Hmmm…3000 named men in the Bible and about 185 named women. Only six percent of the named people in the Bible are women, and most were tough and adventurous.

And what about the unnamed women? They, too, are remarkable. Take the Samaritan woman by the well in John’s gospel (4:1-26), who had the longest recorded conversation with Jesus of anyone in the Bible.

She was kind of a smart alec. And tough, smart, abrasive, resilient and opinionated. She’d have to be after five husbands.

If she were living in the 21st century, she might be a lawyer. Maybe a prosecutor. I’d like her on my side if I was in court.

Jesus always gets much credit for the way he responded to her, as well he should. But she deserves credit, too. She could have said nothing, or just meekly brought water as he asked, even though men didn’t normally talk to women and Jews didn’t talk to Samaritans.

Instead she engaged Jesus in conversation, asked some tough questions, and allowed herself to be changed. And then she ran to town to share the good news with others.

I’d like to think that when Jesus met her in heaven, he called her by name. No doubt she would have had more questions, more observations…and much joy. And no doubt she was still opinionated. Bless her.