The New Life of the Samaritan Woman

The Change in Dallas Plemmons

I read a book titled, I was a Chinese Communist Prisoner, when I was in the army. The author of the book, Dallas Plemmons, an American, lost his parents at an early age and grew up under the care of his grandfather and grandmother. His grandparents read the Bible everyday and met people to share the Words of the Bible. Also, whenever there was spare time, his grandparents would sit him down and relay to him the stories in the Bible. Although he loved his grandparents, he did not like listening to the Bible stories. Therefore, at a young age, he left home and learned boxing. Unfortunately, he became swallowed up into the rough world of gangsters.

Eventually Plemmons became sick of that life, so he entered the army. When he enlisted into the army, he was happy to hear that they were going to Japan because he thought, “There will be no Christians there.” Not long after his military service in Japan, the Korean War broke out and he was sent to the front lines. Plemmons drank a lot of alcohol; he was not able to bear a day without it. Since he could not obtain alcohol during his daily military routine, he went to the barber shop and stole a perfume bottle which contained some alcohol and drank it. One day, while he was digging to make an air-raid shelter, he fell asleep inside after having a bottle.

He didn’t know for how long he had slept; when he woke up it was dawn. When he looked towards the mountain, he recalled the days of his past as his mind became clear as crystal. It was such a dirty, wicked, and deceitful life. Then, he remembered the Words from the Bible that his grandparents had told him. Surprisingly, he believed the Words. In the air-raid shelter, he had accepted Jesus into his heart. From that day on, Plemmons was a completely different person from before.

Not Trying to Understand the Words

The Samaritan woman comes out in John chapter 4. This woman also lived a riotous life. When she met Jesus at the village well, she had changed her husband five times and was living with a sixth man. As she spoke with Jesus at the well, she was able to meet the heart that she couldn’t see from anyone else. She thought “This person’s heart is truthful, holy, and beautiful! He is different from me!”

However, the Words of Jesus did not at all match her thoughts. She could not understand why Jesus was asking her for water; nor could she understand that Jesus would give her living water. Jesus said, “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” She thought “What kind of water will never let be thirsty after just one drink? Where does that kind of water exist?”

It was something that she could not grasp at all. However, the Samaritan woman did not try to understand the Word of Jesus. But, since the heart of Jesus was holy and clean compared to her wicked and dirty heart, she merely accepted the Word of Jesus directly into her heart.

Lord, Give Me This Water

There must be a fixed amount of water in our body. If it lacks water then the throat will become thirsty requesting for water. Also, in order to maintain a certain level of temperature, the body works to make it warm when cold and vice-versa. When the body needs oxygen, it breathes in deeply; when it needs nutrients, it intakes food. It must be in this way in order for our body to maintain its health. The realm of the heart is the same. Regardless of the person, in order to maintain their heart, they accept hearts that are the same and exclude the ones that are different. Also, when people hear the Words, they happily accept what they understand and what suits their hearts. However, they reject the Words that do not match their hearts. The problem is that people are evil therefore, it is difficult for them to accept what is good.

However, as the Samaritan woman shared a conversation with Jesus, she accepted the Word of Jesus which was different from her heart. Although, she had never heard such Words before, she thought, “His Words do not match my thoughts. However my thoughts were wrong, since I lived a wrong life. That’s why His Words are right!” She threw away her own thoughts and judgment and accepted the Word of Jesus. Thus, she said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.”

The New Heart of the Samaritan Woman

A new life began for the Samaritan woman after she threw away her thoughts and accepted the Word of Jesus. A heart to introduce Jesus arose from inside. That heart was not her own. The woman was no longer living by her own heart but the heart of Jesus. When she introduced Jesus to the people of the village, they went to Him after hearing her words. Then, they led Him to their village and had a blessed time with Him for two days as they heard more of His Words.

Spiritual life is not about doing something diligently. Just as with the Samaritan woman, it is about throwing away the heart you lived with and accepting the Word of Jesus in the Bible and the heart of Jesus. Just as Dallas Plemmons and the Samaritan woman changed after doing so, we can also change and live a bright life like Jesus.