You have been called a harlot,
Branded a whore,
And yet deep questions burned
On your lips.
Who were you woman?
.
Thrice an alien, neither
Jew, nor male,
You were called indecent,
And shunned.
Who were you woman?
.
Your given status
Has blinded our eyes to
Your mind.
Did you pray?
Had you waited long
For the Messiah to be revealed?
Who were you woman?
.
You spoke about worship,
And asked about truth.
You were the first one to hear
His words
I AM.
Somehow those words
Released you,
And you ran,
Leaving your alienation behind
You carried Good News
To your community.
And we don't even know your name!
Who were you woman?
.
I have long been fascinated by the Samaritan woman, given no name; such a androcentric position keeps women in their place! Jesus considered her worth talking to, and although he showed his prophetic powers through identifying her marital status seemed rather less concerned about it than many contemporary commentators.
Her questions about worship reveal an underlying conviction that place and race are of no consequence, they are questions seeking a liberating answer, and a liberating answer is precisely what she receives!
Her namelessness and alienation should challenge us to hear her story, to question "his-story "and to seek out hers, to hear with fresh ears the questions she has asked, that we might hear the answer, and be liberated again.
