Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never 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 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, after the Passover (the first of three Passover feasts mentioned in John's Gospel) 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.  Samaria was the region that was north of Jerusalem, between Judea and Galilee.  Jesus is traveling to His "home" country in Galilee, from Judea.

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.  My study Bible comments that while the Old Testament doesn't mention Jacob's well, it is known that Jacob dwelt in this area (Genesis 33:19).   It notes that wells were significant in this region because of their rarity and their value in desert life.  So, therefore, wells came to symbolize life itself  (Psalms 36:9-10, 46:4; Isaiah 55:1).  This well has been maintained as a shrine even in recent times, and pilgrims can drink from it.  Jesus is wearied from His journey, which shows us His complete humanity.  The sixth hour is noon.  In the tradition of the Orthodox Church, this woman is identified as St. Photini.  

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, and they were also traditional enemies of the Jews.  My study Bible explains that although they worshiped the God of Israel, and also awaited the Messiah, they only accepted the first five books of the Old Testament (the Torah, or Pentateuch) as their Scriptures.  They had built their own temple on Mt. 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, flowing water, from a stream or spring rather than a pond or a cistern.  But Jesus is using this phrase to describe the grace of the Holy Spirit, which leads to eternal life (John 7:37-39).  My study Bible comments that this gift not only remains in a person, but it is so abundant that it overflows to others.  It notes also that this woman misunderstands Jesus, and asks Him, "Are You greater than our father Jacob?"  In the Scriptures, it explains, Jacob is a "type" of Christ, as Jacob received the vision of the divine ladder (Genesis 28:12), of which Christ is fulfillment.  Moreover, just as Jacob gave this 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.  Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."   Since Jesus has perceived that she was living with a man without being married, and He also knew of her string of husbands, this woman perceives He is a prophet.  As the Samaritans accepted no prophets after Moses, but only prophet they expected was the Messiah foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-18).  My study Bible says that Christ's insight into people's hearts, which is reported many times in the Gospels (and remarked upon in this blog), emphasizes Christ's divine nature.  

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 Christ was truly the expected Prophet (of whom Moses wrote), then He could settle the historical argument about where worship was to take place.   But Jesus avoids this question and instead elevates the discussion to the way in which people should worship.  More importantly, Christ turns her attention to the One whom we worship:  God.  The Father is worshiped in spirit -- that is, in the Holy Spirit, my study Bible says -- and in truth -- that is in Christ Himself (John 14:6) and according to Christ's revelation.  Jesus declares that God is Spirit:  this indicates that God cannot be confined to a particular location.  My study Bible says that those who receive the Holy Spirit and believe in Jesus Christ can worship God the Father with purity of heart.  Jesus also states that salvation is of the Jews:  in so stating, Christ affirms that true revelation comes out 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."  More importantly here, Jesus testifies that the Messiah, prophesied from among the Jews, has now risen from among the Jews.  The gift of salvation in Christ is to all the nations, but it has come from within Judaism.  The hour is a reference to the death and Resurrection of Christ, and also to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit of 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."  My study Bible points out that "I who speak to you am He" is literally translated "I AM [Greek ego eimi], who speak to you."  This "I AM" is the divine Name of God.  It's use is an indication of what is called a theophany, or revelation of God Himself.  The use of this Name by a mere human being was considered to be blasphemy and was punishable by death (see John 8:58; Mark 14:62).  But as He Himself is divine, Christ's use of this Name is a revelation of His unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit; we are given to understand that He is God Incarnate.

The Holy Spirit is here invoked by Jesus through the image of living water.  Jesus gives us two further statements about this living water:  "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."   It's a kind of water which in some sense is so satisfying that a person will never thirst.  And it is a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.  This living water doesn't just give life, it springs up into everlasting life.  It has an eternal quality, and it satisfies deep need for an eternity, for one will never thirst again.  Jesus uses this metaphor of thirst elsewhere when He speaks of the deepest desire within ourselves for the depth of a true spiritual life.  In the Beatitudes, He states, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6).  So whatever qualities there are of this living water, and whatever this living water really is, we can put His comments together and understand how it satisfies the very depth of need for a soul that knows its Master, and seeks what the Master has to offer it.  A soul, after all, is meant for life that is eternal, and Christ is here to give us what we need to feed that soul for such a life.  The Psalmist speaks of such a thirst for God:  "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God" (Psalm 42:1).  So, we could ask, what is it that you hunger and thirst for?  What is it that is such a strong impulse within human beings that Jesus can speak of its sustenance by offering living water?  His very human thirst on this day at noon, in a hot desert place, and finding an ancient well gives the framework for a kind of thirst that is only satisfied with an eternally-giving spring, something that sustains with the quality of eternal life added to the earthly life we know.  And the great catalyst for this revelation is this sole moment when Christ is alone with a stranger, a Gentile woman, and He asks for a drink of water.  It's shocking to her because first of all, a Jewish Man alone with a Samaritan woman is not something that would normally be permissible in such a culture -- let alone this Man speaking to her and asking for a drink (hence, her response to Him).  But this is a microcosm in itself of this eternally giving water springing up into life, for from this one unusual moment, a great revelation is born, and it is a revelation that continues to give to us the words of Christ, the unforgettable image of this living water.  Jesus reveals even more than this to this unlikely woman; that He is the Messiah Himself.  But today let us ponder what is missing in her life, what she needs, and what quality of eternal life we need as we thirst for something more than our daily, earthly lives.  What is it that can satisfy a thirst eternally?  What is it that never stops giving?