Ever notice how women in the Bible are sometimes ascribed characteristics that are no where attributed to them in the text? Mary Magdalene was a prostitute, because that is how she is portrayed in "Jesus Christ Superstar" right? It must be for that reason, because there is no text that states that she is, or was a prostitute. In this Sunday's text, we have a meeting between a Samaritan woman and Jesus, at a well. She has become known as the "woman at the well", always announced with a change in tone of voice by many male pastors. She was an immoral woman, because Jesus sees through her and reminds her that she has had five husbands, and the man with whom she is currently residing is not her husband. Case closed..slut! Really? Does Jesus call her that? Does the text refer to her as that? The text gives us the facts. David Lose, who teaches at Luther Seminary, makes the point that, when Jesus talks about her five husbands and the current co-habitor, he does not pass judgment. Lose can take one's breath away when he states that the woman could have been abandoned by some of those husbands, as it was a common practice. The man with whom she currently resided could have been there to provide for her welfare, a household of convenience. The reason I find Lose's take on this passage so remarkable is that, after Jesus tells the woman all of these things about her personal life, he has not alienated her. Instead, she states "I see you are a prophet." Lose tells us that sometimes the word "see" is an indication of faith. So, maybe the woman at the well recognized Jesus as a prophet, one who dared to speak to a woman, a Samaritan woman, no less. In the preceding chapter, Nicodemus did not understand who Jesus was, and yet the woman at the well "got" who Jesus was, almost right away. Why? Is it a story about power and who really has access to it? Those who live on the margins are more likely to recognize the prophets among us, because they have fewer things competing for their attention. The woman runs home, forgetting her water jug, and tells her friends and neighbors about the remarkable prophet she has just met. In John's gospel, she is the first evangelist for Jesus.
So why have we not heard such an interpretation very often? Could it be because, historically, men in the church have not been great about giving women credit for their role in the establishment of the early church? Lose thanks a female friend for a discussion that engendered his thinking and commentary on the text. Sometimes, not always, but sometimes, guys just don't get it.
