It has been said that anytime someone significant
in the Scriptures remains nameless, that person acts as the universal
person—standing in for each one of us!
So let’s pull up a rock and join Jesus at Jacob’s Well to experience the
insights our Lord has in store for us to discover the wells we have been
drinking.
First let’s take the story at face value. Jesus resting at the well encounters a
Samaritan woman who has come to draw her daily sustenance. Jesus asks her for a drink. If she simply gives him the drink, the
interaction between them would basically be over. However, like most of our human interactions,
there is more to this story when we are willing to consider these interactions
more deeply, like Jesus. There are two
elements of the story to help us name the wells we drink from and to consider
deepening our discipleship skills.
The first element of the story is the “heavy
jar” and “time” this encounter happened; “Jesus…sat
down at the well. It was about noon.” (Jn 4:6) It
was very unusual to carry the heavy water jar to the well during the heat of
the noon time sun. Why then would this
Samaritan woman expose herself to the scorching rays? Shame!
We learn from their dialog that Jesus knew she was drinking from other
“wells”. “For you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your
husband.” (Jn 4:18) See, she was carrying much more than just the
burden of the heavy water jar in the scorching sun, she was carrying
relationship burdens that were keeping her on the fringes of her
community. The second element is what I
call the cultural divide. Jesus’ simple
request for a drink turns into a question shot back, “… How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?…” (Jn 4:9) It
is no secret in scripture of the cultural divide between the Jews and
Samaritans. Today’s gospel takes even
this to the extreme—dialog between a Jewish prophet and a Samaritan woman! Yet Jesus invites her to share in the “living
water” to be in relationship with him and the God who sent him. She left her water jar, returned to her
community a disciple & evangelist of the coming kingdom.
So, the nameless woman is standing in for
us. This begs the question, from what
wells do we drink? The Mass is one
well! Do we not carry our water jar
here, full of the burdens from the week?
To accept Jesus’ invitation to share in renewing our baptismal call, to
be nourished by His Body and Blood so that we can return to our different
communities (family, work, neighborhood) freed from the burdens we left at this
well. Unfortunately, many of us have
trouble letting go of what’s in the heavy water jar. So instead of leaving the burdens here, we
keep them and go to other wells to try to find daily satisfaction. Do we drink from the “well of self-pity” unable
to see the big picture, living from our own reference points only. Drinking from this well can lead us to
grumble as the Israel people did against Moses in the first reading. Often in our grumbling we turn to additive behaviors
in an effort to satisfy unmet needs, often leading to feelings of shame. Perhaps we drink from the “well of
self-absorption”, so lost in ourselves we fail to see the lost, oppressed,
marginalized, and ostracized people around us.
Paul tells us “… God proves his
love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8) Are
we not commanded to be and “…make
disciples of all the nations.” (Mt 28:19) It’s hard to do this if we think only of ourselves. Pope Francis, at his first Chrism Mass as
Pope said, “The ministers need to smell like the sheep.” I interpret this to mean, we need to meet
God’s people at all the wells they choose to drink and offer them the living
water Jesus offers to us.
We have a very real opportunity to meet the
Samaritan woman at this well, the Easter Mass.
Hundreds of Catholics, who may not be regular Mass attendees, will bring
their “heavy water jars” seeking some form of satisfaction in their life. Jesus met the woman at the well, crossed the
cultural divide and offered her “living water”, freed her to be a disciple,
free to return to life in community.
Here’s a Lenten challenge. Spend some time considering the burdens you
carry. Bring these burdens here, seek
the Sacrament of Reconciliation and leave those burdens with Jesus, accepting
the living water he offers us. Name the
wells from which you are drinking that never fully satisfy your needs. If they are death-dealing wells, like the
well of self-pity or self-absorption, recognize where you’re at and if there
are others at the well with you, be Jesus inviting them to share in His living
water. Lastly, prayerfully consider your
response to meeting the Easter pilgrims who will come to this well seeking
Jesus. Will they find Him is us?
Source(s): Scriptures: Ezekiel 37:12-14; Romans 8:8-11; John 11:1-45
Naked,
and You Clothed Me. Edited by Deacon Jim
Knipper © 2013. Clear Faith Publishing
LLC
