A Special Encounter

“For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.” John 4:18.

Jesus had the tact of telling people their sins to their face without offending them; on the contrary, they surrendered their heart to Him. He never started a conversation pointing out man’s weaknesses, even if He knew them in every detail, but He led the conversation in such a way that the sinner himself would acknowledge his condition and, moved by the Master’s understanding, compassion and love, would repent.

It was noon, the scorching Mediterranean sun fell upon the earth with all its power; Jesus felt weary and hot. He had been travelling for a long time on foot, from one region to the other of the country and he was thirsty. Therefore He stopped near a well in Samaria, half way to his destiny. Suddenly, a relatively young woman came to draw water from the well. He did not hesitate to ask her for something to drink. The woman was amazed! The Jews and the Samaritans were enemies; how was it possible for a Jew, who thought himself superior to the Samaritans, to approach a woman and ask her for something!

This woman went to the well at such a time in order to avoid contact with the other women in the village for whom she was the main subject of conversation. As a rule, women went to draw water in the late afternoon, according to the Bible’s report, “And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, [even] the time that women go out to draw [water]” (Genesis 24:11). At that time it was cooler and they secured themselves a provision of water for the early morning, for their personal hygiene, the housework, cooking, etc. She knew that women in town despised her and so as to avoid meeting them she would go at noon, when the sun was at the zenith and nobody dared onto the streets. Her love affair had made of her an outcast. She was paying a high price for just some tenderness, which who knows if she really received.

She was not used to having people approach her; most people looked at her from the corner of their eyes, whispered or greeted her in a hypocritical and sarcastic tone of voice. But that man was different, He was a stranger and did not know her; He did not know anything about her life, besides He did not seem to have any prejudice about her origin.

Jesus spoke to her about the living water He could provide her, but she did not really understand what He meant. Nevertheless, she asked Him to give her from that water, “The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw” (John 4:15). The way to the well everyday was weary and painful; she felt a mixture of loneliness, guilt and shame. But before Jesus gives us His healing power that turns into a fountain of living water, we have to acknowledge our condition as sinners, so Jesus said to her, “Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband.” (John 4:16, 17).

She had lived with five men and for one or another reason had separated from them. None could offer her the tenderness and love her sensitive soul longed for. It was because of this, of her lifestyle that was so different from the other people in town that she had become a stumbling stone, a black sheep. Jesus did not accuse her, but just pointed out her true condition and she immediately acknowledged that that stranger had a knowledge that came from above and said, “Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet” (John 4:19). In order to avoid such a delicate and painful subject, she tried to change the conversation and get him involved in a pseudo-religious topic, a controversial point: where God should be worshiped. She did not know that the human being was meant to be a temple where the presence of God was to dwell permanently. Jesus tried to explain this to her and said, “God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).

In other words He was telling her that we worship God with our lifestyle, our attitude, our conduct at home, in society and not only in a church building. She was greatly impressed by these words and suddenly realized that what she had considered quite normal: living with someone without being married, was immoral in God’s eyes and a bad example to the community.

Each one of our acts, no matter how small they are or whether we practice them in public or in secret have an influence upon the whole because they contribute to form a righteous or unrighteous character which will be manifested even in little things. When the light of heaven shone in her mind regarding her true condition, this woman did not get angry like the believers in the church of Galatia, to whom Paul wrote later on, “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” (Galatians 4:16) But she experienced sincere repentance and a real conversion.

As a young woman she felt the need of having a companion, the support and affection of someone from the opposite sex, but since the bond of marriage was so strong and indissoluble she preferred to leave an open door, even if she did not do so with God’s blessing. Even though she may have not had many problems with her partner, she was surely not happy because the sense of belonging was missing and without the approval and blessing of the Lord there is no real joy in the heart.

Greatly impressed by the dialogue with that man whom her soul acknowledged as the Messiah, she abandoned her pitcher and ran to town to call the men of the village. She did not think of herself, of her reputation, whether they would pay attention to her words, whether they would listen to her call. She was now a new creature and that could be seen in her whole attitude. She could not remain silent; the rays of heavenly light that had penetrated her soul could not be hidden. That person with a gloomy face, who used to drag her feet on her way to the well every day, in the heat of a scorching sun, was now free, happy, sociable, and felt the need of sharing with others what she had received.

She went to the men in the village and called them to come and meet Jesus, who had revealed her sinfulness. She knew that although they all seemed to lead a righteous life and tried to hide their vices behind a mask of modesty and chastity, all of them had been bitten by the snake and were spiritually sick; they all needed healing and she had found the Great Healer, the Redeemer of the world!

She had had a casual encounter with a stranger, as she was going about her daily routine, but what a change it meant in her life! That is the way it goes. As we day by day go about doing our duties, feeling the senselessness of everything and the burden of our sinful nature, suddenly our conscience is awakened and we understand that we are not the victims of a predetermined destiny, but of our own dreams, ambitions and mentality that have led us to handle things in a wrong way. The Holy Spirit is actively trying to show every single man that only the narrow way of obedience to God’s commandments is the utmost expression of freedom.

Jesus’ disciples, who were not free from prejudice, could not understand the scene before their eyes. Jesus was talking with an unknown woman and a Samaritan to boot; a woman belonging to that people who had mixed the worship of the living God with idolatry! What was the matter with their Master? Had He no spiritual discernment? But Jesus was working dynamically and preparing the heart of the people to plant the seed of the gospel “the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16), so that when the time of the harvest would come, they could be gathered in the Father’s granary and not burnt as straw.

Since that day a new life began for that woman; she had met a Friend who could understand the depth of her soul. Whether He was physically near her or not, she would not forget her experience with Him as long as she lived. She no longer needed to make a man’s arm her support; now she would settle her situation and lead a life that could be approved by God. Now she had understood what it meant to worship God in spirit and in truth, and that was the only way in which she wanted to worship Him.

May the Lord reveal to each man the depth of sin that is rooted in his heart, make him hate it with his whole being so that he may be delivered and able to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth.
Amen.

Teresa Corti