Title A Samaritan Woman
Contents
Hymn: Chapter 316, “Thirst Ones”
Confession of Faith: Apostles' Creed
Meditation: How can I quench Jesus' thirst?
Text: “Jesus making disciples and baptizing… ” (John 4:1-9)
Word: In John 3, Nicodemus meets Jesus at night, and in chapter 4, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman in broad daylight. However, the two encounters are contrasting. The Jewish man Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin, a high-ranking Pharisee among the Pharisees who kept the law strictly. But the Samaritan woman was a woman who was despised even among the Samaritans, who were despised by the Jews. Nicodemus was at the peak of her life, and the Samaritan woman was at the end of her life.
Jesus came to this woman. Jesus' will is well expressed in the words, “I had to go through Samaria” (verse 4). At that time, when the Jews went to Galilee, they did not take the shortcut that crosses Samaria, but rather went back to it. To that extent, they completely ignored the Samaritans and avoided contact with them. But Jesus shows God's love beyond prejudice.
Originally, the well was a place where women met, had fellowship, and shared news. It is a place where people gather as if they had made an appointment at a leisurely and cool time. Jesus was sitting there, and the disciples went to prepare food. At the sixth o'clock, noon, a woman came out to the well in spite of the heat to avoid the crowd. It must have been a woman who had been bullied by women in the neighborhood.
Jesus asks for water first. The woman must have been surprised when a Jew, whom she had never had a relationship with, spoke to her. At that time, Jesus was actually tired and thirsty. It must have been physically because he had traveled a long way, but his thirst for soul salvation was greater. The woman was tired and thirsty as well. It was a thirst for not only the body but also the soul.
The person who could quench Jesus' thirst was a Samaritan woman. And it was Jesus who could quench her thirst. Two thirsty men met by the well. And quench each other's thirst. On the cross, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” Jesus' thirst must be quenched. It is about accepting Jesus and preaching Jesus. Jesus thirsts to quench our thirst. Therefore, Jesus and we need each other.
Prayer: Jesus, who came to a low and humble place to quench the thirst of the soul, come also to my heart. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Lord's Prayer