Introduction
In Part One we
looked at the overall context of our subject verses of John 4:1-42. Thereafter
we detailed the content of verses 1-15. Therein we reviewed the contrasting
attitudes of Nicodemus from Chapter 3 and the subject Samaritan woman, the
specific context of these verses and Jesus’ message of eternal life (“Living
Water”). We’ll now pick up with the subject verses for this Part Two.
John 4:16-30
16 He
told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” 17 “I
have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You
are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five
husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said
is quite true.” 19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you
are a prophet. 20 Our
fathers worshiped on this mountain,
but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in
Jerusalem.” 21 Jesus
declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when
you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what
you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has
now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth,
for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his
worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” 25 The
woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he
will explain everything to us.” 26 Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.”
27 Just
then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a
woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
28 Then, leaving her
water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me
everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
Perceived Obstacles to Mission (vv. 16-26)
Verse 15 is the
last reference or allusion to “Living Water. “ Instead, Jesus moves the
dialogue to a very personal level when he asks the woman to bring her husband
to him. To this point the woman has been rather cynical. However, one can
imagine that Jesus’ request to produce her husband may have changed the tone of
the conversation to become more serious. Cynicism can often be found on the
road to pain. But once the missionary/evangelist comes to the recipient’s point
of pain, truth begins to emerge. The woman responds to Jesus truthfully but
fails to tell the truth in its entirety when she tells Jesus that she has no
husband. Nevertheless, Jesus continues his dialogue with the woman. It is
interesting to note that none of Jesus’ female followers (Except his mother Mary)
had a husband. Not the sisters, Mary or Martha, nor did Mary Magdalene.
Nevertheless, Jesus interacted with them on the same level as he did the men he
came in contact with. In his encounter with the Samaritan woman, Jesus begins
the painful process of revealing the woman’s deep, dark secrets in order to
reach her heart. Jesus reveals his divine knowledge when he recounts the number
of her past marriages and the fact that she is living with another man.
“Technically
it was not contrary to the Mosaic law for a woman to be married five times, but
Jewish teachers forbade a woman to be married more than twice—or at most (in
the eyes of some) three times; this woman must have had a series of divorces
and now lived with a man without marriage.”[1]
Ultimately, Jesus’
reason for this line of questioning does not seem to be for the purpose of
exposing the woman’s sinful indiscretions. Instead, it is with the ultimate
goal of demonstrating Jesus’ specific and supernatural knowledge of her life.
It seems clear that Jesus made his point when the woman acknowledges him as a
prophet. D. A. Carson makes an important observation when he writes,
“The
least the woman means is that Jesus’ precise knowledge of her past proves him
to be inspired. But the syntax of the Greek allows the translation ‘I can see
that you are the prophet.’ Because
the Samaritans accepted only the books of the Pentateuch as canonical, they
understood the words of Deuteronomy 34:10, ‘No prophet has risen in Israel like
Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face’, to be absolute and in force until the
coming of the prophet like Moses (Dt. 18:15-19), the second Moses, the Taheb
(as they called this promised ‘messianic’ figure).”[2]
Certainly
this may be one understanding of why the woman now uses the title of “prophet”
for Jesus but based on the woman’s comment in v. 25, it is unlikely that she
understands Jesus to be this long-awaited “prophet” who is the Messiah.
Instead, she seems to have begun to make the transition from her earlier
position of cynical skepticism to what might now be described as tentative
belief that Jesus is more than just an ordinary man.
Some have
suggested that this section is a metaphor to describe the religious life of
Samaria. The metaphor claims that the five husbands represent the five gods of
Samaria. However, even though Josephus specifically states that each nation
(five in total) brought their own god to Samaria after being resettled there by
the king of Assyria, 2 Kings 17:24-33 makes clear that the five nations
fashioned for themselves seven gods and also worshipped Yahweh. However, “That
distinction does not seem to have occurred to Josephus. A more serious problem
is how well the reference to the woman’s present husband, who ‘is not your
husband,” could serve as a metaphor for the Samaritan worship of Yahweh.”[3]
Although this dialogue may have some parallels to Samaritan religious life in a
metaphorical sense, it is far more likely that the dialogue actually occurred
as recorded by John without the need for a metaphorical interpretation.
