March 8, 2026, First Lutheran Church of Throggs Neck, Bronx. N.Y.
John 4:5-42
John’s gospel introduces us to two people who are not mentioned in the other three gospels. And they are two very different people.
One is Nicodemus, a Pharisee, a rich man of high status who was intrigued by Jesus but was afraid to be seen with him. He came to Jesus in the still of the night.
The other is a Samaritan woman who encountered Jesus in the heat of the day at what is traditionally known as Jacob’s Well. John does not reveal her name but the Orthodox church has dubbed her Photiní, “the luminous one.”
The Samaritan woman is obviously not a woman of means. Many have read this passage in John and concluded she was a pariah both in her own community and among Samaritan-disdaining Jews.
She has been married five times. She has come to the well in the sweltering noon time when no one else is around, suggesting she is shunned by her neighbors because of her marital infidelity.
But are we jumping to confusions about this poor woman?
If you read this passage in our trusty Lutheran Study Bible, you’ll find a clarifying footnote.
“While we tend to think that Jesus is questioning the woman’s morals, her marital history is not the point and most likely not her fault.” A woman of her time would have little control over the men who desire her and she may have been passed around from man to man.
Professor Laura Holmes of Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., also cautions against judging the woman too hastily.
“While some wealthy women in Rome may have had the legal authority to divorce their husbands,” she points out, “this was only possible with the permission of their fathers … and would not have been likely or possible for a poorer woman in the province of Samaria. Therefore, she most likely had five husbands due to tragedies, either death or being divorced or both.”
“The reason Jesus asks her about her husband,” the commentary notes, “is to get her to another level of understanding, because she then sees Jesus as a prophet.”
It quickly becomes apparent that Jesus’ encounter with the woman is no accident. He and his disciples are walking from Judea to Galilee and it’s necessary to pass through Samaria on the way. But when Jesus pauses to talk to a woman at Jacob’s Wel, we know his reason for passing through Samaria was not merely a geographic convenience.
“Give me a drink,” he tells the woman, not one to beat around the bush.
The woman is astonished. It is certainly not done for a man to approach a woman he doesn’t know, especially a Jewish man and a Samarian woman.
But Jesus does have her attention. Like Nicodemus before, she takes Jesus’ words literally. When Jesus tells Nicodemus, “You must be born again,” Nicodemus asks, “How can this be?” When Jesus tells the woman she might ask him about “living water,” she responds, “Sir, you have no bucket and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?”
She may have been confused because the Greek word for “living” water also means “running” water—in other words, water from a river or stream, rather than well-water.
“Since a well can be poisoned or tainted, running water was understood to be safer and more valuable,” writes Professor Holmes. “But even with this misunderstanding, she still wants what this running (living) water does: It will forever quench her thirst, and that is what she desires.”
But as she continues her conversation with Jesus, especially when he shows he knows how many husbands she has had, it becomes clear to her that this is no ordinary man.
“The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming …When he comes he will proclaim all things to us.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am he, the one who is speaking to you.’” (Jn. 4:25-26)
That sounds very matter-of-fact in English. But the woman must have been astonished by his declaration. There is no “he” in the Greek John is using to interpret Jesus’ Aramaic words. What the woman heard was “I Am,” the name of God that was revealed to Moses at the burning bush. Later in his narrative, when skeptical Jews in the Synagogue questioned who he is, Jesus responds, “Before Abraham was, I am.” (Jn 8:58) Jesus’ words were explosive and dangerous, a declaration that he and God are one. If this were not true, he would be speaking blasphemy, and the men in the temple attempted to stone him.
Indeed, the Samarian woman seems skeptical about Jesus’ declaration. But at that point Jesus’ disciples, who had been out buying food, returned and couldn’t hide their astonishment that Jesus was talking to a mere Samarian woman.
“What do you want,” they demanded. “Why are you speaking to her?” (Jn 4:27)
That must have been an awkward moment for the woman, suddenly confronted by a dozen surly men. She decided this would be a good time to leave. She left her water jar by the well and hurried back to the city.
She still had questions, but she was eager to share her experience with people in the city.
“Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” (Jn 4:29)
As further evidence that the Samaritan woman was not shunned by her neighbors, the people were persuaded by her hesitant witness.t
John reports what happened:
Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.” (Jn 4:39-42)
At this point the Samaritan woman disappears from the Gospels. In order to get some idea what happened (or might have happened) to her, we must turn to the traditions of our Orthodox siblings.
Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine tradition identifies her as Saint Photiní (also spelled Photina or Photine), which translates to "the luminous one". In Russian Orthodoxy she is called Svetlana, which also means bright.
She is revered as a martyr and "Equal-to-the-Apostles" for her role in spreading the Gospel. According to tradition, she was baptized, became a great evangelist, and was eventually martyred in Rome under Nero.
"Photiní" comes from the Greek word for light, signifying her role in bringing the light of Christ to others. Tradition indicates she had five sisters and two sons (Photinos and Joseph), who were also martyred.
We Lutherans do not honor her as a saint.
But we can honor her because, even before she fully understood, even while she was asking if he could be the Messiah, she chose to tell others about her encounter with Jesus. The persons she told were moved to seek their own encounters with Jesus. And as a result of the witness of the woman at the well, they believed.
At times we, too, wonder if our faith and understanding is strong enough to share it with others.
When we hesitate to speak, the woman at the well – Photiní if you will – shines a much needed light on our path.
Amen.
