The Setup

A Samaritan woman came to draw water. . . — John 4:7 This month, we’ll get to know a surprising woman whom Jesus befriended. John 4:7 begins to describe a situation that was not what this woman would have wanted.To begin with . . . it would have been hot at “about noon.”For a dozen years my family lived in northern California, which has a Mediterranean climate. There is usually a 30-degree swing in temperature every day. In the morning it is usually cool, but later in the day it will be taking-pizza-from- the-oven hot. Then in the evening it will cool back down. People adapt their schedules to this pattern.Now, if you were going to haul a water jug the size of a child all the way out to the public well to fill it and haul it back, when would you do that? Probably not at noon.This isn’t just a detail about the time of day. It speaks to how this woman saw herself in her village. She was keeping her distance. And you don’t do that if people like you.This Samaritan woman had learned to hide. At least until Jesus found her. In the end, her isolation turned out to be a gift, drawing her close enough to the Savior to be found. We’ll focus more on that later.Are you facing unpleasant circumstances lately? Can you picture how Christ might be meeting you in that situation? Ask him for help; he is near. Lord, meet us even in the places where we might least expect you. Use even uncomfortable circumstances to draw us close and to reveal your grace to us. Amen.