From the desk of Father Jason:
The Samaritan Woman at the well – John 4:4-26. click here for the full Gospel reading.
This Gospel paints for us a scene not unlike this lush orchard brimming with living water.
You have the rigid frame encapsulating the scene: Jews and Samaritans don’t associate. Rabbis and moral reprobates do not fraternize in public. Do you think a man would speak with a woman in public?
Just read the apostles’ reaction upon their seeing this (v. 27). They marveled that He would do just one of those things, not to mention the other two! There you have the frame. Now you have the image of a resolute and roused mighty God making up for lost millennia by feverishly painting a scene all over the canvas of her life, spilling over into the frame with flares and flourishes which are both glittering and galvanizing.
In these few moments of her life Christ now let’s flow a torrent of grace, which once partaken of will replenish her forever. She follows his lead and drinks of the living water. By imbibing of this Living Stream she now becomes enlightened and recognizes Him as the Messiah, something the learned religious leaders could not see. Having received this enlightenment and having shared that light with others, this luminous woman is called Photina, or Svitlana, by Christians today.
That exchange between these two became a life-giving spring. He is patient with her, waiting for the right time to elicit from her a spiritual jar into which He can begin pouring the living water. He is also blunt and does not hesitate to affirm the truth, even if it causes social offense or introduces an awkward pause into a flowing conversation.
Another lesson we can take from today’s reading, and there are many lessons to be had, is that Christ is actively on offence and He goes straight to enemy territory (Samaria) to claim His badge.
Where is the enemy’s territory, his strong-hold, his citadel in your life? Will you invite Christ in and have a conversation with Him there? It may be a stony wall around your heart, impenetrable and forbidden for entry, but once the living water of Christ’s words begin battering against that wall it will succumb to a new and promising life.