Lesson video

Hello, my name's Ms. Rivers.

I'm looking forward to working with you in this lesson today.

Some of our learning will be new, so we'll work hard and learn together.

Today's lesson is from the unit "Jesus: How does his treatment of outcasts speak to Christians today?" The lesson is called "Jesus and the woman at the well." You might already know some stories about Jesus and the people he met.

Today's story is about his meeting with a Samaritan woman, and it's an important story for Christians.

By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain what happened when Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well.

The keywords for today's lesson are Samaritan, a person from Samaria.

Rabbi, a Jewish teacher or scholar.

Messiah, the promised saviour of the Jewish people.

And patriarchal, a society that is ruled or controlled by men.

Some of these words might be new for you, so just take a moment to look at them.

Listen carefully through the lesson, and you will hear these words being used.

See if you can remember what they mean.

In the first part of the lesson, we'll hear about the meeting between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well.

What happened when Jesus met the woman? Laura explains what we mean by theology in Religious education.

She says, "Theologians are interested in stories, texts, and traditions.

We can better understand people's worldviews by examining the deeper meaning of these stories, texts, and traditions.

We can also look at the difference they make to people today." In this lesson, we'll examine the context of the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman to better understand Christian worldviews.

Laura and Lucas are thinking about questions and answers.

Laura says, "I like to ask lots of questions.

Sometimes the answer to one question makes me think of a new question to ask.

There is always something new to learn." I wonder if you like asking questions.

Lucas says, "In our school debating society, we practise summarising the answers people give to our questions.

This helps us to listen carefully and really think about what's being said." Do you like having a debate, like Lucas? Do you like putting your opinion across and listening to what other people think? Have a look at the map.

This map shows the places where Jesus lived.

Jesus was a Jewish teacher called a rabbi.

He travelled around the area of Galilee, teaching and healing people.

Can you see Galilee on the map? And maybe you can see the Sea of Galilee, just there towards the top.

People from Galilee and Judea did not associate with people from Samaria.

Can you see Samaria on the map as well? Samaritans were outcasts because their religious practises were different.

So the Jewish people and the Samaritan people had some differences, and they didn't get on.

Look at the bookcase.

It shows all the different books that there are in the Bible.

John includes a story about Jesus and a Samaritan woman.

The line shows where the gospel of John is found, in the New Testament, on that middle shelf.

And at that time, women had a very low status in society.

A rabbi did not have conversations with women outside their family.

Did you spot two keywords on this slide? We've got Samaritan, that's the people from Samaria, and the woman in the story is from Samaria.

And we've got Rabbi, that's a Jewish teacher or scholar, and Jesus was a rabbi.

Here's Louise.

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

Louise says, "I love stories about Jesus where he behaves in an unexpected and even shocking way.

One of my favourites is the woman at the well.

In this story, Jesus has an amazing conversation with someone who was an outcast in two ways.

She was a Samaritan and a woman." You might already know that Jesus was kind to outcasts, and this story is about a time when he met an outcast who was a Samaritan.

And do you remember that the Jews and the Samaritans did not get on? And she was also a woman, and you might remember that a rabbi wouldn't usually speak to a woman that he didn't know.

So, here's a quick check.

What is the definition of rabbi? Is it A, a Jewish doctor, B, a Jewish man, or C, a Jewish teacher? Pause the video while you think about your answer.

That's right, the answer is C, a rabbi was a Jewish teacher, and Jesus was a rabbi.

Well done if you got that right.

Look at the picture.

This is an artist's idea about the story of Jesus and the woman at the well.

You can see Jesus sitting there in his red robe to show that he's a leader, and the woman at the well is here to draw water.

So let's listen to the story and see what happens.

In Sychar, a dusty little town in Samaria, there was a special well in a field, Jacob's Well.

It had been there for generations, ever since the patriarch Jacob gave the field to his son Joseph.

People came from far and wide to draw water from it.

One hot day, when the sun was high in the sky, Jesus, tired from his long journey, walked up to the well.

He sat down on its stone edge to rest, feeling the warmth of the sun on his face.

As Jesus rested, a woman from the town came to fetch some water.

She was all alone, and her water jar was heavy as she carried it to the well.

Jesus was thirsty.

He smiled at the woman and said, "Will you give me a drink?" The woman was surprised.

Jews and Samaritans didn't often talk to each other, and especially not alone like this.

She raised her eyebrows and said, "You are a Jewish rabbi, and I'm a Samaritan woman.

How can you ask me for a drink?" So here's a quick check to see if you've been listening carefully.

Can you give two reasons why the woman was surprised that Jesus asked her for a drink? Is it A, Jews did not associate with Samaritans, is it B, Jewish men did not talk to strange women, or C, Jews did not drink water from wells? Pause the video while you think about your answer.

