Jesus Sees Women

John 4:12 (NKJV): “Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” 

What does the tragic story of Dinah and the encounter between Jesus and the ‘woman at the well’ have in common? They happened in the same place. Shechem and Sychar are different names for the same location. 

​Genesis 34 tells the story of Dinah, the daughter of Jacob. It is a narrative about God’s people on the move, but it is also a painful account of their moral failure. Dinah is violated by Shechem (the man the city was named after), yet no one truly sees her suffering. Her father, Jacob, remains silent. Her brothers respond with violence, but their outrage appears tied less to Dinah’s trauma than to the dishonor they perceive to their family, or even political/military advancement. Dinah herself disappears into the margins of the story. In Shechem, no one truly saw her. 

Fast forward some 1,500 years to John 4, where we meet another unnamed woman at the same place. Traditionally, she has been portrayed as immoral, and many of us—including myself—have assumed or implied this in our teaching. But a closer look suggests a more complex and compassionate interpretation. 

She had five husbands. In that culture, women rarely initiated divorce and had limited means of economic survival apart from men. It is possible that she was widowed repeatedly, abandoned, or passed from one precarious relationship to another. The man she lived with was not her husband, but Scripture does not explain the circumstances.  

What is clear is this: people likely judged her, but few truly saw her. 

Her question to Jesus is striking: “Are You greater than our father Jacob?” In essence, she asks whether anything has really changed. Dinah was unseen. Is she unseen too? Does anyone see her? 

Jesus does. When He speaks of her life, it is not merely exposure but recognition. He demonstrates that He knows her story. Where others saw a problem, Jesus saw a person. Where others saw shame, Jesus saw suffering and dignity. 

Her testimony afterward is telling: “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” (John 4:29). Jesus saw her when no one else did. 

Our society has made progress in seeing women more clearly than in previous generations, yet many women still feel trapped, silenced, or treated as objects rather than persons. Some continue to endure mistreatment in their homes and communities.  

To them, the gospel speaks a powerful truth: Jesus sees you. 

And the church must reflect His vision. We must oppose the abuse and objectification of women, refuse silence in the face of injustice, and commit ourselves to seeing women as Christ sees them—with dignity, compassion, and truth. If you are suffering, we will not look away. We will see you, because Jesus does. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Blaine Donaldson is the Senior Pastor of Rock Valley Chapel in Beloit, Wisconsin, bringing decades of pastoral and theological leadership experience across Canada and the United States. He is deeply committed to Scripture, discipleship, and equipping believers, with ministry and teaching that also extend internationally. Blaine holds multiple theological degrees and previously served as President of the FEBC.