Jesus commissions the first female preacher! (The Samaritan woman at the well) John 4:5-42

John 4:5-42 Gospel reading for Sunday 27th March 2011

Gotta love this reading!

It curiously follows on from the story of Nicodemus (last week). It may be more than coincidental that Nicodemus came under cover of darkness but this woman meets Jesus at high noon (six o'clock in the morning was the beginning of the first hour). Both players initially take Jesus' words at face value - Nicodemus with his being physically born again thinking and the Samaritan woman who thinks Jesus is talking about normal everyday well-water ... but the difference is that (of all people) the Samaritan Woman is the one who moves in her thinking!

But first some cultural and contextual observations* that are essential to a deeper understanding of this story:

1. In John's Gospel, Jesus makes more than  one visit to Jerusalem. This incident occurred very early in Jesus ministry**  We note that Jesus is heading back to Galilee from Judea. Pious Jews normally detoured around Samaria, but Jesus takes the direct route through Samaria and some fascinating historical territory, which includes this notable heritage site of Jacob's Well.
2. The woman claims "ownership" of the well on behalf of the Samaritans - which would have been a sore point with the Jews!
3. "Middle eastern village women avoid the heat of the day by carrying water from the village well early in the morning and just before sundown. For propriety's sake, they always go to and from the well as a group. Furthermore the jars are heavy when full and difficult for a woman to lift onto her head alone. The woman in this story appears at the well alone at noon. Only a "bad woman" would be so blatant. She is either a social outcast or knows that travelers can be found at the well at noon and wants to contact them." Bailey p. 202.

Bailey talks about the ten surprises of this story. I'll highlight just a few of these:

Jesus makes the surprising move of asking for a drink (we note that the disciples have gone into town at this point). Through this request Jesus does four things:

• He breaks the taboo rule of talking to a woman (particularly in an isolated place with no witnesses)
• He ignores the 500 year old hostility between Jews and Samaritans
• He totally humbles himself to a point that He needs her help
• He elevates the self-worth of the Samaritan woman.

Surprisingly, the woman questions Jesus - but Jesus in turn gently challenges her. She ducks and weaves a bit and even tries to change the subject of discussion. We have the unexpected outcome that Jesus chooses this non-Jewish female as the appropriate audience to deliver some stunning news about the nature of God and of true worship, that in effect downgrades the significance of the temple! (The Jewish people thought that the temple in Jerusalem was the only valid place from which to worship God. This point is perhaps more obvious in The Message version: "Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem ... But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you're called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter." v 21-23)

Initially (like Nicodemus) she thinks superficially and just of her own plight, her own well-being, her own thirst ... but we see an amazing transformation of thinking. She (leaving her water jar) heads back into town and becomes a "spring for others"! She is sent by Jesus ... she broadens her mandate of going to call her "husband", to proclaim to her whole community. Astoundingly in that cultural context, men listen to this woman as she evangelizes.  This group of Samaritans (of all people) are sought out and welcomed by Jesus. The end of the reading declares that they respond by acknowledging Jesus as the Saviour of the (whole) world.

Does Jesus commission the first female preacher here?*** A fore-shadowing of what is to come at the resurrection? Who does the risen Jesus first reveal himself to? Who is it that first declares 'I have seen the Lord?'

John the gospel writer and Jesus powerfully combine in this story to break down some age-old gender and racial barriers, while strongly advocating the case for women in ministry. Surely a big tick for women in leadership in our Lutheran Schools too. As for the ordination of women ... I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions!

Nev

 *I am indebted to Kenneth E. Bailey for his insightful comments in his book "Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels". He has dedicated a whole section to the topic "Jesus and Women" which includes a very detailed analysis of the woman at the well story.


** Kurt Aland in "The synopsis of the four Gospels" - an authoritative compilation which attempts to place all events / stories of the four Gospels into chronological order, places this as Aland 31 (out of 367).


***Bailey  p212  - surprise number 8: "The surprise of the appearance of the first Christian female preacher"