The scriptures tell us (John 4:6) that at about noon Jesus came to Jacob’s well and sat down to rest. Jesus was tired, alone, and hungry. The text goes on to say (John 4:7) that while Jesus was resting a woman came to draw water. What the text does not tell us is that it was very uncommon for someone to come to draw water in the mid-day heat.
We cannot know for sure the reason(s) for her untimely errand. Did she have a sudden need for water? Was her day-time journey prompted by shame and rejection? Did her vocation or life-style demand an odd sleep cycle and daily routine? Whatever the reason(s), the fact that Jesus met this woman at noon tells us something about her; it tells that she was probably an outcast who was shunned by the other women of the community. But Jesus didn’t shun her. The text says that even though she was at the well at the wrong time Jesus looked past all of the reasons why he should not talk with her:
• He was tired
• She was a Samaritan
• She was a Woman
and asked her a simple yet shocking question, “Will you give me a drink?”
Jesus had every reason in the world to look the other way when he saw her coming to the well but He chose not to. He had every excuse to keep his distance but He knew, even as weary as he was, that the woman standing in front of Him was why he was there. He saw past the fatigue, he saw past the prejudice, and he saw past the religious expectation.
When Jesus saw this woman coming to the well, he did not see a Samaritan or a woman or a tramp he saw a daughter. And who wouldn’t feel comfortable asking their daughter for a drink?
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