The Joys of John

[Jaebius]

John 4: 4-26

Bible Gateway passage: John 4:4-26 - New English Translation

Conversation With a Samaritan Woman - But he had to pass through Samaria. Now he came to a Samaritan town called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, so Jesus, since he was tired from the journey, sat right down beside the well. It was...

www.biblegateway.com

Today's text gives us an inclusive Jesus who interacts with a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well.

She recognizes him as a Prophet when he states that she has had five husbands. And the one she is living with now is not her husband.

Jesus refers to himself as living water and declares to her that he is the Messiah. The time is coming (and is now here) says Jesus, when true worshippers will worship God in truth and spirit.

It's amazing how this woman sees Jesus as a Prophet and the Messiah. Her willingness to be open pushes us to think about how we see God's truth. Are we ready to meet Jesus in our own tough spots? Can we set aside what society thinks and come to God honestly?

This passage reminds us that real worship comes from being true to ourselves

 

[paradox3]

It's amazing how this woman sees Jesus as a Prophet and the Messiah.

So far the reading tells us she identifies Jesus as a prophet.

She knows the Messiah is coming and will tell them everything. Jesus replies, "I, the one speaking to you, am he." (v.26)

We have not yet heard a thing about her response. We will learn about it tomorrow.

Please try to follow the material as I introduce it without moving ahead in the narrative.

 

[Mendalla]

She recognizes him as a Prophet when he states that she has had five husbands. And the one she is living with now is not her husband.

So, Desperate Housewives of Samaria?

The Samaritan woman in this story is often assumed to be an outcast because she is alone at the well. But the story is actually silent on whether or not others are present.

She is often considered to be a sinner or an adulteress because of the five husbands. But the story doesn't specify this either.

These seem to reflect interpreters filling gaps in the narrative with their own time's value and prejudices, eh. It's one of the problems of relying of 2000 year-old not always clear stories. That said, I don't recall either being mentioned much in my Christian days. I just heard there was a Samaritan woman at a well who met Jesus.

 

[Jaebius]

So far the reading tells us she identifies Jesus as a prophet.

She knows the Messiah is coming and will tell them everything. Jesus replies, "I, the one speaking to you, am he." (v.26)

We have not yet heard a thing about her response. We will learn about it tomorrow.

Please try to follow the material as I introduce it without moving ahead in the narrative.

When Jesus tells it to her then, at least, she knows

 

[paradox3]

@Mendalla
I am not sure where I encountered these ideas but I think it was on-line rather than in a sermon or other church setting.

It wouldn't necessarily have been WC or WC2. I was following a few Reddit subs about the bible for a while. There is a really good one about academic bible studies. But its level of detail can get overwhelming.

 

[paradox3]

When Jesus tells it to her then, at least, she knows

Stay tuned. We will get more of her story tomorrow.

 

[unsafe]

So here we see Jesus is by Himself when he stops at the well in ---His Disciples are off buying food -----

The Samaritans were very dislikes by the Jews ---

From google ----

Why did the Jews hate the Samaritans?

The Jews on the other hand insisted that the Samaritans were not Jews. They regarded Samaritanism as a heresy derived from the corrupt worship of Yahweh mixed up with the worship of the foreign gods brought into Samaria by the foreign settlers during the Assyrian deportations.

verse 5
5 He arrived at a Samaritan town called Sychar, near the tract of land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

This has significance ----

AI
The town of Sychar (modern-day Shechem) is mentioned in the Bible, specifically in Genesis 12:6-8, where Abraham reached the "great tree of Moreh" and built an altar to God, after God promised him the land to his descendants.

I say -------So Jesus is at the well and a Samaritan woman comes to the Well to get some water -------and Notice how Jesus starts His conversation with her -------He asks for her to give Him a Drink -----He is breaking the Ice here for a conversation to start so He can preach His word to her ---she is shocked that he would even consider speaking to her ---He a Jew and she A Samaritan -----

Jesus asking for her help and cooperation here is accomplishing a divine service ---it is giving Glory to God and Gaining a soul by displaying Agape and goodness to this woman who is shunned by the Jews -----

The woman seems impressed by Jesus' kindness towards her ----As Children of God we are to Agape our enemies -----

Jesus starts His Ministry here by saying if she knew who was asking for the drink ---she would have ask Him to give her a drink of the living water -----Now here again she has no clue about Spiritual matters and doesn't understand what Jesus means here -----showing the human lens -----

So here verse 12 she is Asking a Questing -----she is curious who He is
12 Are You greater than and superior to our ancestor Jacob

Jesus gives here a perplexing answer -----all who drink will never be thirsty again ----and will become In the person a fountain of water springing up to eternal life ----

So the woman wants this water ------so now Jesus Tests her honesty -and exposes her sin ---and she passes the honest test ====and she now knows that Jesus is a Prophet ---but it doesn't say she acknowledged her sinful life that was exposed ---

Jesus points out to her that there is s time coming of a different worship and right now she worships what she doesn't know -----later people will worship the Father in Spirit and Truth ---

This Verse speaks for itself ---very clear , precise no sugarcoating

24 God is spirit [the Source of life, yet invisible to mankind], and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Jesus identifies Himself to the woman as the Messiah ------who she speaks of is coming ----

The Children of God are to gain souls in our travels and by showing Agape and goodness to others like Jesus did here is the better way of attracting other to know more about Jesus and his Way to obtain eternal life -----better than preaching words to the unbelieving who can't grasp the message your spouting out ----

 

[paradox3]

From the study guide we used for John:

"While Jesus doesn't seem concerned with the woman's sin, we do find out that she has broken the social code - in major ways- at least five times."

