The Christian doctrine focuses on the sinful nature of man and his need to be cleansed by the blood of Christ.
However, that was not Yeshua’s message as he conversed with the Samaritan woman by Jacob’s Well recorded in chapter 4 of the Gospel of John.
In order to understand their interaction, a few pieces of information about history and culture are necessary.
The Samaritans were the descendants of a few Israelites that had been left behind when Israel was seized and taken captive by Assyria around 700 BC.
The remaining Children of Israel stayed in their own land, but they interbred with surrounding cultures.
Since the Samaritans were considered half breeds, they were not welcome to worship in Jerusalem, so they built their own temple on Mount Gerizim.
It was a temple dedicated to Yahweh and they performed blood sacrifice according to the laws of Moses.
The Jews hated the Samaritans and would even cross the Jordan River and go around Samaria when going to Galilee in order to avoid them.
But, not Yeshua, he passed right through.
On this particular occasion, John records that the Pharisees had heard that Yeshua’s disciples were making and baptizing more disciples than the prophet John, so Christ and his disciples went up to Galilee.
When he arrived at Jacob’s Well in Samaria, Yeshua was exhausted, so he rested while his disciples went to get food for the group.
It wasn’t long before a woman came to draw water from the well, and Christ asked her for a drink.
Now, there are several things here to consider. The Jews did not speak to the Samaritans, ever.
Secondly, it was against the laws of the elders for a man to speak with a woman in public.
That is why the woman was so puzzled when Christ asked her for a drink.
Afterwards, he said, “if you knew the gift of God and who it was that is asking you for a drink, you would have asked of him and he would have given you living water.”
She responded, “you have nothing to draw with and this well is much too deep.” “How are you going to give me this water?”
She continued, “are you greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank here himself, and his children and cattle?”
Yeshua answered, “whoever drinks this water shall thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I give shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”
The woman perceived that Christ was speaking spiritually and humbly asked, “sir, give me this water that I thirst not, neither come here to draw.”
Yeshua said, “go get your husband and bring him here.”
The woman looked down and was honest, “I have no husband.”
Christ answered, “well said, that you have no husband, you’ve had five of them, and the man you’re with now is not your husband.”
She looked up and said, “I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”
Christ replied, “the time is now that neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will men worship the Father.”
He continued, “God is a spirit, and the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth for the Father seeks such to worship him.”
The woman responded, “well, when the Messiah arrives, he will tell us all things.”
Yeshua answered, “the one speaking to you is he.”
Just then, his disciples returned, and they were shocked to see him conversing with a Samaritan woman. However, John records that they remained silent.
You can imagine that they were probably communicating with each other by quick glances and subtle gestures, while they thought, “what is he doing this time?”
The conversation between Christ and the woman is substantial.
In their culture, this woman who had been with five husbands and was then living with her sixth partner, would have been considered an adulteress and a fornicator, which is punishable by death according to the laws of Moses.
Christ never pointed out her “sinful lifestyle.” He never told her to go to the temple and offer blood sacrifice to be cleansed of her “sin.”
Instead, he was kind to her and saw her gentle heart. She believed like a child in his spiritual words, desiring his living water, and she was waiting for the Messiah to come and teach them the true way.
She got her wish that day.
According to the Gospel of John, Christ ended up staying for 2 days in Samaria and speaking with a group that the woman had gathered together.
It is recorded that after he spoke to them, they believed, not because of the woman’s report, but because they had heard Christ for themselves. They knew he was the Messiah.
No, Christ did not focus on her “sin” and judge the Samaritan woman’s life like the religious community did. Rather, he saw that she had a beautiful heart and gave her a special gift that day.
He gave her living water and let her know that God doesn’t want people to worship in any temple, Samaria or Jerusalem.
Rather, God desires for people to worship him spiritually and in truth, the truth being that God doesn’t want the kind of worship that goes on in those temples.