That's right, the two answers were A and B.

Jews did not associate with Samaritans, and Jewish men did not talk to strange women.

Well done if you chose those two answers.

Jesus smiled even more.

"If you knew who I am and what I could give you," he said teasingly, "you would ask me for a drink, and I would give you fresh living water." The woman replied, "Living water? You don't even have a bucket, and the well is very deep.

How can you possibly get this living water? Are you saying that you are even greater than our patriarch Jacob, who dug out this well and drank from it himself?" Jesus said to the woman, "Everyone who drinks water from this well will get thirsty again and again.

But anyone who drinks the water I give will never be thirsty.

The water I give will feel like a fountain inside you, like a spring that gives eternal life." The woman's eyes widened.

"Sir, give me some of this water.

Then I won't have to keep coming here every day to draw water.

I'll never have to carry this heavy jar again." The woman was curious about Jesus's words and wondered if he was a prophet.

"Tell me this," she said.

"Samaritans like me worship here on this mountain, but you Jews always say we must only worship in Jerusalem.

What is the right way to worship God?" Jesus answered, "Before too long, people won't worship God either on this mountain or in Jerusalem.

True worshipers will understand that it's not where you worship, but how you worship that matters.

God is spirit, and his worshipers need to be spiritual and truthful." Here's a quick check.

True or false? Jesus took the Samaritan woman seriously.

Pause the video while you decide whether that's true or false.

That's right.

It's true.

Jesus listened carefully to the Samaritan woman and answered her questions about religious beliefs and practises.

So he did take her seriously, and he was interested in what she had to say.

Well done if you got that answer right.

Now let's carry on to the end of the story.

The woman thought for a moment.

"I know the Messiah is coming," she said.

"When he comes, he will explain to us everything we need to know about God." Jesus looked at her and said, "You don't have to wait any longer for the Messiah.

You are looking at him." The woman was filled with wonder and excitement.

She left her water jar by the well and hurried back to the town, calling out to everyone she met, "Come and meet a man who seems to know me inside out.

Could he be the Messiah?" Laura and Lucas are thinking about the questions and answers in the story of Jesus and the woman.

Laura says, "I love the way the woman asks questions and gives her opinions.

The artist has made her look like a confident person who would be brave enough to challenge Jesus." Lucas says, "The picture shows Jesus really listening to the woman.

He looks interested in what she has to say.

That must have been a surprise because he was a knowledgeable Jewish rabbi." I wonder if anything surprises you about the story.

Did you like the picture? Do you think it showed how the woman and Jesus were having a conversation? I wonder if you liked the way the woman challenged Jesus and the way Jesus listened to her answers and took an interest.

Pause the video for a moment while you think about your response to the story.

And if there's someone near to you, you could talk to them and see what they think as well.

So, here's another quick check.

True or false? Jesus only had meaningful conversations with his disciples and other men.

Pause the video while you decide whether that's true or false.

That's right, the answer is false.

Jesus had a very deep conversation with the Samaritan woman.

You could even say it was a bit like a debate.

Well done if you got that answer right.

Think about the story that we've listened to today.

Can you summarise what happened when Jesus met the woman at the well? I wonder if you can summarise it in five sentences.

Pause the video while you think about five sentences for your summary.

Did you manage to summarise the story? You might have included some of these statements.

Jesus asked the Samaritan woman at the well for a drink of water.

The woman was surprised he had asked because Samaritans were outcasts and Jews did not usually speak to them.

The woman asked Jesus where she should worship God.

Jesus said that the most important thing was to worship God truthfully.

Jesus told the woman he was the Messiah.

I wonder if any of your statements were the same as mine.

Well done for working hard and for thinking about the story.

In the second part of the lesson, we're going to think about the story of Jesus and the woman at the well and wonder why Christians still talk about it today.

Why is the story significant? Laura and Lucas want to find out why the story of the woman at the well is significant.

They wonder why Christians still tell it today.

Laura says, "I understand that Jesus often behaved in ways that shocked the society of his time, but I don't quite understand why this encounter would have shocked people." Lucas has got an idea about how to answer Laura's question.

He says, "Let's talk to some different Christians.

They can help us to understand the context of the time and tell us how they interpret the story." Asher and Louise have a Christian worldview.

They're talking about and discussing the story of the Samaritan woman.

Asher says, "At the time of Jesus, women had low status in society.

They were treated like property, and their opinions were not valued.

This story shows that Jesus took women seriously." Louise says, "Jesus lived in a patriarchal society where men had most of the power and influence.

I think Jesus saw that women are intelligent and interesting.

I'm glad this story is in the Bible." Did you spot that new keyword, patriarchal? That's a society where men are in charge.