This is from the United Church of Christ. So it would seem the idea of the Samaritan woman being a sinner is fairly mainstream.

 

[unsafe]

"While Jesus doesn't seem concerned with the woman's sin,

Ya He exposes it but doesn't dwell on it ---I think the main focus here is on her Spiritual need and Revelation of who Jesus is -----and not the sin -----

And if you read the passage here after Jesus exposes her sin to her she immediately changes the subject ----so she herself is avoiding the subject --using what she says maybe as a distraction to avoid any more sin conversations ----- just my view here

18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”

19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.

20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.

 

[unsafe]

This is an interesting tidbit about spring water in ancient times

AI

Yes, in many ancient cultures, spring water was indeed considered "living water," often seen as a gift from the gods or a source of life and vitality

• Biblical Context:
  The concept of "living water" also appears in the Bible, with Jeremiah 2:13 describing God as "the spring of living water" and Jesus later referring to a well of water springing up to eternal life.
  
  
• Symbolic Cleansing:
  In Jewish tradition, "living water" was used in ritual baths (mikvehs) to symbolically cleanse the heart before worship.
  
  
• Cultural Significance:
  The idea of "living water" reflects a deep-seated human connection to nature and the importance of water as a source of life and sustenance.
  
  
• Modern Interpretations:
  While the concept may be rooted in ancient beliefs, the idea of "living water" can also be interpreted metaphorically, representing something that is life-giving, refreshing, and essential.

 

[paradox3]

Still not sure how this Samaritan woman gets pegged as a sinner. One explanation I have seen is that "5 husbands" is a euphemism for "5 illicit sexual partners".

 

[Mendalla]

But is there internal evidence for that explanation in the book or is that just conjecture someone pulled out of their butt to support that point of view? We have no real context for this beyond what John says. Perhaps she had bad luck with husbands (though going through five starts to sound like a bad black comedy).

 

[paradox3]

Agreeing with the conjecture idea @Mendalla.

Could it be this story gets conflated with the woman caught in adultery later in John's Gospel?

 

[unsafe]

AI

In Jesus' time, as reflected in biblical teachings, living with a man who wasn't your husband was generally considered a sin, representing a departure from the covenantal understanding of marriage.

John 4:18 - Jesus and the Samaritan Woman

In fact, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. You have spoken truthfully.

biblehub.com

and the man you now have is not your husband
This statement addresses the woman's current living situation, suggesting a relationship outside the bounds of marriage. In the biblical context, living with someone who is not one's spouse was considered sinful, reflecting a departure from the covenantal understanding of marriage. This situation underscores the woman's need for spiritual renewal and redemption, which Jesus offers. It also highlights Jesus' omniscience, as He knows her circumstances without prior knowledge, demonstrating His divine insight.

 

[unsafe]

Could it be this story gets conflated with the woman caught in adultery later in John's Gospel?

the woman caught in adultery is a different woman ------I am pretty sure ---this woman was married 5 times ----the last man was a living with her -----

 

[paradox3]

Correct @unsafe. Two different stories.
The other woman is Jewish for one thing.

 

[paradox3]

John 4:27-30

Bible Gateway passage: John 4:27-30 - New English Translation

The Disciples Return - Now at that very moment his disciples came back. They were shocked because he was speaking with a woman. However, no one said, “What do you want?” or “Why are you speaking with her?” Then the woman left her water jar, went off into the town and said to the people, “Come...

www.biblegateway.com

The disciples return and are shocked to see Jesus speaking with a woman. But they don't question Him about it.

The Samaritan woman leaves her water jar and returns to her town. She tells them she met a man who told her everything she ever did. "Surely, he can't be the Messiah, can he?" she asks.

So the people leave the town and seek out Jesus.

 

[paradox3]

Why didn't the disciples question Jesus about the woman?

Why did she leave behind her water jar?

Why were the people of her town so intrigued about the possible Messiah?

 

[Mendalla]

Why didn't the disciples question Jesus about the woman?

Another case of them being yutzes, as seems to often happen? Though usually it's a setup for Jesus to say something which doesn't happen here.

Why did she leave behind her water jar?

Too excited and forgot??

Why were the people of her town so intrigued about the possible Messiah?

If they were conventional Judaeans, I think the answer is just that he was a possible Messiah and that's got to garner some attention. But I actually forget what the Samaritans believed about the Messiah. They were/are (I think they are still around from something I saw on one of my religion YouTubers) a bit different from the mainstream of Judaism but forget their position on The Messiah.

 

[paradox3]

Yes @Mendalla there are still Samaritans in Israel. They almost died out about a hundred years ago. But they have expanded their numbers by allowing the men to intermarry.

In biblical times the major difference between Samaritans and Jews was the location of the Temple. Both groups anticipated a Messiah.