Jesus, a Samaritan Woman, and Jacob’s Well

 

In  John chapter 4,  a story is told about Jesus and a Samaritan woman, who met and had a conversation, at Jacob’s well.  It’s interesting that this is the only place in the bible that Jacob’s well is mentioned.   It’s not mentioned in the old testament, even amid all the stories about Jacob, but it is mentioned here in the new testament.

 

You might want to turn over there to  John chapter 4,  and I’m going to begin by reading  verses 1 thru 6. 

“Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John, (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), He left Judea and went away again into Galilee.  Now He had to pass through Samaria.  So He came to a town of Samaria called Sy-char’, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.  Since Jacob’s well was there, Jesus, weary from His journey, sat down by the well.  It was about the sixth hour.”   

Now as I said, Jacob’s well isn’t mentioned in the old testament, but the plot of ground that the well was on, is mentioned.  And it’s mentioned a number of times actually.  One of those times is in  Genesis 33, verses 18 & 19.   Here’s what it says..  

“After Jacob had come from Paddan-aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and he camped just outside the city.  And the plot of ground where he pitched his tent, he purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver.”   This is the same plot of ground that’s spoken of in the verses we just read in  John chapter 4. 

Now you might have noticed that in  John 4, verse 5,  it says that the plot of ground was near a town called Sy-char’, but in  Genesis 33:18,  it says that the plot of ground is near the city of Shechem.   Well, most people believe that Sy-char’ in the new testament, and Shechem in the old testament, are simply two different names for the same city.

John 4, verse 5  is the only verse in the bible that uses the name Sy-char’, but the name Shechem, is quite rich in bible history.  Shechem is mentioned 58 times in the old testament.

Let me tell you where Shechem was located.  It was about 30 miles north of Jerusalem, and in Jesus’ day, that area was a part of the region of Samaria.  Jerusalem of course was in the district of Judea, to the south, and Shechem was in the district of Samaria, and just north of Samaria was the district of Galilee where the cities of Nazareth, and Cana were, and of course, the Sea of Galilee.

 

Now let me read once again what it says in  John 4, verses 3 thru 5..   “(Jesus) ..left Judea and went away again into Galilee.  Now He had to pass through Samaria.  So He came to a town of Samaria called Sy-char’, (or Shechem) near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.”  

Now even though Jacob’s well isn’t mentioned in the old testament, that plot of ground that Jacob purchased is mentioned a number of times.  For example, did you know that this same plot of ground is where the bones of Joseph were buried after the Israelites carried them along with them, when they came out of Egypt.  That burial site just a little over 300 yards from Jacob’s well.  That’s less than 2 tenths of a mile.  Probably less than from here down to DJ’s.

But listen to  Joshua 24, verse 32..  “And the bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up out of Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the plot of land that Jacob had purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver. So it became an inheritance for Joseph’s descendants.”  

The name Shechem in that verse is used in reference to the general area surrounding the city of Shechem, which included the plot of ground that Jacob purchased.  Genesis 37, verse 12  tells us that the sons of Jacob pastured his sheep in the countryside at Shechem.  And listen to this fact..  It was there in that very location, that Jacob sent his youngest son Joseph, to go and check on his older brothers, as they tended the sheep.    And just 15 miles north of there, the 17 year old Joseph, was sold into slavery, by his brothers.

 

Now, let’s go back in time around two hundred years, and see what had happened in this very same place.  Let’s go to  Genesis 12, verses 1 thru 3..  “Now the LORD had said to Abram; (Abram, the grandfather of Jacob) Go from your country, and your kindred, and your father’s household, and go to the land that I will show you.  I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”   You remember that don’t you, when Abram was called by God, and that promise was made to him?

Well, now listen to  verses 6 & 7..  “Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the Oak of Mo’-reh, at Shechem. (And at that time the Canaanites were in the land)  Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said; I will give this land to your offspring.  So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.”   

And so that great promise was made to Abram, at Shechem.  And the promise is still being fulfilled to this day..  “All families of the earth will be blessed through you.”   Do you remember this passage, from  Galatians 3, verses 26 thru 29..  “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”   The promise given by the Lord God, at Shechem. 

 

So God appeared to Abram at Shechem,  Jacob purchased a plot of land at Shechem, he dug a well there, and pastured his flocks there.  Joseph was sold into bondage just north of Shechem.  When the Israelites came out of Egypt, they carried with them the bones of Joseph, and they buried them there at Shechem.

Now I want to read two more old testament verses, before getting back to Jesus and the woman, at the well.  And the verses are   Deuteronomy 27, verse 12 & 13..  And in this passage, Moses is speaking to the children of Israel, near the end of their wanderings in the wilderness, just before they were to enter the promised land.   So here’s what it says..  Deuteronomy 27, verses 12 & 13..   “When you have crossed over the Jordan, these shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.  And these shall stand on Mount E-bal’ for the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.”   

