Topical Bible: Converts: Zealous: The Woman of Samaria

◄ Converts: Zealous: The Woman of Samaria ►

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The Woman of Samaria, also known as the Samaritan Woman, is a significant figure in the New Testament, particularly in the Gospel of John. Her encounter with Jesus at Jacob's well is a profound narrative that highlights themes of conversion, zeal, and the breaking of social barriers. This account is found in John 4:1-42.

Background and Context

The Samaritans were a group distinct from the Jews, with historical tensions rooted in differences in worship and lineage. They worshiped on Mount Gerizim rather than in Jerusalem, and their scriptures were limited to the Pentateuch. Jews typically avoided interactions with Samaritans, considering them religiously and ethnically impure.

The Encounter at the Well

In John 4, Jesus travels through Samaria and stops at Jacob's well in the town of Sychar. There, He meets a Samaritan woman who comes to draw water. Jesus initiates a conversation by asking her for a drink, breaking several social norms: speaking to a woman in public, engaging with a Samaritan, and sharing drinking vessels.

Jesus offers her "living water," symbolizing eternal life and spiritual fulfillment. The woman, intrigued by His words, questions how He can provide such water without a bucket. Jesus responds, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life" (John 4:13-14).

Revelation and Conversion

As the conversation progresses, Jesus reveals His knowledge of her personal life, acknowledging her five previous husbands and her current non-marital relationship. This revelation leads her to perceive Him as a prophet. The woman then raises the issue of the correct place of worship, to which Jesus replies, "Believe Me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem... Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth" (John 4:21, 23).

The woman expresses her hope in the coming Messiah, and Jesus declares, "I who speak to you am He" (John 4:26). This moment marks a pivotal point in her conversion, as she recognizes Jesus as the Christ.

Zealous Witness

Transformed by her encounter, the Samaritan woman leaves her water jar and returns to the town, urging the people, "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" (John 4:29). Her testimony is compelling, and many Samaritans from the town believe in Jesus because of her words.

The narrative concludes with the Samaritans inviting Jesus to stay with them, and after two days, many more believe, declaring, "We now believe not only because of your words; we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man truly is the Savior of the world" (John 4:42).

Significance

The Woman of Samaria exemplifies the transformative power of encountering Christ. Her zeal in sharing her experience with others demonstrates the impact of genuine conversion. Her account underscores the inclusivity of the Gospel, breaking down ethnic and social barriers, and highlighting the universal call to worship God in spirit and truth.

Nave's Topical Index

John 4:28,29
The woman then left her water pot, and went her way into the city, and said to the men,
Nave's Topical Index

Library

The Gospel in Samaria
... After listening to His words, the woman had gone to the ... messengers of the gospel,
and the Jewish converts gathered a ... of God's church are to be zealous of good ...
/.../white/the acts of the apostles/lesson 11 the gospel in.htm

At the Foot of the Bamboos
... It is doubtful whether one woman in ten thousand can. ... the case seems to have been
different when Philip first carried the Gospel to Samaria. ... ZEALOUS CONVERTS. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/fagg/forty years in south china/v at the foot of.htm

The Foundation of the Church among the Jews
... of a Redeemer, "the Seed of the woman," there is ... that they might confirm the Samaritan
converts by prayer ... Thus he became zealous in the Law; and hence his deep ...
/.../blunt/a key to the knowledge of church history/chapter i the foundation of.htm

Beginning at Jerusalem. --Luke xxiv. 47.
... by laying hold of the woman of Samaria, made among ... it that Jesus Christ told the
adulterous woman, and that ... if Christ Jesus did not put such converts among them ...
/.../bunyan/jerusalem sinner saved/beginning at jerusalem luke xxiv 47.htm

From the Close of the General Conference of 1820 to the Beginning ...
... Lord and Master had preached successfully to the woman of Samaria ... natives had been
formed, all zealous for the ... about sixty of these native converts were present ...
/.../chapter 6 from the close.htm

The Jerusalem Sinner Saved;
... by laying hold of the woman of Samaria, made among ... it that Jesus Christ told the
adulterous woman, and that ... if Christ Jesus did not put such converts among them ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the jerusalem sinner saved.htm

Luke.
... his daughters at Caesarea, the early converts in Greece ... public; our Lord suffered
a woman to minister ... associated with himself as one zealous for righteousness ...
/.../schaff/history of the christian church volume i/section 82 luke.htm

Acts XVI
... there are who believe, and they are all zealous of the ... to unite in harmonious fellowship
the Jewish and Gentile converts. ... (14) And a certain woman named Lydia ...
/.../mcgarvey/a commentary on acts of the apostles/acts xvi.htm

Close of the Colonial Era --The German Churches --The Beginnings ...
... church, and even (last infirmity of zealous spirits) his ... No order of missionaries
or missionary converts can show a ... and reproaches of a pious woman to take his ...
/.../bacon/a history of american christianity/chapter xii close of the.htm

The Tabernacle of the Most High
... and in the midst of erring Samaria." I see ... and joyful church meetings to receive
the converts into fellowship ... declare the whole counsel of God, zealous of good ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/the tabernacle of the most.htm