As we conclude our journey through the Book of Genesis and transition into the Lenten season, we take a moment to reflect on an often-overlooked yet deeply significant theme in Scripture: the role of women at the well and how their stories point us to the ultimate Bride of Christ—the Church.
Gray Characters in God’s Story
The women of Genesis are not mere background figures; they are central to God’s unfolding plan. Yet, their stories are complex, filled with faithfulness and failure, trust and doubt, obedience and rebellion. They are what we might call gray characters—neither entirely righteous nor entirely wicked. And in them, we see reflections of ourselves.
- Eve, the mother of all living, was the means by which humanity would multiply and fill the earth—yet she was also the first to fall into temptation.
- Sarah, the bearer of the promised child, laughed at God’s promise before ultimately seeing it fulfilled.
- Hagar, the marginalized Egyptian servant, was abandoned and desperate—yet God saw her and provided for her in the wilderness.
- Rebekah, noble and faithful, later manipulated the birthright situation between her sons.
- Rachel and Leah, caught in a rivalry, still became the mothers of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Each of these women played a vital role in God’s redemptive story, despite their flaws. And through them, we see that God works in and through broken people to accomplish His purposes.
The Women at the Well: A Biblical Pattern
One striking theme that emerges in Genesis and beyond is the woman at the well motif. In the ancient world, wells were meeting places, sources of life, and often places where divine encounters occurred. In Scripture, we see this pattern four times:
- Rebekah and Isaac (Genesis 24) – Abraham’s servant meets Rebekah at the well, and through God’s providence, she becomes Isaac’s wife, ensuring the continuation of the covenant.
- Rachel and Jacob (Genesis 29) – Jacob meets Rachel at a well, and their love story begins.
- Zipporah and Moses (Exodus 2:15-21) – Moses, a foreigner, meets Zipporah at a well and is welcomed into her family.
- The Samaritan Woman and Jesus (John 4) – Jesus, the ultimate foreigner in Samaria, meets a woman at a well and offers her living water.
Each of these encounters follows a similar structure:
- A foreign man arrives at a well.
- He meets a woman and asks for water.
- The woman returns home to share what has happened.
- A relationship is formed.
This recurring pattern foreshadows something greater: Jesus, the Bridegroom, coming to claim His Bride—the Church.
Jesus and the Samaritan Woman: The True Bridegroom
The Gospel of John tells the story of Jesus meeting a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well (John 4). The encounter echoes the earlier well narratives, but this time, something profound happens:
- Instead of asking for water and receiving it, Jesus offers living water.
- Instead of meeting a noble, righteous woman, Jesus meets a broken, outcast woman.
- Instead of forming a marriage, Jesus calls her into a new kind of relationship—a restored relationship with God.
This moment is deeply symbolic. The Samaritan woman, who had five husbands and was living with a man who was not her husband, represents the brokenness of humanity—yet she becomes the first evangelist in John’s Gospel. She goes back to her town and declares, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” (John 4:29).
And they believe her.
Not because of her reputation.
Not because she was eloquent.
But because the Holy Spirit was at work.
The Church: The True Bride of Christ
The reason Scripture so often depicts the church as a woman—the Bride of Christ—is because the church’s primary calling is to multiply. Just as Eve was the mother of all the living, and just as the women at the well were called into a greater purpose, so too is the Church.
Our mission is clear:
- To offer living water to a thirsty world.
- To bring new life through evangelism and discipleship.
- To proclaim the message of Christ, not based on our own worthiness, but by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The last words of Jesus before His ascension were not, Be a good moral person. They were:
“Go and make disciples.” (Matthew 28:19)
The Samaritan woman models this for us. She wasn’t perfect. She wasn’t influential. But she encountered Jesus and couldn’t keep the news to herself.
Our Call to Multiply
In many ways, the church today is at a crossroads. In a culture where Christianity is often assumed but not always lived out, we must ask ourselves:
- Are we actively sharing the living water of Christ?
- Are we willing to break past barriers like Jesus did in Samaria?
- Are we embracing our role as the Bride of Christ, bringing new life into the world through evangelism?
Mississippi, like many places, is filled with churches. But the true measure of the church’s success isn’t how many people attend on Sunday—it’s how many new lives are being transformed by the Gospel.
If the church is to be the Bride of Christ, then we must be a mother of the living—giving birth to new believers, nurturing them in faith, and pointing them to Jesus, the true Bridegroom.
Conclusion: Will You Share the Water?
Jesus’ words to the Samaritan woman still echo today:
“Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.” (John 4:14)
The world is thirsty. Our job as the church—the Bride of Christ—is to offer that water freely.
Will you join in this mission? Will you, like the women at the well, go and tell others what you have found?
The Bridegroom is waiting. Let’s bring others to the well.
