Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mr. Womack, and I am delighted to be learning with you today.

I've just got a feeling that we're going to do brilliantly, so let's get started.

Today's lesson is called "Interpreting the Woman at the Well," and it comes from the unit "Jesus: How Does His Treatment of Outcasts Speak to Christians Today?" By the end of the lesson, you will be able to explain how Christians might interpret the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well.

These are the keywords that we will be using today.

The first one is "calling." Which means a feeling of duty to take on a job or role.

Outcast: someone who has been rejected by their community.

And "ordain:" to give someone authority to be a religious leader, such as a priest.

So keep your eyes peeled, because we will continually use these words throughout the lesson.

Here is our lesson outline.

In the first part of the lesson, we are going to look at what challenges women face in society, and in the second part, we're going to look at what inspires some Christians to help outcasts.

We're going to begin with: What challenges do women face in society? Here is Lucas.

Lucas explains theology in religious education.

Lucas says, "Theology is about looking at stories and texts and learning about when, why, and for whom they were written.

We can better understand people's worldviews by examining how they have been interpreted, both in the past and today.

In this lesson, we will examine how Christians today interpret the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman.

This will help us better understand Christian worldviews about women and society." Laura and Lucas are thinking about being heard.

Laura says, "I am quite a quiet person, but I like to share my opinions and ideas with my friends.

I try to speak up if I think someone is being left out." Lucas says, "I am a wheelchair user, and so people often talk to each other over my head.

I'm learning to be more confident about making sure my voice is heard as well." You might know this story.

It's about Jesus and a Samaritan woman.

When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well, he asked her for a drink.

I wonder what words you would put in their speech bubbles.

It might be worth a quick recap of the story before you pause the video to try this task out.

So let's recap.

One hot day, Jesus was walking through Samaria.

Tired and thirsty, he sat down by a well to rest.

A Samaritan woman came to get water, and Jesus surprised her by asking, "Will you give me a drink?" Jews and Samaritans didn't usually talk to each other, and it was even more shocking because she was a woman too.

She said, "Why are you asking me for water?" Jesus replied, "If you knew who I was, you would ask me for living water." She was confused.

"You don't have a bucket, and the well is deep.

Where would you get this living water?" And Jesus said, "This water will make you thirsty again, but the water I give you will fill you with life that never ends." The woman was amazed and said, "Please give me this water." And then Jesus gently told her things about her life that he could not have known.

She said, "You must be a prophet." She asked, "Where should we worship God?" And Jesus said, "Soon it won't matter where.

What matters is worshipping God with your heart and truth." The woman said, "I know the Messiah is coming." And Jesus said, "I am the Messiah." Excited, she left her jar and ran to the town.

"Come see a man who knows everything about me.

Could he be the Messiah?" You're going to pause the video now whilst you try and complete this task by putting words into the speech bubbles for Jesus and the Samaritan woman.

I look forward to seeing what you put.

Here's Laura.

Laura says, "At the start of the 20th century, women had limited opportunities and no vote to change things.

Things have become more equal in the 21st century." Here's a timeline to help us reflect on how things have changed for women in society.

In 1914 to 1918, we've got World War I.

In 1928, we've got votes for all women.

In 1939 to 1945, we've got World War II.

And in 1946, some married women were allowed to work.

In 1975, we got equal rights for working women.

And then in 1985, there was a new equal pay act.

So you can see that lots of things have changed over a number of years.

This is Canon Ann Easter.

She is a Christian and an Anglican priest and says, "It took many hundreds of years for women to be able to vote and find an equal place in society.

What about in the Christian Church? What was the position of women in Church in the past?" Do you know any women who were Christian priests or ministers? You might want to pause the video now whilst you have a little think about that question.

The Church of England allowed women to be priests in 1994.

Ann says that "I was one of the first women to be ordained as a priest." Here's our timeline again, with some extra sections that look at women in the Church.

You can see there that the Methodist Church ordained women in 1974.