And this is why the story is surprising, because Jesus was taking a woman seriously, and that's unusual.

And Louise says that she's happy that this story is in the Bible 'cause it shows that Jesus was interested in women.

Here's another quick check.

True or false? At the time of Jesus, women and men had equal status.

Pause the video while you decide whether that's true or false.

That's right, it's false.

Jesus lived in a patriarchal society where leaders were always men.

His conversation with the Samaritan woman shows him challenging the expectations of his society.

Well done if you got the right answer.

Louise discusses the significance of the woman at the well being a Samaritan.

She says, "Jesus' long and detailed conversation with the Samaritan woman was surprising because at that time, Jews did not mix with Samaritans.

It was also unacceptable for a Jewish rabbi like Jesus to talk to a woman alone." Ann also has a Christian worldview.

She's an Anglican priest.

She says, "The Samaritans were outcast by other Jews because their religious ideas and practises were seen to be unacceptable.

Samaritans worshipped in a different way from other Jews, but they were also waiting for the promised Messiah." So Ann has picked out some ways that Samaritans were different in the way they worship, but Samaritans were the same as the Jews in that they were all waiting for the Messiah.

Did you spot that keyword, Messiah? That means the promised saviour of the Jewish people.

And this story is significant because it shows that the Samaritan woman was waiting for the Messiah, just like all the Jewish people.

And then Jesus tells her that he's the Messiah, so this story is very significant for Christians.

Asher has a Christian worldview.

He attends a free church.

He says, "The setting by Jacob's Well is a reminder that Jesus and the Samaritan woman lived in a patriarchal society where men had always been the leaders." Maybe you know some Jewish patriarchs, like Jacob and Abraham and Isaac.

So Jacob's Well is a reminder that men were leaders in society at the time of Jesus and for many, many years before.

Asher says, "I'm used to seeing women in leadership nowadays, so it's hard to imagine a time when women were not seen or heard." So Asher is thinking back to the time of Jesus when women didn't speak up and women weren't leaders.

It was very different.

Here's a check for understanding.

Why was the Samaritan woman an outcast at the time of Jesus? There's more than one correct answer, so see if you can find them all.

Is it A, Jews did not mix with Samaritans, B, men did not mix with women, C, women had a low status in that society, or D, Jews did not allow women to speak? Pause the video while you think about your answer.

That's right, the answers were A and C.

Jews did not mix with Samaritans, and women had a low status in that society.

Well done if you picked out the correct answers.

Ann is thinking about the story.

She explains her ideas about the Samaritan woman.

She says, "I imagine the Samaritan woman had strong opinions about faith and belief that she was not afraid to share.

I love her conversation with Jesus; they both enjoy the debate.

Jesus takes her question about the right way to worship seriously.

He challenges her to worship God truthfully rather than worrying about rituals." Ann is a Christian leader.

I think she likes this story because she likes the fact that Jesus is having a conversation with a woman who has strong opinions.

Asher, Louise, and Ann all have ideas about the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman.

Can you remember some of the things they said about the story? Pause the video while you think about your ideas.

Did you remember that Asher reminded us that society was patriarchal and men had all the power? Women were outcasts and had no voice.

Louise said that Jews did not mix with Samaritans, so Jesus should not have talked to the woman.

She was outcast twice.

Ann liked the idea that the Samaritan woman was not afraid to argue with Jesus, and he took her ideas seriously.

Well done if you remembered some of those points about why the story is significant.

Here's a task.

Laura is thinking about Jesus and the Samaritan woman and the significance of the story.

"The story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman shows how Jesus challenged the society of his time." Do you agree with Laura? Can you find at least three pieces of evidence from the story that support your argument, whether you agree or disagree? You might want to use some of the comments of Asher or Louise or Ann to help you to make your argument.

Pause the video while you do your work.

Well done for working hard.

I wonder if you said something like this: Asher pointed out that the society at Jesus' time was patriarchal.

Women had little power.

Louise noticed that the woman was a Samaritan.

At that time, Jews would not have mixed with Samaritans.

As a rabbi, Jesus would not have spoken to a woman alone.

And Ann said that the woman had strong opinions and was not afraid to have a debate with Jesus about their beliefs.

Did you spot some of those keywords? I wonder if you managed to use some keywords in your sentences too.

Did you have any different ideas to support your argument? Well done for working hard.

We've learned a lot today.

We've learned that the society in which Jesus lived was patriarchal.

This means that women had little power.

We've learned that the Samaritans were outcast by other Jews because their religious ideas were seen to be unacceptable.

We heard in the story that Jesus accepts water from the Samaritan woman, and people at the time would have been shocked that a rabbi like Jesus shared a cup with someone who would have been seen as unclean.

Well done for working hard in today's lesson.

I've enjoyed working with you.