The Woman at the Well

The woman at the well is a Samaritan.  She came to the well at midday, it is thought, in order to avoid the shame of meeting other women, who normally came in the evening and morning.  Jesus breaks cultural and ethnic taboos in speaking to her.  As the discussion progresses, the woman asks astute theological questions and responds intelligently to Jesus.  For the first time in the book of John, Jesus both reveals his messiahship and uses the “I am” self-designation that characterizes the chapter of John.  The woman returns to her village and shares what she has learned of Jesus, and leads many Samaritans to believe in him—thus in effect fulfilling the role of the first evangelist.  The woman at the well is, in fact, one of the most theologically informed persons in John.  She knows the regulations about ritual purity, ancestral traditions of Israel, the necessity to worship at a valid temple, and the expectation of a Messiah.  As a discussion partner, Jesus takes her as seriously as he did Nicodemus in the preceding chapter.

Yet even today commentators view her as “unclean”, a woman of loose morals.  Perhaps we can gain a higher view of her, as Jesus did, and in so doing, find something liberating for ourselves.

First, is this woman really someone of loose morals?  Why we have perceived her as such? 

Commentators have assumed that the woman came to draw water at the hottest time of the day because she was deliberately avoiding the company of other women.  I would hate to have my morals impugned because I occasionally go to the grocery store late at night.  That she happened to be there right when Jesus was, could have been the result of divine guidance rather than shame.

Why ever did Jesus ask about her husbands?  Speaking of biological and marital ties is uncharacteristic of Jesus, who said “call no man your father upon the earth” (Matt 23: 9), and that one day we would no more marry nor be given in marriage (Luke 20:35).  Therefore, let us examine the word “husband”.  The conversation would have been carried out in Aramaic, not Greek.  In translating Aramaic to Greek, the word for “owner” is often translated as husband.  But could Jesus have really meant “owner” instead of husband?  He might have been referring to a slave owner.  But false gods, addictions, obsessions, and cults can also be our owners.  Could Jesus have been speaking about these and not a male human?  “You have been owned by five false gods, and the one you have now is not your owner,” might be closer to what Jesus meant, if we consider this translation.

If Jesus were talking about husbands, the woman responds out of context by launching into a discussion about places of worship.  But her comment is not a disjointed change of subject if they are discussing false gods.  Consider, if you will, that she had been trying different religions because she was a religious seeker, looking for the true religion.  There were many different cults in that time, such as the Egyptian cult of Isis.  If she had sought out five cults and was unhappy with the one she is associated with now, her answer about where the Jews say one must worship makes perfect sense.  Jesus then discusses at length the true worshipers and that they must worship in spirit and in truth. 

When the woman goes back to her village, people listen to her.  This would be more likely if she was known as religiously educated, rather than if she were a woman of loose morals who society wanted nothing to do with.  John later says that the Samaritan villagers believed because of the woman’s testimony.

In the book of John, women are depicted in unconventional roles.  The woman at the well is an evangelist.  In chapter 11, Martha seems to be conducting the funeral activity of her brother.  Mary Magdalene ventures out alone at night.  Women in this chapter do not relate to Jesus by the mediation or permission of men.  Jesus never uses the term apostles in John, only disciples, which includes men and women.  In John, no woman is shown as resisting Jesus, failing to believe, deserting or betraying him.

In sum, the book of John has communities with strong women who held positions of leadership.  The earliest times of Christianity were often more egalitarian than we view them.  Perhaps we are also putting limitations on ourselves, viewing ourselves in positions of unwanted responsibilities or submission.  What do we make a god out of?  Stress?  Food?  Money?  Let us listen to the words of Jesus as he speaks in the manner of this new interpretation, for it can extend across the centuries.  “…the false god you have now is not your real owner.”