At Jacob’s Well

It is the story of an encounter: two desires and two thirsts meeting. It is an encounter between enemies—at least in the eyes of their people. Samaria was enemy territory for the Jews, and the Jews were enemies to the Samaritans. However, to travel from Judea and Jerusalem to Galilee, one had to cross Samaria. Despite sharing a common ancestor, Jacob, they were a divided people. 

Yet, this division did not prevent the encounter; on the contrary, it facilitated it. Jacob is their common link, the one blessed by God, and they meet at Jacob’s well. It is about noon—the moment the sun begins its descent and the day turns; perhaps a turning point in our lives as well. It is not the usual hour to draw water, which was typically done only in the morning or evening. 

Jesus sat down, adopting the gesture of a teacher, of one who listens, and of a tired, thirsty man. A woman arrives to draw water. She does this out of habit, expecting nothing but the routine of a daily life that seems devoid of hope. We can imagine Jesus seeing her approach. She is unnamed, like the ‘beloved disciple’; she represents us—each and every one of us. 

She comes for water, but her true desire is buried beneath her history with six men who could not satisfy her. There is a greater longing within her, though she does not yet recognize it. Nothing prepared her for this meeting. This is how God arrives: in the unexpected and through the daily routines that often feel monotonous. 

Jesus meets her exactly where she is. She comes to draw water, and he asks her for a drink. In that moment, her entire being comes alive. As he often does, Jesus answers her questions indirectly, seeking to awaken a wider horizon and lead her to the depths of her soul, where all things are possible with God.