Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
One of the reasons I love this story is because it shows the impact an encounter with Christ has on a person. After a very profound conversation, Jesus reveals his identity to the Samaritan woman as the Messiah. John says she left her water jar and went back to town to tell the people about the person she had just met.
Both acts seem simple but are very significant. The water jar represented the woman's physical needs and concerns, but after meeting Jesus — a meeting where she was spiritually nourished — her priorities shifted. Her focus moved from her daily needs to the eternal truth she had encountered.
Telling people about her meeting with Jesus was another consequence of meeting him. I have never met a man or woman who has had an encounter with Jesus and not burned with the desire to talk about him to others. What made it even more extraordinary with this Samaritan was that the townspeople did not like her because of her lifestyle. She didn't care. The news she had was too good not to share!
These are two signs that will tell us whether we have had an encounter with Christ. One, our focus will move from the worldly to the spiritual. Two, we will testify about Jesus to others. How can we not, because the effects are extraordinary?
Before meeting Jesus at the well, the Samaritan woman's life was marked by brokenness, shame, and a sense of worthlessness. She had been through five failed marriages and was currently living with a man who was not her husband. In that society, she would have been an outcast, rejected, and judged by her community.
However, when she encountered Jesus, everything changed. Jesus treated her with respect and dignity, addressing her as a person of value and worth. Instead of condemning her for her past, he offered her living water – a metaphor for the eternal life and spiritual fulfillment only he could provide.
If you have not encountered Christ, tell him you'd like to meet him. The best way to facilitate this is through the Gospels. Read them with the openness of the Samaritan woman, and be prepared for an encounter that will change you forever.
God bless you.