If you are a Christian, you’re probably familiar with the story often referred to as “The Woman at the Well”, from John 4 in the Bible. The problem with familiar stories like the woman of Samaria is that they become familiar. After hearing the story preached on multiple Sundays throughout our lives, we often forget the relevance these Bible stories hold in our lives today.
At Save the Storks, we’re taking a deeper look into this Bible story and how the life-affirming movement is a vessel to be like Jesus in this story, seeking out the woman isolated from society to bring her God’s truth.
The Story of the Woman at the Well
If you aren’t familiar with the woman’s story at the well, here’s a brief refresher: Jesus stopped at Jacob’s well in Samaria while traveling from Judea to Galilee. There, He encountered a Samaritan woman drawing water. Despite cultural norms, Jesus asked her for a drink, then offered her “living water.” When she agreed, He revealed that He knew about her troubled past and told her that He was the long-awaited Messiah. Filled with awe, the woman returned to town to share what she had learned with everyone she knew.
Going After the “One” Society Ignores
In the story, Jesus waits at the well in a region where Jews typically avoided interactions with Samaritans. The hatred between Jews and Samaritans cannot be underemphasized. It went back for generations. Jews consider the Samaritans to be outsiders. They were prohibited from worshipping in Jewish Temples because they were considered unclean. It’s not unlike the hatred we see between movements in America today.
Like Jesus, we seek out the woman that culture, society, and even some churches reject.
The Modern Well
Where would Jesus share hope in modern times? Gen Z spends an average of 6 hours and 27 minutes on their phone daily. This is our well.
The Samaritan woman came to the well alone in the heat of the day, revealing that she was isolated from her community. Unfortunately, many teen girls and women facing unplanned pregnancies are similarly isolated. Just as Jesus met a woman stuck in her routine and hiding for shame, we will meet teens and women at their phone screens. Did you know telehealth abortions (meaning an abortion pill ordered through an online consultation) account for 20% of all abortions? The abortion industry spends tens of millions of dollars each year marketing the abortion pill to young women with keywords and digital advertising campaigns. The horrific result: 70% of all abortions are now chemical, where teens and women order the pills online or pick them up at their local abortion clinic.
Unlike the quiet of a well in nature, media has many forces competing for attention. So, we need creativity and strategic thinking to captivate our audience in a world of distractions. Save the Storks reaches potentially hundreds of thousands of women on our social accounts and through our 24/7 digital platform.
In the Story at the Well, Jesus Came to Her
In the story of the Woman at the Well, Jesus traveled to her. He passed cultural and geographical boundaries to reach the woman in need. Similarly, our mobile medical clinics bring abundant hope and life to women nationwide. This online support and mobility allow us to meet women where they are in their most significant needs—at those critical decision-making moments when the abortion industry targets them.
Speaking the Truth in Love
Jesus did not call out her past to condemn her but to reveal Himself to her. Throughout the Bible, Jesus shows His love and respect for women, which stood out at a time when they received little recognition or respect. Whether it was pardoning the adulteress woman from stoning or praising Mary Magdelene for sitting with Him rather than attending to her cultural duties, He shows the value He places on women in the kingdom. He speaks with compassion and love to these women but never strays from revealing the truth to them.
This is our goal when serving women: to speak the truth to them with compassion, something that abortion clinics are lacking.
Serving the Woman at the Well
When we serve women in a life-affirming space, we must remember to follow Jesus’s direction: to show love and compassion and to help women create their own stories of hope and empowerment.
Will you be part of this movement? Women are searching for hope—your support can be the answer. Donate today or become a monthly partner to help us reach women with life-changing love and support.
