Exodus 17:1-7; John 4:5-42
Today’s passage from Exodus
has the people grumbling because they don’t have water. I’d probably be one of
those grumbling, too! So Moses takes the complaint to God, who says, “I’ve got
you. Go to the rock at Horeb and strike the rock. Water will run out, and your
people will be able to quench their thirst.” Moses did just as he was told, and
the people were satisfied, for now. “See,” Moses tells the people, “God is
trustworthy!”
Centuries later, the twelve
tribes were united for about 100 years under Saul, David, and Solomon. But they
argued, and the 10 northern tribes split off and were known as Israel. They were
invaded by the Assyrians, and scattered, never to recover their status as a
kingdom. The 2 southern tribes, known as Judah, lasted another 150 years, and
the leaders were taken to Babylon for about 50 years.
The reason given for both
conquests is that they didn’t trust in God. They made alliances with other
kingdoms instead of trusting God to keep them safe.
By Jesus’ time, the faithful
remnant in the northern tribes, in the area called Samaria, had shaped the
tenets of their faith to include only the Torah as holy scripture, Mount Gerizim
as the holy place, and the expectation of a messiah called the Taheb,
who will come and tell them the truth.
After the Babylonian Exile,
about 10% of the people return to the land known as Judah. They, too,
reestablish their religious practices, with Mount Zion in Jerusalem as the holy
place. They consider the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings as holy
Scripture. And they expect a Messiah to be a king like David, to restore them
to their former glory.
The differences between these
two groups caused a lot of friction, with the people of each land seeing the
other as wrong, sinful. They avoided each other, often going far out of the way
to avoid passing through each other’s territory.
Now, in the Gospel reading for
today, we have Jesus, a Jew, encountering a Samaritan woman in her own
territory and engaging her in conversation. I’m sure the disciples are
whispering to each other, “What on earth is he doing?” “We should have gone the
long way!” “Doesn’t he know who he is talking with?” They are appalled at
Jesus’ behavior.
But let’s pay attention to
Jesus’ words and actions. The location, at a well, is important, since it is a
symbol of their joint history as God’s people, descended from Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob. Alert Jews hearing this story later would be expecting something
important to happen when a man and woman meet at a well, since several marriage
stories in the past began with an encounter at a well.
Although the “please” isn’t
included when Jesus asks for water, the woman assumes it. She is puzzled that a
Jew would ask a Samaritan for anything, but apparently wants to satisfy her
curiosity.
They spend some time getting
to know each other. Jesus lets the woman understand that he knows all about her,
without condemning her for her relationships. It is what it is, and it may not
be her fault that she has had so many men in her life.
Jesus has the woman’s
attention now. She wants to know more and asks how what he says can be true.
Jesus explains that when people worship God in spirit and truth, the location
doesn’t matter. In the future, Jerusalem and Gerizim won’t matter to either Jews
or Samaritans.
Now, Jesus really seals the
deal for the woman. Worshiping in truth
– that’s what the Taheb (the Samaritan version of the Messiah) will
bring.
In its outward form, this is
a story of Jesus reaching out to a foreign woman with a questionable past and
not condemning her. And it is a story of Jesus reaching out to the Samaritans/foreigners
with the good news.
But at a deeper level, he is
attempting to heal the ancient rift between them. He can be both Messiah and Taheb.
Since they worship in spirit, the location of the mountain doesn’t matter. And Jesus
respects the earliest history they share by meeting her at Jacob’s well.
… By now, you’re probably
wondering, what about the water! The reading from Exodus and the Gospel both
have a lot to do with water, so we should probably talk about water. Water is
life-giving. We can live for up to about 3 weeks without food, but only 4 days
without water. So, water is essential to survival. The ancient Israelites had
every right to complain if they didn’t have any water while wandering in the
wilderness.
In this conversation with the
Samaritan woman, Jesus gives another meaning to water. He makes it spiritual! He
offers a new formula: water + spirit = eternal life. When God’s words combine
with plain water, we get baptism, a new relationship with God. That’s what
eternal life is, relationship with God.
The ancient Israelites were
just learning what it meant to have a relationship with God. They were learning
about God’s power; they were learning to trust. They were learning that God
spoke through Moses and Aaron. They were remembering the relationship this same
God once had with Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Rachel and
Leah and their slave women. Their understanding of relationship with God was
trust.
Eternal life is also about trusting
God; but Jesus added a symbol – water – to help us comprehend the relationship.
Just as water is essential for life itself, so bathing in water – or at least
sprinkling it on ourselves – reminds us that life, and eternal life, comes from
God.
… Eternal life is so good it’s
worth sharing with others. The Samaritan woman is so excited about this
encounter she leaves her water jar and runs back into town. She calls everyone
to come and meet Jesus, the Taheb. The people in town believe her word
and they invite Jesus to stay for several days to teach them and folks from the
surrounding area.
We are called to be like this
woman at the well, and reach out to tell others how valuable it is. I know,
Lutherans don’t do that! But I promise you that if you look for an opportunity to
share God’s love, you will find it. An opening in a conversation will happen, a
door will open, and I hope you will find a way to walk right in and talk about
how much God means to you. Have a conversation, with questions and answers,
like the one this woman and Jesus had. Maybe you both will be amazed at what
happens. Amen
