In
the last couple of weeks, we have become increasingly
aware of the affect water has on our lives in ways that
we have simply taken for granted. The newspapers have
given us the statistics as the water table has gotten
lower and lower. And, the photos of the lakes, rivers,
and ponds as they slowly dry up are vivid reminders that
a day without rain or snow is not always a blessing.
[this lake/river is down one-third. . . one summer in
Texas, our paper showed the sandy bottom of Lake
Arlington - completely dried up - where normally
waterskiers criss-cross far above]
While we half-jokingly talk
about buying bottled water to flush our commodes, going
without a shower or bath, and watching our lawns turn
from green to brown, the real threat goes unspoken for
now - no water to drink - and the death of many living
things. We know quite well that without an easily
available source of water, our lives would change
drastically or eventually end.
Imagine returning to the days of
drawing water from a well, gathering around that hole in
the ground with buckets and bottles. Waiting your turn,
you sit beneath the few shade trees around, for at this
place their roots too are able to reach down into the
earth for that deliciously wonderful water. This oasis
becomes the community's gathering place in the cool of
the early morning and again near sunset as families
replenish their household supply. Curiously enough,
while the folk take up their elemental drinking supply,
they also are nourished by the conversations, comraderie,
and community formed by their pilgrimage to the well,
the source of life.
In this story of Jesus and the
Samaritan woman, the setting is a bit different. For
Jesus is a traveler from a foreign country. - and one
that is not normally friendly toward the inhabitants of
this land. He also has arrived during the heat of the
day - not the normal time of travel for desert
countries. And, he has sent his companions into town for
supplies leaving him alone, tired, and thirsty - and
vulnerable. It so happens that a woman also has come to
this place and they meet.
How romantic! Now before you
throw stones at me, consider, how many important and
not-so important marriages were initiated by meetings at
the well. We can begin with Rebekah a young girl who was
kind to Abraham's servant. She gave him water and then
proceeded to draw enough for all his ten camels. This
was the sign requested by the servant to know if this
would be the wife of Isaac. Later, his son Jacob
journeyed to Haran to seek a bride. At the well, he saw
Rachel approaching with her father's sheep. He then
moved the stone from the mouth of the well and watered
the sheep for her. And, Moses who was fleeing the wrath
of Pharoah was resting at a well in Midian. Reuel's
seven daughters approached to water their flock and were
driven away by some other shepherds. Moses came to their
rescue and watered their flock. He later married
Zipporah, one of the daughters. All three of these
stories involved care of and for another. The stranger
both gave and received the much needed water. And was
invited home to share a meal, to break bread together.
All of this was the social custom of the day for weary
travelers. Water, hospitality, life, incorporation into
a family, all of this is significant.
And it is significant that Jesus
met the Samaritan woman alone and in the heat of the
day. For it is Christ alone that can provide what we
need when we thirst greatly. We often hear in the gospel
of John that Jesus is the bridegroom (John 3:29) where
John the Baptist identifies himself as the friend of the
bridegroom. Again, we have the image of people coming to
the water. In our story, Jesus speaks of himself as
having the water that gushes up to eternal life and no
one will be thirsty again. The woman asked that he give
it to her.
But still, you may say. This
woman has had five husbands. We've heard she must have
been a very promiscuous woman. Why would Jesus be
interested in this person. Perhaps, but Jesus has come
to this well offering a very different kind of marriage
- Jesus is courting the spirit. It is through the
marriage of our spirits with Christ that we can make use
of his gift.
Let's look at the Samaritan
woman's life a little more closely. In the hierarchical
society of her day, the husband had the greater power
and control. If he chose to, the husband merely went to
a public place and announced his desire to divorce. He
could hand her the dowry money and walk away. No
alimony, no equitable distribution of the property, no
lawyers. Just walk away leaving the woman defenseless
and homeless to become a beggar. If her family was
nearby and they were wealthy enough to take her in, she
could go home. And her father would attempt to find
another husband. Very few women were skilled in a trade
that could be marketable. A woman could not go out and
find "a job." Security lay in being incorporated into a
self-contained and self-sufficient family unit spanning
many generations. Women had great value in a structure
like that.
