“But the hour is coming, and now is …”
(John 4:23, NKJV)
The second prototypical woman we will look at is again an unknown woman – the woman commonly known as the woman at the well, whose story is recounted in John 4:4-29.
One could consider this woman as bound in four different ways – through cultural, religious, moral and sexist prejudices. This makes her story particularly remarkable. Please remember the social context in which Jesus was living – men do not speak to women in public. When Jesus arrives at the fountain, He starts speaking to her. According to tradition this was strictly taboo. But to speak to this specific woman is even more dangerous, as she is a Samaritan, whom it was absolutely taboo to speak to. The Jews considered Samaritans as the scum of society. If you were planning on insulting someone, you would call them A Samaritan possessed by Satan, which is also what the Pharisees had said to Christ (John 8:48). There was thus a clear and complete separation between Jews and Samaritans. (For this reason Jesus’ parable of the good Samaritan was such a major thorn in the flesh of the Jews, as in the parable both the priest and the Levite walk past, and Jesus considers them as unmerciful. See Luke 10:30-37.)
The third taboo is that He speaks to the woman about issues of faith. Jews had complete disdain for the claim Samaritans had on their inheritance of faith. After the Jews had come from exile they forbid the Samaritans to worship with them, and after the Samaritans built a temple for themselves, burnt it down. Despite the fact that a man was not allowed to speak to a woman about issues of faith, you were especially not supposed to do this with a Samaritan woman.
The fourth taboo was again an immense problem – this woman at the fountain was a woman of dubious morals, most probably a prostitute. Through a word of wisdom Jesus knew that she had already had five husbands; and that the man that she was currently with she was not married to. The community were obviously also aware of this woman’s reputation. To speak to such a woman in public could easily create the impression that He was engaging her services. But He did not care about what people might think of Him. He was busy making a very clear public statement about women. He counters every possible Jewish prejudice against women, and per definition gives a voice to every group which is repressed by the status quo.
The anonymous woman at the fountain, perhaps the most salient symbol of marginalisation and contempt, receives more than any other person in the ministry of Jesus – to her He gives the greatest revelation of the new covenant. He explains to her in detail the coming of the Holy Spirit and how the new covenant is not bound to time or place, but exists within you, that which Paul would later formulate in Col 1:27. But do not lose sight of this – the secret about the spiritual life which is made known here, is presented to a fallen prototypical Eve – “the mother of all life“.
- Sela: Think about why the fact that this conversation took place at the well is so important.
- Read: Ex 2-4
- Examine how this has been fulfilled: Ex 2:3 (tip: Heb 12:29).
