Growing up in central Florida, my family often visited the local springs to swim. There are a few things a kid learns about springs, like its constant 72-degree temperature, which was cool, yet refreshing, in the heat of Florida. We learned that its water was crystal clear at the spring, then grew darker along the river because the continuous flow of water from holes in the aquifer pushed all murkiness away. And we also learned not to swim down to the cave where the water came out, because the undercurrent pulled you in. 🌊
In his conversation with the woman at the well, recounted in John 4, Jesus used the metaphor of living water, like the springs of my childhood, to offer the woman healing. To refresh her from the weariness of sin. To restore her soul. To bring her to the truth of how she was created and meant to worship her Creator. To draw her to Him to be overcome by His love and grace.
When we last saw this woman, in our last post, she had a choice to make. To admit her brokenness and turn to God, or to continue in her “stink,” her life of sin. The choice may sound easy to us, but in that day, many barriers stood between her and her Lord.
First, there was the tension of being a Samaritan. Inhabitants of this region had a history of harsh and unjust treatment which spawned religious prejudice and animosity. The Samaritans were descendants of the Israelite tribes who lived in the northern part of the nation. The Assyrians captured this region in the 700s B.C., and over time, began intermarrying with these Israelites. Their descendants became the Samaritans, and earned the scorn of the rest of Israel.
Adding to the hostility, these Samaritans built a temple - referenced in John 4:20 - on Mount Gerizim. This temple was designed to rival the temple at Jerusalem, which they considered the true temple of God. The Jews destroyed this temple in 129 B.C., but Samaritans continued to worship on the mountain.
This Samaritan had another strike against her. Being a woman, she was a second-class citizen. We can’t simply blame the Jewish culture of that time - the Roman culture also demeaned women. It is true that the Romans worshiped goddesses, or female gods, like Juno and Minerva. But it is also true that no Roman woman could vote or hold direct political or military positions. Culturally, women were looked down upon. In the writings of Ovid, Cicero, and Marcus Porcius Cato, women were typically not given proper names. In fact, the ruler Gaius Julius, named his three daughters after himself - their Julia Major, Julia Minor, and Julia Tertia. (I have 3 daughters, so this strikes a nerve with me.😡) At the end of the day, women who tried to defy these social norms became outcasts.
In that culture, the woman at the well was an outcast, in all senses of the word. She was shunned because of her sin. She was rejected for who she was, religiously. She was disrespected for who she was, biologically. But her Lord meant to redeem her in a way that countered the culture.
Jesus laid out the Samaritan woman’s sin before her. She does not deny it, but accepts the truth of her sin. She perceives that Jesus must be a special person to know this, perhaps a prophet, but she is unsure how to seek forgiveness from her sin and worship again. After all, the temple at Gerizim was destroyed, and she is not welcome in the temple at Jerusalem.
But Jesus offered her the way to redemption. The way to be filled and never thirst is in Him. In verse 23, Jesus says to her:
“But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.” (NASB)
The woman has one more question: has she found the One who is promised?
At Jesus’s response, that He is, she is done with words. All that is left is heart and action. She left her pot and went to tell all of her community about Jesus. She left the old behind and just as she received Jesus, the living water, she gave back hope in Jesus and spread the good news of salvation that all who heard believed in Jesus for themselves (John 4:39).
Though today’s cultural biases may be different, the lesson for us is the same. It doesn’t matter what your sin is, your status, your politics, your biology, or your stink. Jesus made a way to the Father, to worship in spirit and in truth. All who wash in the living water will be made clean.
Has the Holy Spirit alerted you to any “stink” in your life?
What barriers to repentance make you hesitate?
Could God use your change as a witness to draw others to Him?
Sarah Ronne, Worthy Content Writer
*This is part of our quarterly series: Empowered to Repent. Join our discussion on our social media platforms.
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