Focal Passage: John 4:1-30

I recently hit a huge milestone in my life and in my walk with the Lord. I’ve officially spent more of my earthly days walking with Him than I did without.  Countless times I have sat down to write this and instead been wrecked in the most beautiful way. I’ve wept, completely overwhelmed by his love and grace for me! I still remember so clearly, sitting alone 16 1/2 years ago with my bible open on the bathroom floor, weeping over one huge epiphany: he wanted a relationship with me. I was so broken, and my life was such a mess, but he still wanted me. I gave him my life that night and never turned back. As I sit here all these years later, I’m still completely in awe of God’s grace and love for me.

I’ve been reading in John 4, the story of Jesus encountering the woman at the well. I encourage you to go read it for yourself. In this story Jesus is traveling, and ends up alone at a well when a Samaritan woman comes to draw water. According to the culture of that time Jesus had no business interacting with her, and yet John’s description of their encounter is longer than any other he tells in his gospel account. Jesus revealed his true identity to this woman, fully admitting that he is the savior and offering her life. He calls out the mess that she is living in, bringing it to the surface in such a matter-of-fact way. Not accusing or shaming, just stating the facts.

When we look at this woman’s story, we usually focus on her sin. She’s often considered a promiscuous woman, having had five husbands and being with a man who is not her husband. The sad reality of this situation is that the woman was likely rejected and lonely. Divorce at this time was not a common practice and could only be initiated by the man. That means FIVE men took her as their wife, and then either died or divorced her. Rejected. She went to the well alone in the middle of the day, when the rest of the women would have waited until the cool of the evening and gone together. She was likely embarrassed by her situation and wanted to avoid their stares and whispers. Lonely. 

And yet, Jesus was there. He was with her. By all worldly standards he should not have interacted with her – man and woman, Jew and Samaritan – yet he did. He didn’t shame her or leave her but called out her sin and then went on to tell her about true worship and to reveal that he was the messiah. He offered her life, and she walked away from that well completely changed.

I can relate to the woman at the well in so many ways. When I first encountered Jesus, I was rejected and lonely, my life was a mess just like this woman’s. He sat alone with her, revealed how deeply he knew her story, and offered her a new life. Through the spirit and the word he did the same with me on that bathroom floor when I was 16. I didn’t deserve his attention, his love, or his grace then, and I still don’t. I am so incredibly undeserving, and yet he takes me as I am.

I pray that you would take a few minutes to meditate on this: He wants to sit with you, already knowing everything about you, and he takes you just as you are, offering you a life of love and grace.

There are so many beautiful details in this story. But for the purpose of this post, I’ve barely scratched the surface. I encourage you to dive into the scriptures for yourself and I have a short study PDF to help guide you along the way. Make sure you request it below and keep an eye out for Part 2 of The Woman at the Well, which I’ll be posting soon!