The story of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well serves several purposes in the
book of John. It teaches the spiritual nature of true worship. It portrays Jesus as fearlessly
moving beyond the boundaries of Orthodox Judaism to an awkward encounter with a Samaritan
(4:9). The Scriptures never give us the name of the Samaritan woman. It makes us wonder about
other women of faith whose names are lost to history. Many of them have spoken out to bring
others to faith. Their names may be unknown to us but definitely known to God.
