Deeper Reflection
The story of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman draws together all the threads of our biblical reflections this week. This unnamed woman meets a unique Jewish man who broke all the cultural taboos.²⁰ The man wanted a drink of water but in turn offered her water that she would never thirst again. She tried to turn the conversation into a theological debate;²¹ instead, she ended up enlightened with the truth about worship.²² She began to view Jesus as the embodiment of truth and the promised Messiah. The Samaritan woman was confronted with the truth: she has had five husbands, and the one currently living with her is not her husband.²³ She later went into the town and invited people to come and see Jesus. Remarkably, “because of the woman’s testimony”, many Samaritans believed in Jesus (v.39)! And many more believed – “because of His word” – after they heard directly from Jesus (vv.40-42).What a spectacular transformation – from a dejected, rejected woman who intentionally avoided people by going at the hottest hour to draw water, into an enthusiastic, joyful herald of the Good News of the Messiah who has come! Initially a person with a radically different worldview,²⁴ her life was redeemed and radically transformed after being confronted with the Truth.Our Christian worldview is coherent and corresponds with the truth – the life-changing truth of Jesus’ redemptive work on the cross, His resurrection and coming return. This truth is as relevant today as it was two thousand years ago! Let us joyfully spread the truth so that through us many more people may believe in Christ the Saviour of the world!

²⁰ Women seldom spoke to male strangers and Jewish people generally do not consort with Samaritans due to historical animosities between these two ethnic groups of Semitic people. ²¹ This was the longstanding debate between the Jews and the Samaritans concerning the exact location for the worship of God (vv.20-24) ²² “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (v.24) ²³ See verses 17 to 18. ²⁴ Most commentators see her as an immoral woman ashamed to meet other townsfolk; she was also a Samaritan, with strikingly divergent historical and theological perspectives.