The Church of England did this in 1994, and in 2015 we had the first female bishop.

Ann explains how she became an Anglican priest.

Ann says, "I loved church when I was a little girl.

In those days, all priests were men.

It was a long time before I was able to follow my calling to be ordained as a priest in the Church of England." Even though Jesus challenged the society of his time, the Christian Church took a long time to begin to allow women to be leaders.

So, let's check our understanding with a quick true or false question.

True or false? The Church of England always had female priests.

You're going to want to pause the video now whilst you think which of these is the correct answer and why.

The correct answer is false.

There were no female priests in the Church of England until 1994.

Well done if you got that question right.

Well, here's Asher.

Asher has a Christian worldview, and he attends a free church.

He says, "There are some churches where women are still not able to be leaders.

Some people argue that all the disciples of Jesus were men and women were not leaders during this time.

But I interpret the story of the woman at the well to say that Jesus did allow women to speak and argue with him.

I think women's voices need to be heard in churches." And here's Tamara.

Tamara has a Quaker worldview.

She says, "When I read the story of the woman at the well, it shows me that women can have insights about God that might be new or interesting.

In our Quaker Society of Friends, women have always had the same rights as men to speak in meetings.

I'm used to learning from female speakers.

Sometimes I feel called to speak too." So let's reflect on those different Christian worldviews.

We're going to try a true or false question to check our understanding.

So, true or false? All Christians have the same views on the role of women in society.

Is the answer true or false, and why? Pause the video now whilst you think which of these is the right answer.

The right answer is false.

Some Christians do not think that women should be leaders.

Some, like Quakers, have equality between male and female leaders.

Well done if you got that answer right.

Here's Louise.

Louise has a Christian worldview, and she attends a Methodist church.

Louise says, "The minister at my church inspires me.

She's a good preacher, and she's a good listener as well.

She makes sure no one at church is overlooked.

Methodist ministers only stay in one place for a few years, so we gain different perspectives from the men and women who are called to lead us." So, time for another true or false question.

Calling means a feeling of duty to take on a job or role.

Is the answer true or false, and why? You're going to pause the video now whilst you think which of these is the right answer.

The right answer is true.

A calling is a strong impulse to take on a meaningful role.

People might feel called to be priests, teachers, doctors, or other roles in society.

Really well done if you got that answer right.

So here's Asher again.

He notices that some Christians and churches do not think that women should be leaders.

There's Louise.

Methodists allowed women leaders in 1974, and Louise loves how her minister makes sure everyone is included.

And Tamara.

Well, Tamara's a Quaker.

And in the Quaker worldview, men and women have always had equal rights to speak in meetings.

So reflecting on all that difference, it's time to complete a task.

So, why might it be important for women to overcome challenges and make their voices heard? Who do you think has the best answer, and why? Going to hear from Laura first.

Laura says, "Women might bring new or interesting interpretations to a story." And there's Izzy.

Izzy thinks that "Women should be able to follow their calling to be ordained as priests or leaders." And then there's Lucas.

And Lucas says, "Women should be valued just like everyone else in society." So you're going to want to pause the video now whilst you think which of these three answers is the best and why.

I look forward to seeing what you put.

Well, I wonder what you put.

You might have said something like this: "Laura has the best answer because it is helpful to hear everyone's thoughts, including women's interpretations of stories like Jesus and the woman at the well." Or you might have said, "Izzy has the best answer because women like Ann should be ordained as priests as they feel called to that role." Or maybe you said, "Lucas has the best answer because all humans are valuable, and that includes women." Really well done for putting in lots of effort to complete that task.

Well, that brings us to the end of the first part of the lesson, and we're going to move on to the second part, looking at what inspires some Christians to help outcasts.

Stories from the Bible might inspire Christians to challenge society.

And there are many stories of Jesus talking to outcasts from his society.

Maybe you know the story about Zacchaeus.

