“Is that Sychar over there, and Shechem on the other side?”
John, gazing around in wonder, asked Philip.
“Yeah? You’ve never been here before, have you?”
“I’ve always taken the road through Beroea.”
“Well, most Jews avoid Samaria, so it’s understandable you haven’t been here before, especially since you’re young.”
“Wow, that’s Shechem! So Joseph’s tomb must be nearby, right?”
“Oh, you know a lot about the Bible, don’t you? This is where the Israelites who left Egypt buried Joseph’s bones. And that mountain is Mount Gerizim, and the other one is Mount Ebal. You’ve heard of them, right?”
Philip continued, clearly pleased.
“Yes.”
The disciples, who had left Jesus by the well to buy food, became so absorbed in conversation that they forgot their original purpose. John’s curiosity had started it all, and as one of the younger disciples, he was amazed to see Shechem, Mount Gerizim, and Jacob’s well for the first time.
The village of Sychar, where Jacob’s well is located, lies near Shechem, with Mount Ebal to the north and Mount Gerizim to the south. Jacob stayed in this area on his way home from Paddan Aram, after marrying and acquiring many children and possessions. He pitched his tent, bought land, dug a well, and built an altar, as if he intended to settle there. If not for the incident with his daughter Dinah, he might have stayed. After Dinah was raped by Shechem, the son of Hamor, her brothers Levi and Simeon devised a plan and killed all the men in Shechem’s city, forcing Jacob to leave.
“Now that I think about it, Dinah, Simeon, and Levi were all children of Leah. What must Leah have felt back then? Her daughter was raped, and her sons committed murder.”
“Yeah, Jacob didn’t particularly love Leah, so he probably didn’t comfort her either.”
“That must have been really tough for her.”
“I guess so.”
“Why didn’t Jacob love Leah?” John asked.
“Hmm… maybe it was because of her appearance? The Torah says, ‘Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and attractive. Jacob loved Rachel.’”
“The phrase ‘her eyes were weak’ can mean different things—maybe her eyesight wasn’t good, or maybe her eyes just didn’t have much life in them. Either way, there must be a reason the Bible singles out her eyes like that. Maybe there was something about her eyes, or maybe she wasn’t very attractive except for her eyes.”
Nathanael, who had been listening, corrected Philip. As Nathanael said, Leah was a woman unloved because of her appearance. How much she longed to be loved by her husband is clear from the biblical record:
“Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she named him Reuben; for she said, ‘Because Yahweh has looked at my affliction; for now my husband will love me.’ She conceived again, and bore a son, and said, ‘Because Yahweh has heard that I am hated, he has therefore given me this son also.’ She named him Simeon. She conceived again, and bore a son. She said, ‘Now this time will my husband be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons.’ Therefore his name was called Levi. She conceived again, and bore a son. She said, ‘This time will I praise Yahweh.’ Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.”
Like the Samaritan woman, Leah yearned for her husband’s love but ultimately found solace in the Lord.
“Does anyone know what the Samaritan Pentateuch says about that part?”
Andrew asked.
“The Samaritan Pentateuch is almost identical to the Torah, except for a few parts. It diverged after John Hyrcanus I of the Hasmonean dynasty destroyed the temple on Mount Gerizim.”
“Wow, Nathanael, you really know a lot,”
Peter said admiringly.
Nathanael, also known as Bartholomew, smiled slightly and continued,
“The differences are that it corrects the anthropomorphic expressions of God, omits the human weaknesses of Moses and the ancestors, and includes the command to build an altar on Mount Gerizim and offer sacrifices only there.”
“Wow, only on Mount Gerizim? That’s quite extreme.”
“That’s why we Jews dislike the Samaritans.”
Andrew asked curiously,
“So, was it because of that that the Samaritans once threw corpses into the Jerusalem temple? From their perspective, the Jerusalem temple wasn’t authorized by God.”
“I suppose so. Since I’m not a Samaritan, I don’t know the exact reason, but since they only have the Samaritan Pentateuch, they wouldn’t acknowledge any command to build a temple in Jerusalem after that.”