But why five times you may ask.
Well, in a chiefly agricultural society, it was
imperative that you produce your own workers.
Child-bearing was a great asset. Perhaps she was barren
and her husband being poor could not afford to support
two or more wives. Or maybe as she aged her husband
desired someone younger and prettier. Or maybe one died
of old age, an accident, a plague, or in defending his
holdings from animals, robbers, or in warfare.
Her multiple husbands could just
as easily speak of a hard tragic life, not just for her
but for her community. Her story could have been one
deserving of pity or one of commendation for being so
resourceful and not becoming a burden on society. We
must be careful not to automatically lay our society's
ethical structure upon one of 2,000 years ago. Plus if
we listen in on the conversation, Jesus had no
condemnation for her lifestyle. Instead, the emphasis in
he story was first on her truthfulness and honesty and
then on Jesus' uncanny ability to know things that a
total stranger could not possibly know!
Think about it! If a stranger -
and a foreigner from an unfriendly nation at that - came
to our town and told us the stories of our entire life -
we would be amazed. And then we would be frightened. We
would suspect him of wire tapping, hacking into our
internet connections, accuse her of invading our
privacy, or some kind of perversion. We would begin to
feel uncomfortable and unsafe and probably report them
to the authorities.
But that was not the case with
this meeting! Instead this was like getting together
with an old friend. I don't know about you, but I have
one who has been with me since cradle roll days in the
Sunday school. We know and have shared in all the stupid
mistakes of growing up. We've been there for all the
tragedies and joys, distances, husbands, children. We
have been angry together and cried together. We have
watched each other flower and now decline. But the
comfort in one another's presence is beyond measure. All
the stuff that went before has formed our lives, but the
friendship transcends all that stuff. And, oh, the
richness of reflection upon a long life together! We
once were starry eyed hopeful and now we sense the
unspeakable wisdom of age.
Jesus could speak with her about
all these things, and yet, he had never met her before.
She readily assumed he must be a prophet for prophets
are able to know many things. And then she hinted that
one day the Messiah would come who would proclaim all
things. Jesus admitted it was he. The sense of being
known so intimately is part of the romance I spoke of
earlier. Everyone who begins a relationship hopes for
more than just the physical hugs and kisses. We long for
being known so well, that all pretense is erased and we
can feel comfortable with one another - mistakes,
foibles, and odd habits included. You remember what it
is like, we spent hours talking on the phone or driving
around in the car talking and sharing, talking and
sharing trying to erase the years we did not know each
other, catching up on the time before we met. We want to
find out if they will still like us. We want to know
that in the midst of honesty we can be truly loved. But
there you have it! Jesus already knows! And wants you
and claims you.
This revelation was so exciting
that she left her water jar at the well and ran into
town to tell everyone that this man knew everything she
had ever done! And then shouted, "Can it really be the
one? Can it really be the Messiah?!" And the townspeople
came out to see for themselves. And when they did, they
heard the same open honesty that engendered in them a
living faith.
What was it that made her so
alive? What was this water of life that he offered that
caused her faith? It's hard to say for certain, but he
did break with the rules to speak to her, and when he
did he spoke to her of her life and her pain. He spoke
openly about the Father and the worship that consists of
truth and spirit not location, not style, not tradition.
He envisioned being incorporated into the family of God
with a love that breaks down all barriers of knowing one
another and knowing oneself and knowing God.
As we journey toward Easter we
are constantly invited to look deeply into our hearts
and see ourselves with Jesus' eyes. Can we offer to God
the gift of honest reflection? Can we face our sins and
our sufferings with the same depth of concern? Can we
recognize that we have been given the water of life? As
our readings from Romans reminds us, God's love has been
poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit and is
now infiltrated into every pour of our being. It is only
by the faithfulness of Jesus that we have received
grace. And it is because of our sufferings that we have
hope.
Amen