The dialogue that
begins in v. 20 appears to be a complete non-sequitur. However, there are at
least two explanations for the abrupt move to another topic. The first is
merely a guess without personally witnessing the woman’s demeanor or changes in
body language. However, it is not unreasonable to imagine the conversation and
the woman’s shame and discomfort at the revelation that this stranger knows
about her what she thought only the locals knew about her. It’s not hard to
imagine her saying something like, “Well enough about me, let’s talk about
something else.” Truth can be a difficult thing to swallow all in one bite.
Nevertheless, the truth has been revealed and the dialogue can now move on to
the next stage. “To free herself from the shame of her past (and present) in
the eyes of this prophet, to deflect any more of his questions, she refers to
the historic religious division between Jews and Samaritans.”[4] As
previously stated, the point of Jesus’ dialogue with the woman about her marital
status seems less about trying to identify any particular sin in her life but
instead seems to serve the greater purpose of demonstrating his supernatural
knowledge of her life. This seems particularly evident since Jesus never
returns to the topic once she begins her new line of questioning about the
appropriate locality of worship.
A more likely
explanation for a divergence in the dialogue is the real possibility that this
is a matter she has been unable to resolve and is looking for a clearer understanding
in what the Samaritans believe versus what the Jews believe. Perhaps she senses
that this prophet just might have an answer to the question that has long been
grinding away in her mind—“Where should I worship God?” This issue was long
standing and well known to Jews and Samaritans. The woman wanted to know who
was right. The Samaritans, who insisted, based on Deuteronomy, that Mt. Gerizim
was the proper place to worship. Or the Jews who believed that Jerusalem was
the proper place to worship, based on Scriptural authentication.
“The
Samaritans worshiped, but their system of worship was incomplete and flawed
because it had no clear object. Because the Samaritans only used the
Pentateuch…as their Scriptures, they did not know what the rest of the Old Testament
taught about worship. The Jews, with whom Jesus explicitly indentified himself
here, did know whom they worshiped, for they had the full revelation in the Old
Testament Scriptures. These Scriptures revealed that salvation comes through
the Jews, for the Messiah would come from the Jewish race.”[5]
Jesus wasn’t so
much trying to drive home the point that she was wrong and the Jews were right
but that she was wrong insofar as her information was limited. The point of
missions is not to point out an incorrect or incomplete belief system. This
merely serves to construct barriers to continued dialogue. Instead, the
missionary effort must seek a point of commonality and begin to build upon that
foundation using a better understanding or broader revelation of truth. Jesus
makes this distinction between the limited knowledge of the Samaritans (whether
self-imposed or otherwise) and the full revelation endorsed by the Jews.
However, Jesus goes on to teach her that there is greater truth yet to be
revealed. “Both Jerusalem and Mount Gerizim are rejected as places where God is
encountered. The longstanding feud between Bethel [the cult capital of Samaria]
and Zion is pointless, for only in Jesus do we encounter God, and only Jesus
supplies the Spirit, without which we cannot offer true worship.”[6] In
other words, pursuant to vv. 23-24,
“The
distinction between true worshippers and all others turns on factors that make
the ancient dispute between the conflicting claims of the Jerusalem temple and
Mount Gerizim obsolete. Under the eschatological conditions of the dawning
hour, the true worshippers cannot be identified by their attachment to a
particular shrine, but by their worship of the Father in spirit and truth.”[7]
Verse 25 records a
very interesting comment made by the woman. It is difficult to glean from this
text how much the woman knows of the Messiah. However, the Samaritans, more so
than the Jews, understood that the Messiah would be a teacher. And, in this
case, would clarify what seemed to be her continuing question about appropriate
worship. The text doesn’t indicate so much that she disbelieved Jesus but that
she had not yet reached the point of replacing her long held beliefs with what
he was telling her to be a reality whose time has arrived. She seems to make
the comment in a tone that longs for an answer she can claim as the definitive
truth. However, she does not yet believe that it is Jesus who holds that
truth—or more accurately who is that
truth. This is an important point of transition—the point at which those who
have held certain long-standing beliefs and/or practices are on the precipice
of making a paradigmatic shift in their thinking and system of beliefs. At this
point, the woman is looking back at what was
while alternately looking ahead to what might
be. In her mind, she longs for the One, the Prophet, the long-awaited
Messiah to lead her to the right decision. It’s at this point, v. 26, that
Jesus makes his final move to push her off the precipice toward what might be.
