Jesus' Encounter with the Woman at the Well

I explored Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus last week. Now, I look at the woman at the well encounter to see still more a grander picture of Jesus' posture toward people. It's striking that these events are recorded right after one another. John did this deliberately, I'm sure, to be compared and contrasted. Where Jesus was pursued by Nicodemus at night, Jesus initiated the interaction with the Samaritan woman by day, when He knew He could reach her alone.

That Jesus even spoke to her is astounding. A male Jew does not associated with Samaritans, let alone a woman. Why would Jesus break this cultural taboo? He wanted to have relationship with her. Any relationship Jesus pursues serves a purpose of advancing His Father's Kingdom. He saw it fit to "include" her in on the things of God, regardless of what reputation He may acquire.

As I read the account, I'm struck by how resistive the woman is, dodging Jesus' line of thought, changing the subject (John 4:19), especially when Jesus touches on subjects that are sensitive, mainly her sin. Funny, He called her out, and yet in a way that was never belittling. You can feel Jesus' motives exuding from Him, almost thinking aloud as He speaks, "If I can just get through her defenses, remind her of her brokenness so I can get her to think about the Messiah, I can reveal myself to her and she will believe." Exposing her error is not to demean her and leave her naked and exposed; exposing her makes her ready to be restored. With no sense of sin, one never realizes the need for repentance, the need for God.

So we are to expose sin. Jesus did it. But He did it in a way that was loving. He did not talk down (one can speculate His tone was kind or neutral) to her, but spoke with authority, to the extent that she trusted He would have the answers to all her questions. He drew them in like that.

For me, I like the approach Jesus took with Nicodemus. I feel much more comfortable having people approach me than being the initiator. Giving resistance to test others of how much they value me, seems safe. I need to realize my motives (what I value) when taking this approach, and judge whether I need to be more like Jesus as with the Samaritan woman. Sometimes people need to be engaged and pressed. I just wish I could discern the heart of mankind like Christ could; I might better know which battles won't bear fruit.