Rev. George Miller
Feb 1, 2026
John 4:5-15
1,800 years ago is a man named Jacob. He’s made lots of bad choices. Stole from his brother; deceived his father.
Jacob has wrestled with God as the moon
transitioned into the sun. He is given a
new name, Isreal, and makes amends with his Brother.
He comes to a place in the north, a rich
piece of earth filled with green grass, wild bees and cream-colored butterflies. He purchases a plot of land and establishes a
place to be….still.
Upon his deathbed, he leaves this land to
his son, Joseph. As years pass,
traditions take place, legacy lives on, the well that is there becomes known as
Jacob’s well.
Jacob’s Well evolves into a place where
people can remember their ancestors, be reminded of their inheritance, go in
gratitude for all that God has done.
Jacob’s Well is not just water to quench
your thirst or water to cook lentil stew, but a place of belonging and communal
memory.
But, 750 years ago, something horrible
happens. The Northern Kingdom is attacked,
and Samaria falls into enemy hands. Citizens
are deported. The enemy starts taking
wives, introducing their beliefs; their gods.
The people living by Jacob’s well begin to
change. They are Jews but not Jews. They become the “cousins we don’t talk about.”
Now, 450 years ago the people of Samaria do
something seen as brash: they build their own temple with their own priests and
systems. They proclaim that they, not Judah,
are home to the true Temple.
This upsets the people of the South even
more. The Samaritans are demonized,
vilified, seen as vulgar, nonhuman. They
are called thieves, impure, demon possessed.
No self-respecting person from the South would
be seen in Samaria. In terms of safety it has a more heightened stigma of East
St. Louis or Cabrini- Green.
And yet…and yet in this city of Samaria, supposedly
surrounded by the most dangerous, impure, stood Jacob’s Well.
A place where the Patriarchs and Matriarchs
received sustenance, a place of memory, legacy, and a historical connection
with God.
But it is a place where no one from Jerusalem
would ever visit, or self-respecting follower of God would go. It is as if Jacob’s Well is forever gone;
dead…
So- here we are today. We are at Jacob’s Well in Samaria. It’s noon.
The sun is out; it is hot.
Unlike Nicodemus’ visit in the dark of
night, it is bright, bright, bright, where all can see.
And what do we see in the bright sunshine
of Samaria at the Well of Jacob that no self-respecting Jew has chosen to visit
for centuries?
We see Jesus, the very Jewish son of God,
standing beside a woman from Samaria, and they are talking.
Like talking, talking. He says something,
she says something. He makes a request;
she responds.
It is a stunning sight to behold. Shocking.
Scandalous.
He answers; she speaks back, bringing her
knowledge of history and Jacob into the conversation.
He responds with a riddle only a professor
of philosophy could understand and she doesn’t bat an eye but speaks right
back.
Up to this point it is the longest conversation
Jesus has had with anyone in John.
Here we are, 750 years after the fall of
Samaria, and we see Jesus, a Jew who was expected to follow the purity laws who
should have traveled another way, not engage a woman in theological
conversation, nor think about drinking from the same cup.
Here we are, 450 years after the Samaritans
brashly built their own temple, we see a woman who should not speak to any man
of foreign background, who should avoid all things shameful.
And yet, here we are today, under the full
afternoon sun, out in the middle of the city where all could see, judge,
gossip, condemn.
And they are talking; interacting; discussing
things like they’re at Eden Seminary.
What we see here it yet another example of
Jesus and the people around him being subversive.
Here we have another example of why, “bam”
the hammer was struck into the nails.
Here we see Jesus doing the unexpected and
improper.
But what we also see is the past reuniting
with the present to become part of a wonderful future.
This is a moment of healing; a moment of
reconciliation. This is the moment where
2 nations begin to revive a relationship.
Jacob’s Well, once almost seen as gone,
dead, is wonderfully here, now.
Perhaps, we can even say this is a moment of Resurrection.
Imagine, that at this moment, as we see
the Woman of Samaria and Jesus talking, that their ancestor Jacob is there, and
so is Rachel, and so is Joseph and his wife Asenath and so on and so on.
Imagine, if at this moment as Jesus and
the Woman Of Samaria speak and discuss theology and God, that all of history is
there, to watch, to smile, to be pleased.
For that which had seemed to be gone
forever now is on its ways to grow and flourish and be part of the Kingdom of
God here on earth.
Jesus stays there for 2 days, eating, fellowshipping
with them. Upon his resurrection, Christ
announces that people will be witnesses to Jerusalem and Samaria (Acts
1:8).
Philip goes to Samaria to preach; Peter
and John join him, where they successfully minister to many, many villages.
At this Well, it is about more then water;
it is about more than thirst or theology.
It is about the ability for Jesus to
overcome the turmoil and disagreements, the vilification of others and the hate
of someone different.
At this well, we see a moment in which the
past is remembered, the ancestors who came before are honored, memory and
legacy are seen as a gift.
As thus, this present moment becomes
richer and more meaningful, and the future opens up to unlimited possibilities.
What an honor to be at Jacob’s Well today,
and to see how Jesus invites the Samaritan Woman and each of us to think about
what Living Water can mean.
Amen.
