A woman’s work is never done…. Even for much of the world today, carrying water remains a woman’s job. When arranging for a place to hold their Passover, Yeshua (Jesus) told his disciples to look for a man carrying a jar of water (Luke 22:10)—a little unusual.
Not all Bibles reflect it in English, but a distinction is made between wells and cisterns in Hebrew. The cistern utilizes Israel’s winter rains and stores them in underground collection tanks. This is in contrast to the well which draws from subterranean water sources.
Either an individual or a community chiseled the cistern out of the soft surface limestone and dug deep into bedrock. The pear-shaped cistern could be mostly sealed with a rock at its mouth to prevent animals and people from falling in (!), while allowing rain water to be channeled in.
From the outside, both a well or a cistern appeared pretty much the same. The cistern would be found in areas with sufficient seasonal rains, while the well would frequently be found in desert regions or areas with underground springs.
Jeremiah spoke of those who forsake their God as broken cisterns (Jer. 2:13), leaking out the precious, life-giving waters. As difficult as it might be, upon occasion, cisterns need repairs, whether it’s a crack in the bedrock or in the lime plaster usually coating the interior collection tank.
Is it time for a touch-up?
Woman’s work is nothing to be scoffed at. Genesis 24 tells of Rebekah watering a stranger’s camels. A camel can easily drink ten clay jars of water let down by a rope. This calls for a strong woman… or a man such as Moses who helped Jethro’s daughters who were being harassed.
Our risen Lord continued the tradition of women dispensing life-giving water when he told them, “Go tell…” (Mark 16). But don’t worry, men were eventually included, too! This is one job that needs all hands on board—men, women, boys and girls.
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