The Woman at the Well

And upon this came his disciples, and marveled that he talked with the woman (Jn.4:27)

Holy Tradition tells us that St. Photini, the Samaritan woman to whom Christ spoke at Jacob’s well, was so moved by her experience that she repented of her sinful past and went on to become an equal to the Apostles, preaching the Gospel in spite of suffering fierce persecution at the hands of the Roman Emperor Nero.

Christ was certainly entering into uncharted territory at the well. Jewish men did not speak to women who were unaccompanied by their fathers or husbands, let alone a Samaritan woman. The Samaritans were not pure bred Jews, and did not worship in the exact same manner, and as such were branded as heretics. Yet there He was, in spite of knowing all the sins she had committed, treating her with the dignity, respect and love deserving of every human being. By Jewish standards, though, He wasn’t doing the “right thing”.

So often I encounter Orthodox Christians who suffer from what Fr. Seraphim Rose of blessed memory called “correctness disease”. They believe that a person really isn’t Orthodox unless they follow the letter of the law, or adhere to a certain tradition within the Church. They would shut out anyone who deviates from what they’ve determined to be the “correct way”. This is not the example the Lord gave us, this is not true Orthodoxy, this is not the teachings of the Gospel, this is not love.

Some years ago, a young Episcopalian man from southern California walked into an Orthodox church in San Diego where he was greeted warmly by the priest. Perhaps the priest could have simply ignored him, or chased him away with cold-hearted diatribes of theological exactness. Thank God the priest didn’t do that, thank God he treated the man with love. Today, that young man is known as Metropolitan Jonah, the Primate of the OCA.

The responsibility of being a witness to Orthodoxy lies upon all of us, priest and laity alike. Some day, you may meet a “woman at the well”, and when that day comes you will have the opportunity to bring that person to the living waters of True Christianity by one simple act: being a Christian.