Eternal Well

John 4:7-14 describes the relationship that starts between Jesus and the woman at the well or the Samaritan Woman when Jesus asks her for a drink of water. In the time of Jesus, there were social and religious customs that made even common conversation between men and women or Samaritans and Jews taboo.

These restrictions were validated by religious beliefs through the clean/unclean system, and upheld by political power through laws. When Jesus dared to speak to the Samaritan Woman and she dared to respond, they entered into a relationship that challenged these widely accepted taboos.

The attitudes that separated Jews and Samaritans and men and women in the past are similar to some of the attitudes we have about HIV/AIDS today. Our attitudes separate the have from the have not: those who have HIV/AIDS from those who have not. This helps to make discussing HIV beyond an impersonal 101 workshop taboo in many communities.


How many times do we wonder about the status of someone we know and care about, but decide not to express our concern, because 'you don't talk about the virus'? Each time we do this, we miss an opportunity to challenge a life-threatening taboo. The result is HIV continues to spread in our silence.Where in our close relationships do we honor the taboos of our day, and abandon the people in our lives who are living with HIV or AIDS because we 'don't want people to think we are positive'?

Often, we fail to follow the example of Jesus and the Samaritan Woman. We fail to challenge the current attitudes that separate us from one another. In so doing, we fail to build relationships that are based on giving and receiving the eternal water of the Spirit.

When we fail to challenge, we lose the chance to connect with one another. When we do not connect, we miss an opportunity to give and receive. When we do not give or accept, we fail to build intimate, life-giving relationships that are grounded in honesty, trust, and respect.How many times do we miss our opportunity to challenge?

How many times do we wonder about the status of someone we know and care about, but decide not to express our concern, because 'you don't talk about the virus'? Each time we do this, we miss an opportunity to challenge a life-threatening taboo. The result is HIV continues to spread in our silence.Where in our close relationships do we honor the taboos of our day, and abandon the people in our lives who are living with HIV or AIDS because we 'don't want people to think we are positive'?

Jesus calls us to do more than stand up and keep our homes and loved ones protected. Jesus calls us to break the barriers that separate us and reach out to one another so that God's gift of eternal life can be given and received on earth. When Jesus recognized and spoke to the humanity in the Samaritan Woman and she responded likewise, they both demonstrated how to be in relationship with one another in times of oppression, war, crime, and, yes, even illness.

God Is With Us,
Rev. Deborah Lake