The Samaritan woman immediately believes Jesus as the Messiah, and returns to her village to give witness to this great revelation. It is also very significant that the woman left her water jar, just like the disciples did when they were called by Jesus, they dropped everything and followed him. The closing verses of the chapter tell of the woman’s witness to her town (4:39-42). The significance of her work is shown by Jesus when he says to the disciples, ‘I sent you to reap that for which you did not labour. Others have laboured and you have entered into their labour.’ This portrays the woman as a model of disciples, as Jesus is asking the disciples why they are not more like her. John describes the Samaritan woman’s work in her town in the same way that he used to describe the disciples’ ministry.
The Samaritan woman is clearly an import feature in Jesus ministry for the author, as she is the first person in John’s Gospel to who Jesus clearly revealed himself as the Messiah and acted on this bit of knowledge. The woman is an extraordinary choice for Jesus to reveal himself to, as the Samaritan woman is a part of a rejected group, and is a woman. Jesus revealed the truth about himself to a person considered unworthy of hearing such truths and incapable of understanding them, but he addressed her as an equal with men and a potential member of the family of God. He treated her seriously and responded to her comments and questions and saw her as a person who needed to know the truth of Jesus as the Messiah.
Culpepper believes that ‘Jesus used the Samaritan woman as a model of female discipleship, serving to modify the thesis that only male disciples were important roles in the founding of the church.’
John, the author, further intensifies the effect of the Samaritan woman story by placing it in contrast to the Nicodemus story told in the previous chapter. He was a male teacher of Jewish law and she was a woman from the criticised area of Samaria. He came in the darkness, which symbolises ignorance and she came in the middle of the day which shows that she is ready to understand. The Samaritan woman, unlike Nicodemus doesn’t keep her meeting with Jesus a secret and tells her whole town (4:29) John has chosen to show the full exposure of Jesus with a simple Samaritan woman rather that a male teacher of Jewish Law.
The second example of Jesus talking to a woman was Martha of Bethany, (John 11) where in the story a miracle is performed. John portrays Lazarus in terms of his relationship to Mary and Martha, this shows that both Mary and Martha are more prominent in the story than Lazarus himself. Jesus names Martha, Mary and Lazarus as objects of his love (11:5), which has only been said once before to the Beloved Disciple. Witherington, a scholar, feels that this implies Mary and Martha as well as Lazarus were disciples of Lazarus. Mary and Martha send a message to Jesus, (11:3) for help after Lazarus dies, showing their faith and their belief that the think only Jesus can help them. Martha responds to Jesus promise that he brother will rise again by mentioning the Last Judgement, a theological idea which only men predominantly knew about in that time. Jesus says one of the seven ‘I Am’ sayings to Martha who responds to Jesus by saying, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.’ (11:27)
John decides to emphasise the story that a woman receives one of Jesus’ most important statements about Himself, and when a woman makes the correct response. John portrays Martha as an ideal model of what it means to confess the truth about Jesus; the Fourth Gospel is shown to prove that women are capable of being dedicated disciples of Jesus.
Jesus treats women as unique and valuable individuals, and demands as much from them as from men. Jesus associates freely with women; he has close friendships with women not related to him, like Mary and Martha, and even holds a private conversation with the Samaritan woman. One of the most radical parts of Jesus’ behaviour towards them was his readiness to teach them. While Rabbi’s considered it unsuitable to involve women in academic education, Jesus taught women personally. He believed that women were able to learn and understand the theological ideas he offered to them. Jesus was willing to risk a public disgrace in order to teach the women. John, the author, further verifies women in their academic ability as he shows them as valid witnesses of the truth about Jesus. It is through the Samaritan woman’s witness that the people of her town were introduced to Jesus. Mary Magdalene is even entrusted with the truth of Jesus’ resurrection and told by the risen Jesus to be witness of that to the disciples.
In summary, we notice that women in the Fourth Gospel are shown positively and in a close relationship with Jesus. Women are portrayed as understanding the teachings of Jesus and responding enthusiastically and appropriately. The women were not afraid to take initiative in this relationship with Jesus and the gospel presents Jesus as approving these women in their unconventional roles. Unusually, Jesus enters into theological discussions with women and verifies them in their public announcement of his revelation; he values them as close friends and chooses them to be witnesses to the truth of his resurrection.
