The Samaritan Woman: Outcast to Gospeler

Have you ever felt like an outcast? Perhaps you did as a child on the playground or as an awkward teenager . . . perhaps you still do every day. Scripture shares a beautiful story of someone who was an outcast and became a treasured child of God and a Gospeler to her community.

John 4 tells us that Jesus and His disciples were headed to Galilee when they “had to go through Samaria” (v. 4). It’s interesting to note that during Jesus’ time on earth, Jewish people did not “have to” go through Samaria. They made an extra effort to avoid going through that area. However, Jesus had a reason for traveling that way.

While His disciples headed into town to buy food, Jesus rested at Jacob’s Well. Scripture tells us it was noon, which means it would have been unusual for a woman to collect water during this hot part of the day. But that’s exactly what happened. When a Samaritan woman approached the well, Jesus initiated a conversation with her. Again, this was not the way things were typically done. A Jew would not strike up a conversation with a Samaritan, and a man would not talk privately with a woman. But Jesus ignored those traditions and reached out to this outcast.

As they talked, He asked her about her story, presenting Jesus with an opportunity to reveal His identity to her—the Messiah. It’s amazing to know that the first recorded time in Scripture that Jesus revealed Himself as the Messiah was to a Samaritan woman with a past—an outcast. John then tells us that she went and told her town about Jesus and that “many believed in him because of the woman’s testimony” (v. 39).

Even if you have felt like an outcast before or still feel like one today, God can use you and your testimony to bring people to Him.

Consider: In what ways do you feel like an outcast? How can you use your testimony to tell others the good news?