So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there. Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well. It was about noon. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, "How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?" (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." (The woman) said to him, "Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?" Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water."…
"We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world." (Jn 4:5-42)
Any devout Jewish man, at the time of Jesus, would not have allowed himself to be alone with a woman. He would not entertain a conversation with a woman. The risk would be very high. Yet Jesus is talking to a woman. This woman is a Samaritan. Samaritans and Jews were always in war especially after the return from exile in Babylon. The Jews would not have anything to do with the Samaritans, especially they would not share eating and drinking. Here Jesus is asking for water from her. This particular woman was of bad character. She was coming to the well at a time when no one would be around. (To avoid meeting people or seen by people). Jesus was there right at that time of her coming.
Anyone seeing Jesus talking to a woman, a Samaritan woman, and a woman of bad character would think differently of Jesus. But Jesus was talking about living water. This water was to give new life to the one who drinks. The new life that Jesus was talking about was eternal life. The woman did not understand what Jesus was meaning about the water. Jesus always made use of the context (here the well and water) to speak of the kingdom and values of the kingdom.
When the woman realized that he was a prophet, she immediately changed the topic of discussion from about her to religious theme: worship. She brought out the debate about the place of worship: Mount Zion or Mount Gerizim. Jesus again explained beautifully the point in discussion by saying worship was not limited by place or space. Worship of God should be in truth and spirit because God himself is spirit. This revealed that Jesus was the Messiah who was to come.
