This week, we turn to John chapter 4, where Jesus has a famous encounter with a Samaritan woman. The conversation is full of insight and layered meaning—but one of the most remarkable things is that it happened at all. Who exactly was this Samaritan woman, and why was it so scandalous for Jesus to speak with her? What did she understand that the disciples missed? And was she really the morally suspect figure that church history has made her out to be?