Mothers of the BibleНамуна

The Samaritan Woman: Our Transformation Story

Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” —John 4:39, NIV

If given the chance, I would much rather talk about my strengths and accomplishments rather than my failures and weaknesses. You too?

In the book of John, we read the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman. The woman came to get water from the well all by herself. It was customary in those times for the women to go to the well to get water together—it was their social hour, if you will. But this woman came alone. Why? Because she wasn’t accepted by the other women. This woman had an ugly past.

She meets Jesus at the well and is shocked that he would speak to her or ask her for help. But then it took a turn when Jesus asks her to go call her husband and bring him to the well. The only problem was she wasn’t married. She had five ex-husbands, and she wasn’t married to the man she was currently living with.

Talk about awkward. All she wanted was to get water, and now this man is bringing up her failures.

But there is something different. He didn’t bring it up in a judgmental way but in a gentle way. He spoke truth to point her toward healing. She was searching for love and security, and Jesus wanted to show her true love and true security. He reveals to her that he is the solution: he is the Messiah.

With that loving truth, she runs back to her people to tell them the good news! John tells us that many in the town believed the Messiah because of her story. She told them, “He told me everything I ever did” (John 4:39, NIV). Her failures became the catalyst for people to see the Messiah. They saw his grace and love. This woman, who had been rejected and a loner, was suddenly sharing hope with everyone and was joyful in it. She was changed, and they wanted that same life change.

Sharing what we have learned from our failures gives us the opportunity to point to Jesus and his grace and mercy. Following Jesus is not about perfection: It is a relationship with a loving Savior. We have to share our failures in order to share what we have been saved from. No shame, just grace.

Challenge: Today, tell someone one way that God has changed your life, like Jesus did for the Samaritan woman.