The (Shunned) Woman at the Well

Sea Breeze

I always found the account of the "Woman at the Well" to be particulary interesting. This unknown shunned woman of ill-repute was specifically sought out and chosen by Jesus. Why?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el7dzoNV3IY&ab_channel=MichaelPapale

DesirousOfChange

I always said it was a scriptural example of Jesus "yielding" the law/rules (to not associate with Samaritans), when someone asked about speaking to or associating with a DF person. For example, when someone had died and one of their family members was DFd. Maybe the RULES say to shun them, but Jesus showed us there would be some reasons to "break" the rules.

peacefulpete

The meeting a woman by a well was another OT typology that the Gospel writer felt needed to be included in his picture story filled with metaphor. Isaacs wife was discovered at the well, then this is repeated for Jacob and even Moses. Jesus was thus identified as the 'fulfillment' of promises embodied in those patriarchs. On a more radical note, there are fairly good reasons to believe the early form of G.John included this scene in parallel to the OT as how Jesus met his wife. The marriage scene in Cana was moved along with other reordering in the story. But whether you accept that or not, the story is explicitly identified with the Jacob story. It was "Jacob's well".

TonusOH

There are a number of times where Jesus promoted the idea that doing the right thing was more important than being 'technically correct,' if you will. He once criticized the Pharisees because they worked hard to make sure they followed the law to the letter, but were doing a poor job of shepherding the flock. I think that his interaction with the Samaritan woman was another example of this-- looking past the letter of the law and keeping with the spirit of the law.

Vanderhoven7

I've watched this video a number of times previously. I can't stop the tears that flow every time I see this woman liberated by Christ. Because you see, that was me,

peacefulpete

I can appreciate a Hollywood movie revision while at the same time prefer the book. Later generations of Christians mistook the 'spiritual' nature of the story as history and in so doing stripped it of much of it's brilliance. The religious sage reduced to a news reporter.

Fisherman

Don’t people read the Bible. Jesus doesn’t apologize because he is perfect. The woman wasn’t shunned, she was ridiculed and humiliated for her sinful lifestyle by other women. She had been married a whole bunch of times so she must have been very beautiful. She was ashamed to be around the other women because they could mock her for having so many men. But she wasn’t an apostate or a rebel. She was a believer. After the encounter with Jesus she told everybody about him. She articulated hope on the Messiah to come. But socially in her religious community, she was being scorned because of her sexual reputation. Obviously she wasn’t vicious, hateful, angry, vindictive, cunning retaliatory and spurner of her faith. Also, JC saw in her virtues that qualified her for repentance and salvation, —Even to go to heaven and be a king with him as JW see it. God sees the whole picture in one’s life and knows the heart. “ My father is looking for such like ones to worship him.”

Vanderhoven7

In Jesus day, Samaritans were shunned by the Jews because they (ten tribes under Jeroboam) had apostatized from the faith around the time of the death of King Solomon. See I Kings 11 & 12

Fisherman

Samaritans were shunned by the Jews

All were shunned not just this woman. In fact all non-Jews were viewed as little dogs but the subject here is this woman and her sins and her drawing water later in the day is what I was specifically addressing. She was not an outcast in the Samaritan community.

Vanderhoven7

<<She was not an outcast in the Samaritan community>>

What makes you think she was not an outcast in her community before she met Jesus at the well?

The (Shunned) Woman at the Well

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