Just Walk Across the Room – Taking a Genunine Interest (Part 2)

Jesus demonstrates how we can show genuine interest in people as we walk across the room to them in the story of his encounter with the woman at the well in John 4.

BACKGROUND (John 4:7-ff): A woman approaches from the town of Sychar, water jar on her head, implying that she was poor (since she didn’t have a servant to get water for her). Think about it for a minute – two singles – one a divorcee and the other never married. Now this was an very unusual encounter … For one thing, in the Ancient Near East — it was typical for a group of women to come together to a well like this to get water. So, why was this woman alone? Maybe the women of her village have shunned her.

Jesus is physically close to her but they’re separated by several walls: The Samaritans were a group of people who didn’t relate with Jewish people. So it was unusual that this woman would even talk to Jesus – especially since she recognized that he was a Jew. Then, for Jesus to talk to her was also unusual because ancient Jewish tradition tells that men just didn’t speak with women in public.

In a world that tells Jesus to distance himself from this woman – Jesus gives her dignity and respect – and is genuinely interested in her. Now, it doesn’t mean that he approves of her immorality or religion – he just loves her as a fellow human being.

His request of her to give him a drink – penetrates the massive barriers between them – religion and sexual roles.