honestly, I don’t know whether she ever did give Him a drink of water!

This woman was very inquisitive in her response to Jesus.

She was full of questions.

First, she wondered why He was talking to her, a Samaritan.

Then, she wondered where He would get the living water He told her about.

She also wondered if He was greater than their father Jacob, the father of 12 sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel.

Jesus was so patient. 

I’m sure He appreciated the woman’s responsiveness, but I have to say if it were me, her questions and commentary probably would have made me feel a bit more weary.

Not Jesus. 

He took everything she said in stride, and although she mainly referred to physical things, Jesus turned the conversation toward spiritual matters.

Well in verse 14, the Lord again mentioned the water He gives—water that permanently quenches thirst and springs up to eternal life.

Now, I believe this water is a reference to the Holy Spirit because of Jesus’ words in John 7:37-39.

Let me read those verses, which say, “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

So, the Samaritan woman was intrigued by this water Jesus offered, and she asked Him to give it to her.

The idea of never getting thirsty again and never having to walk all the way to the well anymore certainly appealed to her.

Nonetheless, I don’t think she quite understood Jesus’ words up to this point.

She was so intent on physical matters that she failed to see the spiritual.

And ladies, we can act in a similar way.

We can get so fixated on temporal, earthly things that it’s hard for us to think spiritually.

I want to encourage us to slow down and listen to what the Lord has to say to us in His holy Word.

He gives wisdom for our lives on earth, but more importantly, He gives guidance about spiritual and eternal truths.

Alright, back to Jesus and this woman.

The Lord knew the Samaritan woman still didn’t grasp what He was saying, but He stayed in the conversation, and in His wisdom, He proceeded to speak right to her heart.

When she asked for this water He told her about, well, He said, go get her husband and bring him here.

Well, that sounds simple enough, doesn’t it?

Yet the Samaritan woman tried to circumvent Jesus’ instruction by responding she had no husband.

I think that’s so interesting because technically, that was true.

At the same time, I think that she was trying to hide everything that was going on in her life or had occurred up to that point.

And here’s where we see this woman was burdened.

Jesus agreed she had no husband, but He also revealed she had had five husbands and presently was with someone who was not her husband.

Of course, the Samaritan woman knew all this, but I’m sure it was astounding to stand there and listen to a stranger express the truth.

Now what?

Up to this point, she had been very responsive—she had a question or comment for everything Jesus said.

You know, sometimes it’s hard to converse with people like that.

Because for everything you say, they have a comeback.

But the woman’s quick responses didn’t cause Jesus to waver.

He continued to sit calmly and speak clearly.

And by telling her to get her husband, Jesus uncovered the source of the Samaritan woman’s burden.

I’m sure she was burdened by her life status.

I don’t think anyone can go through five marriages and not feel pain.

And I want us to see something important: Jesus didn’t focus on the ‘why” of this woman’s failed marriages.

He just stated the facts.

She didn’t argue with Him or defend herself.

But I think awareness was growing within her.

I think she was beginning to realize she was talking with someone extraordinary.

Kind of like a light on a dimmer switch that gets brighter and brighter gradually.

This perfect stranger knew her history, so she told Jesus she perceived He was a prophet.

Let me stop again and relate this to us.

Like this Samaritan woman, everyone has a point of vulnerability, of weakness …  a place where we try to substitute something or someone else for God.

Jesus knows what that is, and He draws it out of us.

For this woman, she repeatedly tried to find satisfaction in a relationship with a man, but obviously, her plan wasn’t working well.

What about you and me? 

I think this principle applies more clearly before a person is saved by faith in Christ, but even after we belong to the Lord, we can fall back into putting people or things before our God.

Let’s be mindful to think on this and deal with whatever might be hindering God’s proper place in our hearts and lives.

Okay, after Jesus revealed this woman’s burden and she told Him He was a prophet, she changed the topic.

I’m not sure why she launched onto another topic, but I think we’d all agree having an intimate part of your life exposed would be rather uncomfortable.

But for whatever reason, I think the longer this woman talked with Jesus, she felt an increasing safety.

And at this juncture, she stated a contentious issue between the Jews and the Samaritans.

She referenced their disagreement about the proper place to worship God, but again, Jesus led her thoughts away from the physical and directed her to the spiritual.

Rather than aiming attention on a physical location for worship, Jesus emphasized a spiritual truth.

He said true worshippers must worship the Father in spirit and truth.

In other words, it’s not the place of worship, it’s the heart of worship.

Jesus’ explanation opened the door for this woman because even though she was a Samaritan, it wasn’t about where God is worshipped but how.

I believe the Lord’s interaction and the words He spoke encouraged her, and she kept trying to learn more about Him.

In verse 25 she said, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.”

This woman knew about the Messiah.

She didn’t know Him by faith yet, but she knew He could answer all her questions.

Despite her faults and failures, this woman had an open, trusting heart toward the coming Christ.

And I suspect by this point of their conversation, she was hoping the man sitting in front of her was the Christ.

The Lord Jesus’s response to this woman’s statement about the Messiah brought everything into clear focus.

Jesus said, “I who speak to you am He.”

Now earlier, Jesus had uncovered the source of her burden, which was her five failed marriages and the current man she was with but not married to. 

Now the Lord revealed the solution to her problem: Him!

He was the answer, the One Man who could make everything right in her heart and life.

She didn’t have to search any longer.

I bet everything froze for a moment as truth registered in her heart and mind.

But in an instant, the atmosphere changed because the disciples returned from their food purchase.

Scripture tells us they “marveled that He had been speaking with a woman.”

So Just. Like. That. The conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman ended.

But God had accomplished His purpose.

His work in her heart began to flourish as faith took root.

She quickly gathered her thoughts, left her waterpot, and went home to tell the men about Jesus.

The Samaritan woman was changed, and I find the words she spoke to the men very revealing.

In verse 29 she said, “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?”

Notice she didn’t say, “all the things others have done to me.”

She took responsibility for her behavior—whatever the details were—when she said, “all the things I have done.”

She didn’t recoil from Jesus due to His knowledge of her deeds.

She didn’t deny what He said or make excuses.

In fact, it seems Jesus’ awareness of her deeds drew her closer to Him.

And it’s the same with us.

Jesus knows everything about us, but He does not shame or guilt or condemn us.

The Holy Spirit simply reveals truth to us and shows us Jesus is the way to forgiveness and freedom from our sins.

God changed the Samaritan woman through her encounter with Christ, and her testimony resulted in many others coming to faith.

Let me read verses 39-42:

“And from that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, ‘He told me all the things that I have done.’ So when the Samaritans came to Him, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.”

Look what God did.

He pursued a Samaritan woman who was simply going to the well to draw water.

Instead, God drew her to His Son, and when she believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, God changed her.

Then, He used her to share Christ with others, resulting in their salvation.

Let’s treasure the beauty of God’ work in this woman’s life and in our lives.

Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever.”

Let’s pray…

Thanks again for tuning in.

Until next time, this is Emily Wickham, and remember, God loves you!

In Christ, you’re indestructible.