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Water Wisdom
 Water, we cannot live without it. The world is beginning to have a water shortage. We have abused its elements be they in the oceans and seas, or in a well deep into the bowels of the earth or in your kitchen sink. We waste it. We abuse it. We fill giant swimming pools with it. We mix it with chemicals and filth. We use it to give life to gardens and trees. Yet, still we are shocked that so many in this world have no access to water, not just for drinking and cooking, but for cleaning and giving life to animals, fields, trees, vegetable and fruits. Water is probably the most important “thing” on earth. Without it we cannot put out fires. Without it we can not stay healthy, nor bathe nor flush away feces. Without it we cannot clean clothes and floors and dirty potatoes just pulled out of the soil. There are too many of us on this earth now to take care of what water that is available.
Ironically, my home town of Memphis is said to have the best and safest water in the United States. Most of my life we had a couple of wells on the farm. But of course as subdivisions crawled across like monster insects, the water level lowered and lowered until it was no more and we had to move to city water - which cost. Water does recycle itself in some ways. Like the water which Jesus used for baptized in the River Jordan still flows where he did that. Water, where salmon jump up stream, is still there if it hasn’t been made poisonous by man’s discharges, and disposal of chemicals and medicines and dangerous things in to it. The fish and animals have no way of judging water. We do. And we civilized folk are the ones who abuse it the most. Of course, we use water to wash hands, especially today with the creepy crawly illnesses that disturb our nations or not, and we add drops of water to the wine at the Eucharist.
John 4:5-42 is about a simple well of water 2000 years ago in the land belonging to the Samaritans, who were antagonized by Jews who weren’t in their heritage, who was who being based on original tribal loyalty. Think that that same water recycles - where else can it go? Does it get drawn up to the sky? No, it falls from the sky to restock or add to the water that is trying to stay alive below, if you can say that.
But in the days of our Jesus, there were no bathrooms or washing machines or bottles of water in convenient plastic bottles which we can drink out of and then toss when empty into a garbage can or dump anywhere we should not throw it on the earth.
Here in this wonderful encounter today - I must say it is my favorite story of Jesus on earth - Jesus shows not only his genius, his sensitivity, his ability to know God’s children, but he shows a kindness and a respect for a woman, a Samaritan even, who had to go to a well every day to get water for her family or maybe to sell for food - carrying it away in a jar or jug (not a bucket like we use today).
Women were the ones who drew water for their men, families, needs. It was a woman’s task. And at this moment in Jesus’ walk to the cross, the woman came quietly to the well when no one was there, because, it seems, she was embarrassed about her life of many spouses, and wanted to get in and out before anyone would appear and maybe insult or curse her. And yet, here is this man of the moment, whom she doesn’t really know, who asks her for a cup of water, so to speak. It shocked her. It must be a mistake. She thought she had chosen a time when no one else was around. And by bravely coming off-hours to the well, she encounters someone who completely changes her life.
The sort of tit and tat kind of conversation she has with the son of Almighty God,- he, unknown by her- draws her into a sort of confession and diary of her life, sins, problems. She had thought she was drawing water at a time when the well was not surrounded by other water-gatherers, and so she was shocked to see a single man sitting there and even asking her to give him a drink. The woman is curious but proper and probably a bit nervous that she found someone there when she was trying to get in and out before the normal water-drawing folk returned to re-stock for the night meal. First, she was the enemy, so to speak, being a Samaritan, but one who believed in the Messiah to come. Samaritans’s faith was based on the Samaritan Pentateuch, so called true religion of ancient Israelites from before the Babylonian captivity, preserved by those who remained in the land of Israel, as opposed to Judaism , they occupied the area that is Iraq today. And- they call themselves guardians watchers, keeper of the Torah. Even the Levites have contact with them, although they split with the Judeans. Their major issue, still today, is where to worship God - Temple Mount of Moriah of Jerusalem, according to Judaism, or Mount Gerizim according to Samaritanism.
There is a lot of symbolism in the conversation Jesus shares with the woman. He seems to be speaking in poetic language that didn’t make sense to the woman, who was surely middle aged since she had passed through a number of husbands, which Jesus knew right off. Immediately Jesus talks in a strange level about living water. What did that mean especially to her? Living water? Well, quick thought, water does always move and never ends, it doesn’t fade out though it can dry up with lack of re-stocking it. Now they water sources and enormous falls are dried up because of climate and man’s abuse of water. Without water below, water above doesn’t get pulled down from the heavens, it seems. But Jesus is talking about something else. Baptismal water. Holy water. Water we put into the wine at our catholic Eucharist to remind us of the blood and water that came out of Jesus’s heart when he was pierced with a spear.
Regular water, like that we drink daily and with which we nourish our cattle, sheep, horses, and loose upon our crops, needs to be restocked continually forever. If it is cut off or slim pick’ins, then there is painful thirst for everyone and beast. If there is no water, as is the situations in poor countries of Africa and South America, and surely other parts of the world, there is no life. We cannot live without H20 one way or the other. But Jesus takes it further - he calls it Living water. I think he is talking about the Spirit of the Lord, the baptismal water that connects us with God, so we all become his children, and God loves us.
The woman at the well immediately wants to know about this sacred water that never ends - primarily because she is tired of having to come to the well to gather water. Then oddly he brings up her spouse - we might say her spouses. She must have gasped but when Jesus told her he knew she had five husbands and the current one, apparently, she was not married to. But then he sort of tosses that issue aside as not important. And he begins to preach to her about worship - how to be a true worshiper of God the Father.
She confessed she knew that the Messiah is coming. So she had already a magnificent faith. Then Jesus told her “I am HE” and you can imagine that blew her mind out because she was a simple peasant woman with a vivid past. Instantly she believed. It didn’t matter what the books and priests had said or what religion touted. Here HE was right in front of her talking about water. OF course when the disciples returned, they were horrified that he was even chatting with a Samaritan woman, of all things.
Meanwhile she left her water jug and dashed to the nearest town to spread the word. Then Jesus preaches to his disciples in his rather covert way - about food and water and harvesting. The fields are ripe for harvesting he said and this woman, this Samaritan woman, was one of the fruits of His labor. Many Samaritans in the nearby city, because of this woman, believed Jesus was the Messiah. She convinced them with her amazement that he knew everything about her and what she had done in her life. By sharing her experience, she brought new converts to Jesus ’s side, and He even stayed with them - I take it was a group of Samaritans - a couple of days to share his love and message. Yes it was that well woman who opened these doors with great heart. Those present, then, declared, surely with joy, “You Jesus are the truly the savior of this world.” And it all was because of water and a woman at a well.
~ Rev
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audrey@audreytaylorgonzalez.com
www.audreytaylorgonzalez.com
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