This is the Baymaw podcast with Marty Solomon. I'm his co-host, Brent Billings. Today we are joined by El Grover Fricks to continue our journey through the Gospel of John, exploring who the Samaritans are, the place of women in Jewish and Christian practice around the first century, and a sprinkling of midrush to top it all off.

Have I been ready to talk about this story? Boy, oh boy. It's one of my favorites and this, I mean, obviously we're doing it on the podcast, so now I got to have my stuff together.

Have you been ready or have you not, and that's why El's here.

Well, all right, all right, that's how this is going to go. That's okay.

I love this. I love this. This is going to be an amazing episode. So I actually wrote El for multiple reasons, because I got super nervous.

I've seen some ideas that I really liked when I looked into them, and so I formed this opinion about this story.

And do you remember, Brent, when we were interviewing Dallas Jenkins in part two of that interview, and he specifically asked me my thoughts on the Samaritan

woman at the well. Do you remember this conversation? Oh, yes. And we had it. And I really did love that conversation, and I didn't mind the question, nor how that conversation went.

But, and he was gracious. And also at the very, at the same time, his response was essentially like, well, I definitely not would not have done the show that way, which I found to be a very gracious way of saying like, I think that theory is crazy. Is that how you interpreted that?

Yeah. And I think most people would probably agree with them probably. So I think I was nervous to actually, I mean, I've preached on it here and there.

I've talked about it here and there, but I haven't done a podcast on this idea. And, and so I was getting more and more nervous.

This has got closer because I was ready, but I didn't want to seem like a total idiot like this was a chance. This is the moment where

I already becomes an idiot. So I wrote L for multiple reasons. I said, I, I, I, A, this is a story about a woman. And I just don't want to like

nonchalantly, you know, just kind of be dumb and make some jerkish patriarchal statement. So I was running a couple things by her for that. But then I also wanted to see like, I'm going to make this theory in

the episode. And am I crazy with the archaeology of seeing and studied in your time over in Israel and Hebrew University. And I just float in an idea by to see what her response would be.

And she responded like, Oh, man, well, if you make that case, then this and this and this and this. And it was all positive. And I was like, hmm.

And then I wanted to know what she was going to say. And I just said, you should just join us because that way if I do say something stupid or hopefully unintentional.

About a story about another biblical woman character, she can be here and help and and tell me all the additional goodies that she has. So I'm excited about the conversation.

I'm excited for the additional good stuff. And yeah, I'm always here to call you an idiot if you need one. And that is the strength of the team. Right.

Yes, I don't think I've ever done that just just pointing out. I don't think I've ever called you an idiot. No, she hasn't always been very gracious, but also very appropriately.

Bold and helpful too. So that's part of the reason why I wanted to have on the team. Very kind.

Very clear. This is all very exaggerated. We're very respectful. We all have our own strengths and weaknesses. And we we help each other. We lift each other up. That's right.

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