He Picked Me? Woman at the well: Exposed

In the last post, we started to see the scene play out where the Samaritan woman is greeted by none other than Jesus Christ himself.

Something unexpected happens that day, to a girl who most likely never dreamed would happen to her.

But, I would bet, it was a typical day for her. I imagine she got up early, got dressed, began her chores, figured out what was for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Typical morning.

Scripture doesn’t tell us if she had any children or not, but my guess would be if she had been married five times…I think perhaps one or two or more youngins would be in the picture somewhere! So her morning could have been chaos, peace or a little bit of both mixed together.

But, at some point during the day, something different occurred.

For whatever reason, at mid-day she needed some water.

So here’s the thing, my commentary shared the example that this was “unusual” because, most of the time the women came to the well at night, when it was cooler. Makes sense to me!

I also read something that said that occasionally some of the women who were serving Moses, would come to the well at mid-day to draw water for his people. But something in me says that this woman was no “helper” of Moses…I don’t know, maybe just a “gut” feeling.

But, maybe the reason that she was coming at mid-day was to avoid all the “holier than thou” glances from the other women? Maybe it was because she couldn’t stand all the snickers and stares from her community at the well? Maybe she had no friends, and didn’t need to wait on anyone else to come with her to the well…or maybe, something that day just occurred differently for her, that she needed to get to the well, at noon that day.

This typical day, was about to turn into the most unlikely day of her life.

I personally have experienced days where I never expected God to do something different and He did! They were “unexpected days”. Not days at church, bible study, work or the girl’s school. Although I have had amazing things happen in those situations, as we all do, I think that sometimes we put the Lord inside of a box. That we will only experience Him, here, here or there.

And that is exactly what the Samaritian woman did that day.

As she approached the well, she had no thoughts of running into the Messiah that day. She had no intentions of speaking to anyone, I presume. She was on a mission to get her water and get back to her purposes that day. She did not come to meet Jesus!

Because surely if she had known that, she would have gone overboard with her dress, her hair, the way she smelled, the shoes she wore…everything! I mean, wouldn’t you?

Kinda like how we look on Sunday’s? We “expect” to meet God on Sunday mornings and put our best forth! We have our Sunday Sally look down to the “T”!

But this Samaritan woman, on this day, at this moment, was no Sunday Sally.

She was just a filthy, ragged, sinner girl.

Hmmm…think I can relate, just maybe.

There in the heat of the sun, with a sweat drenched body, a heavy heart, a shameful life, dirty feet and a snippy attitude…she met her Lord. In the most unexpected situation, drawing water.

In verse 7 of John 4, Jesus asks her a simple question, “Will you give me a drink?”

And instead of an “oh sure” kinda answer, he gets some opposition from her. You see, in those days the Samaritans were considered “unclean” or what I often call people just, “not right”.

But I believe that Jesus looked upon her face and noticed that she needed something in her life. That she needed to be made from “unlikely” to “likely”. That she needed a break from all the shame, the guilt, the glares, the judgements and the such. She just needed to be “chosen” that day.

And chosen she was.

The one that the Lord picked in that moment at that day to begin a revival in the hearts for the Samaritans which we will read about further down into this. But there is a huge point that I think we need to pay close attention to.

In verses 16-17 we begin to read that her life becomes exposed. There is no hiding who she is from the Lord Jesus Christ himself. She tries to cover it up, she tries to deny it, she tries to keep her sin hidden for just one more moment. But she cannot.

I believe that so much of us live our lives in denial. Just like she did.

In bible study a few weeks ago, I brought to the attention of my sweet ladies that denial is a tool used greatly by the enemy himself. Satan would love for nothing else than for you and I to continue to live our lives in denial. Just as perhaps the Samaritan woman did that day. She probably tried to cover up one thing after another and probably felt her soul starting to scream out because she just couldn’t take it anymore!

I have been there.

But there at the well, on a hot sunny day, in the most unlikely situation…she became exposed.

v16 “He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” v17 “I have no husband”, she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you no have is not your husband. What you have said is quite true.”

More to come on this subject. But tomorrow I promise that “shadow” post is a comin! =)