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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 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 neither 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 in 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, the Gospel told us about the growing ministry of Jesus. Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized. For John had not yet been thrown into prison. Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purification. And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified -- behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!" John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ' am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him.' He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
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. My study bible says, "Because of the growing opposition of the Pharisees to His work done in Judea [see yesterday's reading, above], Jesus leaves for Galilee. The Pharisees earlier took note of the activity of John the Baptist, and now show interest in Jesus' ministry since it has gained momentum." If one looks at this map, one can see clearly the route Jesus had to take north, through Samaria, to get to Galilee from Judea.
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. One can see on the map the town of Sychar, tracing Jesus' route. My study bible says that this town is identified by scholars with Shechem or a village nearby. It notes that the Old Testament doesn't mention Jacob's well, but Jacob did own property in the area. "Wells and springs," it says, "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. 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." John's Gospel, I find, is so vivid in its images. A dry, hot, dusty day. It's noon, and the sun beats down. A very human Jesus is exhausted from His journey, and sits by the well.
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. In the customs of the time, it's not strange that Jesus would tell a woman to give Him a drink. What is strange is that she is a Samaritan woman. Again, John sets us a vivid scene: Jesus is alone there; His disciples have gone away into the city to buy food. So, it is an encounter of opportunity. In His divine capacity, we come to understand this is no coincidence, no "accident."
Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. My study bible tells us, "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." My study bible tells us that "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." What's really remarkable about this passage, truly eye-opening, is the fact that Jesus opens up about His identity to this woman, alone with her at the well. She's surprised He's even speaking to her. But He directly addresses her with His real identity.
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?" Although we now understand Jesus' words regarding the "living water," to her they come as a surprise; she tries to figure out what He means. It is a typical case of John's Gospel, in which metaphor and type combine to open up doors of insight to the gradually believing. Here, her question opens up a comparison to Jacob, of the Old Testament Patriarchs.
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 neither thirst, nor come here to draw." In this language of the poetic and symbolic, Jesus opens up "how" He is greater than "our father Jacob." The water He gives is different; it not only quenches the thirsty in a more powerful way than the water at Jacob's well, but it will become in that person "a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." My study bible points out that this is the gift of the Holy Spirit, which "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." She still doesn't understand, of course, this spiritual water and quenching of thirst He's talking about. But she wants to know more, she wants this water.
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." Jesus has drawn her in. Using the metaphor He gives His disciples, that they are to be fishers of men," we can see this woman as a sort of fish on the hook. Jesus has initiated this encounter, and initiated and hooked her interest. But now He goes deeper into relationship, revealing all He knows about her and her life. In this way, He reveals more about Himself, the depth of His knowledge and understanding -- how He knows us. There is nothing for her to hide in this encounter.
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." My study bible notes, "The Samaritan version of the Ten Commandments 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."
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." Jesus affirms the validity of Jewish spiritual heritage. My study bible is careful to point out that Jesus' real disputes involve chiefly the leadership -- not the people themselves. But John's Gospel also tells us there are key figures who are Jesus' followers among the leadership (see the readings of Wednesday and Thursday, in which Jesus speaks to Nicodemus). It adds, "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 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 in 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." A note here reads: "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 is worshiped in spirit -- that is, in the Holy Spirit who is given upon the completion of Christ's mission -- and truth, which is Jesus Christ Himself and His revelation. God is Spirit, 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."
Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He." Literally in the Greek this passage reads "I am, who speak to you." The Greek ego eimi echoes the words of the name of God in the Old Testament, the "I AM" of Genesis 17:1 and Exodus 3:14. Its use, therefore, suggests theophany or revelation of God, according to my study bible. It says, "This is the first instance in John of Jesus' use of the formula of self-revelation. Jesus reveals Himself to be more than the Mosaic Prophet and more than the Jewish Messiah. Indeed, He is the Incarnate God Himself."
My first question regarding this passage would be, "Why this woman?" And second upon it, and related, is, "Why here?" We'll see how the disciples react when they come upon this scene in Monday's reading. (They'll be so astounded He's even speaking with a woman they won't be able even to question Him!) By tradition, this woman went on to be a saint, and we'll read about how she brought others to faith (also in Monday's reading). But what's striking for us, still today, is not only the fact that He speaks with a woman this way, completely shaking the customs of the time, but even that this is a Samaritan woman. And it's a still, quiet scene, in a hot place, among a tired and thirsty Jesus, and this one woman -- of a traditional enemy group of the Jews, someone who would, in terms of worldly expectation, be despised. And that's a great revelation for us. It's the least likely place for Christ's divinity to be revealed! It's a type of scene of the burning bush, at which the I AM was revealed to Moses, but so many things here are reversed. God's not talking to Moses here, although a burning bush in the desert might well be the scene of a blisteringly hot day at high noon in the sun, in which our Savior is tired and thirsty. No, this time -- perhaps in some sense as at the bush that wasn't consumed by the fire -- it's the least likely time and place, the least likely encounter for this revelation of God, to a single woman, inferior, immoral, of the "wrong" race and therefore faith understanding. But she becomes the stand-in for all of us, for each of us. How was she deserving? In what way did she make a special qualification? She is simply this "fish" in the desert, this one whom our Savior knew, capable of faith, of having her eyes opened at Jacob's well, and discovering the true place from which to draw true water that quenches the spirit and feeds the depths of life within us. This encounter is one in which we are truly known, and in that blazing sun of Light we can hide nothing. And that's a part of the requirement for this water, this revelation. So she is a gift to us as well -- and that's the power of this Gospel. You don't know who you may encounter in life and what you may find. But there are times when something may be asked of us, even in a way we don't expect nor that custom would embrace, that lead to a Gift we can't measure and has no end to its giving.