Mt. Gerizim and Mt E-bal’ faced one another and formed kind of a saddle between them.  And it was no doubt representatives from each of those twelve tribes who would stand on the respective mountains, and the rest of the children of Israel were no doubt down below in that “saddle” area between the mounts.  

Moses was basically instructing the Israelites, concerning God’s blessings that would be theirs for their obedience, and the curse, that would be upon them for their disobedience.  And we know that God’s word has always been full of symbolism, and there was evidently some symbolism going on here.  Here’s what Jewish tradition says about this event..  “These Mountains Represented Good and Evil. According to tradition, Mount Gerizim was lush and fertile while Mount Ebal was rocky and barren, clearly portraying the ramifications of our choices.”   The word e-bal’ literally means “bare mountian” or “barren”.

And here’s what someone wrote concerning the blessing and the curse.   “God’s blessing is an invitation to be fruitful and multiply and participate, in God’s life-sustaining power, in a secure and abundant environment. (That’s what the promised land was all about)  And the curse is the inverse—not a vindictive punishment from God, but when people choose to reject the blessing of life, they automatically choose death.”

I think that’s a pretty good summary of our choice as well, in either obeying God’s word, or disobeying God’s word today.  Of course God was promising the Israelites the physical blessings of the promised land, while our blessings are the spiritual blessings associated with being in Christ, and of course the blessing of the spiritual promised land, which is eternal life in heaven.  And it’s our choice isn’t it?  Just like it was their choice back in that day.

But why did I bring up these verses?  Well here’s why..  God Himself chose this location, and He ordained that men from six of the tribes of Israel were to stand on Mt Gerizim, and the other six would stand on Mt E-bal’.  And what is it that lies right there in the middle, in that “saddle” between those two mountains?  The answer is, Shechem;  And in very close proximity, was Jacob’s well.

 

Now let’s go back to  Jesus and the Samaritan woman and their conversation at Jacob’s well.  I’ll begin with verse 3, of John chapter 4..

“He left Judea and went away again into Galilee.  Now He had to pass through Samaria.  So He came to a town of Samaria called Sy-char’, (or Shechem) near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.  Jacob’s well was there; So Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.  And a woman from Samaria came to draw water.  Jesus said to her; Give me a drink;  (For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food)  The Samaritan woman said to him; How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria? (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)  

“Jesus answered her; If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.  The woman said to him; Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?  Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us this well, and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.”

“Jesus said to her; Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again. The water that I will give him, will become in him a spring of water, welling up to eternal life.”

 

Jesus referred to Himself as the one who gives “living water”.  (verse 10)   And then Jesus said in  verse 14..  “but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him, will never thirst again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water, welling up to eternal life.” 

Isaiah wrote, in  Isaiah 55, verse 1..  “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost!”   

Jesus Christ gives “living water” which springs up within a person, producing eternal life.   What do you think the analogy is there?  What IS this “living water” which Jesus gives?  If we “drink this water” so to speak, it will produce eternal life.  It’s the word of God that produces eternal life, isn’t it?  It’s the very Spirit of God!  Jesus said..  “It is the Spirit giving life; The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you, are spirit and they are life.”  (John 6:63)  

That’s why  Ephesians 5:18  says..  “..Be filled with the Spirit..!”   And that’s why  Colossians 3:16  says..  “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly..”  We could say that Jesus Christ Himself is the “living water”.  

 

I want to read just a few more verses before our lesson ends.   Ill begin with  John 4, verse 20.   The Samaritan woman said to Jesus..  “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, (and she was referring to Mt Gerizim) and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where it is necessary to worship.”  And Jesus replied to her saying..  “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming, when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem, will you worship the Father.  You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.”

“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.  God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

“The woman said; I know that Messiah (called Christ) is coming.  When He comes, He will explain everything to us.  Jesus answered; I am He, the one speaking to you.”   In other words..  I AM the Messiah.  

I spoke about symbolism a little bit ago, and I read where someone made this suggestion.  And I’m not saying that this suggested symbolism is intended by God, but I did find it interesting nonetheless.  The suggestion is that we might think of this Samaritan woman as being symbolic of all of us, who make up the body of Christ.  And you might ask..  How so?  Well, consider these things;  The woman was a sinner, wasn’t she, and aren’t we all?  And Jesus was pretty much preaching the gospel to her, teaching her about the living water, and eternal life, and about worshiping in spirit and in truth.  Jesus preaches the same things to us, thru His written word.

And who makes up the body of Christ?  Well, it’s made up of both Jew and Gentile, in one body.  Just like the Samaritan woman, who carried both Jewish and Gentile blood within her body.  And the Samaritan woman truly seemed hungry for the truth, just like we are, and rightly so.

And so that was just an interesting little analogy that I came across, and so I thought I’d share it.

My time is up though, so let me close with these words from  Revelation 22:17..  “The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life, drink freely.”