Harmony of the gospels
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DISCUSSION Most harmonies have verses 4- 5 in the previous section but it appears to fit here better and thus is included in this section. BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS INTRODUCTION The woman at the well is, like Nicodemus religious, a good theologian but unlike Nicodemus she is immoral. Both sorts of religious unbelievers are therefore met and answered by the Lord. She shows you can always use a good theological argument to cover immorality, and illustrates how religion has no power to change lives. Evangelism is for mature believers, witnessing can and should be done by all believers. In verse 35 Jesus redirects the eyes of the disciple to the gospel. In Palestine the harvest came four months after sowing of the seed. If they had just sown they would not be sharpening their sickles for another two to three months. In agriculture everything is organised and can be planned months in advance. However in evangelism you do not know how long it is going to be before the person is going to respond to the seed of the gospel sown in their heart. You need to be discerning and keep your mind on the job of being the Lord's ambassador, seeking converts in the midst of the enemy’s camp. Let’s begin by reviewing the early verses. Re-read John 4 : 7 - 34. Note:
v 15 the Lord is not side-tracked by a flippant response v 18 the spiritual needs of the woman are paramount v 20 the Lord does not even discuss religious issues v 24 He keeps the attention focused on the true issue, worship in spirit and truth v 27 conventional ways of doing things are put aside to reach the lost v 29 true evangelism/witnessing is enthusiasm and love for the Lord overflowing to those you care about - Come and see!!! Is this not the Messiah!!!! v 34 to apply the truth you give it out to all who will hear. 4 And he must needs go through Samaria. 5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. After his discussion with Nicodemus the plan of the Father leads Him through Samaria. It was only necessary to pass through Samaria in going directly north from Judea to Galilee. In coming south from Galilee travellers usually crossed over the Jordan and came down through Perea to avoid the hostility of the Samaritans towards people who passed through their land to go to Jerusalem. Jesus once met this bitterness on going to the feast of tabernacles as outlined in Luke 9:51-56. He is "compelled" to go via this town, for the plan of God has an action to be achieved there. There is a future evangelist in Samaria who is waiting to be converted at the well of Jacob. The people in Sychar are ready to hear the gospel. The road from Jerusalem heads north through Shechem (Sychar) to Nazareth. It is a two day journey to Sychar. When He got to the well He sat on its lip. This well is now several feet below ground level but is still visible and a highlight of the bus tours in Israel. 6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. Jacob's well was not a nice place in the Bible, as it had been the scene of the rape of Dinah and the subsequent murder of the men of Shechem - Genesis 33-34. It is really a cistern 100 feet deep dug by a stranger apparently in a land of abundant springs as shown in Genesis 26:19. It was still a place of conflict and hatred as the Samaritans and Jews hated one another. Many times Jewish travellers from Galilee would be murdered by the Samaritans in this area and there would be retaliation not unlike the Jews and Arabs nowadays. It was a place associated with hatred, conflict, racism and strife of a religious nature. 7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. 8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) 9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. The woman comes to draw water. The word draw is in the aorist active infinitive showing that it was her purpose to draw water. This talk takes place at noon. It's hot and the Lord asks her for a drink. His disciples had gone into Sychar to get provisions. It was rare for anyone to draw water at that time of day. People used to cart water early in the morning and late in the afternoon thus this woman was probably a social outcast. She is a much married woman and a local prostitute, however she is going to be used by God to evangelise the town. “For” which is the particle “gar” introduces the explanation of the reason for asking her. The disciples were gone away. The pluperfect of aperchomai shows that they had already gone off to Sychar before she came. The purpose was to buy food. The verb to buy is agorizo an old verb from agora (marketplace). The woman who comes to the well wants to take the heat off her own sin and discuss theology. She wants to try and prove that the Samaritans are correct and the Jews are wrong. Jesus however does not allow Himself to get drawn into any discussion other than about the salvation of this woman. The woman is trying to bring up the racial question but the Lord is concentrating on the spiritual. When the Lord asked her to give Him a drink it would have surprised her as she would know that a Jew was considered unclean if they had any social interaction with the Samaritans or the Gentiles. She was a Samaritan, a woman and not a very nice woman at that. "If I give it to you, you are unclean", she says. Water represents purification as shown in the wedding at Cana of Galilee. The water that the Lord is talking about is the water of the Word, the water of the Spirit and now newness of life - I will give you living water. He is saying to her that she needs living water, the water of salvation. "You are dead'" he says, "you need the washing of the water that I can give not the water in the well". After she has heard a few words from Him she realises that she is not dealing with just any Jewish man, there is more to this situation. This is a woman who has been doing a lot of thinking about her life and her salvation. The living waters of salvation will always overcome the stagnant waters of the unregenerate life. The Samaritans were a mixture by intermarriage of the Jews left in the land with colonists from Babylon and other regions sent by Shalmaneser. They had had a temple of their own on Mt. Gerizim and still worshipped there. 