The Gospel of John – A Samaritan Woman

John 4: 1-26 Sunday, January 26, 2020

Jesus’ superiority to Jacob means that both Judaism and Samaritanism have been superseded in Jesus. Jacob gave a well that provides water, but Jesus is the giver of a greater gift, living water. The provision of living water speaks of the superiority of Jesus’ revelation to that of the old covenant, for Jesus not only brings revelation of God but gives the Spirit by which this revelation is internalized in believers, giving birth of spirit. Such is the basic thrust of this story in its revelation of Jesus and what he is doing. While as yet her level of faith is very shallow and her misunderstanding is great, nevertheless she has begun to believe in Jesus. It is a source of great comfort to us to realize how patiently God works with each of us to lead us out of our misunderstanding and shallowness to come to every deeper levels of faith, knowledge and union with God.

Here is God’s assessment of the division between Jews and Samaritans: in essence Jesus says that salvation is indeed of the Jews, but now with the coming of that salvation in himself as the Messiah people will be able to worship God in a qualitatively different way that supersedes the worship of the past and the controversies associated with it. The blessings expected in the last days have come.

This new worship is characterized by spirit and truth. Like most of the key terms in this conversation, these words function on more than one level. On one level to worship in spirit could mean to worship not just with words or thoughts or mere emotion but with one’s innermost self, at one’s center, one’s heart. Such worship engages the mind, emotions and body, but it is centered deeper, in the spirit. And to worship in truth could mean to worship as who one really is, with no hypocrisy, falseness, deception. Such a reference to the human spirit and integrity develops thoughts already introduced in the Gospel.

But even on this earthly level the reference is not merely to human qualities, for one must be born from above. To worship in spirit and truth means to worship as one who is spiritually alive, living in the new reality Jesus offers, referred to here as the gift of God, which is living water. For behind the earthly things are the heavenly things, that is, God himself. Worshiping in spirit is connected to the fact that God is spirit. And worshiping in truth is connected with Jesus, the Messiah who explains everything. This picture of Jesus will be developed more wen it is said that his words are spirit and truth and he is himself the truth. So worshiping in spirit and truth is related to the very character of God and the identity of Christ. It is to worship in union with the Father, who is spirit, and according to the revelation of the Son, who is the truth. Indeed, it is to be taken into union with God through the Spirit.

Rodney A. Whitactre, John, p. 104-107 (1999)

Worship involves an expression of feeling and a conception of the object towards whom the feeling is entertained. The expression is here described as made in spirit: the conception as formed in truth. Judaism (speaking generally) was a worship of the letter and not of spirit (to take examples from the time): Samaritanism was a worship of falsehood and not of truth. By the Incarnation men are enabled to have immediate communion with God, and thus a worship in spirit has become possible: at the same time the Son is a complete manifestation of God for men, and thus a worship in truth has been placed within their reach.

B.B Westcott, The Gospel According to John, p. 73 (1881, 1973)

The Gospel of John – A Samaritan Woman

John 4: 1-26 Sunday, January 26, 2020

Jesus’ superiority to Jacob means that both Judaism and Samaritanism have been superseded in Jesus. Jacob gave a well that provides water, but Jesus is the giver of a greater gift, living water. The provision of living water speaks of the superiority of Jesus’ revelation to that of the old covenant, for Jesus not only brings revelation of God but gives the Spirit by which this revelation is internalized in believers, giving birth of spirit. Such is the basic thrust of this story in its revelation of Jesus and what he is doing. While as yet her level of faith is very shallow and her misunderstanding is great, nevertheless she has begun to believe in Jesus. It is a source of great comfort to us to realize how patiently God works with each of us to lead us out of our misunderstanding and shallowness to come to every deeper levels of faith, knowledge and union with God.

Here is God’s assessment of the division between Jews and Samaritans: in essence Jesus says that salvation is indeed of the Jews, but now with the coming of that salvation in himself as the Messiah people will be able to worship God in a qualitatively different way that supersedes the worship of the past and the controversies associated with it. The blessings expected in the last days have come.

This new worship is characterized by spirit and truth. Like most of the key terms in this conversation, these words function on more than one level. On one level to worship in spirit could mean to worship not just with words or thoughts or mere emotion but with one’s innermost self, at one’s center, one’s heart. Such worship engages the mind, emotions and body, but it is centered deeper, in the spirit. And to worship in truth could mean to worship as who one really is, with no hypocrisy, falseness, deception. Such a reference to the human spirit and integrity develops thoughts already introduced in the Gospel.

But even on this earthly level the reference is not merely to human qualities, for one must be born from above. To worship in spirit and truth means to worship as one who is spiritually alive, living in the new reality Jesus offers, referred to here as the gift of God, which is living water. For behind the earthly things are the heavenly things, that is, God himself. Worshiping in spirit is connected to the fact that God is spirit. And worshiping in truth is connected with Jesus, the Messiah who explains everything. This picture of Jesus will be developed more wen it is said that his words are spirit and truth and he is himself the truth. So worshiping in spirit and truth is related to the very character of God and the identity of Christ. It is to worship in union with the Father, who is spirit, and according to the revelation of the Son, who is the truth. Indeed, it is to be taken into union with God through the Spirit.

Rodney A. Whitactre, John, p. 104-107 (1999)

Worship involves an expression of feeling and a conception of the object towards whom the feeling is entertained. The expression is here described as made in spirit: the conception as formed in truth. Judaism (speaking generally) was a worship of the letter and not of spirit (to take examples from the time): Samaritanism was a worship of falsehood and not of truth. By the Incarnation men are enabled to have immediate communion with God, and thus a worship in spirit has become possible: at the same time the Son is a complete manifestation of God for men, and thus a worship in truth has been placed within their reach.

B.B Westcott, The Gospel According to John, p. 73 (1881, 1973)