57 Whats going on at the Well

All's Well That Begins at a Well…… Just one problem. Jesus has to go through Samaria to get there; Samaritans and Jews (like Jesus and his disciples) don't usually get along. In fact, they're sort of mortal enemies. So, if you were a Jew, you definitely wouldn't even consider speaking to a Samaritan. Ever!

It's afternoon-time when Jesus enters a city called Sychar. There, he finds a well and sits down to rest while the disciples go to buy some food. A Samaritan woman comes to the well to get water from it. Jesus asks her if she can get him a drink while she's at it. The woman is shocked that a Jew would ask her, a Samaritan, for water. Remember what we said about them being mortal enemies? Jesus explains that if she knew who he was, she would be asking him for water, too "living water." The woman is rightfully confused. Jesus explains that the living water he's talking about renews itself. People who get this kind of water from him will never be thirsty again. So the woman replies: Well, I'd like that! He tells her that she should go see her husband first. She tells him that she doesn't have a husband, but apparently Jesus already knew that. In fact, he knows quite a bit. He says that she actually had five husbands, but the guy she's with now is not her husband.

The Samaritan woman is floored that Jesus knows the details of her personal life, and she decides that he must be a prophet. She wants to know where she should be worshiping. On the nearby mountain? Or in Jerusalem, maybe? Jesus explains that a time is coming when it doesn't matter where you worship. Soon, people who understand the truth are going to worship God in a totally different way. What does this mean?! The woman says that she knows the messiah is coming soon. Little does she know… Jesus breaks the news: He is the Messiah. Just then, the disciples return and are amazed by the fact that Jesus is talking to a Samaritan. The woman leaves and runs back to the city to tell everyone what she heard from Jesus. She wants the entire village to come see this guy who knew about her past and might just be the Messiah they've been waiting for. The disciples are concerned that Jesus hasn't eaten in a while. Jesus brushes them off and says that he is fed by doing God's will. He explains that while they're all waiting for the fall harvest (which will happen in the next four months), what they don't realize is that the harvest is actually happening around them right now. Because of his conversation with the woman at the well, many of the Samaritan people in the city start to believe in Jesus. In fact, they like him so much, they invite him to stay for the next two days.