10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. "If you knew the gift of God", is a reference to the first five books of the Bible, the Torah which the Samaritans also held as sacred. "You have the gift of God but you do not know it", he says. If you knew it and who it was who was asking you to get water you would have asked me for the living water. The Jews and Samaritans had one thing in common - the Torah. Jesus Christ has therefore moved to common ground with this woman. The Lord draws the woman's attention to her need of a Saviour. The water in Jacob's well was based on seepage, it was "dead" water, the spring (living water) was very deep in the well. This was a good picture of the Samaritans, they had a seepage from Judaism in the form of the Torah, but lacked the reality. She has religion but no power in her life. 11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? This well is 30 metres deep and Jesus had no rope. The bucket of skin with three cross sticks at the mouth to keep it open) was kept at the well to be let down by a goat’s hair rope. The woman thinks physically, saying that the Lord has no bucket to draw from the well. The Lord however is thinking spiritually. That well is a beautiful picture of legalism, and false religion. The well is a cistern taking the living water and storing it. This is what a liberal church or legalistic group does. They take the living water of the Word of God and they put it in their container but the water is now dead. The woman's question is a half serious one. Are you greater than Jacob who gave us this well? The Samaritans claimed descent from Jacob through the sons of Joseph’s tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. She has the thought that there is something going on here that is bigger than it appears. 13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. 15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. The action of the participle in the Greek precedes the action of the main verb. The participle is the act of drinking physical water from the well. This is followed by the future tense of the verb for thirsting which is a logical future of thirsting again. The Lord again emphasises the need for regeneration. This is a salvation appeal like John 3:16, 36, 7:37-39. Jesus has not answered the woman’s question except by the necessary implication here that he is superior to Jacob. The woman’s curiosity is keenly excited about this new kind of water. The one speaking to her is indeed greater than Jacob; all Jacob did was build a well of contention. The Lord is going to open up a stream of living waters flowing from the cross to cover all mankind. It should be noted that the subjunctive mood of the verb “pino” to drink of the living water in verse 14 indicates that the drinking, ie salvation is potential and depends on free will. The fact that it was prophesied in Acts 1:5 shows that it had not happened to anybody prior to that time. This first occurred at Pentecost. Most believers do not think of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as making us all one in Christ Jesus, but that is what it does. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit enters us into union with Christ. You are no longer in sin you are in him. In1 Corinthians 12:13 it says, we are all entered into union with Christ by the same Spirit. The baptism of the Holy Spirit, which takes place at conversion, should not be confused with the gifts of the Holy Spirit with which we are to function in the interaction of the body of Christ. Those who are not fully aware of the meaning of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, also often confuse it with the filling of the Holy Spirit. The baptism occurs once, filling continues throughout your Christian life, as you confess your sin. The filling of the Holy Spirit is required to do the work of the Lord. The Lord offers salvation to this woman under the metaphor of, "an inner spring of eternal life". Just as Nicodemus was told of his need to be reborn. Just as the converts of John the Baptist were confronted with their need for cleansing so the Samaritan woman is offered newness of life within through faith in Christ. The Lord is meeting all these people where they are. In verse 15 the woman demands the water with the imperative mood of Didomi that she might not thirst in a subjunctive mood with the result that perhaps she would not need to come again in the subjunctive mood for the purpose of drawing water in the infinitive mood. Here again we see the accuracy of the Greek text and the desire of the woman for the water as a means of reducing her daily work load. 16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. 17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: 18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. Had the woman started to leave after her perplexed reply? Her frequent trips to the well were partly for her husband. We may not have all the conversation preserved, but clearly Jesus by this sudden sharp turn gives the woman a conviction of sin and guilt without which she cannot understand his use of water as a metaphor for eternal life. The Lord recognises that this woman is borne down with sin and the consequences of her life are catching up with her. She needs newness of life, Nicodemus needed to be born again; the same thing just expressed in a different way to communicate to different people. The reaction of the Samaritan woman is to make a joke of the subject, (often a sign that the person is feeling got at}, asking for this water so she may not need to come back and fill the water pot again. This is not unlike Nicodemus. "Can a man return into his mother’s womb a second time?" he asked. The Lord tells her to go and call her husband. Who is your husband, who is your Lord? he is asking. It is clear that spiritually this woman has not got a Lord. She is living in a de facto relationship