Deacon Dave Etters
Watch the Homily Short
Listen to the Homily Short
In this reflection on the Gospel of the Samaritan Woman (John 4), we discover the profound meaning behind the simple line: “Jesus had to go through Samaria.” Christ seeks out one broken soul with divine love, revealing the primacy of grace and the power of conversion. This powerful encounter shows how Jesus meets us where we are and invites us to share His living water with the world.
Read the Homily Short
Jesus had to go through Samaria.
It’s amazing because in the Gospel reading, when almost the whole fourth chapter of John’s Gospel is read, the editor of the lectionary leaves out one verse at the very beginning that is key to understanding the entire passage. That verse says: “Jesus had to go through Samaria.”
Why is this verse so important?
Because a pious Jew at that time would have avoided Samaria entirely. The Samaritans were considered unclean. They had intermarried with pagans, their religion was seen as mixed and corrupted, and they were treated as outcasts. They were despised by many Jews. A faithful Jew traveling between Judea and Galilee would normally go out of the way to avoid Samaritan territory.
And yet, Jesus goes straight through Samaria.
Why?
Because He had an appointment — a divine appointment — with one person. One woman.
And He loved her.
The Son of God, sent by the Father, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, came into the world to accomplish the salvation of the human race, to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, to heal the sick, to raise the dead, and to bring new life to the world — the living water of eternal life.
Yet in this moment, He goes out of His way for one Samaritan woman.
She was a sinner. She was an outcast. She had five failed marriages and was living with a man who was not her husband. She was a Samaritan, she was socially rejected, and she was a woman — and at that time men did not publicly speak with women in this way.
Everything about the situation goes against the expectations of the culture.
But Jesus loved her.
He arrives at the well first and sits down to rest from the journey. He is tired, and He waits patiently for her to arrive.
This moment reveals something profound: the primacy of grace.
God’s grace comes before we even show up.
God arrives first.
He places Himself there, waiting for us.
And Jesus is thirsty — thirsty for her, thirsty for us.
Jesus comes as the Bridegroom seeking His bride. In this woman we see a symbol of the whole Church, the bride whom Christ comes to save and love.
This woman, broken and searching, is loved unconditionally.
As the conversation unfolds, she begins to realize who Jesus truly is. When He reveals Himself to her, He says clearly: “I am He.”
The Messiah she has been waiting for is standing right in front of her.
And what does she do?
She runs back into town and begins telling everyone she meets about this man — about the one who entered her world, who entered her life, and who loved her.
She becomes an evangelist.
This is why the story is so powerful. All the dynamics of conversion and evangelization are packed into this beautiful encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman.
And at the center of it all is the eternal and immense love of God.
That love is the reason Jesus came.
And it is the reason we are here.