“Then they’re not much different from the Sadducees. It’s just a matter of whether it’s the temple on Mount Gerizim or Jerusalem; they both think they’re right.”
“They really deserve judgment.”
John muttered, but no one heard him.
When the disciples arrived at Jacob’s well, Jesus was speaking with a woman. Everyone wondered who she was, but no one dared to ask. Their faith grew, believing that whatever Jesus did, there must be a reason. Just then, the woman stood up and rushed back to her village, so hurriedly that she left her water jar behind. As she ran, she cried out,
“Come, see a man who told me everything that I did. Can this be the Christ?”
The disciples nodded, as if to say their thoughts were confirmed. Jesus was preaching in this town as well. It was surprising that the place was Samaria, but what did it matter? Samaritans also awaited the Messiah, just as the Jews did. And if even Samaritans, who disliked Jews, considered Jesus the Messiah, wouldn’t that be proof that the one they followed was truly the Messiah? Indeed, He is our Jesus. The disciples smiled and approached Him.
“Rabbi, eat.”
“I have food to eat that you don’t know about.”
“Has anyone brought him something to eat?”
“Did that woman bring it?”
He spoke calmly to the curious disciples,
“My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work. Don’t you say, ‘There are yet four months until the harvest’? Behold, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and look at the fields, that they are white for harvest already. He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit to eternal life; that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true, ‘One sows, and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you haven’t labored. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”
As they pondered His words, many people began to emerge from the village. At the front was the woman from before. Like Leah, who had praised God after hardship, she was coming to offer true praise, having spent her life yearning for love.
Samaritans and Jews were originally one people, but history had divided them, and now their mutual hatred was immense. Jews saw Samaritans as those who had abandoned God’s will by mixing with foreigners. Samaritans, for their part, had been hurt by Jews who despised them simply for being Samaritans, though they hadn’t chosen their birth. Yet God’s word continued to spread there. God was not just the God of one nation, but the God of the whole world. While people argued about whether Jerusalem or Mount Gerizim was the right place to worship, Jesus taught that these distinctions were not important.
Jesus said to her,
“Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, will you worship the Father.”
What truly mattered was worshiping God in spirit and truth—not worshiping what we do not know, but worshiping the One revealed to us through Scripture. It wasn’t about the place or the tradition. Thus, the disciples found themselves reaping a harvest they had not sown.
* * *
It has been a week since He left for Galilee. He stayed in Sychar for two days, preaching to many people, and they believed in Him more after hearing His words. Every moment spent with Him was joyful, but the best part was the people’s reactions.
“We no longer believe just because of what you said; we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
I couldn’t believe that the beginning of this change was my words, and people came to Him because of them. I used to think everyone disliked and hated me, but through Him, I realized how wrong those thoughts were. It was not the people who had closed their hearts, but me. Through this event, I understood that I had been thinking incorrectly for a long time. If I walk on the right path, there are good people who will walk with me. I realized that I met strange people because I was trying to walk the wrong path, and there are many good people outside of it. They too have now come to share the same faith as me. I am no longer alone. There are people who believe in Him with me and share His teachings.
However, even as many believed, the man living with me refused to accept Him. Whenever He preached, this man would go outside, and when he returned, his face would change with anger.
“That man is a liar! Look, he hasn’t shown anything here. All he does is speak empty words; there’s no evidence.”
“You’re the one who speaks empty words. He is different. Have you ever truly listened to His words? He only speaks through the Scriptures. He explains the words of the prophets one by one, showing us how wrong our current understanding is.”
“What’s wrong with what we Samaritans believe? It’s biblical to worship on Mount Gerizim. We must worship only here!”
“He said that a time is coming when we will not worship the Father on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem. If you listen to His words, you will understand.”
“You don’t know because you’re ignorant. Do you know where we are? We’re under Mount Gerizim. This is the mountain where Moses declared blessings before the Israelites entered Canaan. What’s wrong with this mountain? Why say it’s neither here nor there?”
