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The Woman at the Well from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.

When Jesus was traveling from Judea to Galilee, He stopped in a town called Sychar. While resting at the well and waiting for His disciples to return from grocery shopping, He had a conversation with a Samaritan woman who came to the well during the heat of the day.

(John 4:3–6 NASB) He left Judea and went away again into Galilee. And He had to pass through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; and Jacob's well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

The Jewish day begins at 6 AM, so noon would have marked the sixth hour of the day. This encounter likely took place in late spring to early summer, when temperatures in that region often ranged from 85 °F to 105 °F. At noon, they would have experienced some of the peak heat of the day, making it quite hot. So, after walking all morning, Jesus was hot, tired, and thirsty.

They reached the Samaritan town of Sychar, about 40 miles north of Jerusalem, and Jesus sent His disciples to buy some food. Meanwhile, He chose to rest by a spring of water known as Jacob's Well.

(John 4:7–9 NASB) There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)

There are hundreds of years of prejudice and hate summed up in that sentence, "For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans." The Samaritans came from the Northern Kingdom of Israel after the division of the kingdom that happened during the reign of Solomon's son Rehoboam. The Northern Kingdom was led away from the Lord and into worshiping idols by King Jeroboam (1 Kings 12:28–29).

In 722 B.C., the Assyrian Empire conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel, deported most of its people, and then resettled the area with people from other conquered nations. This led to intermarriage and worship of a mixed bag of beliefs, with parts of Judaism mixed with pagan customs and superstitions.

The "pure" Jews of Judah considered the Samaritan Jews "half-breeds." In Ezra, when the Jews returned to rebuild the temple around 538 B.C., the Samaritans wanted to help, but they were rejected (Ezra 4:1-3). So they built their own temple on Mount Gerizim, but the Jews destroyed it in 128 B.C., and their relationship grew even worse. By the time Jesus spoke with this Samaritan woman at the well, this bitter hatred had been going on for centuries.

Traditionally, Rabbis did not speak to women in public, not even to their wives. Some Pharisees were even referred to as "the bruised and bleeding Pharisees" because whenever they saw a woman in public, they would cover their eyes, causing them to bump into walls and houses as they walked around!

Typically, women would come to draw water in the morning or evening when it was cooler, often in groups. However, this Samaritan woman visited the well alone at noon, possibly suggesting she was not accepted in social circles.

So, a traveling Jewish Rabbi meets a Samaritan woman at a well and asks her for a drink of water. This may have been the first time she had ever heard a kind word from a Jewish man. She would have been shocked that He even looked at her, spoke to her, and even more so that He would drink from the same cup she did. His disciples were as well (John 4:27).

Yet, so typical of the Lord, He broke through all the man-made traditions and boundaries in an instant. Consider this: God was sitting by a well and asked her for a drink of water - for some of her water before He offered her what He had.

(John 4:10–12 NASB) Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." She said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? "You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?"

(John 4:13–15 NASB) Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw."

Jesus was speaking of the "Rivers of Living Water" that those who believed in Him would receive (John 7:37–39). The woman asked Jesus to give her some of this living water.

(John 4:16–19 NASB) He said to her, "Go, call your husband and come here." The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have correctly said, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly." The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet."

That was a drink of living water. This woman had been hurt so many times. The first time she got married, like most people, she expected it would last a lifetime but then found herself alone. Then came someone else, a second chance, and her hope for happiness rose again but was then dashed upon the rocks of life. Then came another … and another … and another … and another. Now, she comes to the well at noon alone so she can avoid other people's looks, and she is worn down and despised.

I can relate to this woman. My Mom divorced nine times, the first of which occurred before I turned one. She once married on February 29th, a leap year, so their anniversary would occur every four years to prolong it, but that didn't work either... I remember the looks we got and the whispers at gatherings.

Loving Jesus saw a broken human in need of saving, regardless of who she was or what she had done in the past. He could help, but first, they had to have an honest conversation. The Spirit sees all, and we must be honest even when it hurts, for He already knows. The Lord has a wonderfully refreshing way of pulling the curtain back, of pointing at the elephant in the room and stating, "There's your problem."

Today, there is so much confusion, lies, deception, and misinformation, but the Lord can see past it all and get straight to the heart of the matter. Traditions, prejudices, cultural differences, racism, social status, political beliefs, and personal preferences are all man-made barriers that God does not recognize, respect, or honor, and they have no place in the body of Christ.

It is one world under God, with a bunch of tiny grasshoppers bickering over which of them is the greatest while the Lord sits in the heavens and laughs, and looks at His watch... Is it judgment day yet?

(Isaiah 40:21–23 NKJV) Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless.

(2 Peter 3:10–11 NKJV) "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness"

You can pray this with me if you like:

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please help me see past barriers that divide us and let me see others through Your eyes. May Your living water flow through me and refresh those I meet today. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

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Interesting Notes:

* The Samaritan woman at the well was the first person that Jesus told He was the Messiah:

(John 4:25–26 NKJV) The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When He comes, He will tell us all things." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

* Sychar has a long biblical history. In the Old Testament, it was called Shechem and was the capital city of the Samaritans.

* This is where Abram first came when he arrived into Canaan from Babylonia. (Genesis 12:6)

* This is where God first appeared to Abram in Canaan, and renewed the promise of giving the land to him and his descendants. (Genesis 12:7)

* This is where Abram built an altar and called upon the name of the Lord (Genesis 12:8)

* This is where Jacob came safely when he returned with his wives and children from his sojourn with Laban. (Genesis 33:18)

* This is where Jacob bought a piece of land from a Canaanite named Hamor, for 100 pieces of silver (Genesis 33:19)

* This is where Jacob built an altar to the Lord, and called it El Elohe Israel (Genesis 33:20). This established the connection between Jacob and what became known as Jacob's well there in Sychar.

* Sychar (Shechem) was also the place where Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, was raped—and the sons of Jacob massacred the men of the city in retaliation. (Genesis 34)

* This is where the bones of Joseph were eventually buried when they were carried up from Egypt (Joshua 24:32)

* This is where Joshua made a covenant with Israel, renewing their commitment to the God of Israel and proclaiming, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24)