Bible study for busy disciples: January 19-25 John 4:1–42 In John 4 Jesus enters a new important phase of ministry. He goes to Galilee through Samaria. This is “divine necessity” (dei in verse 4). The same word occurred in 3:14: “so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (emphasis added). Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman is both mission and peacemaking. Since the Jews returned from exile in the fifth century B.C., Jews and Samaritans increasingly became archenemies. Going from Judea to Galilee, Jesus “had to” pass through “enemy” territory. The woman at the well Jesus’ dialogue with the Samaritan woman is puzzling: it moves from “living water” to husbands to worship. Jesus’ thirst and his request that the woman draw water for him from the well introduces the first theme, which leads to his second request: “Go call your husband, and come back.” The woman raises the third topic, the appropriate place for worship. Jesus does not reprove the woman for moral laxity. It is possible that she was a four-time levirate spouse.1 Or perhaps she was victim of other unfortunate circumstances. The quick topical shifts are puzzling, nonetheless. How do we get from water to husbands to worship? What is difficult to understand at the literal level of interpretation is, however, a seamless whole at the figurative level. Many commentators, although not all, see both Nicodemus and this woman as symbolic figures. Nicodemus represents religious leaders who secretly believe in Jesus. The Samaritan woman represents her people who historically worshiped five different gods as well as the LORD. The LORD whom the woman worships is not truly her husband since her people have had other consorts also.2 In light of this figurative overtone, it isn’t so surprising that the woman immediately speaks of proper worship. “Okay, I see you are a prophet, tell me whether Mt. Gerizim or Mt. Zion (Jerusalem) is the right place to worship.” She had already heard from Jesus, “Salvation is from the Jews” (verse 22c); likely she expected a put-down here. The nature of true worship But with this opening, Jesus lifts the crucial topic of worship — a topic that deeply divided the Jews and the Samaritans—above location. True worship is worship “in spirit and truth” (verse 24). The woman “settles” the argument by resorting to Jewish messianic expectation: “When [the Messiah] comes, he will proclaim all things to us.”3 Boom! Jesus says, “I am he.” Whether the woman perceived here the voice of the LORD to Moses (Exodus 3:13–15) is not clear, but the author intends readers to hear it. This is the first of seven absolute disclosures of the divine name in this Gospel. It is granted to a Samaritan woman, of all persons, even before Jesus’ self-disclosure to his disciples in 6:20! Savior of the world The response of the Samaritan woman contrasts to that of Nicodemus. She becomes the first to proclaim the good news, heralding to her town-folk the messianic identity of this Jewish journeyer through Samaria. The woman leaves; Jesus’ disciples, who had gone to buy food, now return. The woman testifies to her home-folk. Jesus commissions his disciples to work in the Samaritan (!) fields, which are “ripe for harvesting.” Many Samaritans believe in Jesus because of the testimony of this woman. They invite Jesus to come to their town and he stays two days. They exclaim: “this is truly the Savior of the world.” Emperors claimed to be saviors, so this religious confession also has political overtones. Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman and her town-folk breaks racial, ritual, cultural, and national boundaries. It is truly a peacemaking mission. —by Willard Swartley 1Levirate marriage was a type of marriage in which a widow and her deceased husband’s brother were obligated to marry, to ensure the continuation of his name. See Deuteronomy 25:5–6 and Mark 12:18–23. 2See 2 Kings 17:29–31. 3This is in contrast to the Samaritan expectation of a Taheb (Restorer). See Deuteronomy 18:15, 18. Reflect 1. Jews and Samaritans were not supposed to have any contact with each other. There were also social barriers concerning public discourse between unrelated men and women. Yet this is the longest, most sustained interaction between Jesus and another individual in all of the gospels. What might that tell us? 2. What does it mean to worship “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23–24)? 3. The Samaritan woman was so impressed by Jesus that she left her water jar at the well and went back to the city to urge others to come and see Jesus — and they were also impressed and persuaded by him. Have you ever gotten an unexpected positive reaction by stepping outside your comfort zone and speaking your truth to people who are different from you? 4. Jesus offered “living water” to the Samaritan woman. How is Jesus like water? What does he provide that we thirst for and cannot live without?
Posted on: Thu, 16 Jan 2014 15:52:48 +0000
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