“Samaritan women are menstruants from the cradle,” Jewish rabbis believed to have taught. Through this and similar teachings, the Jewish rabbis wanted to inscribe in the collective consciousness of the Jews that the Samaritan women are unclean from the very moment of their existence. The Samaritan men did not fare better in the eyes of the Jewish teachers as they held that, “Anyone who eats bread from Samaritans eats pork.” Both the men and women of Samaria were unclean for a pious Jew. In the first century AD, a Jewish Rabbi would not talk to any women in public. Hence, the interaction between Jesus and a Samaritan woman in the Gospel of John must have been striking or even shocking to the original readers (John 4:1-42).

When we look at people we immediately notice that they are different from us in several respects. These dissimilarities include gender, racial, social, and cultural differences. The more we become acquainted with them even more differences come to our focus. These contrasts have their sway in determining whether to have any relationship with them or to what extend we can have a relationship with them. In the case of Jesus, there were three significant factors that prevented any relationship or even any communication between Jesus and the Samaritan woman – she was a woman, a Samartian, and a sinner.

There is also another way of looking at other people! A look that finds the inner bond, a look that focuses on similarities, a look that conveys sympathy, openness, and friendship. It is exactly this sort of look that Jesus cast to the Samaritan woman. Among other things He found a particular similarity between Himself and the woman – desire for water. Both were thirsty. Jesus took this common need for water to initiate a dialogue with her and asks her for a drink. The woman was wonderstruck at the odd request of the strange rabbi. She was probably more concerned about the differences between them and indicated that Jesus was a Jew and she was a Samaritan and it was not proper for a Jew to drink water from her. She hoped to use the deprivation of Jesus as a golden opportunity to tease the Jewish pride.

However, Jesus was not provoked by her seeming insult. In response to her refusal to give Him ordinary water, He offers her superior quality water – living water. To help her to appreciate His gift, He explained to her certain amazing features of the special water. Jesus told her that those who drink the living water will never thirst again. He also taught her that the living water will lead the drinker to eternal life. He added that the drink that one takes from Jesus will form a never failing spring of water! She may not have fully understood what Jesus meant by the “living water.” Still she asked Jesus for the living water.

The Samaritan woman was all satisfied with daily fetching the water from the “well of Jacob.” She boasted that Jacob’s well that satisfied the thirst of humans and animals is the best any one can find. She points out that Jacob himself and his cattle have drunk from this well. What a blessing to drink from the same well which satiated the thirst of their forefathers! She informs Jesus that the well is very deep. Of course Jacob had to dig a deep well, for he was a man of unquenchable thirsts! He thirsted for his father’s inheritance and blessings, his mother’s favouritism, his brother’s birthrights, his uncle’s daughter and wealth, his youngest son’s affection. He is the only patriarch who begot children from four women… The deep well corresponds to his deep thirsts.

Jacob’s deep well may be the symbol of the world that purports to satiate all human longings. Just as the Samaritan woman, we hope that the well of Jacob, that is, the world and all that it can offer us, is capable of satisfying us. This vein hope makes us keep coming to the well of the world. Nevertheless, the well of Jacob is also the location where Jesus meets us and keeps talking to us in spite of our ridiculing Him, belittling Him, unbelieving Him, lying and boasting to Him like the Samaritan woman. He speaks to us about His gift and its significance and offers it for free even when we do not really understand His words and His gift of the Holy Spirit.