WELLS

     A well, translated sometimes as a spring, identifies a source of water continually refreshed from the aquifer beneath. This description stands in opposition to stored up water, as one will find in a cistern. Within the Gospel of John the word only appears in chapter 4. However, the image of a man sitting beside a well waiting for a drink of water is so dominant in the Old Testament that taking time to examine the fuller meaning of this scenario proves beneficial.

In the Old Testament

     A reader of the Old Testament first encounters this source of water in Genesis 2:4, “now a spring rose forth from the ground and provided drink for the entire land.” The idea in our minds that springs are a benefit begins with the story of God’s creative activities. However, the benefit of such water extends beyond the creation itself. In the description of the promised land found in Deuteronomy 8, this new land is described as one where “torrents of water flow and springs from the deep flow forth throughout the plains and the hills.” (Deuteronomy 8:7)

     When it comes to someone sitting beside a well, the servant of Abraham provides one of the earliest examples. He was sent to find a wife for Isaac among Sarah’s family. They still dwelt in the upper Mesopotamian region where she and Abram had resided since leaving the city of Ur near modern Baghdad (Genesis 11:31). The servant rests beside a well waiting for God to reveal the right woman for Isaac, she who offers a drink for him as well as for his camels. (Genesis 24) This girl, Rebekah, ran home and told her family about the incident. Then her brother, Laban, went out to meet the servant at the well and invite him to their home.

     Later, Jacob meets his wife, Rachel, at a well where the various herdsmen gathered to water the sheep. (Genesis 29:9-12) She also ran back to her family. The same Laban, now as her father, went out to meet Jacob at the well and invite him back to their house.

     After many centuries, Moses likewise went to the desert area away from his home and sat down by a well. The girls who come to the well went back to their home and told their father, who had them invite Moses to their home. He married one of these daughters, Zipporah. (Exodus 2:15-21) About now, you might be thinking that some similarity exists between these stories of these Old Testament figures. You would be right!

In John

     The stage is set when Jesus leaves Judea and travels through Samaria. At midday, Jesus sits down at a well to rest, since he is described as “weary from his travels.” (John 4:6) Only on this occasion is Jesus described as weary, although Matthew records his words to the weary. “Come to me, everyone who is weary and overly burdened, I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) Not only does Jesus sit down near the well, but his disciples leave him alone to go find food to eat. Suddenly, and somewhat unexpectedly, a woman arrives at the well in the heat of the day to retrieve water for her home. Will she provide him a drink? The attentive reader asks, “Will this turn into a marriage?”

     The woman’s response quickly dispels the scenario. She does not offer Jesus a drink as did Rebekah for Abraham’s servant. Jesus does not behave as Jacob did in his encounter with Rachel and remove the well covering to provide water for the flock. Nor does Jesus defend the woman against those who are bothering her as Moses did for Zipporah. These events are not following the pattern of the “boy meets girl by the well and they get married” story. There is an interruption to the turn of events.

     If we skip ahead in this story, the woman does go to the city and does return with the people who invite Jesus to come and stay with them, an action we find in the three OT accounts. So what happens as Jesus sits beside the well that causes this account to be so important?

• First, Jesus initiates the discussion. The woman does not respond with hospitality, rather her words have no small level of rejection within them.
• Second, Jesus begins to unfold his identity and invites her to ask him for water. She again rejects his capacity to provide and demonstrates an awareness of her situation by discussing their shared patriarch Jacob – who had sat beside a well in a land to the north and east at one time. Jesus offers her “living water” that actually satisfies. (see Episode 29)
• Finally, Jesus invites her to go get her husband and bring him back to the well with her. These words dispel once and for all any notion of this encounter resulting in a marriage. Although she invites the possibility by indicating she has no such person, Jesus clarifies her status as a rejected woman, not only once, but multiple times.

     The ensuing discussion between them of religious ideas culminates in the identification of Jesus as Messiah. At this point the disciples return and are amazed that there is a woman at the well and that Jesus is speaking with her. They had walked into town, likely had passed her on the worn path, and had ignored her because of her identity as a woman and as a Samaritan. The woman then leaves the well only to return with the people of her city.

Conclusion

     A well, translated sometimes as a spring, identifies a source of water continually refreshed from the aquifer beneath. A well is a static place; it does not move around from place to place. A well does not provide water sporadically; it remains a constant within the daily lives of the people it serves. But, individuals must go to the well, they must retrieve water. In the words of this woman, they must have something to draw the water with. The water at a well is fresh. Technically speaking, it is living.

     Jesus provides living water. Jesus moves around from place to place. However, Jesus does not provide water sporadically, his supply is constant and internal. (John 7:38) Yet in the words of Matthew, “Come to me, everyone who is weary and overly burdened, I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28), action is required on our part also. We must go to the well and he must remain a constant within the daily lives of his people he serves.

Take 5 Minutes More

     When we experience our basic needs as met, we seldom take the time to ponder how they are being met. During a flood, or another major natural disaster, public officials frequently announce “boiling water advisories.” The drinking water is simply not safe and people may become sick. The same is true when our spiritual needs are met. We rarely stop to consider how we are experiencing life at this moment in time. We don't always recognize that we might become sick.

     Take a moment and consider the following questions.

• Have you encountered Jesus in a situation that could have been misunderstood by others?
• What expectations have you placed on Jesus due to your own situation that are not consistent with his identity as Messiah?
• What type of encounter with Jesus would cause you to run and tell people about the person you have met?

If you are interested in an old ‘Well” song, here is one on You Tube. Andrus Blackwood & Company, 1981. “Well Will Never Run Dry”