The Wishing Well (Rev. Kim DuBreuil)
She was considered immoral, having been married five times and currently living with a man who was not her husband. In her community, she faced social isolation. Many might have seen her past and social withdrawal as a personal “curse.” Yet, she is about to become the luckiest person around.
When I think of this woman, I picture something different. She’s tried to survive in a world where women depend on men for support. She’s made some good choices and maybe some bad ones, but she’s not the kind to let her decisions define her.
This woman enjoys visiting the well when no one else is around. It gives her a chance to search her heart for something more. She looks down at her reflection in the water and maybe breaks into song.
“Wanna know a secret?
Promise not to tell?
We are standing by a wishing well.
Make a wish into the well
That’s all you have to do
And if you hear it echoing
Your wish will soon come true.”
I’m wishing (I’m wishing) For the one I love
To find me (To find me)
Today (Today)
I’m hoping (I’m hoping) And I’m dreaming of
The nice things (The nice things)
He’ll say (He’ll say).”
Perhaps you’re familiar with this song. But we’ll get to that shortly.
He arrives in Samaria and is about to break social barriers by engaging with her, a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well. He’ll say, “I know everything about your past and your current situation.”
Yet she becomes the first person Jesus explicitly reveals His identity—as the Messiah—making her the luckiest person around.
After her encounter with Him at the well, she was no longer a social outcast; instead, she was transformed. She became a powerful evangelist, bringing her entire town to meet Him. Her story highlights His grace, offering salvation to everyone – regardless of their past.
John 4:5-42 presents her story.
Yet verse 14 is the single “best” Lenten verse from this passage, as it captures the Lenten themes of spiritual thirst and the promise of renewal in and through Jesus Christ.
Listen as you hear that verse, John 4:14:
14 …but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.”
Verse 14 describes the spiritual journey from exhaustion and emptiness to renewal and vitality through Christ. It emphasizes our desire for replenishment and encourages us to recognize moments of “dryness” in our lives, often caused by stress, sin, anxiety, or apathy.
During these times, we often feel thirsty and turn to God’s grace to replenish us with “living water”—a nourishing source that rejuvenates our soul rather than just providing quick relief.
Thirst is essential because humans can survive only three to five days without water, though some may last up to a week. Our bodies, made up of about 60% water, need regular hydration; without it, organs quickly start to fail.
In fact, God created the Earth and covered 71% of it with water. This well story reflects our need for deep spiritual fulfillment that goes beyond our physical needs.
This “living water” that Jesus Christ offers represents a new life that goes beyond earthly circumstances.
- Now, what about his role in the story?
- Ever wonder what he was truly thinking when he first saw her?
- While she was by the well, did this prince catch a glimpse of her and hear her song from afar?
- As she finished her song, was he thinking about how he would profess his love to her?
Snow White (from the 1937 Disney version) and the Woman at the Well (from John 4) explore themes of transformation and pursuing hope. Let’s examine them more closely.
In Snow White’s wishing-well story, she flees from him.
However, the Samaritan woman stays to hear all that he has to say.
- The narratives feature a “well.”
- The main characters “thirst” for more
- They are social outcasts:
- ‘Snow’ is a fugitive – fleeing an evil person.
- The Samaritan is rejected by the community
- They seek a meaningful love.
- Both are completely transformed.
- They move from loneliness and social isolation to hope and purpose.
Although the two share similarities, their contexts are different.
- Snow White’s story is a fairy tale,
- The Samaritan woman’s story is a historical, theological, and spiritual account in the Gospel of John.
- Snow eventually finds her hero.
- The Samaritan woman encounters Jesus, who will disclose His true identity as the Son of God.
- Snow’s wishing well could symbolize romantic longing that signifies worldly satisfaction.
- At Jacob’s well, Jesus offers “living water”—the Holy Spirit—and grants eternal life to those who accept it.
- Snow faces external conflict because someone wants her gone.
- The Samaritan faces internal moral struggles shaped by a history of broken relationships.
- Snow needs to be rescued and to escape evil.
- The Samaritan keeps her distance from her neighbors but encounters a Prince of Peace who quickly shares her life stories, revealing everything she has ever done. His love for her transforms her, making her the “first female evangelist” to tell others about the grace and mercy He has given her.
