Jesus Meets Nalda – the Woman at the Well 

Jesus was resting alone near Jacob’s well when a Samaritan woman named Nalda came to get water. Jesus engaged her in conversation, trying to awaken her spiritual side and turn her life around. He spoke to her of living water, and she turned to discussions of theology and philosophy to avoid a direct look into her soul. Jesus persisted, and the woman opened her heart to him and became a devout follower. This was also the first person on earth to whom Jesus revealed he was divine.

It was an act of personal loyalty for the apostles to follow Jesus into Samaria. The enmity between the Jews and the Samaritans dated back six hundred years. The apostles put aside their prejudices, and they arrived at Jacob’s well around six o’clock on a hot summer’s evening. The apostles went into Sychar for food and tents. While Jesus was resting and thirsty, a woman of Sychar came up with a water pitcher to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” Her name was Nalda, and she was surprised that Jesus spoke to her.

It was not deemed proper for a man to talk to a woman in public, let alone a Jew addressing a Samaritan. Nalda was an exceptionally attractive woman and was taken aback when Jesus greeted her in a cordial manner and requested a drink of water. She inquired, "How is it that you, a Jew, request a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" Jesus responded, "I have indeed asked you for a drink, but if you could only understand, you would ask me for a drink of the living water." Nalda was intrigued and inquired, "However, you have no means of drawing water, and the well is deep. From where did you obtain this living water?" Are you greater than our father Jacob, who provided us with this well and drank it himself, along with his sons and cattle? Jesus clarified, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water of the living spirit shall never thirst. And this living water will become in him a source of refreshment that springs up to eternal life." Nalda was intrigued and demanded, "Give me this water I do not thirst for. Additionally, any gift a Samaritan woman could receive from a Jew of such distinction would be a source of joy."

Nalda initially responded flirtatiously due to her misinterpretation of Jesus' friendliness and metaphorical speech as flirtation. However, Jesus' firm request, "Woman, go get your husband and bring him here," startled her into a more serious tone. She acknowledged her error, stating, "However, sir, I am unable to contact my husband, as I do not have one." Jesus recognized her honesty, stating, "You have spoken the truth; for, although you may have had a husband in the past, the individual with whom you are currently residing is not your husband. I would prefer that you refrain from playing with my words and instead pursue the vital water that I have provided to you today."

This conversation prompted Nalda to engage in a more in-depth contemplation. She felt a sense of humiliation and expressed her regret, saying, "My Lord, I repent of my manner of speaking to you, for I perceive that you are a holy man or perhaps a prophet." Nevertheless, she redirected the conversation to religious practices, asking, "Our forefathers worshiped on this mountain, and yet you would assert that Jerusalem is the appropriate location for worship; which location is the most appropriate for worshiping God?" Jesus patiently expounds on the transcendence of physical locations in worship, emphasizing that "God is spirit, and they who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth," emphasizing the authenticity of worship rather than location.

Nalda would make one more attempt to avoid discussing the embarrassing question of her personal life and respond with questions about general religion. She stated, "Yes, I know, Sir, that John has preached about the coming of the Converter, he who will be called the Deliverer, and that, when he shall come, he will declare to us all things”—and Jesus, interrupting Nalda, said with startling assurance, “I who speak to you am he.”

This conversation prompted Nalda to engage in a more in-depth contemplation. She felt a sense of humiliation and expressed her regret, saying, "My Lord, I repent of my manner of speaking to you, for I perceive that you are a holy man or perhaps a prophet." Nevertheless, she redirected the conversation to religious practices, asking, "Our forefathers worshiped on this mountain, and yet you would assert that Jerusalem is the appropriate location for worship; which location is the most appropriate for worshiping God?" Jesus patiently expounds on the transcendence of physical locations in worship, emphasizing that "God is spirit, and they who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth," emphasizing the authenticity of worship rather than location.

Nalda would make one more attempt to avoid discussing the embarrassing question of her personal life and respond with questions about general religion. She stated, "Yes, I know, Sir, that John has preached about the coming of the Converter, he who will be called the Deliverer, and that, when he shall come, he will declare to us all things”—and Jesus, interrupting Nalda, said with startling assurance, “I who speak to you am he.”

The next day, Nalda related her experience with Jesus to the apostle John, saying that he told her everything she ever did. Jesus, a stranger, had told her she was living with a man who was not her husband. Surely, her soul was an open book in his eyes, and Nalda’s mind, before this man of God, flashed her entire past life before her: she had had five husbands, having lived with four different men.

Nalda changed her life and became a faithful follower of Jesus. On Sabbath afternoon, May 13, the resurrected Jesus appeared to Nalda and about seventy-five Samaritan believers near Jacob’s well. It was the Master’s seventeenth resurrection appearance.