The story of the woman at the well comes right after Jesus made a blockbuster statement to the Pharisee and Sanhedrin member Nicodemus: God loves not just Pharisees, not even just Judeans, but the whole world. And, to illustrate this very point, Jesus made his way to some of the most despised people in the region, the Samaritans.
Now, as Jesus and his disciples arrived at Jacob’s famous well, they decided to take a break. Jesus sat down to rest, and the disciples went into the nearest town to buy food, most likely a very unsettling prospect for them as Judeans.
They may even have passed by this woman with her water jug as they walked into the town of Sychar. Archaeologists show there was another well in town, but she was walking the extra half-mile out of town to Jacob’s well, possibly because of her reputation within the community.
The Lord Jesus loved this mixed-race, mixed-religion woman of questionable reputation, and he respected and honored her with his own humility and vulnerability. He was thirsty for water, and knew she was thirsty for eternal life.
But.
There is so . . . much . . . more to this story.
You may be surprised by what the Greek reveals.
Each video is designed to offer background scholarship on the topic, including setting, culture, original language, and archaeology, as well as a theological study.
The “Broken, Searching, Trusted, Powerful” video series is a companion to the book, available on Amazon, and published by Wipf and Stock.