Jesus makes an overt proclamation to this woman that he rarely makes to anyone
in Scripture. The pinnacle of their entire dialog comes with the simple phrase,
“I who speak to you am he.” Unfortunately, we know too much about the story. We
know what happens next and how the story ends but if we could just linger here
for a moment we might just be able to sense the years of shame, pain, sorrow
and frustration melt away from this woman’s physical body. And in its place we
might see a woman who is perhaps standing a bit taller and maybe for the first
time in a long time, holding her head up. Maybe she suspected it as the
conversation progressed but suspecting something much anticipated and actually
hearing it are two completely different things. Many of us remember a time when
we formally expected to receive a great prize or honor. But until we heard it
announced, there was still the real possibility that it wasn’t going to happen.
There is tremendous joy and relief once we hear our names announced even though
we expected it. This must have been the way this woman felt when she heard
Jesus proclaim that he was the Messiah. You can almost see the tumblers of her
mind fall into place as the conversation she had with Jesus flashed through her
mind. By the time Jesus made his proclamation, it didn’t take much to push her
over the edge.
The NIV
translation of Jesus’ proclamation diminishes some of the impact that the Greek
imparts. Bearing in mind that the Samaritans only used the Pentateuch as their
Scripture and the Johannine overt use of divine revelation, it is not
unreasonable to insist that the, “I am” (Gk. Ego eimi) played a more prominent part in Jesus’ proclamation.
“This expression may be a mere self-identification…but the pronoun ‘he’…does
not exist in the Greek sentence.”[8]
The literal translation instead reads:
“I am
the one speaking to you.” “The phrase is emphatic and unusual. As we will see
later (8:58), it is not always just a term of self-identification that bears a
predicate…It is also the divine name of God uttered on Mount Sinai to
Moses…When this term (Heb. Yahweh)
was translated into Greek, it became ego
eimi (‘I am’), and throughout John we will see Jesus’ absolute use of this
phrase without a predicate to disclose more of his divine identity.”[9]
At some point
there must be divine revelation that is the culmination or focal point of any
missionary effort. It moves the focus from previously accepted beliefs and
traditions to a new, more complete understanding of spiritual truth.
Furthermore, it moves a person from being human-centered insofar as we may
follow the teachings or traditions of a particular person (i.e. Jacob and other
patriarchs in the case of the Samaritan woman) to becoming Chrsitocentric.
Being Christ-centered provides a point of unity which is generally important
but takes on a more prominent role in an environment where disharmony exists
because of conflicting beliefs, practices and traditions as was the case
between Samaritans and Jews.
Jesus’ disciples
re-enter the scene in v. 27 and we are immediately transported back in time
where prejudices, in this case against women, create a barrier to mission as
they wondered why Jesus was speaking to a woman. They are completely oblivious
to the fact that not only had Jesus transcended gender prejudices but he broke
down the religious barriers that prevented this woman from being in a true
relationship with God. The disciples were still trapped within the confines of
their old way of thinking. However, within the next few days of watching Jesus
in action among the Samaritan villagers, they too would be set free to
transcend previously held prejudices and accept that all peoples are entitle to
an opportunity to be in relationship with the one who revealed himself to the
Samaritan woman as the “I AM.”