Zacchaeus was an outcast, as he was a tax collector.

Or maybe you know that lepers were outcast because people feared the disease.

Or, as we reflected on earlier, Samaritans were outcast, as some Jews disagreed with them.

Corrie Ten Boom is an example of a Christian who was inspired to help outcasts, even though this went against the rules of society at the time.

During the Nazi occupation of Holland in 1942, Jewish people were treated like outcasts.

Many lost their jobs and were forced to wear a yellow star.

Corrie and her family believed the Jewish people were precious to God and that Christians should find a way to help them.

They worked with the Dutch resistance and helped hundreds of Jews to escape to safety by hiding them in a secret room in their shop.

And you can see there in that image, the secret room behind the wall in Corrie's house.

What a brave woman and a fantastic story.

So let's check our understanding with a quick true or false question.

True or false? Christians always follow the rules of society.

You're going to want to pause the video now whilst you think which is the correct answer and why.

The correct answer is false.

That's because Christians might challenge society if they think the rules are wrong.

Corrie Ten Boom and her family went against the rules to help Jews in their country.

Really well done if you got that answer right.

Here's Asher again.

Asher explains his ideas about outcasts.

Asher says, "When I read the Bible, I see that Jesus valued and cared for outcasts.

He spent time with tax collectors like Zacchaeus and others that people in society looked down on.

It is easy to ignore people, but Jesus' example challenges me to look to the margins of society and see who needs my help." Tamara explains her ideas about outcasts.

And she says, "When I read the Bible, I see that the outcasts have opinions and want their lives to be different.

Jesus gives outcasts a chance to be seen and heard.

Jesus was pleased that one of the lepers said thank you after calling for help.

That leper had realised that it was not only his body that was better, his whole life had changed." And Ann explains her ideas about outcasts.

She says, "I know how it feels to be disapproved of, like the Samaritan woman.

There are people who do not believe women should be ordained, so they disapprove of me.

The story shows the woman having confidence in her ideas but also being challenged by Jesus.

This is a good example for me to follow in my role as a priest." So let's check our understanding with a multiple-choice question.

Don't forget, you're going to have to choose two answers for this one.

Why might a Christian decide to help outcasts? Will you choose A, they try to follow Jesus' example? Or B, they expect to be rewarded? C, they might feel called to help others? Or D, they want to break the rules of society? You're going to need to pause the video now whilst you select two of these options.

The correct two are A, they try to follow Jesus' example, and C, they might feel called to help others.

Really well done if you got that one right.

Well, it's time for another task now.

Lucas is trying to explain why Christians like Corrie Ten Boom are inspired to challenge society by helping outcasts.

Use any or all of these pictures to help Lucas explain why Christians today are inspired to help outcasts.

You might use the story of where Jesus spoke with a Samaritan woman or the fact that Jesus helped lepers, or that Jesus spoke to Zacchaeus, a tax collector.

So use your understanding of those stories to complete this task.

I look forward to seeing what you put.

I wonder what you said.

You might have said something like this: "Christians might be inspired by the story of Zacchaeus to be forgiving when people try to change their lives.

Christians might be inspired by the story of the lepers and feel called to help people who are overlooked by society.

Or Christians might follow Jesus' example when he had a meaningful conversation with the Samaritan woman and took her ideas seriously." I wonder if you thought of anything else.

In any case, really well done for completing that task.

So let's take a moment to summarise our learning.

Since the time of Jesus, women have faced challenges to have their voices heard in society, and some women waited many years to follow their calling to be ordained as priests.

And we learned that some Christians think it is important to work with or support people who are outcast from society, even if other Christians may disapprove.

And finally, Corrie Ten Boom is an example of a Christian who challenged society, inspired by the teachings of Jesus.

During World War II, she and her family hid many Jews from the Nazis and helped them to safety.

Well, I've really enjoyed working with you today.

You've worked really hard and done a fantastic job, and I look forward to working with you again soon.

Bye for now.