Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw

 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 not thirst, nor come here to draw."

- John 4:1-15

Yesterday we read that 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, 'I 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.  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.   Samaria was the region that is to the north of Jerusalem, and it is between Judea and Galilee (map).  My study bible tells us that although the Old Testament does not mention specifically Jacob's well, Jacob did dwell in the area (Genesis 33:19).  Wells, it explains, were significant both because of their rarity and their value in desert life.  Wells came therefore to symbolize life itself (Psalm 36:9-10; 46:4; Isaiah 55:1).   Until today, this particular well is maintained as a shrine, and pilgrims may drink from it.  Jesus is wearied from His journey, which shows His complete humanity.  The sixth hour is noontime, giving us a good image of a bright sun in this arid country.  By church tradition, this woman is identified as St. Photini, about whom we shall elaborate in a later reading. 

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.  The Samaritans were a mixed race of people.  They were also traditional enemies of the Jews.  They did worship the God of Israel and also awaited the Messiah, but they accepted only the first five books of the Old Testament (called the Pentateuch or Torah) as their Scriptures.  They had built their own temple on Mount Gerizim, which was destroyed by the Jews in 128 BC.

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."   In the ordinary sense of the term, living water means fresh and flowing water, from a stream or spring rather than from a pond or cistern.  But Christ uses this phrase to describe the grace of the Holy Spirit which leads to eternal life (7:37-39).  This gift not only remains in a person, but it is also so abundant that it overflows to others as well.  The Samaritan woman misunderstands Christ and asks Him, "Are You greater than our father Jacob?"  My study bible notes here that in the Scriptures, Jacob is a type of Christ, as he received the vision of the divine ladder linking heaven and earth (Genesis 28:12), which is fulfilled in Christ.  Moreover, just as Jacob gave this well for earthly life of his descendants and the people of this region, now Christ gives the well of the Holy Spirit for eternal life of all humanity who may accept and participate in the gift.

Today's reading invites us in to another story about Jesus, one that will open up for us new understanding, and reveal new truths that He has to teach.  We are on a journey together with this Samaritan woman who happens to be at the well alone with Jesus.  Again, as with Nicodemus, John's Gospel opens up to us truths and meanings as they evolve through Christ's teaching along with our growing understanding -- and specifically in the person of the Samaritan woman.  She misunderstands His terms:  the living water He speaks about, and how a person can never thirst.  The shocking thing, as indicated in the text, is that He speaks to this woman at all.  Moreover, He reveals His truths and His teachings to her, even His identity, as we will read in the next couple of days.  Why a woman?  Why a Samaritan woman?  Even His disciples will be astonished.  But they, too, must come to understand Him through revelations like this encounter.  There are a few small details that are intriguing for us to think about.  The woman at the well will become known as St. Photini, or "the Enlightened One" in the Greek meaning of her name.  It is precisely noon, the time when the sun is highest in the sky and gives its brightest light.  When Christ is crucified, there will be darkness at noon.  But today in this story, the brightness of the sun becomes ground for the greatest revelation possible, and perhaps in the most startling way, to the most unusual of persons for Him to be speaking to.  This also enlightens and illumines us about our faith.