Some Observations in John 4
Part 1
By Jonathan Mitchell
We begin here:
3. He abruptly left (or: abandoned) Judea and went (or: came) away again into the Galilee [district].
4. Now it was being necessary for Him to be progressively passing through Samaria.
We suggest that this necessity was primarily for what arises at Jacob's Spring, discussed below.
5. He continues going, therefore, into a city of Samaria, called Sychar (perhaps: Shechem), near (close to) the small place (or: the plot of ground [which could be bought, and then become an inheritance, or sold]; the freehold) which Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
Observe that Jesus is alone as he comes into the area of Sychar. There may be significance to the fact that that the narrative associates this area with Joseph, who had been a savior for ancient Israel, in Egypt. Prior to this, Joseph had been thrown into a dry well, and then sold into slavery. Another Savior now comes into the district called Samaria, where the inhabitants are considered to be like Gentiles, by the Judeans (out from whom comes Deliverance and Salvation - vs. 22, below). Ten tribes of Israel had been deported when overcome by the Assyrians, and now the folks in Samaria were not considered, by the Judeans, to be Israelites. In Mat. 15:24, Jesus makes this statement to His disciples:
"I was not commissioned and sent off as an emissary - except into the midst of those sheep having been lost and destroyed, the ones that belong to [the] house of Israel."
Was this the necessity for His traveling into Samaria? Were His actions saying that the Samaritans were now included in "the house of Israel"?
6. Now [the well of] Jacob's Spring (or: a spring that had belonged to Jacob) was located there. Jesus, therefore, being wearied from the journey, was sitting upon [the large capstone of] (or: at) the Spring. It was about the sixth hour (= noon, mid-day).
7. There presently is coming a woman of Samaria to draw (or: dip up) water. Jesus now says to her, "Would you give [some] to (or: for) me to drink?"
These verses present the setting of the narrative that follows. It seems to be a very casual encounter, just outside the city. Jesus is tired and thirsty, and so asks this woman for a drink from Jacob's Spring. The fact that this was a well, or spring, that her ancestor Jacob dug anchors, in the history of Israel and the book of Genesis, the following discussion between the two of them. A well, or spring, and water will become important metaphors in this Gospel. Recall how Jesus had the attending servants use water in order to produce wine for the wedding feast, in chapter 2.
8. - you see, His disciples had gone away into the city so that they may buy food (nourishing provisions) in the market place -
9. The Samaritan woman is then saying to Him, "How is it that you, being a Jew, are requesting to drink from my side - me being a Samaritan woman? You know, Jews are not usually making common use [of vessels, or things] with Samaritans!"
Was it perhaps what Jesus was wearing, or was it His accent, that gave Him away as being a Jew? Recall that at the trial of Jesus, Peter's accent, or way of speaking, betrayed him as being a Galilean, and not a Judean (Mat. 26:73). Whatever the case, this woman was well aware of the dissension between these two people groups. The Jews endeavored to keep themselves apart from the Samaritans. We do not know whether or not the Samaritans felt the same way about Jews. Jesus is obviously ignoring and bridging this cultural/religious barrier (cf Eph. 2:11-22). He was walking in the Kingdom of God: a realm where all barriers to union are overcome.
10. Jesus considered and decidedly said to her, "If you had seen, so as to be aware of and now perceive God's gift, and Who is the One presently saying to you, '[Please] give [some] to me, to drink,' you would ask (or: make request of) Him, and He would give continuously living water to you." [note: a figure for "flowing water"; metaphorically: water bringing life that continues to live within]
Jesus defines at least one aspect of "God's gift" as providing "continuously living water" for people. Had she "seen, so as to be aware of and now perceive" who He was, she would have asked Him for a drink of water. Jesus, here, seems to presume that this Samaritan woman would equate God's gift with the fact of Him being the Messiah (cf vs. 25, below), and that she would expect that the Messiah would provide water for people. Was Jesus alluding to Isa. 12:3?
"Then you will draw forth water, in joy and with elation, from the wells (or: springs) of salvation."
It is interesting that Jesus tells her that if she knew who He was, she would then ask Him for this water, as though that was all she would need (which is basically what He said, in vs. 14, below). He did not mention anything about her needing to be born back up again, as He did with Nicodemus.
11. She [other MSS read: The woman] says to Him, "Sir (or: Master; = My lord), you are not even holding (or: having) a bucket or any means of drawing, and the well is deep! From where (or: From what source), then, are you holding (or: having; possessing) the living water?
