Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst

Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 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?" Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."

Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband, for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband, in that you spoke truly." The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship." Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When He comes, He will tell us all things." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

- John 4:1-26

In yesterday's reading, we learned of John the Baptist's role in terms of Jesus' ministry: John said, "He must increase, but I must decrease." His role is that of friend of the Bridegroom, and now that the Bridegroom has arrived to claim his Bride, John the Baptist's joy was fulfilled. His role is complete. See This joy of mine is fulfilled. Today, Jesus travels among new people, in Samaria, on His way to Galilee.

Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. My study bible says, "Because of the growing opposition of the Pharisees to His work done in Judea (3:22-36), Jesus leaves for Galilee. The Pharisees earlier took note of the activity of John the Baptist (1:19, 24) and now show interest in Jesus' ministry, since it has gained momentum." Jesus is becoming a well-known figure in Judea, and chooses to depart for Galilee. It is not time for His confrontation with the Pharisees. Samaria was the region to the north - between Judea and Galilee, through which He must pass. Sychar is a town identified by scholars with Schechem, or a village nearby.

Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. My study bible says that the Old Testament does not mention Jacob's well, but that Jacob did own property in the area (Gen. 33:19). It notes, "Wells and springs are significant in Scripture because of their rarity in desert life. In the Old Testament they often symbolize the life given by God, especially a life of blessedness (Ps. 36:8, 9; 46:4; Is. 55:1). This particular well, located at the foot of Mt. Gerizim, is maintained as a shrine, and pilgrims can drink from it to this day. Jesus is wearied and thirsty from the labors of His journey, showing His complete humanity which He voluntarily assumed. The sixth hour is noontime."

A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. My study bible notes here: "The Samaritans were a mixed race and traditional enemies of the Jews. Although they worshiped the God of Israel and were awaiting a redeemer, they accepted only the first five books of the Old Testament (the Pentateuch) as their Scriptures. They had built their own temple on Mt. Gerizim, which the Jews destroyed in 128 B.C."

Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." According to my study bible, "Living water in the ordinary sense means fresh, flowing water, from a spring rather than a pond or cistern. In the spiritual sense it symbolizes true life from God, who is the fountain of life (Jer. 2:13; Ezek. 47:1-12; Zech. 14:8; Rev. 21:6; 22:1)." It's wonderful that John's Gospel has so far focused on the activities of baptism, in John the Baptist's ministry of repentance and preparation, and in Jesus' ministry as Christ. Now, the waters of death and rebirth "come alive," so to speak, in the living water that Christ has to offer. We also note the mystery here: she knows neither the gift of God, nor who it is who is asking her for a drink. We see the theme repeated many times: Jesus is the One they do not know - for John the Baptist, he was the One who was to come; later on, Paul will preach in Athens about the unknown god.

The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 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?" My study bible points out, "The woman initially misunderstands Jesus' words, a typical case in this Gospel, and asks, Are you greater than our father Jacob . . . ? According to the Church Fathers, the patriarch Jacob, who received the revelation of the divine ladder (Gen. 28:12), is a prefiguration of Christ. Jesus is thus greater than Jacob; He is the final revelation of God and giver of life and refreshment to all." How do we know Christ? We see Him in reflections, in revelation, in all the things that point to the deeper Mystery we encounter as we journey along the road of faith.

Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." My study bible notes here: "The living water given by Jesus is the gift of the Holy Spirit which believers receive (7:37-39). And the Holy Spirit becomes a fountain of water which flows with eternal life. That this extraordinary water is springing (or leaping) up denotes the vigor of true life from God." The Holy Spirit - as living water - opens up in us the mysteries of the Kingdom, so that we may walk into that life it offers.

The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband, for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband, in that you spoke truly." The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet." My study bible says here that, "The woman does not yet understand the significance of what is being offered, so Jesus initiates a new direction in the dialogue (v. 16). When the Lord reveals to her that He knows that her present partner, following a chain of spouses, is not her husband at all, she is prompted to think Jesus a prophet (v. 19). Though the Samaritans did not accept any prophet after Moses, they did look forward to the promise of the Moses-like Prophet (Deut. 18:15-18), the Restorer, the true Teacher, the Messiah. The supernatural knowledge possessed by Jesus is manifested in many instances in John: regarding Nathanael (1:47-50); Lazarus' death (11:14); Peter's denial (13:38); what would befall Him after His arrest (18:4). By reporting these insights John underscores the divinity of the Messiah." Of course, the extraordinary thing is that Jesus Himself has chosen this woman to open Himself up to, to reveal Himself. John's Gospel teaches us a rock-solid understanding that this living water is for all those who can receive it. As Jesus has told Nicodemus (teaching of the Holy Spirit and Its transformational power), "The wind blows where it wishes."

"Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship." "The Samaritan version of the Ten Commandments," my study bible teaches, "decreed they worship on Mt. Gerizim, whereas the Jews worshiped on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem. The woman, thinking Jesus was a prophet, posed to Him this burning dispute between Jew and Samaritan." In Jesus Himself - and in the nature of worship He teaches, we will see - such disputes are resolved.

Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father." My study bible says, "The hour that is coming is the death of the Savior on the Cross, when the sacrifice made once and for all will supplant the necessity for any temple anywhere. The idea that worship must be performed only at a specific place of revelation -- Mt. Zion or Mt. Gerizim -- will give way to His revolutionary teaching about worship in spirit and in truth (v. 23)."

"You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews." A note reads, "Salvation is of the Jews: Jesus Christ affirms that valid revelation comes from Judaism (see Ps. 76:1). 'The commonwealth of Israel was the school of the knowledge of God for all the nations' (St. Athanasius). Note that Jesus' disputes with the Jews involve chiefly the Jewish leaders, not the people themselves, and certainly not the spiritual heritage of Judaism. The Messiah was prophesied within Judaism; the Incarnation took place among the Jewish people. God's universal gift of salvation arises within the context of His promises to the Jews and their religious tradition." But again, we note: evangelizing takes shape among those who worship "what they do not know." Just as we who call ourselves Christian evolve more deeply into our faith, coming to understand mystery and relationship with God through this journey in a deepening degree, so Jesus initiates those who "do not know" as did St. Paul (see reference to Acts 17:22-23). The living water is that which holds for us the key to this walk into everlasting life, and its deepening journey of relationship and understanding for each of us, no matter where we start.

"But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." My study bible notes, "While the Jews and Samaritans historically argued about where true worship takes place, Jesus teaches that worship is not tied to any certain geographical place. Instead, He turns to the heart of the matter: the object of worship, God Himself, and how worship takes place. The Father (v. 23) is worshiped in spirit -- that is, in the Holy Spirit who is given upon the completion of Christ's mission (15:26; 16:13; 20:22) -- and truth (v. 24), which is Jesus Christ Himself (14:6) and His revelation. God is Spirit (v. 24), that is He possesses a spiritual nature which cannot be confined to a particular geographic location. Those who believe in the revelation of Christ and have the power of the Holy Spirit can truly worship God anywhere."

The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When He comes, He will tell us all things." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He." My study bible notes that I who speak to you am He is literally "I AM (Gr. ego eimi), who speak to you." It continues, "'I AM' is the name of God; its use indicates a theophany, or revelation of God (Gen. 17:1; Ex. 3:14). This is the first instance in John of Jesus' use of this formula of self-revelation (see 6:35; 8:12, 58; 11:25). Jesus reveals Himself to be more than the Mosaic Prophet and more than the Jewish Messiah; indeed, He is the Incarnate God Himself." I AM, of course, is the name of God received by Moses in Ex. 3:14. Here, Jesus reveals Himself - on so many levels - to this Samaritan woman at the well.

In tomorrow's reading, we will see the Apostles' astonishment that Jesus is even speaking to this woman at all. But what we take away from this story today (along with the copious notes I hope my readers will find enlightening and interesting) is this revelation of the "unknown god" to someone who is clearly and absolutely an outsider. She's an outsider not only to the faith of the Jews, but also to the company of men (as a woman) and to those who would consider themselves loyal to the spiritual law (as a woman having had many husbands, and now living with another man who is not her husband). But she is the one to whom Jesus has chosen to reveal Himself in His fullness of divinity, and also the mystery of the Holy Spirit, the living water that opens up the Kingdom to those who partake. Further, Jesus enlightens her even as to the new faith, the new worship, which in this Spirit can take place anywhere. Let us consider then, the marvelous reality of this story. The Holy Spirit is a wind that blows where it wishes - holiness is not restricted nor conferred by our common assumptions about anything, just as judgment is not ours. The next time you need to practice discernment about something, consider this story - and turn over to God as fully as you can your own assumptions about your own understanding and knowledge and judgment. The journey of faith is one of an everlasting kind of growth into that mystery. Revelation always opens up our eyes. We all always have more to learn. It is a constant initiation and renewal in the living water. Our greatest stumbling block remains the idea that we have nothing new to learn. Where are you on that path? Can you find from this Spirit and the truth of Christ where you need to go? What you need to learn now? What you need to un-learn in order to accept it? "Ask, and it will be given to you."