Samaritan Woman: Stay Away from Me?

My Tapestry post for the week: 

Ireceived a question this week from a former student, Vernita, about theSamaritan woman, whose story John records in the fourth chapter of his Gospel.

Vernita:I'm looking for any credible historical data to support the statements I'veread in some commentaries which suggest the Samaritan woman was an outcast inher society and came to the well later in the day than most women in order toavoid the scorn of that crowd. Are you aware of any writings that specificallyand definitively state that, or would that be speculation based on what we knowabout that society?

Me:English translations tell us, "It was about noon" (Jn.4:6). The Greek says it was the sixth hour. Some take that to meanfrom midnight—that is, 6 a.m. But because John elsewhere gives the time ofJesus's death as being about the sixth hour (19:14), or noon, making itcorrespond with the time Passover lambs began to be sacrificed, it is morelikely that in the John 4:6 reference he also means noon. Butknow there is some discussion about whether it is actually noon in the firstplace. 

Nowthen, much meaning has been read into this time detail. Sure, it is possiblethe Samaritan woman was at the well alone because she was a moraloutcast. 

Butit’s also possible she was there because she was infertile and poor–thus, sheherself went instead of sending one of her children. Some of our Africanfriends have this expression: “An infertile woman sends her own thigh.” Sincethe Samaritan woman had no one else to send, she had to go herself.

Manyassume women drew water only once a day. But if we look at the developing worldtoday, women may go to haul water three times a day or even more–depending onhow much water they need and how much they can carry in one trip. So weprobably should not assume there was only one set time for most to gather.

Ourknowledge of more agrarian cultures can help us here. And based on what I’veseen in the developing world, I suspect this woman was actuallynot anadulteress or a fornicator. Rather, she had endured the loss of six husbands.Some of them may have died. And some (most) might have left her. Infertilitycould have been a key reason. Women in Samaria typically could not just up anddivorce their husbands. Especially not five of them. How would they eat if theydid that? No, it was the men who typically initiated divorce. So she hadprobably been dumped and/or bereaved of her man five times.

Thesixth time, she had to settle for a polygamous arrangement to keep fromstarving. If so, she would have been the wife who got stuck doing the workbecause she could not bear children. This scenario better fits a society wherewomen were treated as chattel (they were in first-century Samaria), and itaccounts for why a grown woman would be fetching water. It also better fits acontext in which women did not typically initiate divorce, and where women whowere infertile were often abandoned. 

Noticein Luke’s story about Elizabeth and Zechariah that when the formerly infertileElizabeth conceives, she rejoices that she no longer feels shame in thesight of the people (Luke 1:25, emphasis mine). It was “shameful”for a woman in first-century Palestine to be infertile. If the Samaritan womanwas actually avoiding other women, infertility is the more likely factor. 

If suchis the case, imagine the impact of Jesus's words: "Go call yourhusband."

"Idon't have one."

"You'reright. You've had five five, and you have to share the one you have now."Said with compassion. And concern for the grief and injustice. (Not facing herabout her sin.)

"You'rea prophet! (How else could you know all that?) We're hoping forMessiah!" 

"IAM."

Jesus,who usually talks in enigmatic statements about his identity, comes right outand tells this woman longing for Messiah that he’s the one! And suddenly thesocial hider is running to make a public announcement.

Throughthe centuries, we have tended to see sexual sin lurking in the closets of mostwomen in the Bible. Certainly Jesus saves sinners. But in light of what we knowof cultural background, especially in this case, I think we need another look.

If, indeed,Jesus was not confronting this woman about her sexual failures, but was showingempathy, what might that tell us about the wisdom of beginning our evangelismconversations with confrontations about sin?