It was first the Northern Kingdom Israel that was taken into captivity by the Assyrians. The captivity was the result of sin. When Israel was taken to Assyria, there were some of the people that remained in the land of Samaria, but Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, brought in at least five other nations and settled them in the land of Samaria. As a result of this, there was inter-marriage of the Israelites and the people that the king of Assyria settled in the land (II Kings 17). Through the intermarriage of the Israelites and these other nations, this mixed group and children born became known as the Samaritans. Samaritans were hated by the Jewish people who had not intermarried. So when this woman comes to the well in the middle of the afternoon, it is first noteworthy that the Jewish people did everything possible to avoid going through Samaria because of their hatred for this group of people. But the Samaritan woman had a divine appointment with Jesus. Jesus can care less about our made up rules that keeps people from hearing the gospel to be saved. While many Jewish people at this time avoided going through Samaria, Jesus made it a point to go to this town. We need to understand that Jesus understood why He came to earth, “He came to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

 

It is noon and we find this Samaritan woman in which her name is never given, coming to get water at a most inconvenient time. We can imagine that her reputation of a woman that got around may have been one of the reasons why she did not want to go there when everyone else was there. However, the One that she really needed to see was waiting for her. We note that Jesus is alone; I believe that he sent His disciples away because He needed to talk to this woman alone. Not one of the disciples stayed behind, but all were sent away. We are so important to God that He seeks us out by ourselves in order to give us what we need. Some people feel so unworthy, but Jesus places a high value on our lives. This woman may have felt so low, but you can never be so low that the Lord cannot raise you up. As this woman approaches the well, she did not expect there to be any conversation, but Jesus is not interested in keeping traditions when lives are at stake. He speaks to this woman and asks her for a drink and she is startled. It always fascinates me how Jesus goes right to where the problem lies in our heart. You will find that when Jesus ministered and questions were asked of Him, He spoke to whatever the real issue was. While Jesus was actually thirsty, He is there to quench the thirsting of this woman; not the physical thirst, but the spiritual thirst.

 

 Now when the woman asks Jesus for the water that she thinks will keep her from having to go to that well everyday, He tells her to go bring her husband. Now if you want to stir up some controversy today, tell people that “shacking" (living together outside of marriage) is sin and God is going to judge this sin. Jesus is all in her business. Jesus confronts her on living with a man that is not her husband and then digs further by telling her that she has had five husbands. I don’t know if this woman because she had been married so many times thought, “I better tryout this living together since my other marriages did not work out." Whatever was going through her mind when she “hooked up” with this man in this sinful lifestyle, Jesus confronts her. Our society has made light of living in fornication and adultery. Today young people and old alike are being told that they had better live together first to make sure that they are compatible. You can never be compatible nor become compatible by living in sin. Jesus told this woman at the well that her life was full of sin and He did not make any apologies by addressing her living and bedroom situation. We need to stop believing the lie that Satan keeps perpetrating that sin is your own business and nobody should have anything to say. Now we need to note that while Jesus was firm He was most compassionate in that He is providing her the remedy to the sin that plagues her life. While the religious leaders were constantly spewing their venom at Jesus and the Gentile world, Jesus was being welcomed by the very ones that the Jewish leaders hated and rejected.

 

The woman quickly tried to change the subject when Jesus brought up her sinful life and when He spoke very specifically about what she was doing and how she was living. Now it was to this woman that He revealed that He was indeed the  Messiah.  How incredible that this woman right then believed Him and went to town, apparently forgetting or not caring about how she initially wanted to go get her water at the well and not be bothered or noticed by the people. She goes to town and begins to tell the people to “Come see a man…” As my dad would say, this woman went and kicked out the man that she had living there.” This woman would never be the same and so we find here a despised woman being given the Glorious message that Jesus is the Messiah.

 

If anyone thinks that they are going to get to Heaven by their own good works, you need to think again. Acts 4:12 says “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” We don’t get to heaven by making excuses for sin, but we must confess our sins and believe in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. This woman came to the well, a sinner, but she left a Saint!

Pastor Marcus Small