No more shame … only life in its abundance

Date: 25th November 2017

Welcome back to the story of the Samaritan woman’s encounter with Jesus at the well. It’s found in John’s gospel. Chapter 4, verses 4 to 26.

We left the story last time with Jesus making an outrageous statement that he could offer living water. He said, “whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.” In fact he says that the water he gives will be like a spring of water welling up inside of them, and leading to eternal life.

The woman needs no further convincing. She wants it! All she can see is that she won’t have to keep doing what she has always done. She won’t need to come to the well in the heat of the day and carry a heavy water jar back to her house.

So Jesus tells her to go call her husband. The woman replies that she has no husband, and Jesus says that’s correct. In fact she has had five husbands, and the man she is with now is not her husband. He commends her for telling the truth.

She realises that this stranger must be a prophet, otherwise how would he know that she had five husbands, and that she is living with a man that is not her husband. What ensues then is a theological discussion about the nature of ‘true worshippers.’

Jesus tells her that the time has come when God will establish worshipers who will know God in spirit and truth. She explains that she, like all Israel, is waiting for Messiah. That the mysteries Jesus is talking about will become very clear.

Jesus declares himself to be the one they are waiting for. He is Messiah.

Naturally she is excited about the prospect that the messiah has spoken to her, so she leaves her water jar and hurries back to the village to tell them that there is a man at the well who, “told me everything I ever did.” The question she asks of the villagers is more of an emphatic statement than a question, “could this be the Messiah?” The villagers make their way to the well to find out for themselves.

As the story ends the villagers declare that they no longer believe just because of her story, but because they have heard, and seen, for themselves that this is the Messiah.

So like last time lets unpack this story.

One of the essential things to remember when we come to a story like this is that so much of it sits below the surface of our understanding. Culturally, as well as historically. We can of course access the story and gets lots out of it, but it is also possible to open up the story by reading from a cultural/historical perspective. I love the image St Gregory uses; the bible is shallow enough for babes to paddle in, and deep enough for elephants to wade. So lets go wading!

If you haven’t read the previous blog post for a while I suggest you do it now to refresh your memory, as we will plunge right into the story.

Who is this unnamed woman? It is extraordinary that Jesus would even engage in conversation with her, but to have a theological conversation, it’s outrageous. After listening to Jesus, she decides she wants what he’s offering, so Jesus remembers his manners, and tells her to get her husband. From a cultural perspective the woman is not considered her own person, she can’t make decisions for herself, a man must speak and act for her in every situation.

The story takes an even more outrageous turn when she declares she has no husband. She doesn’t say she’s a widow, she says she is husbandless. That is akin to a deserted woman. What is astounding in the story is that there is no hint of judgement from Jesus; he merely states the truth. Rather than being abashed the woman recognises that Jesus is a prophet.

What’s going on with the five husbands? Culturally women had no power of divorce, so she has either been widowed five times, that would be highly  unlikely, or she has been divorced. What could possibly be going on for her to be divorced so many times? The answer may lie in the fact that she comes to the well by herself. You see in Hebraic teaching the men are told to be fruitful and multiply (Gen 1.28). The imperative is on the man to produce offspring. There was occasion where the man could put aside his wife to marry another if she was barren. It would be assumed that the woman was cursed by God if she was unable to produce children. The reason is that she would be considered a sinner, thus shamed and shunned.

Just imagine this woman who has been married five times, only to be rejected five times. Each time hope rising that she would produce a child, only to be disappointed again. With each rejection her shame increased. Finally she settles for the only option available to her, to live as a prostitute. She is no longer eligible for marriage.

Now Jesus comes along and her shame and despair are brought out into the open. She looks into the eyes of this man and sees no judgement, no revulsion. Religious convention would say that he is made unclean by accepting a drink from her vessel. However, he offers something far more amazing and life changing. With his unconditional love she is transformed into a woman who can tell her story to the village without being fearful that she will be abused. She has been seen for the first time, not as a woman who is cursed, but as a woman who is in need of a loving husband. She is no longer abandoned, and despised. She is cherished and has a new identity.

There are two stories unfolding here. One is about a woman, the other about a nation. It is common for this kind of parallel structure in scripture. The woman embodies the deserted state of Israel. Read Isaiah 54:1-55.13.

“Sing o barren woman, you who never bore a child … The lord will call you back if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit — a wife who married young, only to be rejected … (Isa 54:1, 6)

Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters … (Isa 55:1)

Remember in our last blog Jesus was described as the bridegroom, and that the scene at the well echoed betrothal scenes in Genesis. In this story we find a deserted woman who has tasted despair and desolation of spirit. But by the end of the story she has been restored. She has an identity, she is offered a name, security, and a future. All the promises of inheritance that God promised to Israel through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

For me this story is about being seen, really seen, and finding that in our most vulnerable moments a loving God draws close and offers hope and a future.

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