How do you identify?
In his book To Change the World, James D. Hunter attempts to shift the way Christians perceive culture and cultural change. He explains that in the common view, culture is created when values found in the hearts or minds of individuals are ultimately manifested in the decisions we make regarding how we spend our time, work, play, marry, raise our children, and worship.[1] He believes that this perspective fails by using the United States as a prime example. Even though less than 15 percent of the population considers itself secularist, America is extremely secular despite its overwhelming Christian population.[2] His point: “If culture were simply a matter of hearts and minds, then the influence of various minorities—whoever they are and whatever they may be—would be relatively insignificant.”[3]
A fundamental problem that the author seeks to address is the Christian bend towards the political. By turning to politics to define issues, politics subsumes the public and, in the end, links identity—the very essence of who we are—with (political or social) ideology, a partial representation of what we believe in. Why is this problematic? Because society demonstrates that we have a human tendency to force one’s will on others through legal and political means because this is inevitably the easier path.[4] Thus, this concept of culture should pose challenges to the Christian because it neglects the biblical mandate to engage with those who are strangers to us—including those of different faiths—by forcing ideology instead of showing personal interest as did Christ.
Jesus bypasses culture, politics, religious prejudice, and ethnic taboos revealing His identity as the Messiah of all humankind. His message is greater than politics, race, and culture.
The Samaritans
The problems that existed between Jews and Samaritans were the result of an identity fixed in politics, religion, and ethnicity. For the sake of political stability, Assyrians scattered their captives throughout the empire, interracially mingling them to dilute resistance against the empire. Samaritans were the product of Jewish lineage mingled with other nations for the sake of political strength. With no choice in the matter, Samaritans had their identity defined by politics.
The authors of the quarterly note that because the Samaritans had Jewish connections, they also practiced their own form of Judaism.[5] The religion of the Samaritans was not accepted as true religion. This is evident in how Jesus responds to the woman at the well when addressing the topic of worship (John 4: 22). In addition to having their identity defined by politics, the Samaritans had an identity defined by their religious practices.
Finally, the Samaritans were defined by their ethnic identity. They were viewed as inferior, second-class citizens because of their biracial identity. Their blood was considered mixed and impure. Their very nature prevented them from ever achieving the status of purebreds.
These three characteristics of the Samaritans were not just part of who they were; they were seen as the essence of who they were. And these became the cultural foundation for why Samaritans and Jews could not get along. Ellen White states that the bitterness between them was so great that Jews would rather suffer financial loss than borrow money from Samaritans; they would rather starve than receive food and thirst than receive a drink. Only the conducting of necessary business was acceptable.[6] In speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus bypasses culture, politics, religious prejudice, and ethnic taboos. He does not allow these identities to prevent Him from revealing His identity as the Messiah of all humankind. His message is greater than politics, race, and culture.
The power of an act: “Give me a drink”
Water was considered a gift from God. It is interesting that God uses the interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well as an object lesson. Several points emerge for those seeking this special gift.
Christ’s act of asking for a simple favor disrupted the future of an entire people group. In His simple act of asking for a drink, He revealed the true nature of His power. Notice how this act of God makes the woman forget the business of her day. She forgets to grant Christ’s request. And she even forgets her waterpot. In fact, she went to the well to draw water and left the well on a completely different errand.
This is the power of a simple act of God. The proclamation of the Gospel to the Samaritans through the efforts of this woman was sparked by Christ’s simple act. Christ has a way of making people forget everything that doesn’t matter. Suddenly, the reason why the woman is at the well at a strange time, the embarrassing intimate details of her life, and the cultural taboo of speaking to a Jewish man are of no significant consequence. She forgets that her past life has disqualified her, in the eyes of society, to be a missionary. She is not bound by social constructions; she has been liberated and has thus become an agency of freedom for those she encounters. Why? Because of a simple act of Christ.
Think of the work that could be done in advancing God’s kingdom if we would allow Him to perform His simple acts in our lives instead of waiting for something grand.
Because we don’t know who Christ is, we are satisfied with temporal water while in the presence of living water—we settle for the gifts while in the very presence of the gift Giver.
A lack of knowledge: “If you knew the gift of God”
In essence, Jesus is telling the Samaritan woman at the well that her ignorance of His identity is the cause of her actions. Her questions about Christ’s inability to draw water, her perception of His status, her value of Jacob’s well, and the very reason why she is drawing water at that time are actions that stem from her ignorance of the Man that is before her. Likewise, because we don’t know how Christ is, we act the way we do. Because we don’t know who Christ is, we are satisfied with temporal water while in the presence of living water—we settle for the gifts while in the very presence of the gift Giver. Ignorant of Christ’s identity, we fail to receive what He’s willing to give.
My well is better than your well: “You are not greater…are you?”
The woman at the well “cherished the feeling, which is so natural, that no other well could be equal to that provided by her fathers.”[7] Because she did not understand who Christ was, she was drawn to the honor of Jacob instead. She was drawn to the honor that Jacob bestowed on her people by gifting them the well and drinking from it himself. Because she did not understand the gift of God, she was satisfied with the gifts of her identity—momentary, feeble, and falling short of bringing genuine satisfaction. She was willing to settle for a false sense of security. What a valuable lesson for us today! We can only look in one direction. Distractions, in any form, will always prevent us from seeing the Messiah. If we look back at our personal heritage, to right- or left-wing political parties, or to the establishment of an earthly utopia, we will fail to look up; we will be satisfied with the honor of our wells in the presence of the water of life.
The quality of water: “Whoever drinks of the water I give…”
It is easy to mistake Christ’s offer to give everlasting water. Jesus is not saying that one drink of His water is all that is necessary to be satisfied. Instead, He is comparing the quality of the sources of water. Jacob’s well, however deep, full, abundant, and stable it might seem to be, is still a temporary source of water. The difference between that well and Christ’s offer is that His source is eternal—it can never be exhausted. We can come to the Source of living water repeatedly and never be disappointed. When water is limited, it must be carefully conserved.
Distractions, in any form, will always prevent us from seeing the Messiah. If we look back at our personal heritage, to right or left-wing political parties, or to the establishment of an earthly utopia, we will fail to look up; we will be satisfied with the honor of our wells in the presence of the water of life.
In many cases, it is only used out of absolute necessity such as drinking instead of washing, etc. This is not the case with the water of life. It can be applied to every aspect of life—we can drink it, we can wash with it, we can share it, we can pour it out in abundance with one clear certainty—it will never cease to satisfy, for it is inexhaustible.
Conclusion
Culture seeks to politicize our identity. Sadly, many Christians have become the sum of their ideological beliefs. We define ourselves and others by cultural, racial, and political lenses that, in the past, only partially represented who we were as peoples, nations, and individuals. In John 4, Jesus exposes the problems caused by these social constructions and offers a better way. The Source of living water says: Focus on Me only, and you will be thoroughly satisfied.
[1] James Davison Hunter, To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010), 6.
[2] Ibid., 19.
[3] Ibid., 21.
[4] Ibid., 107.
[5] Edward Zinke and Thomas Shepherd, Themes in the Gospel of John, Adult Sabbath School, Fourth Quarter (Pacific Press, 2024), 97.
[6] Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages: The Conflict of the Ages Illustrated in the Life of Christ (Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press, 2005), 183-195.
[7] Ibid., 184.