john 4:1-26

Okay, check it out. From now on, I'll be updating this (or trying to) bi-weekly, Mondays and Thursdays.

I’ve put off trying to tackle this passage for a while, because it’s important and because there’s a whole lot of stuff to cover. This is the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well, and it’s where Jesus says a lot of seriously heavy stuff.

Jesus and his disciples have left Judea, apparently because the Pharisees were taking an interest in their activities there. They’re heading home to Galilee, a trip which takes them through Samaria. And Samaria was a region occupied by half-breeds who worshiped differently than the Jews, who therefore tried to avoid associating with them.

5Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

6Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.

7There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

8(For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)

9Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

Here’s the first lesson of the story. Jesus doesn’t care about status or cliques or other dividers. He deals with people just as people. This was the early Church’s greatest strength, its willingness to reach out to those forsaken by all others. It may be the modern Church’s great weakness, that we’ve lost sight of this.

10Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

11The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

12Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

13Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

14But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

Here we have another example of Jesus’ tendency to abruptly segue from temporal to spiritual matters in conversation. His interest is not in ordinary water.

Living water. This is a truly grand figure of speech. Cleansing, refreshing, purifying, life-giving. Never-ending, always flowing, a fountain springing up into eternal life. And here’s the second lesson of the story. This is what Jesus is offering: not just miraculous healing and moral teaching about being nice to each other. He’s here offering the cleansing and quenching we all need.

And presented with this idea, the woman forgets about ordinary water as well.

15The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

16Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.

17The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:

18For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

19The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.

And here, the third lesson: He knows. Behold and wonder at this: Jesus sees you, all of you, all you’ve done, all you keep hidden, all you’re ashamed of. He knows. And, even knowing all that, He still offers the Water of Life.

20Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

21Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

22Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

23But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

24God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Knowing herself now to be in the presence of a prophet, the woman inquires about the religious division between Jew and Samaritan. Where is the right place to worship, the Mountain, or the Temple? The answer is “none of the above.” The where isn’t important, it’s the how. In spirit, and truth. Ritual, empty liturgy, is insufficient whether in the Temple or out of it. And that is the fourth lesson.

And this is the fifth:

25The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.

26Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

Next up: the Samaritan Adventure continues!