It has long been noted that this scene of the woman at the well of Samaria shares many characteristics with the OT stories of a man finding a wife at a well, such as in the narratives of Isaac (Gen 24:10-61), Jacob (Gen 29:1-30) and Moses (Ex 2:15-22). Robert Alter referred to this form as a “repeated biblical type-scene” with five typical elements: 1) a future bridegroom or his surrogate travels to a foreign land; 2) he encounters a girl or a group of girls at a well; 3) one of these...

Immanuel, Not Emperor This advent story of John the Baptist encourages the church to make space for the tension of reality – that in the midst of very real pain, isolation and injustice, Jesus is Lord; however, the Lordship of Jesus defies one’s expectations, whether they are placed in the first-century or today. The status quo has identified empire as a distant, powerful, and systemic domination of the vulnerable but Jesus opts for Lordship, which is characterized by His incarnation and His...

Introduction Besides the moving experiences I’ve journeyed through relating to significant transitions in my family, for instance getting...