At the beginning
of this pericope, the woman came to draw water and to do so during a time of
day that afforded the best opportunity to avoid contact with any of the other
Samaritan villagers. Now, after encountering Jesus, she leaves behind her water
and runs headlong for the people she desperately wanted to avoid earlier. What
has changed? She’s still a Samaritan. She’s still a woman. Her past remains the
same. However, she has been changed by the person whom she believes to be not
just a prophet but the Prophet—and she
can’t keep it to herself! It’s difficult to say why she left her water jar
behind, perhaps she forgot it in the excitement, maybe she didn’t want to be
bothered by it because she assumed she would return shortly or perhaps she left
it as a courtesy for Jesus to use—it’s not clear from the text. However, it is
far from unimportant or else why would John not simply have said that she left
to go back and tell the other villagers? Why mention the water jar at all? Is
it really that important that we know the fate of her water jar? Most readers
would have forgotten about it by this point. Instead, considering John’s
extensive use of symbolism throughout his writings, it is at least worth
considering that leaving behind her water jar is not unlike the disciples and
probably many other followers of Jesus who left behind their old lives of
fishing or tax collecting or farming to embrace this new life of following
Jesus. The Samaritan woman came to draw well water—old water. She left behind
the old water because she had received new water—Living Water!
In v. 29, the
“Spring of water welling up” referred to in v. 14 was about to erupt on the
Samaritan villagers as the woman gives testimony of her encounter with Jesus.
“Because
of her sex, nationality and deplorable marital history, the woman represents
the lowest grade of humanity to whom Jesus’ mission of salvation could be
directed. If such a woman, then, can be deemed worthy of Jesus’
self-revelation, then nobody can be excluded from his saving mission.”[10]
Whether it was in
the way she spoke of her encounter with Jesus—that he, a complete stranger,
knew everything about her past or for the simple fact that this woman, who
wanted no attention, was now taking center stage to tell them about Jesus. Something
about the woman’s testimony must have been compelling as Robert Maccini writes:
“A
Samaritan woman came to draw water. But she did so much more. She encountered
at the well a stranger with miraculous knowledge whom she recognized as a
prophet and perhaps more than a prophet. On her testimony, her fellow villagers
made their first steps toward what eventually would become their recognition of
Jesus as the savior of the world.”[11]
Next week we’ll continue with the
Conclusion of this lesson and begin with: “A Lesson for Missionaries.”
[1] George
R. Beasley-Murray, Word Biblical
Commentary-John, (Nashville, TN, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999), p. 61
[2] D. A.
Carson, The Gospel According to John,
(Grand Rapids, MI, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1991), p 221.
[3] Hendrikus
Boers, Neither on This Mountain Nor in
Jerusalem, (Atlanta, GA, Scholars Press, 1988) p. 172.
[4] Gary M.
Burge, The NIV Application Commentary,
(Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan Publishing House, 2000), p. 146.
[5] Bruce
Barton, et. al., Life Application New Testament
Commentary, (Wheaton, IL, Tyndale House Publishing, 2001) p. 390.
[6] David A.
DeSilva, An Introduction to the New
Testament: Contexts, Methods & Ministry Formation, (Downers Grove, IL,
InterVarsity Press, 2004) p. 421.
[7] The Gospel According to John, pp.
224-225.
[8] The NIV Application Commentary, p. 148.
[9] Ibid.,
p.148
[10] Teresa
Okure, The Johannine Approach to Mission,
(Tubingen, Germany, Gulde-Druck GmbH, 1988), p. 184.
[11] Robert
Gordon Maccini, Her Testimony is True:
Women as Witnesses according to John, (Sheffield, England, Sheffield
Academic Press, 1996) p. 144.
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