“I believe in His words.”
“There’s no evidence! On the other hand, this mountain has clear evidence. It’s written in the Pentateuch, and who knows, maybe Moses’ vessel or relic is hidden somewhere on this mountain.”
“Even if that were true, what does it have to do with our worship?”
“It has everything to do with it. If it were truly a relic of Moses, wouldn’t that be something extraordinary? Wouldn’t God be pleased if we worshiped there? And if such a thing existed, many people would come.”
“Ultimately… your goal is not worshiping God but making money. You could even bring a fake relic and deceive people into thinking it’s real.”
“What did you say?”
“I didn’t say anything wrong. You’ve lied many times before.”
The man’s expression suddenly changed.
“I’ve tried to be patient, but it seems I can’t anymore. That’s why women like you are no good.”
“What are you talking about?”
“What’s wrong? Who do you think is responsible for you having had five husbands? Who in the world would like someone like you? Did I say I loved you? Wake up. You’re really ugly, aren’t you?”
The woman’s lips trembled.
“Money? Yes, I came for your money. If you didn’t have any, who would bother with someone like you? You’re always chasing after men, giving your heart to this one and that one. Ugh, you’re like a dirty prostitute.”
The man spat at her and left. The woman, left alone, began to cry. Her father’s words, which she thought she had forgotten, suddenly came back to her.
“A girl like you needs money to be loved by a man.”
She replied,
“I can be loved even without money.”
“Look at your appearance; do you think any man would want to be with you?”
“I can be loved even if I’m not beautiful.”
“Don’t even dream of love. You’re not worthy of it.”
“I… I am loved just the way I am now.”
“You’re hopeless, a worthless woman.”
In her heart, there was a deep valley of unhealable wounds, a valley filled with the blood she had shed from all the pain she had endured. The blood had dried and formed a high wall of hardened emotions. She felt a burning thirst again.
“Lord, I am thirsty.”
She continued to cry.
“Lord, I am thirsty… please save me.”
Just then, His voice was heard:
“Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again”
“I want to escape this unending thirst. I want to meet the Lord.”
“The time comes, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. For the Father seeks such to be his worshipers.”
She knelt down. It didn’t matter that this place was not a temple, nor that it was filled with painful memories. What did any of that matter? She met Him through these wounds. She met Him through this thirst.
Jesus said,
“I am he, the one who speaks to you.”
Yes, I met the One who was prophesied to come. So, my life will no longer remain like a parched land that no one can inhabit.
I remember the words of the prophet Isaiah that I heard from Jesus, who has gone.
“The wilderness and the dry land will be glad. The desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose. It will blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing. Lebanon’s glory will be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They will see Yahweh’s glory, the excellence of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Tell those who have a fearful heart, ‘Be strong. Don’t be afraid. Behold, your God will come with vengeance, God’s retribution. He will come and save you.’ Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame man will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing; for waters will break out in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water. Grass with reeds and rushes will be in the habitation of jackals where they lay. A highway will be there, a road, and it will be called The Holy Way. The unclean will not travel on it, but it will be for those who walk in the Way. Wicked fools will not go there. No lion will be there, nor will any ravenous animal go up on it. They will not be found there; but the redeemed will walk there. Then Yahweh’s ransomed ones will return, and come with singing to Zion; and everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”
She had found the holy way to the true Jerusalem, the path to salvation. At the end of this path lay eternal joy and happiness. Neither the wicked nor the ferocious beasts could tread this path. By walking on it, her life, once a desolate wilderness and desert, would transform into a place of unparalleled beauty. In her heart, a spring of water that would never run dry began to flow. She had a profound conviction of being loved in a way she had never experienced before.
“I am loved by the Lord.”
This gave her the strength to overcome any criticism she had ever heard. He did not heal the physical ailments in her body, but He healed a far more important sickness in her heart.
The passages from Genesis 29:17-18, 32-35, Isaiah 35:1-10, John 4:13-42 quoted in this narrative are taken directly from the World English Bible (WEB) translation.
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