(adapted from monologues written in 1992 as sermon illustrations)
The Samaritan Woman
She stands in the doorway and looks at you for a few seconds, perhaps trying to decide if you are “safe” to talk to. Then humorously, she says, “I guess if I had a theme song, it would be,” she pauses, making air quotes, ‘Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places.’ It’s been the story of my life. I really bought into that ‘Happily Ever After’ stuff.
“Funny though,” she muses, “how it never seemed to work for me. Five husbands, and I’ve lost count of how many boyfriends. Oh, sure, “she hastens to add, “at first everything was wonderful, all rainbows and roses. But then each time, little by little, I could see the magic fail, the dreams disappear. And then,” she sighs, “then it was over.”
Her head comes up and she looks into the distance, pride in her eyes. “So I’d pick myself up and try again. But,” shaking her head, ” something was always missing.”
She laughs cynically. “And never mind marriages. It’s getting harder and harder even to have friendships in this village. The women look at me funny, as though they think I’m after their men. Ha! The one I have isn’t all that great, but theirs are certainly no better!”
A puzzled and hurt expression crosses her face. “But the men somehow seem to be afraid of me, too.” Again she sighs.
Then, she straightens her spine and throws back her head, “Well, I’m not going to rock the boat. If they don’t want me around, I’ll just stay out of everyone’s way. It’s no big deal.”
She pauses again. “I guess I’m just not very lucky. But I keep looking. I know that someday I will meet that special man, although,” with a grimace, “where I’m going to find him in this village I’ll never know. He’ll be someone who will understand me, who will know all about me yet love me anyway. He will fulfill my needs and make me complete as a person. And he will always be ‘there’ for me.”
She picks up her water jar to walk to the village well, pauses and turns back to you with one last remark. “And then at last I’ll surprise everyone and really live ‘Happily ever after.’ “
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For the rest of her story, read John 4:4-30 in your own Bible or at Bible Gateway: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+4%3A+4-30&version=NLT
I think the Samaritan has been characterized as a tramp. There is noevidencethat she was . She was married many times, we don’t know why. Women didn’t have the right to divorce, She could have been dumped or widowed 5 times. So most stories told about her are based on this lore. The purpose of Jesus teilling her her life was so she would believe He was the Messiah and tell others this eyewitness account. But I’m sure she was amazed at who she met at the well.