Quick thoughts on the Woman at the Well
Some evangelists talk about Jesus's evangelistic "approach" to the woman at the well as being a way to show her how she's broken God's law and how she needs a Savior -- Him. While it's true that we've broken God's Law and we need a Savior -- Jesus -- the more I read and think of this passage, the more I don't see that as His primary focus. I'd like others input on this to see if I'm not seeing something correctly, too.
He asks her for a drink. She's bewildered that someone from outside her social class would dare ask that. Personally, I normally focus on how He said He would have given her living water if she had known who He was and if she would have asked. But the very first part of His response is, "If you knew the gift of God." His first response to her is about the gift of God -- which is Himself. It was not about, "Here's how you've broken God's Law." She knew that. She knew the Law. She was a Samaritan who regarded the first five books of the Bible. He simply keeps talking to her about this living water, not about her sin first, which I've heard evangelists say is "the model" -- in so many words. When she isn't understanding, then He asks her to get her husband. Looking at the whole conversation, it doesn't seem that His point is that she's broken God's Law, but that she is going to other things that don't satisfy. This is the definition of sin -- going to anything other than God, which won't satisfy, and therefore is insulting to God.
People say that at this point, she attributes at least a prophet status to Jesus, but after that, she "changes the subject" to places of worship. For the first time, I saw God's sovereign hand at work in this conversation: From her viewpoint, she may have been trying to change the subject, or she may not have. However, it's kind of ironic (sarcasm) that the subject she changes it to is about worship -- the very thing that Jesus has been talking about; that is, finding satisfaction in Him, which IS worshiping Him.
After Jesus explains to her (and us) about what true worship is, she says she believes that Messiah will explain everything about it to her. The thing is, He just did explain it to her throughout their conversation -- another example of God's sovereign hand at work again. :) Jesus then revealed that He is the Messiah. What's so amazing is how John records that "left her waterpot." I remember reading somewhere that this is a metaphor of how she has now left her old life of sin (trying to find satisfaction in anything other that God) and wanting the living water.
So, it seems to me that Jesus's main point in His encounter with the woman at the well is about worship and not just the fact that we need a Savior from the wrath of God.
He asks her for a drink. She's bewildered that someone from outside her social class would dare ask that. Personally, I normally focus on how He said He would have given her living water if she had known who He was and if she would have asked. But the very first part of His response is, "If you knew the gift of God." His first response to her is about the gift of God -- which is Himself. It was not about, "Here's how you've broken God's Law." She knew that. She knew the Law. She was a Samaritan who regarded the first five books of the Bible. He simply keeps talking to her about this living water, not about her sin first, which I've heard evangelists say is "the model" -- in so many words. When she isn't understanding, then He asks her to get her husband. Looking at the whole conversation, it doesn't seem that His point is that she's broken God's Law, but that she is going to other things that don't satisfy. This is the definition of sin -- going to anything other than God, which won't satisfy, and therefore is insulting to God.
People say that at this point, she attributes at least a prophet status to Jesus, but after that, she "changes the subject" to places of worship. For the first time, I saw God's sovereign hand at work in this conversation: From her viewpoint, she may have been trying to change the subject, or she may not have. However, it's kind of ironic (sarcasm) that the subject she changes it to is about worship -- the very thing that Jesus has been talking about; that is, finding satisfaction in Him, which IS worshiping Him.
After Jesus explains to her (and us) about what true worship is, she says she believes that Messiah will explain everything about it to her. The thing is, He just did explain it to her throughout their conversation -- another example of God's sovereign hand at work again. :) Jesus then revealed that He is the Messiah. What's so amazing is how John records that "left her waterpot." I remember reading somewhere that this is a metaphor of how she has now left her old life of sin (trying to find satisfaction in anything other that God) and wanting the living water.
So, it seems to me that Jesus's main point in His encounter with the woman at the well is about worship and not just the fact that we need a Savior from the wrath of God.
posted by Katharsis at
5/05/2007 01:33:00 PM
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