…the woman at the well.
Once she understood the Living Water Jesus gave her was not the water you drink but the restoration of her soul she was a changed woman. Jesus accepted her, a Samaritan woman, knew her whole life without her ever telling Him; transformed her life immediately. When the disciples came back, their whispers it didn’t bother her. She was so excited about the Living Water she had received. So excited, she left her water pot and hurried back to town. No longer afraid or ashamed to face anyone she met telling them about Jesus, the Messiah, was sitting by the well, and what He did for her.
Once she understood true worship was from the heart, she really took it to heart. This life changing moment was not just a temporary thing for her. We don’t know much about what happened after she met Jesus and the time He spent teaching there. Yet, through early church tradition and records, we are able to see the impact her life change made on others around her.
When the Apostles baptized her they gave her the name Photine which means “Enlightened One”, which she truly was. Not only did she lead her city to Jesus, she apparently had five sisters that saw how much her life had changed because of Jesus they were saved too. After her conversion, she apparently married and had two boys. Nothing is said about her husband but her sons were both Christians and killed for their faith. She went around sharing her faith.
When Nero started persecuting the Christians, he put her under the care of his daughter. Who after awhile became a Christian along with all her servants. When Nero found out what had happened he had Photine thrown in a well. Then being as crazy as he was he had he pulled her out and put her back in prison. One day Nero had her brought before him and asked her to denounce Jesus. To that, she responded,
“O most impious of the blind, you profligate and stupid man! Do you think me so deluded that I would consent to renounce my Lord Christ and instead offer sacrifice to idols as blind as you?”
When Nero heard these words he had her thrown back in the well where she gave her spirit up to the Lord. For about 30 plus years she lived not afraid to talk to anyone about what Jesus had done in her life. She didn’t care what they thought about her and willingly died for her Savior. To read more amazing stuff about her and her family check out this link. Photine
Bonnie Sue Writes 