Where There’s A Well There’s A Way- John 4:1-42

One of the great things about this lockdown for those of us who are retired, is having time to pursue interests.  At the moment I am doing a short course on Bible Study For Quakers, run by Woodbrooke, the Quaker learning centre in Birmingham.  I was delighted to see this course offered as one thing I miss since becoming a Quaker is regular scripture sharing with others.  Being of the generation of Catholics who embraced Vatican II which, among many other innovations, encouraged us to read, study and act on  scripture, I embarked on this course with optimism.  We are looking at three books in particular; John, Ephesians and Revelation.   Here is a reflection I wrote on John 4:1-42 – The Woman at the Well 

I have always found the gospel according to John quite inaccessible. I am much more at home with Jesus in Luke, or even Mark although Mark’s Jesus is often grumpy and unreasonable. However, this story, John 4:1-42, is one of my favourites in the whole of scripture. 

I have really enjoyed returning and letting it sink in over the past few days and once again feel I know this unnamed woman. As a story it has character, movement and depth and as a text with spiritual meaning it can be pondered over and over again. I have often, over the years, used this text for imaginative meditation and have found it to be rich in meaning.

This story is far less challenging for me than many other parts of John. (I want to add here that another chapter of John, John 15, also has great meaning for me.)

This wonderful woman is an outcast and this story speaks to me of how Jesus reaches out to outcasts, (this may also be why I’m attracted to Jesus in Luke, the evangelist of outcasts and women). Her actions are restricted by the fact that she is a woman and a Samaritan. She has to come alone to the well, possibly because she is a Samaritan or perhaps because of her way of life. She is surprised when he asks for a drink of water and possibly embarrassed. While Jesus speaks of living water welling up to eternal life, she keeps the conversation practical, speaking of buckets and deep wells, shared history and her desire not to have to daw water daily.

The mood and tone shift. Now Jesus becomes practical, commenting on her many husbands, while she shifts to a theological point about worship. I like to think that her comment,’I see you are a prophet” is said with deep irony. She is feisty because she belongs to a persecuted race and gender. Her willingness to engage him in conversation elicits his response, much appreciated by us Quakers, John 4:23-4.

The drama is heightened when his disciples return just as he makes the revelation of who he really is.

She scurries away, perhaps from embarrassment but I think not. She sets off to testify and bear witness to her town.

I used to think the townspeople were a bit mean to her, saying they no longer believed because she told them. Now I see that she was in fact a witnesss of integrity. She told – she stood aside – she allowed the words of Jesus to be taken into the hearts of the townspeople, John 4:42. It seems to me that, ’We have heard him ourselves’ is a very  Quakerly response.