Conquering Love

By Michael Youssef, Ph D.  12/17/22

One of the most dramatic stories of the love of Jesus conquering prejudice and human desperation is found in John 4:4-26 and is often referred to as the story of the woman at the well.

To understand the magnitude of Christ’s gesture when He reached out to the Samaritan woman, you first must try to understand the depth of the hatred and prejudice between the Jews and Samaritans.

Orthodox Jews felt revulsion at the way Samaritans mixed Jewish beliefs and idolatry. When Jesus set out to walk from Jerusalem to Galilee, His detractors would say He should not have taken the two-and-a-half-day route. Instead, most Jews would have taken a five-day detour in the scorching desert to avoid contact with Samaritans.

But Jesus defied the expectations of others and traveled right into the heart of Samaria. Upon arrival, He stopped and rested at a well, clearly not avoiding the Samaritans. Though tired from His journey, He waited.

The woman at the well was hated and degraded on many levels—by her birth as a Samaritan, by her gender that was considered inferior in that day, and by her infamous immorality. Yet this is the person the Christ, the Son of God, waited for expectantly

We cannot fathom how shocking it was for Jesus to say to this fallen woman, “Will you give me a drink?” Not only did Jesus defy tradition by speaking directly to a woman, but this woman was a despised and immoral Samaritan.

You may have unsaved neighbors or co-workers who have different values or different cultural backgrounds than yours. They need the Good News that Jesus loved them enough to give His life for them. The Lord has placed you at a well in your community so you can meet people who need to know the salvation message.

Prayer: Father, help me to have a desire to share Your love with everyone, no matter what their cultural background. Open my eyes to see those You have placed in my community who need to hear the Gospel. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).