Daily Dose of Hope

October 8, 2025

Scripture – John 4:1-42

Prayer: Holy God, You are the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the one who was and is and is to come. We love you and give you praise. We rejoice in your powerful name. Thank you for how you call each of us. Thank you for how you provide for us and equip us with everything we need. You don't need to use us but you do; you allow us to be part of your work in this world. Thank you, Lord. Help us to see the blessing of serving you. We pray this in your name, Amen.

Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional/podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida. We are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts which will last through the end of 2025. Today, we begin John 4.

This is the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. Many of you are familiar with this passage and it is an extraordinary one. Let's try to look at it with fresh eyes. There are some really fascinating aspects to this narrative:

· Jesus did not have to go through Samaria; he chose to. He was making a statement here. As we have mentioned before, the Jews and Samaritans hated one another. Usually, Jews went the long way around Samaria so they didn't have to be contaminated by the people who they called dogs and half-breeds. Remember, the region of Samaria was once the Northern Kingdom. They set up their own capital and their own temple. After the Assyrians conquered them, many people moved out and others moved in. Thus, the people who lived there during Jesus' day were a mix of cultures and nationalities.

· Jesus initiates a conversation with the woman at the well. Jews and Samaritans didn't have conversations. Honestly, men and women didn't have conversations. So many things about this situation were taboo. But Jesus doesn't care about social conventions, he cares about individual people.

· The woman was at the well in the middle of the day. That tells us that she was trying to avoid others. It was really, really hot at that time of day. Most women would have drawn water in the cool of the morning. This woman was avoiding the town women because she was probably the focus of their gossip. She had been married many times and she was, at the time, living with a man who wasn't her husband.

· We don't know much about this woman, but my guess is that she had a life filled with hardship and trauma. Jesus knew that. He saw her needs and her struggles and he offered her living water. She was open and receptive.

· This woman turns out to be one of the best evangelists in the New Testament. She goes and tells the townspeople about this man who knew everything about her life. Remember, these are the people who don't like her but she is boldly sharing about Jesus anyway. Thus, many of the Samaritans believed and became committed to following Jesus.

· Jesus is in the business of changing lives and whole communities. And he uses all of us. Our past does not matter to Jesus, only our hearts and desire to change.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki