John 4:16–26

The Set-Up

Jesus is sitting by Jacob's well in Samaria … and talking to a Samaritan woman … already a double scandal. She’s shocked he’s even asking her for water.

But then the conversation shifts from water to truth.

Jesus doesn’t shame her for 5+ husbands … she was likely a victim of a brutal patriarchal system where men could divorce her about anything, or she was widowed repeatedly. She’s a survivor who has been passed around like property. Jesus is saying: I see your history, your pain, the mess. 

And I’m still sitting here.

Jesus ensures she knows God is available to the Samaritan outcast just as much as the High Priest in Jerusalem. The only requirement isn't "purity" or "location" … it's Truth. 

She replies, “I know Messiah is coming.” 

Jesus looks this marginalized, "heretical," outcast woman in the eye and drops the biggest reveal in the Gospel so far: “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.”

He didn't tell the priests … or the king. He told her.'

The Takeaways

No More Distractions.

Jesus cuts through the debate to get to your heart.

Seen, Not Shamed.

Jesus names her reality (5 husbands) not to condemn her, but to show He knows her fully—and stays.

God Has Left the Building.

Worship is about Spirit and Truth. The temple is wherever you are real.

Outcasts Get the Scoop.

Jesus reveals His identity to the "wrong" person first. If you’re waiting for the elites to announce the Kingdom, you’ll miss it.

Truth is the Liturgy.

You can’t worship in Spirit if you’re faking your life. "Truth" is the only offering God wants.

The Good News

…is that you don't have to go to the "right" mountain or have a clean track record to meet God. The Good News is that Jesus seeks out the survivors, the ones with messy histories, and the ones the church ignores.

The Good News is that you are the sanctuary. When you stop hiding and start living in "Spirit and Truth," you become the place where heaven meets earth. The well is open, and the water is free.

(Artwork: “Christ and the Samaritan Woman” by contemporary Chinese artist He Qi)