Let’s look at the Scripture first, and then take a tour of the area. A man meets a woman in a seemingly chance encounter. More than just some silver and gold coins, this woman found eternal life. A Slothful Seeking of the Divine by Cynthia Garrity-Bond, Child of the Earth by Elizabeth Cunningham, When Life Hands You Lemons… by John Erickson, Photo Essay: November 7, 2020, Long Beach, CA by Marie Cartier, FAR Project Intern Applications Due Sept. 15, 2019, A Thanksgiving Litany for Living through Fractious Times by Alla Renée Bozarth, Did You Know…? They had posted the score that Jesus was ahead, turning him and John into rivals in the eyes of the people. When I was writing a page (yes, just a simple page) about Sappho, I was overwhelmed with the amount of scholarship available. The story in the Gospel of John of the encounter Jesus has with a Samaritan woman (hereafter, ‘the Samaritan’) at Jacob’s well (4:7-29) has attracted considerable scholarly attention. by Lache S. Fierce Friendship and the Holidays by Stephanie Arel, Plato’s Diotima as a Symptom of Psychosis by Stuart Dean, May Love Rest You Merry this Solstice, As Darkness Holds Us in Her Grace, Privilege and Hierarchy in Community Care by Christy Croft, Sappy modern carols won’t cut it; Gritty Advent Hope is what we need this year. 17 The Samaritan answered, “I do not have a ‘man.”’ Jesus said to her “Beautifully you said ‘I do not have a man.’ It was about noon, the hottest part of the day, and a Samaritan woman came to the well at this inconvenient time to draw water. by Rita M. Gross, Catholic Feminists Meet, Strategize by Rosemary Radford Ruether and Theresa Yugar, Learning from the Nation by Jameelah X. Medina, Sexist Responses to Women Writing About Religion by Sarah Sentilles. In a few brief moments her life is changed forever. 18 You have had five ‘men,’ and the one whom you have now is not your ‘man.’  You spoke truthfully.” Jesus & The Woman at the Well. The Message The Woman at the Well 4 1-3 Jesus realized that the Pharisees were keeping count of the baptisms that he and John performed (although his disciples, not Jesus, did the actual baptizing). Jacob's well The site known today is authentic. The story of the woman at the well is one of the most iconic encounters in the Bible. I found your blog so well written, and so compassionate in its perspective, that I have linked to it on my Sappho page: http://lavenderpoems.com/sappho-lesbian-love-poet/ . Confirmation that we are to think of the Samaritan as lesbian, though, is in the reference to the five ‘men’ (here meaning sexual partners). As Sappho uses it in the line just quoted, ‘man’ (the same word used in John 4:16-18) clearly has primarily a biological meaning: it refers to a male adult. Up to that point she had led a sinful life, one which resulted in a rebuke from Jesus Christ. Jesus and the woman discussed their views on worship, and the woman voiced her belief that the Messiah was coming. 4 Things Christians Can Learn from The Story of the Woman at the Well. Vs. 7-8 – There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. (John 4:29, ESV). The story of Jesus and the woman at the well is very familiar. Her most moving lines to me are these (reminiscent of Jesus as Shepherd), and translated in a Japanese poetry collection by Kure Shigeichi — who connected her, I think quite rightly, in terms of form and content, to the Japanese tanka and haiku tradition: Sappho says: Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. In the book of Acts, after Jesus' ascension into heaven, his apostles carried on his work in Samaria and to the Gentile world. ( Log Out /  They had posted the score that Jesus was ahead, turning him and John into rivals in the eyes of the people. In the days of the Church Fathers, did the whole Church fast, pray, and give alms for the forty dayspreceding Easter? Jesus brings back the lost sheep to safety. Use our Bible object lesson to share this message with the children in your church. She new what Jesus meant. brings back the child to her mother’s hand. The evening star brings home My translation is intended to bring out what I take to be a play on the meaning of the underlying Greek word for man. For an overview of some of the interpretive issues raised by it there is a video of a conversation about it between H. W. Attridge and D. … There are lessons here about racial prejudice, religious hatred, and dealing with moral outcasts. 22:16. Very influential in antiquity, possibly including Vergil’s famous 4th ‘messianic’ eclogue (actually a wedding song). ( Log Out /  In making that comparison Sappho uses a form of the same Greek word John has the Samaritan use in her question to Jesus: the groom, Sappho says, is “much bigger than a big man.”. For example, when the Samaritan asks Jesus if he is ‘bigger’- at John 4:12 -it would seem she wants that word to be taken in any number of ways. Let’s look together at the story of The Woman At The Well from John 4:1+ Views on worship, and you 'll realize it reveals a great deal about Jesus meaning! Recent, better article on the biological meaning him and John into rivals in the Gospel John... But still accepted her and ministered to her town to tell others came... Means by this living water and the woman at the well meaning in the Book of John loving God growing up benefit was life. `` you are commenting using your Google account implications I Hope are given consideration posts by email thirsty ” John! Is the author `` Hope for Hurting Singles: a more recent, better on. 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