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  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."

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 

 

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 is the Gentile region north of Jerusalem, and between the regions of Judea and Galilee.  Although the Old Testament doesn't mention Jacob's well, Jacob did live in this area (Genesis 33:19).  Wells are significant in the cultures of the entire region, because of their rarity and their value in desert life.  Therefore, my study bible explains, well came to symbolize life itself (Psalms 36:9-10, 46:4; Isaiah 55:1).   This same well is still maintained as a shrine.  Pilgrims can come and drink from it.  My study bible points out that Jesus is wearied from His journey, which shows His complete humanity.  The sixth hour is noon; it is no doubt hot at this time in the region, as it must be at least late spring or early summer, considering that we read about Jesus attending the Passover festival in chapter 2. 

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  Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?"  For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. This woman is identified in the church tradition as St. Photini (we will write more about her in tomorrow's reading and commentary).  My study bible explains that the Samaritans were a mixed race and traditional enemies of the Jews.  Although they worshiped the God of Israel, and they were also awaiting the Messiah as were the Jews, they accepted only the first five books of the Old Testament (the Torah, or Pentateuch) as their Scriptures.  They had built their own temple on Mt. Gerizim (to which Photini refers a little further along in her conversation with Jesus), which the Jews destroyed 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 its common usage, the term living water means fresh, flowing water.  That is, from a stream or spring rather than from a pond or cistern.  Christ, however, uses the term here to indicate the grace of the Holy Spirit that leads to eternal life, as my study bible puts it (7:37-39).  This gift, it says, not only remains in a person, but is abundant so as to overflow to others as well.  The Samaritan woman misunderstands Jesus, and asks Him, "Are You greater than our father Jacob?"  In Scripture, Jacob is a "type" of Christ, as Jacob received the vision of the divine ladder which is fulfilled in Christ (Genesis 28:12).  Moreover, as Jacob gave the well for earthly life, Christ gives the well of the Holy Spirit for eternal life.  

 

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."  Jesus is the "heart-knower" (see, for example, Matthew 9:4).  He perceives she was living with a man without being married, and also knew of her past husbands, and therefore she believes that Jesus is a prophet.  My study bible explains that as the Samaritans did not accept any prophets after Moses, the only prophet they expected was the Messiah, as foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-18).  This capacity for insight into the hearts of people, which is reported many places in the Gospels, underscores Christ's divine nature.  

"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."  If Jesus was the expected Prophet (as foretold by Moses, indicated in the previous verses), then He could settle this historical argument between the Jews and Samaritans about where worship was supposed to take place.  But Jesus does not answer this "earthly" question directly, and elevates the discussion to a question of how people ought to worship instead.  Moreover, He turns her attention to the One whom we worship:  God.  The Father is worshiped in spirit -- in the Holy Spirit -- and in truth -- Christ Himself (14:6), and according to the revelation of Christ.  God is Spirit:  My study bible explains that God cannot be confined to a particular location.  Those who receive the Holy Spirit and believe in Jesus Christ can worship God the Father with purity of heart.  Salvation is of the Jews:  Christ affirms that true revelation comes from Judaism.  My study bible quotes St. Athanasius the Great:  "The commonwealth of Israel was the school of the knowledge of God for all the nations."  Even more essential to our understanding is that Jesus is testifying that the Messiah, who was prophesied among the Jews, has risen from among the Jews.  The gift of salvation in Christ is open to all nations and people, but it has come from within Judaism.  The hour which is coming refers to the death and Resurrection of Christ and the subsequent outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, inaugurating the worship of the new covenant. 

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."  I who speak to you am He is translated literally:  "I AM, who speak to you."  In Greek that "I AM" is ego eimi/εγω ειμι, and this is the language of the Septuagint Old Testament Scriptures for the divine name of God (Exodus 3:14).  My study bible says that its use here indicates a theophany; that is, a revelation of God.  The use of this Name by a mere human being was considered blasphemy and punishable by death (see 8:58; Mark 14:62).   But, since Jesus is divine, His use of this Name reveals His unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  He is God Incarnate.

So why this woman?  Why does Jesus reveal Himself as Christ to this woman, first before all?  She is an outsider, a Samaritan, and also female.  As she herself comments right from the beginning, "How is it that You, being  Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?"  Do we understand her correctly, that she is surprised -- or should we say shocked? -- that any Jewish man would even speak to her, even to ask for a drink at a well on a hot day at noon when He is already wearied from His journey?  Here is one key, she is highly interested in what He has to tell her.  As He speaks, He draws her out, and she keeps asking questions.  She doesn't scoff or doubt, but asks Him where she can get that "living water."  She recognizes something given from God in Him, and comments that He is a prophet.  She keeps coming back, and asking.  She decides that He is the One who can settle the matter of where worship should take place.  Let's note, like another foreign woman in the Gospels (Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:27-30), she accepts all that Christ says.  She doesn't protest when He tells her that salvation is of the Jews.  She shows a level of humility that reflects an immediate trust, a willingness to hear what He says to her, what He has to reveal.  But lest we think she is merely gullible, or just "submissive" (if we want to use that word), let us note how she speaks up, and how many questions she asks of Him.  She is not afraid to demand some of that living water for herself!   Let us note also her discernment:  she says "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet."   In these actions, she shows some of the character traits we find in Mary, the mother of Christ, who wonders at Gabriel's greeting, must question his message, and considers before responding (Luke 1:26-38).  We find a person who is open to faith -- and especially to the truth of Christ, and who is not afraid to admit the truth of her life and her place before Christ.  She is alert to what He tells her.  She uses her mind, her spirit and soul, and earnestly seeks what is good, directly questioning to find it.  Neither is she appalled at the strangeness of such circumstances or afraid.  She does not run away, but speaks up.  She makes a plea (as in our prayers) for the living water Christ speaks about.  This is, then, a model for our faith.  In tomorrow's reading, we'll find the next half of this story, and what happens later.