Conversation at Jacob's well

To illustrate this wonderful divine revelation, allow me to bring you to the famous conversation that took place at Jacob’s well, the dialog about the living water between Jesus and the Samaritan woman (Jn 4:1-42).

We stop here for a while! This ordinary conversation eventually underlines the first aspect of Trinitarian love highlighted above, i.e. God’s endless initiative to rebuild the broken bridge between Him and his creatures. God remains faithful to sinful people, apart from their constant desire to betray his trust. In this case, the Samaritan woman seemed to have no interest in Jesus, but Jesus, with his divine power, I believe, could see what sort of woman she was. So he was the one that initiated the conversation. It was the first step to more serious spiritual journey, dedicated to conversion of the woman.

(2) While the woman might be still ignorant, that initial conversation lead to the dialog with purpose known only to Jesus. “Lord, give me that living water, so I no longer need to come here”, said the lady. What a request! Jesus would certainly grant her request, but he needed one more thing: her conversion. “Go and bring your husband here”, said Jesus. This is the turning point. The woman was totally stripped off all her masks, standing spiritually naked before Jesus. “I do not have any”, replied her. “Exactly, as you have had five men before and the one that you are living with now is not your husband”, said Jesus. In other words, Jesus eventually said that he knew who she was and her promiscuous way of life. So there would have been no living water granted to her, unless she converted from this peculiar way of life. Being stripped off like that must be embarrassing but necessary. She was able to see a new hope, emerging from this painful embarrassment. She might be popular among many men, but she had certainly been living undignified life for so long. Yet, this shameful experience was all she needed, because now she was totally aware, that even for a sinner like her, God would open the gate of reconciliation that leads to salvation.

The joy of being granted this opportunity easily made her forget her sinful life. Even the recent embarrassment of being stripped off by Jesus from all masks she has been wearing so far, did not border her. Instead of lamenting her carelessness before Jesus, she was overjoyed of her new spiritual discovery. This Jesus was no ordinary man. Her spiritual nakedness before Jesus becomes a healing power. She did no longer need to cover up the dark side of her life. Out of compassion, Jesus offered her new life and she accepted. It was the defining moment of her life, because she then emerged as a new person, totally healed from all wounds and ready to begin a new chapter. Here we see, how Jesus’ sacrifice was rendered totally only for men, while God himself gained nothing but the salvation of sinful souls. Remember, the Son is the picture of divine faithful ministry for human being, because without hesitation, Jesus rendered both his humanity and divinity to the hand of worldly power, so justice would not only exist but also allow peace to take shape.

(3) That new chapter mentioned above is to be a missionary to other people, relating to them God’s compassion that she intimately experienced herself. She did not keep all that spiritual nourishment only for herself. Instead, she rushed back to the city to tell them about the man at Jacob’s well, who could easily uncover her hidden shameful secrets. Logically, she would keep herself at long distance from other citizens for being such a well-known promiscuous woman. But that feeling no longer existed. She did not care of being rejected by people anymore. The powerful spiritual joy overcame all her worries and uneasiness of being an outcast in the society. All she wanted was to share with them her new spiritual discovery that already changed her life.

This amazing conversion might have astonished many people. Was she crazy for she no longer felt embarrassed of her hidden secrets? How come she was so free to talk about that now? This new appearance might steer up people’s curiosity. They then followed her to meet Jesus, and she was right. After some dialog with Jesus, they came to appreciate her. “Now we believe, not because of what you have said, but because we come and listen to him ourselves; and now we believe that he is the Messiah”, they said. That promiscuous woman now turns to be their inspiration. It clearly pictures the presence of the Holy Spirit, who encourages all sinners to the Divine partners to build the Kingdom of God.

Picking up some crucial elements from that particular passage of the Gospel, I do underline, that the real reconciliation eventually takes place here. There are three important points, i.e. healing, empowering and inspiring. Jesus’ initiative to engage in that conversation depicts divine compassion and mercy. The woman might be in distress for being so long a sinner and outcast in the society. Jesus wants to liberate her. The first step is to heal all spiritual wounds because of her sins. She has the right to experience of being loved again, and at that well her expectation is succeeded. This great experience encourages her to be Jesus’ instant messenger to other people in the town. She rushes back to the town and proclaim God’s mercy she has experienced. She is now a new person, a purified one. And her significant changes certainly inspire people to come to Jesus. She is no longer considered an intruder of many families’ life but a worthy messenger. In my opinion, here she makes peace with God and neighbors. The Gospel does not record the aftermath games, but logically, I believe, a new chapter is opened, both for the woman and for other citizens of Samaria. .... NEXT