Does the woman's response remind you of the responses of Nicodemus, in chapter 3? The first response from the Adamic nature is always in the realm of the literal. In vss. 19 and 25, below, we will see her beginning to perceive who He is. Jesus, with His opening request of her, is living out a parable for her. He begins on the natural plane in order to get them thinking. First she is surprised at His disregard for the present norms of their cultures. Then He offers her a drink, when He has no physical means of getting physical water for her. Observe how He has drawn her in, so that he can cause a change in her thinking.
12. "You yourself are not greater than our father Jacob who gave the well to us, are you? Even he himself drank out of it, together with his sons and his nourished and reared ones (i.e., his livestock)."
Now she is focusing on Him, and at the same time affirming her standing in their common ancestry. But still, she is thinking of drinking physical water, and of watering livestock. As with Nicodemus, enlightenment normally takes time, and breaking free from comfortable paradigms is not easy. It takes the work of the Logos, and the Spirit of Life.
13. Jesus considered and responds to her, and says, "Everyone repeatedly drinking from out of this water will repeatedly become thirsty again.
So Jesus meets her on her level and sphere of thinking. He states the obvious. She would probably be thinking, "Of course, that is why I repeatedly come here (expressed in vs. 15, below)."
14. "Yet whoever may (or: would) drink from out of the water which I, Myself, will be continuously giving to him will not repeatedly become thirsty, on into the Age, but further, the water which I shall constantly give to (or: in) him will progressively come to be (or: repeatedly become; continuously birth itself) within him a spring (or: fountain) of water, constantly bubbling up (continuously springing and leaping up) into a life having the source, character and qualities of the Age (life of and for the ages; eonian life; = the life of the Messianic age)."
But now Jesus springs the trap (to which she positively responds, in the next verse). He takes her into the realm of the kingdom, even though she will not at first understand. This is parallel to how Jesus dealt with Nicodemus. Recall that in 3:5 Jesus spoke of being born of both water and spirit, and how He contrasted the realm of flesh to the realm of spirit (or: Spirit).
The water that Jesus gives will be an ever-present flow within the person that drinks it. It will be constantly bubbling up into the Life of the Age of the Messiah - an eonian fountain that produces water from within the person that drinks from the water that Christ gives to him or her. In effect, the person becomes a living fountain of the water of Life. Jesus spoke again of the Water, in Jn. 7:
38. "Just as the Scripture says, 'Rivers (or: Floods; Torrents) of living water will continuously flow (or: gush; flood) from out of the midst of His cavity (or: his innermost being or part; or: the hollow of his belly; [used of the womb]).'" [cf Isa. 58:11; Ezk. 47:1; Joel 3:18; Zech. 13:1; 14:8] Here, in Jn. 7:38, the Scriptural quote applied first to Jesus, but could also refer to those who drink from Him. Now in Jn. 7:39a, John explains the metaphor: "Now this He said about (or: with regard to) the Breath-effect (or: Spirit; Attitude; [other MSS: Holy, or set-apart Spirit; Sacred Wind]) of which (or: of Whom as a source; [other MSS simple read: which]) they - those trusting and believing into Him - were about to be continuously and progressively receiving..."
15. The woman is saying to Him, "Sir (or: Master; = My lord), give to me this water, so that I may not constantly become thirsty, nor yet be repeatedly coming over to this place to be constantly drawing (or: dipping up)."
She wants it, so that she, "may not constantly become thirsty," but her thinking is still on the natural plane. Yet she has taken the bait, so she is ready to continue listening. Her ears are developing as the birth back again to a higher place progresses.
16. He presently says to her, "Be going on your way. At once call out to (or: summon) your husband and then come to this place."
Now He is sending her off to bring others to Christ - first by touching the pain in her life, the situation regarding her husband.
17. The woman thoughtfully replies, and says to Him, "I am not presently having a husband (or: I do not continuously hold a man)." Jesus then says to her, "Beautifully you say that, 'I am not presently having a husband (or: I do not continuously hold a man),'
The Life and Water within His words has brought an honest confession, introducing her present situation. Jesus responds with a Word of Knowledge (1 Cor. 12:8), acknowledging the truth, and thus beauty, of her words. Honesty is always beautiful, even in painful situations. But He continues...
18. "for you had five husbands (or: at various points held five men), and whom you now are presently holding (or: having) is not your husband. This you have said [is] true (or: a reality; [other MSS: This you truly and truthfully say])."