As we reflect on each of their stories, consider how often people are remembered for just one incident throughout their lives.
- If that’s you, have you let that situation define who you are?
- Have you ever thought about what moment in your life you will be remembered for?
- Will we be remembered for a moral failure? or
- Will it be our good natur dwelling within each of us?
How will we be remembered?
We are called to cultivate goodness and follow God’s will, living intentionally and making daily choices that serve God rather than our own human desires.
You see, what God truly desires from us is to go deep, take time for introspection, and become spiritually aware. Lent is the time of year when we are invited to do exactly that.
Looking into the water is like gazing into a mirror that reflects our image. God wants humanity to understand our true identity in Christ. God’s gift of grace is what Jesus offers us when He reveals His true nature to us.
Our Reflection helps reject the false idea that sins define us or that God abandons us, replacing it with the truth that we are redeemed children of God.
We should go beyond worries about reputation and focus instead on divine grace and personal growth. Our lives are opportunities for self-examination, which can foster repentance and gratitude.
Look at it this way.
When we know God’s mercy, we can extend mercy to others. When we know God’s love for us, we can share love with others. The measure we give is the measure we receive.
Luke 6:36-38 says:
36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap, for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”
Luke teaches followers of Christ to mirror God’s mercy by avoiding judgment and practicing forgiveness. The grace, mercy, and love we show others will be returned to us abundantly, in “good measure.”
God offers comfort, knowing that although people may remember only one moment, God sees the whole journey and stays faithful.
God desires your redemption over your reputation.
In the Bible, figures like David, who committed adultery, and Paul, a persecutor, are remembered not only for their sins but also for their repentance and personal growth, emphasizing their journey rather than just their failures.
Fortunately, we are all created in God’s image (Imago Dei). The goodness of God resides within us, and God encourages us to nurture this innate goodness. God judges us based on our hearts rather than solely on our achievements or mistakes.
Why not be remembered for your “good nature” and a life of fruitfulness? Galatians 5:22-23 lists these
Spirit-given gifts: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
How are you currently telling your specific story?
Although we can’t control how others summarize our lives, God’s desire is for us to live honestly. God’s wish is that every ‘single incident’ becomes a moment to experience God’s mercy and love.
In Snow White, the Prince sings a song called One Song, which is often viewed as a Christian allegory, symbolizing Jesus Christ’s deep and redemptive love for His “Bride,” the Church. Scholars and theologians highlight how the song and its context reflect Christ’s love for everyone.
Snow White’s prince is viewed as a Christ figure who actively seeks His beloved, each of our souls, the Church, to offer salvation to all. I truly hope the Prince will greet us with these words when He meets us at the well. Maybe he’ll say,
Today
Now that I’ve found you
Hear what I have to say
One song, I have but one song
One song only for you
One heart tenderly beating
Ever entreating, constant, and true
One love that has possessed me
One love thrilling me through
One song, my heart keeps singing
Of one love, only for you.
The prince wakes Snow White from her “sleeping death” with a loving kiss. This touching act can powerfully symbolize Christ’s resurrection, reflecting His ability to overcome sin and death and to grant eternal life to everyone.
The Wishing Well becomes a heartfelt place of prayer for deliverance from any hardship. Our purpose in life is to align our journey with God’s purpose—to seek redemption and growth.
You’re the only YOU this world will ever have – so be YOU with all you’ve got!
Let us pray:
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your transformative love that covers us and makes us like “snow,” even with our shortcomings. We come like the woman at the well, thirsty for the living water only You provide—grace that knows our secrets but offers new life.
Lord, grant us grace to be merciful as You are. Help us stop judging others or condemning faults and instead see our own imperfections before criticizing others. Teach us to forgive quickly and freely, reflecting Your unconditional, scandalous love for the Samaritan woman.
Just as the Savior waited by the well to restore a broken life, help us be generous with our love, time, and resources, trusting in Your promise that when we give, it will be given back to us—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. May the measure of compassion we show others be filled with Your grace.
Like the woman who left the well to become a messenger of joy, may our lives reflect Your redeeming love. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.