The Woman at the well Bible story. This Christian poem is based on The Story of the Woman at the Well in John 4:7-30, 39-45. I wrote it while I was a Prison Chaplain in a Women's Prison. I would recite a poem for the women during the chapel services.
Woman at the WellShe signed as she picked up her water jar
And left her bustling town behind
The midday sun beat down on her
Sweat fell as droplets on her hand.
A group of men passed her by
She did not expect a nod or a ‘Hi’
She overheard their conversation
They talked of God, oh, religious men.
She looked up toward her destination
And saw a man sitting at the well
Weary, no doubt, from his long journey
A foreigner resting as he passed by.
In silence, she approached to draw water
In a sideways glance, she noticed his clothing
Not just a stranger but an enemy
Of racial tension and cultural law.
“Give me a drink”, gently came the words
She looked at his friendly eyes
Confused, she questioned him
“Why ask me? Our races don’t speak.”
“You don’t know the gift
God has come to give.”
He said to her in a caring voice.
“If you knew who I am
You would ask me for a drink
The water I give will quench forever
Your endless craving and thirst.”
“Sir, where will you get this special ‘water’?
The well is deep, so how will you draw?”
She paused in thought, then said proudly
“Are you greater than our ancestor?”
“He built this well many years ago
He drank from it, and generations more
Have quenched their thirst
From this sacred well.”
He did not defend or disrespect
But continued to talk about his ‘water’
He had a gift he wanted to give
And to feed her curiosity.
“Everyone who drinks water from this well
Must always come back for more
But anyone who drinks my water
Forever, their thirst will be quenched.
“The water I give will flow through you
Not just a trickle, or light spring rain
No. A roaring river full and strong.
“Does he know of a river nearby?” She thought
“In a secret location, unknown to me?”
“Give me this water that I may drink
To save me walking in the midday heat.”
“Go home,” He said, “and return with your husband.”
She paused and thought before she spoke
“But I don’t have a husband, Sir.”
“You’re right” he replied. “You’ve had five.”
Suddenly, her life is laid out and exposed
Married since 14. Divorced by the men
A common practice and easy to get
Two were accepted, but five were shunned.
Her best years lived with rejection
A social outcast on all levels
Her ethnicity, divorce and loose morals
Her craving for faithful love was never met.
Her community knew of her troubled life
The women would gather at the well
In the cooling breeze of early evening
But she came alone in the midday sun.
“Who is this man? This stranger? She thought
Had someone told him about me?
Or is he a messenger of God
Like those in the Old Testament?”
She proudly replied, “This place is holy.”
“Our forefathers worshipped God right here
Your people believe that your city is
The only place to worship and pray.”
“You don’t understand”, he replied
“For your knowledge of God is limited
My people understand, for they have been taught
But they have kept it all to themselves.”
“The time is coming and is now, here
When it won’t be about the location
For God, the Creator of all mankind
Must be worshipped in spirit and truth.”
She continued to chat with the teacher
Forgetting about protocol
“I believe one day Christ, the Messiah,
Will come to explain it all.”
“That day has come.” He gently spoke
“I am the one that you’ve been waiting for
Stop looking, my dear. Stop waiting for him
God’s gift is me, Jesus Christ.”
She stared in silence, stunned by his words
She stood in reverence before Him
The Christ, the Messiah, God’s Chosen One
The Saviour of the world...
Read the full poem on the website.
Beverley Joy © 2017 of Simply Story Poetry. All Rights Reserved.
You can read my poems at Simply Story Poetry on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram and at simplystorypoetry.com.
Thank you for listening.
