Across the Sands of Time and Division

In the Book of John, the Scriptures regarding the Samaritan woman reveals much about the character of Christ as much in what it doesn't say as it does. What it doesn't say about the woman reveals a great deal, as well. Once again, knowing a little about the culture and place in time of it occurrence makes a difference.

The Samaritan woman was making a trip to the well alone in the heat of the day. Typically, the town's women would have made the daily water run early in the morning when it was cooler and spent this errand time visiting with one another and catching up on town news and gossip. Yet, here is this woman coming alone, after all the others had made their way back home. Can you picture her walking in the dusty heat carrying a large water pot on her head? Can you feel the sweat running down her sides as she makes her way to the well? Scripture says 'it was about the sixth hour' when Jesus arrived at the well, that would make it noon, the sun high over head beating down on both our Lord and this lonely Samaritan woman; the empty water pot rather symbolic of her empty life.

Once at the well, the nameless woman (could have been any of us) was surprised when Jesus spoke to her. At that time in history, it was not culturally accepted for a man to address a woman in public that was not his wife or family, and most especially not practice for a Jew to speak to a Samaritan at all.

The hatred between Jews and Samaritan dates back to 722BC; when the Jews were captured and taken to Babylon, the conquering king sent colonist in to repopulate the area. The colonist worshiped pagan gods and the remaining Jews intermarried and practiced a faith of worshiping the God of Israel along side the pagan gods of the new comers. Once the captured Jews were released from Babylon and returned home, they felt bitterness and despised those Jewish cousins that had built a temple on the holy Mount Grizim for their pagan worship. Jews in the days Jesus and the Disciples ministered would not even walk through Samaria, choosing a much longer route to avoid it.

 There are countless modern parallels to the Jewish-Samaritan differences and hatred wherever racial and ethnic barriers divide people. Perhaps that’s why the Gospels and Acts provide so many instances of Samaritans coming into contact with the message of Jesus. It is not the person from the radically different culture on the other side of the world that is hardest to love but our neighbor with skin color, language, rituals, values, ancestry, history, and customs different from one’s own.

Here we have Jesus walking through the hated land of Samaria and talking to a Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob, Father of Israel. He has cut through the lines of discrimination, hate, and cultural boundaries to keep a divine appointment with a pagan sinner. The radical love of Christ crosses all boundaries, real or imagined, to do the work of His Father.

Next time we will continue to look into this story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman. Food for thought: Is there any one, any groups, any culture with whom you have no dealings?