He reveals the knowledge of her past. Beyond the literal understanding of her life, up to this moment, and beyond the display (a Sign?) of His knowing her situation apart from any outside source, we wonder if the number of 6 men corresponds to the 6 water jars at the wedding in Cana (chapter 2). Was she living in her figurative "6th day," corresponding to that day of humanity's creation? Was this the day of her "new creation"? Or, was the number "5" an allusion to the 5 Books of Moses (the Samaritan Pentateuch - the only OT books that the Samaritans regarded as Scripture) that she had been under, but now was not living in accord with its Laws? And, as suggested by Dan Kaplan, was she now standing before the One who would soon be her new Husband (following His resurrection)? Keep in mind that signs and symbols are important figures in John's Gospel. The "5 brothers" in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Lu.16:28) have been interpreted by some as signifying the 5 Books of the Law.
19. The woman now says to Him, "Sir (perhaps, by now: Lord; Master), in carefully observing, I am perceiving that you, yourself, are a prophet.
This unveiling of her life by Him, and in her presence, begins an opening of her eyes, to see. She discerns that He is a prophet. This tells us something of what was expected from prophets, in 1st century Palestine. He had light ahead of time (pro- "before; ahead of;" phe- {a form of phos} "light;" tes "a person having this") - before He learned this from people. Such a person was known to hear from God, and perhaps be a "seer," one who sees visions, etc. But also, in saying this, is she thinking that He might also be "the Prophet" (Jn. 1:21b; Deut. 18:15; Acts 3:22)? Note her conclusion in vs. 29, below.
20. "Our fathers worshiped (or: worship) within this mountain [i.e., Mt. Gerizim], and you folks continually say that the place where it continues necessary (or: is constantly binding) to be habitually worshiping is within Jerusalem."
Now some have posited that she is trying to change the subject, away from herself and her marital situation. But with the revelation about the present season, which Jesus builds upon her words, suggests that His Logos and Spirit had lifted her to a realm of thought that was above day-to-day living. She now is no longer speaking about physical water, or human relationships, but rather is seeking a spiritual answer about their current religious life. She knew the history of her own people, and was aware that the Jews maintained that it was "necessary (or: is constantly binding) to be habitually worshiping is within Jerusalem." She most likely was honestly wondering about this contrast of traditions. Who was right?
21. Jesus then says to her, "Be constantly trusting in Me (or: by and with Me; or: Continue believing Me), O woman (madam; = dear lady), because an hour is progressively coming when neither within this mountain nor within Jerusalem will you folks continue giving worship to the Father.Jesus uses the imperative, present tense from of the verb, in the first clause. It was first of all an impartation of the Logos, as a creative implanting into her. When speaking to Nicodemus (Jn. 3:16-18), Jesus was referencing God's Son, saying, "when progressively trusting and successively believing into Him and thus being constantly faithful to Him," a third-person reference. But here, Jesus is beginning to reveal Himself to her, and in direct address instructs her:
"Be constantly trusting in Me (or: by and with Me; or: Continue believing Me), O woman (madam; = dear lady)."
In vs. 26, below, He tells her plainly that He is the Messiah, whom she expects to come.
Next He gives a prophecy that would happen within that generation. The temple in Jerusalem would later be destroyed (in AD 70), and He would be raised up as the Chief Corner-stone of the new, heavenly Temple (the called-out communities). Worship would happen within individuals and among corporate gatherings. There would be a new covenant that would include all races and people-groups; it would be a new arrangement for a joined Jew-and-Gentile as a One New Humanity (Eph. 2:15). There would no longer be the enmity between Jew and Samaritan (or, the rest of the ethnic groups, as well). The old would be passing away. This had already happened by the time Paul wrote 2 Cor. 5:17,
"Consequently, since someone [is] within Christ (or: So that if anyone [is] in union with [the] Anointed One; or: And as since a Certain One [was] in Christ), [there is] a new creation (or: [it is] a framing and founding of an essentially different kind; [he or she is] an act of creation having a fresh character, a new quality): the original things (the beginning [situations]; the archaic and primitive [arrangements]) passed by (or: went to the side). Consider! New, essentially different things have come into existence."
Was He saying that they had not seen, or perceived, the Father - and thus did not know Him (cf Jn. 14:6-11)? Or was He referring to the Way, the Truth and the Life? Was He referencing the OT Scriptures? His next statement refers to the deliverance, wholeness and salvation that "continues being (habitually is; constantly exists being) from out of the Judeans," but He does not end with that...
