Jesus Christ: The Greatest Liberator
of Women in Human History.
of Women in Human History.
Jesus and His disciples are headed south through Samaria. They've been walking in the sun for quite a while. They are hungry, hot, and tired. The disciples go into a nearby town for food, and Jesus sits down next to a well to rest.
A Samaritan woman comes to draw water. I'm sure she is trying NOT to catch His eye. But Jesus breaks the silence and asks her to give Him a drink. She knows by His appearance that He is a Jewish Rabbi. Totally astonished, she responds, probably looking right at Him: “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?”
John explains: "(For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)" Sounds like the history of the human race. But Jesus always ignored such sin-inspired prohibitions. Ironically Samaritans who appear in the gospels get generally better press than His own people (The "Good" Samaritan and the Samaritan former-leper who came back to thank Him for his healing.)
And how did Jesus treat women? I once searched all four gospels, asking that very question. The answer in single every instance was: "Very well. Consistently with respect and compassion." He did not give arrogant men who appear there the soft and gentle treatment.
In this case, Jesus offers Grace to this unknown and "unimportant" woman. He says to her, “If you knew the gift of God [Grace] and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water.”
She responds to Grace with a little "helpful criticism:" “Sir, you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?" She then presses Him antagonistically, keenly aware of the religious "rivalry" between her people and His: "Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?”
But look, Jesus responds with Grace once again: “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Do you see what is happening? He sweeps away the religious animosities of the past and announces the non-exclusive New Covenant for "whosoever." The offer includes her, someone apparently ostracized by her own people.
Jesus tells her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” Up to now, she has been flaunting her religion, but she knows she is living in sin. “I have no husband,” she replies (her shortest line so far), studiously leaving out a few minor details.
Jesus always saw right through people, directly into their heart (No wonder He made so many uncomfortable). He says to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” Her mask stripped away, she still reverts to religious antagonism. Incredible.
Notice that Jesus responds with Grace a third time: “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. A time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
Jesus has just revealed to her--an unknown, unimportant, unnamed, immoral, “worthless” Samaritan woman--the coming of "whosover will seek God" worship. (Interesting, there is no record He talked about this to Peter, the other disciples or the Sanhedrin.)
The Amazing Grace He extends this bears quick fruit: The new believer runs and wakes up the town from their siesta (from Latin, 6th hour nap in the heat, about 3:00pm) to tell them of her encounter, literally bringing them all to Jesus. No seminary traiining. Just an overflowing, "rule breaking," over-the-top, "who cares what people think" explosion of joy that she has met the Messiah. Something wonderful has just happened in her heart, and they can all see it.
God has honored her testimony. This woman's story has been told for 2,000 years and in over 2,000 languages. And only God knows how many times it's been preached and taught. Apparently He thought a woman had something pretty important to say.
Jesus Christ, discarding the "rules of men."
Historically, women have been oppressed, treated as inferiors, not loved "as Christ loved the church." But in His Kingdom, there is no male or female, no Jew or Gentile, no slave or free, all are one in Christ. In the "Latter days," says Joel 2:28-29, "God will pour out His Spirit on His servants, on both men and women." I'm not the "answer man," but I do wonder: Are we ready for any of this?































