27 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?”
The return of the disciples to the well from shopping set up a striking contrast between them and the woman. The disciples would learn a lesson during the period the woman went to Samaria.
And at this point
At the very point when the woman went to town to tell the men of the city about Christ, the disciples came back. The disciples needed to see God’s providence at work in the heart of a woman of ill repute.
His disciples came,
The disciples came back from buying food in Sychar while Jesus was still speaking to the woman at the well.
and they marveled [kept on wondering] that He talked [was talking] with a woman;
It was very unusual for a person like Jesus to speak publicly with any woman, much less a woman of ill repute. Jesus disregarded cultural protocol when it came to reaching people. He carried on a protracted conversation with her—”was talking.”
yet no one said, “What do You seek?”
None of the disciples asked the “what” or the “why” question to Jesus.
or,
The disciples did not confront Jesus about their questions concerning Him, whether it was the “what” or “why.”
“Why are You talking with her?”
The woman at the well had three strikes against her; she: (1) was a woman, (2) was a Samaritan, and (3) had a poor reputation. Yet Jesus did not react negatively to her. Neither did the disciples question the integrity of Jesus about talking to her.
PRINCIPLE:
Many of our estimates of other people are poor.
APPLICATION:
Jesus was employed in the process of evangelism. He was willing to breach cultural norms to reach a sinner’s soul. Jesus was not distressed by the cultural mores of talking to the woman. His message was for everyone. Therefore, He was not held hostage to the culture of His day. People were more important than culture to Him. His mission was more important than prevailing opinions around Him.
