John 4 Part a - by JB

HOW DEEP IS YOUR WELL?

The above title was taken from a short devotional I found last night while doing a bit of reading on Jn4. Suddenly a song from the “Bee Gees” popped into my head (don’t know why as I am a ‘Death Before Disco’ sorta guy) and they were asking me, ‘How deep is your love?’ Good question: how deep is my/our love for Jesus? Am I deepening my well of faith? Do I thirst for a deeper relationship with Jesus? Which brings us to the first tale in Jn. 4.

The story of the Samaritan woman at the well seems to me to have a lot of sub-text the first of which is, what is she doing there at noon? Water is collected at the start of the day, when it is cool and undisturbed (not muddy); all that is required for the household for the day is gathered then.

[My father-in-law grew-up in a small one-well village in Cyprus and he told me all about the goings on that happen around the well. Apparently, all the young men used to get up early and go to the well so that they could make goo-goo eyes at the young women drawing water there for the day. By way of explanation, but I digress.]

Jesus gives us the reason; she is a ‘scarlet woman’ and probably went to the well at a time when no-one else would be there. The fact that Jesus knows all about her (echoes of Nathaniel – Jn1:43-51) and is still willing to meet with her, is very non-PC for circa 30AD (check-out the reaction of the disciples in v.27). Imagine what the village gossips would have said had they clocked the ‘hussy’ talking to yet another man!

So here He is, a single man talking to an unmarried woman who is not a relative (In Saudi two of my friends got thrown in the slammer for 24hrs for doing that); here he is a single Jewish man talking to a single Samaritan woman, and finally; here he is a single Jewish man talking to a single Samaritan woman, who by the standards of either faith has been rather naughty...as they both know full well.

But isn’t it typical of Jesus? He is not bound by the customs or stereotypes of the times when it comes to spreading the Gospel. It begs the question: what PC rules of our day and age are we willing to break to speak the Gospel? ‘How deep is our love?’ (for Jesus).

I’ve gone on a bit, so I’ll just mention some other things that occurred to me:

• They just don’t get it – Nic (3:4) and “being born again”; the woman and “living water” (4:15); the disciples and “who brought Him food?”(4:33). They are still seeing Jesus as a man, a prophet, a human messiah, someone to teach them more (and supposedly better) laws and rules. But Jesus is saying I am more than that.

• Despite her outcast status, the woman has the courage to go into town and face her neighbours to talk about Jesus; what about our neighbours? We don’t have the “Bad Samaritan’s” reason to stay away...unless we are ashamed of the Gospel?

• (v.34): obey and do – words to live by!

• (vs. 39-42): this reflects what Ricardo said in a comment a few days back, that “Miracles get my attention, but it is not what holds my heart.” Here, the miracles get the attention, but then:”We have heard Him ourselves, and we are certain that he is the Saviour of the world!” (NIV). Then there is the other-side of the coin...

• (v.48): we have to be careful that we are not just after the miracles. Milo told me today that St. Francis of Assisi once healed a man, and then ran away as he feared (as had happened before) that people would praise him and not the Lord.

• (v.50): the man believed...and then demonstrated that belief by heading for home. How would we have travelled on that road; second thoughts, maybe not wanting to get our hopes too high just in case...? How deep is our love?

Shalom, JB