Jesus and the Samaritan woman�John 4

WELL

In the scripture...

Well, a place of engagements

• Issac and Rebecca (Gen 24: 10-61 )
• Jacob and Racheal (Gen 29:1-10 )
• Moses and Sefora (Ex 2:15-21 )

Lectio (John 4:5-42)

• 5 Jesus came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 
• 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. 
• 7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." 8 (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 

• 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) 
• 10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, "Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." 
• 11 The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 
• 12 Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?" 

• 13 Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." 
• 15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water." 

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• 16 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband (ἀνὴρ), and come back." 
• 17 The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, "I have no husband'; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!" 

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• 19 The woman said to him, "Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 
• 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem." 
• 21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 
• 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 
• 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." 

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• 25 The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us." 
• 26 Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you." 
• 27 Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, "What do you want?" or, "Why are you speaking with her?" 
• 28 Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, 
• 29 "Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?" 
• 30 They left the city and were on their way to him. 

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• 31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, "Rabbi, eat something." 
• 32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." 
• 33 So the disciples said to one another, "Surely no one has brought him something to eat?" 
• 34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. 

• 39 Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I have ever done." 
• 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. 
• 41 And many more believed because of his word. 
• 42 They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world." 

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Meditatio

Well is a place of engagement, proposal and dialogue for the marriage

• The surprise of the disciples: His disciples came and said, "What do you wish?" or, "Why are you talking with her?" (Jn 4:27)
• The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, eat.“ But he said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know." (Jn 4:31-32)
• (not because Jesus was speaking with a woman, but near the well, a place of engagement. Asks him about the lunch, which was a sign of engagement)

Water of the fountain

• The Samaritan woman used to refer the well with the word ‘phrear’ which means Cistern. (vv. 11-12)

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• But what Jesus intended ‘the spring of water’ is not the cistern, but ‘pege’ fountain.

The HOUR (ὥρᾳ)

• "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. (Jn 4:21)
• … But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth… (Jn 4:23)

The hour in the Gospel of John

Continuity between Jn 3: 29 and 4:23.36

• “He who has the bride is the bridegroom; the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice; therefore this joy of mine is now full. He must increase, but I must decrease.” (Jn 3:29-30)
• But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. (Jn 4:23)

Play of pronouns...

• Jesus to the Samaritan woman usually notes 2° person singular: you bring the water, your husband, ...
• 2° person plural: You, You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father (Jn 4:22-23)

Figure of Samaritan woman = Figure of whole community

• The Samaritan woman is a symbol of a spouse of Messia.
• The whole Samaritan community, in the definitive communion with Christ and Spouse. "It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world." (Jn 4:42)
• The new relationship that of «in Spirit and truth» (cf. 4:23-24)

5+1+1= 7 husbands

• "Go, call your husband, and come here.“
• "I have no husband.“
• "You are right in saying, `I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband; this you said truly." (Jn 4:16-18)

Ambiguity between husband and divinity

• In the past history, five different populations reached Samaria in different times. Every one constructed a temple for the people of God and therefore there were five sanctuaries in Samaria. They had their proper cult and worship.
• After the deportation of the Israelites, the problem arose once again to reconstruct the temple to Yaweh in the Mount of Gazeb. There were five husbands and the other one whom you adore. The new husband and the new cult.

Use of ‘aner’

• instead remain where you were five husbands what is not now your husband has another in which you must adore I do not give but in spirit and truth this term because used meaning.
• This ambiguity between husband and divinity is due to an 'aner' term because it can also mean divinity.
• In the Book of Prophet hosea, ‘aner’ is used to mean pagan god.

Seventh husband is the bridegroom

NEW RELATIONSHIP

The hour has come

NEW WORSHIP

NEW DRINK

NEW LIFE