The Nazareth Page-A gospel meditation for your home

March 8, 2026 – Third Sunday of Lent- John 4:5-42

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
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At the beginning of the Bible, we are told that God created heaven and earth, and then created water. While those who wrote this were not scientists (as we understand them), they touched upon a very important scientific truth. In the very beginning of our universe, there was only hydrogen, a bit of helium and a touch of lithium.  All were molecular units made up of one proton and one electron. Quite simple for sure.

But as time unfolded, other elements came into being, oxygen being of singular importance  Eventually hydrogen and oxygen bonded together making water. When astronomers search for life outside our solar system, an essential part of their search is for water. Without it, no living entities are possible. This leads us to today’s gospel: Jesus meets the woman at the well, a well that provided water for the inhabitants of this Samaritan community. A well was needed because this area was arid mountainous territory.

There are almost countless ways to interpret this part of John’s gospel. We might talk about the symbolism of water and baptism. Many like to note the Jesus visited and accepted a maverick community, the Samaritans. Focusing on the woman at the well, after meeting Jesus she went and told her neighbors about Jesus, becoming a missionary or evangelist in the gospels. Here I invite us to think of God’s creation of water.

I mentioned above that at first only hydrogen existed. But that had to change. Built into the mechanics of creation was a developmental process that is extremely important for you and me.  Without this process, we wouldn’t be. In fact, no life would exist anywhere. Let’s move ahead. Once water existed, carbon was created and from the innumerable combinations of water and carbon eventually all living things came into being.  

When Jesus went to the River Jordan to begin his public ministry, or to the Sea of Galilee to invite his first disciples, or to Samaria where he met the woman at the well or when he washed the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper, note that what is common to all these major moments is water, one of God’s greatest creations!

So give thanks for that gift. Do not take it for granted. Care for it, be good stewards of its use, take care of its quality as we use it each day, and be aware of its role in not only creating you, but also preserving your life through all your days and nights. And be mindful of its role in your spiritual life. Thank God for water. And life. And all good.

David M. Thomas, PhD