Seeker

Reflection on John 4: 1-26 The hostility between Judeans and Samaritans was several centuries old when Jesus, a Jew, met a Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well. It was mid-day – not a good time for water-carrying. Women went to the well together, in early morning or evening. Did this woman go at noon to avoid the unkindness of other women who despised her lifestyle? How did she feel when the Jewish man sitting at the well spoke to her?  A good male Jew might speak alone with a close female relative in public, but to do so with a female stranger, it might be assumed he was making a sexual proposition. When Jesus said “give me a drink.” he was inviting the woman to take the risk he was taking, of crossing religious, political and cultural boundaries and taboos. He was thirsty. She had a bucket. Jesus didn’t comment on her need, only his need for water. By reaching out to her from his need, Jesus gave her dignity. She could do something for him. An...