A New Conversation
A Reflection by Christine Jurisich
A New Conversation
I have spent a lot of time with the Bible story of the Woman at the Well (John 4:1-42) over the years. I’ve also heard many of you mention it as a special one. Recently, I have had a whole new experience of connection with the story as I sit with the positive attributes of the Samaritan woman and recognize this story as one that holds the longest-running conversation between Jesus and anyone in the Bible.[1] As I focus on these aspects, I feel invited to bring my whole self to the encounter. Not just my shadowed, broken self in need of redemption, but my strong, smart, and bold self. I am having a new conversation with Jesus through this story. I invite you to be open to a new one as well.
Be Open to a Long Conversation
Pause for a moment and take in the significance of the story. The longest recorded conversation Jesus has is with a woman. This encounter goes against established customs and boundaries.
An unnamed woman. A person without prestigious titles or associations. She can be anyone who is ignored or devalued.
A Samaritan. Jews looked down on Samaritans as impure. They were thought of as enemies. She can be anyone who feels marginalized.
Jesus chooses an unnamed Samaritan woman to converse with on a deeply meaningful level. He chose to invite her into a deeper faith.
What does this tell you about Jesus? How does this invite you to enter into a long conversation with him?
Discover More about the Samaritan Woman
The Samaritan woman is assumed to be of ill repute because of her many husbands referenced in the story (John 4:16-18). She is thought to be an outcast considering she is coming to the well at noon—in the heat of the day—when no one is expected to be around.
There are often no redeeming qualities presented.
In the past few decades, biblical scholars have published research showing the historical context of a woman’s life at that time. They suggest there is no evidence of her sinful nature. Jesus does not say, “Go and sin no more,” as he does when he rescues the woman caught in adultery (John 8:11). The text does not say that she has been divorced five times, but that she has had five husbands. Biblical scholar Gail O’Day writes, “There are many possible reasons for the woman’s marital history, and one should be leery of the dominant explanation of moral laxity.” [2]
This unnamed woman is an intelligent woman. Scholars note that her questions reveal she knows the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible). She is a woman capable of engaging in intellectual dialogue. Scholar Rose Salmberg Kam says, “The woman is skeptical, intelligent, irrepressible. Though alienated from Jesus by race, gender, and lifestyle, she cannot easily be pressed into service or conformity.” [3]
She can be thought of as a model disciple. At the end of the story, the Samaritan woman returns to her village to tell people about Jesus. Biblical scholar Judith Schubert, RSM says, “In effect, the nameless woman of Samaria exemplifies the epitome of a model disciple. She dialogues with Jesus, opens her heart to him, presents no self-defense or self-justification when presented with facts about her life, risks ridicule so that others benefit from Jesus, and brings others to Jesus through her words and actions. The writer of the Gospel fosters the valuable role of the woman leader when he states, “Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony” (Jn 4:39).
Imagine a conversation with Jesus in which you show up as an intelligent and model disciple with an open and humble heart. What does that conversation look and feel like?
Ask Questions in a New Way
The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.)
Jn 4:9
Biblical scholars label the tone of her questions in different ways: sarcastic, bold, or aggressive. No matter the exact interpretation, it is clear the Samaritan woman emphasizes that Jesus is a Jew, she is a Samaritan woman, and it is not custom for the two to be interacting, especially in public. Her strength and boldness reveal that you can ask Jesus the real questions buried deep in your heart.
What are the bold, unfiltered questions you want to ask Jesus? How might your prayer time look different if you held nothing back?
Be Heard in a New Way
Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
Jn 4:10
If you notice the boldness in the woman’s questioning, you may be heartened by Jesus’s response as he patiently allows the conversation to move to a deeper place. One biblical scholar says Jesus plays into her curiosity with the phrase, “If you knew.” [4] This is an engaged conversation with listening and an invitation to go deeper. Allow yourself to enter into this story in your prayer time with the expectancy to be seen and heard no matter how raw a sentiment you have to share.
What kind of conversation could you have with Jesus if you knew his response would be, “Keep talking. There is more to know about me. I will continue to sit here for as long as it takes for you to understand who I am and who I can be for you.”
An Authentic Encounter with Your Whole Self
“I am he, the one who is speaking to you (John 4:26).
As the story unfolds, Jesus chooses this unnamed woman as the first person in the Fourth Gospel to proclaim his true identity. Schubert says, “Since the woman responds to Jesus and opens her heart to his insightful wisdom, Jesus can reveal himself to her. When Jesus admits openly to the woman that he is the Messiah, he chooses her as the first person in the Fourth Gospel to whom he reveals himself. As you may have guessed, it remains quite ironic that Jesus, with all his divine qualities and endless options, chooses this unnamed and despised woman of another religion to share his true self. Thus, he exhibits his trust and respect for her person.” [5]
Imagine the encounter between you and Jesus when you show up with your whole self. Your brokenness and your boldness. Your fragility and your strength. What possibilities exist when you stay engaged in a long conversation with Jesus with the boldness, intelligence, curiosity, courage, and bravery of the Samaritan woman? What do you think Jesus wants to reveal to you about himself?
This story holds an inspiring message of radical inclusivity that models spiritual companionship and the conversions that can happen when people are treated with respect and a listening heart. As I connect with the woman Jesus chose to have the longest conversation with—and I discover more empowering qualities about her—I bring my whole self to the conversation. I am invited to a deeper encounter. When I notice the intelligence and boldness in the woman’s questioning, I am heartened by Jesus’s response as he patiently allows the conversation to move to a deeper place.
Jesus, I am showing up with my whole self.
My strength, weakness, beauty, flaws, wholeness, and brokenness.
I stand before you. Open. Honest. Thirsty.
Oh, how I thirst for your living water.
How much more is there for me to drink,
if I bring my whole self to the well?
[1] Rose Sallberg Kam, Their Stories, Our Stories: Women of the Bible (New York: Continuum, 1995), 212.[2] Gail R. O’Day, Women’s Bible Commentary (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press), 522. [3] Kam, 215. [4] Merrill C. Tenney, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 307. [5] Judith Schubert, The Gospel of John: Question by Question (Eugene: WIPF & Stock, 2008), 47-48.Share in a Sacred Circle
The second full week of the month, we offer three drop-in Sacred Circles on Zoom and two in person. It is a chance to share the monthly reflection in a safe and welcoming environment. You never have to share more than you want to share. Look for an invitation with the Zoom link on the Monday of the week’s sessions. Learn more here.
Share Right Here
What speaks to you in this reflection? How may you bring your whole self to prayer?