23. "Nevertheless an hour is progressively coming - and now exists (or: is; is being) - when the true (real; genuine) worshipers will proceed to worship (or: will habitually give worship to) the Father within spirit and Truth (or: in breath and reality; centered in the midst of [the] Spirit and a Fact; in union with and centered in Breath-effect, attitude and genuineness of non-concealed actuality), for the Father is also constantly seeking after such folks (habitually searching out such ones as this; continuously looking for and trying to find lost ones to be this kind) - ones presently by habit worshiping Him!
Now He alerts her that a new "hour" (and this is closer than a "new day" that was coming; it was upon her, and everyone) "now exists." The place where "true, genuine worshipers" would proceed worshiping was the realm of
"spirit and Truth (or: in breath and reality; centered in the midst of [the] Spirit and a Fact; in union with and centered in Breath-effect, attitude and genuineness of non-concealed actuality)."
We should observe that Jesus did not say, "The Father is seeking folks to worship Me." Jesus always pointed folks to the Father. He was a Pattern for us to follow. Also take note that "the Father is also constantly seeking after such folks (habitually searching out such ones as this; continuously looking for and trying to find lost ones to be this kind)." This could mean that the Father did not, at that time, have such people (even in Israel), or, that the Father was constantly looking for more people - enlarging the group that would become "His People." Ponder Rev. 21:3,
"Consider! God's tent (the Tabernacle of God) [is] with mankind (the humans), 'and He will continue living in a tent (dwell in a Tabernacle) with them, and they will continue being (will constantly exist being) His peoples, and God Himself will continue being with them [some MSS add: their God].'" [Lev. 26:11-12; Isa. 7:14; 8:8, 10; Jer. 31:33; Ezk. 37:27; 2 Chr. 6:18]
24. "God [is] spirit (or: [is the] Spirit; [gives] Breath; [becomes] Wind; [is] a Breath-effect and Attitude), and it is binding (or: necessary) for the ones continuously worshiping Him to be constantly worshiping in union with spirit and Truth (in Breath-effect and Reality; within the midst of [the] Spirit and [the] Fact; centered in [life]-attitude, as well as non-concealed genuineness and open actuality)."
The first clause, "God [is] Spirit (or: spirit)," defines what He had just said, in vs. 23, about worshiping "in Spirit (spirit) and Truth (reality)," for whereas the Law had come to both Samaria and Jerusalem, Christ had brought Grace and Truth (Jn. 1:17). He is moving her to an even higher level of Truth, giving a definition of God, and at the same time explaining the sphere of the new worship: that happens when we are in union with, centered in, and within the midst of God. It means cohabitation between Bridegroom and Bride. It means being One Spirit (1 Cor. 6:17), from being "joined to the Lord." It means "abiding (dwelling; remaining) in the Vine (Jn. 15:1ff), and producing the "fruit of the Spirit" (Gal. 5:22-23). It means "living in the Spirit and walking in the Spirit" (Gal. 5:25). It produces a birth back up again into a higher place (Jn. 3:7; etc.). It means being filled with the Spirit, Wind and Attitude of God. In fact, it would soon be:
"Now there continue being different distributions (divided-out, assigned apportionments) of the effects of favor and the results of grace, yet the same Spirit (Breath-effect; Attitude), and there are different distributions of attending services (divided-out apportionments and assignments of dispensings), and yet the same Lord (or: Owner; Master; [= Christ or Yahweh])" (1 Cor. 12:4-5).
Jesus is speaking of the realm of the Second Humanity that has been resurrected into His Life; about the Last (Eschatos) Adam (1 Cor. 15:45-47); about:
"and likewise, as [is] the Added, Imposed, Heavenly Person (or: the one made of and having the quality and character of the added-heaven), of such sort also [are] the added, imposed, heavenly people - those made of and having the quality and character of the added, imposed, heaven (or: the finished and perfected atmosphere, or the added sky).... we can and should [B reads: will continue to] also bear and wear the image (likeness; form) of the Added, Imposed, Heavenly One (or: belonging to the One having the quality and character of the finished, perfected atmosphere; or: from the fully-heaven [sphere]; of the added-sky person)" (1 Cor. 15:48b, 49b).
This is SO much more than singing hymns, speaking in tongues or dancing in the spirit (but all those can be a part of it). Jesus is speaking of the new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). He is speaking of Resurrection Life. Heb. 12:22-24 expands the description of what Jesus says in these few words of vs. 24. We find it described in Rev. 14:1-5. And so much more...
To be continued
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