Written by Corina Diaz, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Argentina
In the Bible we find many examples related to foreign women, and the case of the Samaritan woman was no exception. She was a woman who was confronted by Jesus even with the cultural implications: a woman who was evidence of a manipulated and reckless sexual life, in addition to belonging to the group of Samaritans, who were despised by the Jews, the woman had to hide in the middle of the day to look for her basic resources. It was at that moment that the encounter with Jesus arose. Has that ever happened to you—when you're at your worst, a ray of sunshine comes out of nowhere?
Here's a snippet of the story:
A woman, a Samaritan, came to draw water. Jesus said, “Would you give me a drink of water?” (His disciples had gone to the village to buy food for lunch.) The Samaritan woman, taken aback, asked, “How come you, a Jew, are asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (Jews in those days wouldn’t be caught dead talking to Samaritans.) Jesus answered, “If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water.” The woman said, “Sir, you don’t even have a bucket to draw with, and this well is deep. So how are you going to get this ‘living water’? Are you a better man than our ancestor Jacob, who dug this well and drank from it, he and his sons and livestock, and passed it down to us?” Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.” The woman said, “Sir, give me this water so I won’t ever get thirsty, won’t ever have to come back to this well again!” (John 4:7-15)
The text is not very clear about the current situation of the woman, but if you continue the story, you will find that she was in sin, and even so, Jesus approached her during that difficult time. We can recognize it was a tough moment when she was alone looking for water, in addition to the fact that she likely did not have emotional stability. The chapter describes that she had five husbands, which indicates that she was a wounded woman, probably with broken self-esteem. Some of us have gone through emotional breakups when our identity was at stake. But do you know what the most beautiful part is? Jesus came to her to restore her! Just as He comes to us today to offer us a new identity and to show us our purpose here on earth.
So don’t be embarrassed to speak up for our Master or for me, his prisoner. Take your share of suffering for the Message along with the rest of us. We can only keep on going, after all, by the power of God, who first saved us and then called us to this holy work. We had nothing to do with it. It was all his idea, a gift prepared for us in Jesus long before we knew anything about it. But we know it now. Since the appearance of our Savior, nothing could be plainer: death defeated, life vindicated in a steady blaze of light, all through the work of Jesus. (2 Tim. 1:8-9)
If you find yourself alone or if you still feel alone in a crowd, in a place that is not your land, if you have been hurt or your identity has been at stake, I want to tell you that we will always have an opportunity to renew ourselves, to shine and to be new women in Jesus!
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