A judged woman?
Most commentaries make judgments about this woman. She was 'illiterate because women were not educated'; she was 'living an immoral life'; she was 'publicly despised and ostracised'. But are these judgments fair? She was probably non-literate but John records an intelligent discussion about the history and theology of Jewish and Samaritan worship. Was she despised and ostracised? All that we know is that she came to the well on her own at midday. Even if she acted that day outside usual custom, it tells us nothing about her status in her home town, only that, in God's plans for Samaria, she was in the right place at the right time.
Do we presume she was despised because of her 'immoral' life? There is nothing in the passage that suggests this. She dropped her jar and went back to her town; the people listened, accepted what she said and went back with her to Jesus. Many believed in him because of her testimony. That hardly suggests a despised and ostracised woman.
But what can we say about her five husbands, etc.? In fairness, we know nothing about the reasons for this situation. All we do know is that the laws of marriage and divorce were about male choices and male decisions. Her husbands may have died; she may have been 'inherited' by male relatives; she may have been barren and therefore divorced. As a husbandless widow she may have found refuge in someone's household, as a servant. Jesus may be voicing sympathy with a victim rather than gentle reproof to a loose woman.
Whatever we may want to assume about her, Jesus saw her as the one chosen by him to take the gospel into Samaria. 'The reaper', he said, 'is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life' (4:36). Did he say this as he watched her hurrying eagerly back to tell her neighbours? I hope she was still there when Philip and then Peter and John came to take up the work she had begun (Acts 8).
It is so easy sometimes to jump to conclusions about someone, or to accept others' assessments without question. Jesus said, 'Do not judge, so that you may not be judged'.
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