John 4:5-9 – Wrong Place, Wrong Person, Wrong Time

Bible Verse of the Day

So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field 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.
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.)
(John 4:5-9 ESV)

Jesus was on his way to Galilee and did something a Jewish guy would never, ever do- go through Samaria to get there. Although Samaria was the quickest route from Jerusalem to Galilee, Jews wanted to avoid Samaritans at all costs. Jews absolutely despised Samaritans because they were literally considered “half breeds”- a mixed race between ancient Jews and their past Assyrian invaders. Jews were not supposed to worship with Samaritans, much less speak to them or even touch them.

Jesus still seemed determined to go to Samaria, even though it wasn’t culturally acceptable, to be at a well at “the sixth hour.”

That’s another peculiar point in this story. No one normally went to a well at the sixth hour or 12 noon, because it’s the hottest part of the day. That is, unless they’re trying to avoid other people. To put it another way, the only person you’d see at the well during the hottest part of the day would be a social outcast.

Most religious people hearing this story two thousand years ago would instantly think Jesus was going to the wrong place, at the wrong time, and interacting with the wrong type of person. They would be surprised to find out that Jesus was purposely on a mission to meet with this Samaritan woman.

If we join Jesus in His mission to this world, He will also lead us to cross racial, cultural, social, and spiritual barriers to share the gospel with others. He will lead us to go out of our way to connect with people who have been pushed to the fringe of our communities and culture. Are you willing to do this?

In your community, what racial, cultural, or social barriers does God want you to cross to share Jesus with others? Where is one place God is leading you to go or one person God is leading you to build a relationship with?