Jesus is in Samaria at a well when he asks a woman for a drink. What seems on the surface like a simple request for hospitality unfolds into a veritable proposal of love. Surveying the Old Testament instances of a man and a woman at a well uncovers the nuptial overtones of our Gospel and a look at the story of Jacob and Rachel’s first meeting displays a manly strength that Jesus Himself will show upon the cross. Finally, we’ll employ our first reading for a telling connection with the Eucharist, one which reminds us of the intense love of God and the intense longing with which He desires that we love Him back.

In this episode discover:

- The three patriarchs whose wives were found at wells

- The significance of the woman’s midday visit to the well and the probable reason for it

- The five peoples that intermarried with the Samaritans and the parallels they hold with the woman’s five husbands

- The practice of Jewish divorce in the 1st Century and why it likely means that the woman was left (vs. doing the leaving)

- The Eucharistic allusions present in our readings and their nuptial overtones