having had a number of husbands before. The Lord is the bridegroom of Israel, and the bride has been out playing the harlot. Here we have the Lord talking to a faithless woman, the very picture of Israel. She however, knows she is a sinner and needs a Saviour. The Lord says to her that she has had 5 husbands and that the person that she is living with is not her husband. The Lord puts a finger on her sin and illustrates to her that He understands her problem. There is no moral indignation. He is just making a statement of facts without being self righteous. The Lord had a ministry to the worst people. Many times the immoral are ready to seek an answer, and sometimes they are so hardened that they do not think that there is an answer any more. Do not be offended by immorality. You are dealing with pagans who will not live like Sunday School children. They are going to hell; do not expect them to be nice lovely people. The Lord has called you to give them the gospel. There are churches that will not have evangelistic campaigns in case the church gets filled up with these unlovely people. The tone of the church could be lowered. 19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. The woman comes back with a satanic side-track, noting that Jesus is a prophet and that our forefathers worshipped in this mountain yet the Jews say that we must worship in Jerusalem. She tried to get the Lord into a religious debate. Religious questions such as "How about those who haven't heard? How about divisions in the church? How about the hypocrites?" You could see from one mountain to another on a fine day. It is critical that you do not get involved in religious arguments. The Jews and the Samaritans had a major argument in the area of ritual in the form of where you should worship, what you should read in worship and what you should do in worship. They fought and killed one another over this. The phrase “In this mountain” refers to the foot of Mount Gerizim toward which she pointed. Sanballat erected a temple on this mountain which was destroyed by John Hyrcanus in 129 BC. Abraham [Genesis 12:7] and Jacob [Genesis 33:20] set up altars at Shechem. On Gerizim were proclaimed the blessings recorded in Deuteronomy 28 which were replied to with the cursings on the Mountain on the other side of the narrow valley. The Samaritan Pentateuch records an altar set up on Gerizim that is on Ebal (over 60 metres higher than Gerizim) in the Hebrew of Deuteronomy 27:4. The Samaritans held that Abraham offered up Isaac on Gerizim. The Samaritans kept up this worship on this mountain and a handful do it still. Shortly after the crucifixion Pontius Pilate dealt very harshly with the Samaritans during one of these sectarian fights as a result of which he was recalled to Rome, relieved of his post, and exiled. This was the end for Pontius Pilate who eventually committed suicide. 21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. 26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. Believe me in verse 21 is in the present active imperative. It is a unique phrase in place of the commonly used phrase amen, amen translated by the words verily, verily. Jesus tells the woman that the worship of God will be freed from the requirement of a geographical location. Both Jews and Samaritans are now wrong as to the “necessity” of worshipping somewhere specific as these ancient rivalries will disappear when the spirituality of the Church Age is fully realised. Jesus therefore told this sinful woman one of His greatest truths. The Lord cuts through this side-track and says that the Truth is come from Israel and that He is the Truth. The woman says that she knows that Messiah is coming and when He does He is going to tell them these things. Jesus looks her in the eye and says that He is the Messiah, do not look any further. In verse 22 Jesus is a Jew as he fully recognises in Matthew 15:24. The Jews, as the chosen people, had fuller revelations of God but even so the Jews as a whole failed to recognise God in Christ Jesus states that the salvation is from the Jews “The salvation,” the Messianic salvation which had long been the hope and guiding star of the chosen people It was for the whole world John 3:17 but it comes “out of” “ek” the Jews. This tremendous fact should never be forgotten, however unworthy the Jews may have proved of their privilege. The Messiah, God’s Son, was a Jew. The Lord has eliminated the side-track by identifying that while the Samaritans are off base and wrong, the Jews also are wrong in that they are not living in a pure and holy way. Both groups need to find the one who is the, "way the truth and the life" John 14:6. He has bluntly told her who he is; it is now up to her to respond. This is the crunch time for the unbeliever. When they have the facts and must face the choice, will they accept Christ or not? In verse 23 proskunetes is a word derived from proskuneo. It means to bow the knee, to worship. It occurs here only in the New Testament, but is found in one pre-Christian inscription and in one of the 3rd century AD The phrase “In spirit and truth” is of critical importance. This is what matters, not where, but how. Only when we are under the control of the Holy Spirit and hearing and obeying the truth can we worship the Lord. John pictures the Father as seeking worshippers, a doctrine running all through the Gospel [John 3:16, 6:44, 15:16 1 John 4:10]. In verse 26 Jesus says “I am he, the one speaking to thee.” In plain language Jesus now declares that he is the Messiah as he does to the blind man in John 9:37. 27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? When the disciples come back from Sychar and see him talking to this woman, the first reaction is, what she may be after? The second one is, why are you even talking to her? It is noted that the disciples thought this, but did not ask Him. They were surprised because a Rabbi never talked to a woman, let alone a Samaritan and an immoral one at that! Convention stated that you did not speak to a woman in public especially if you were a Rabbi. The Lord shows that the convention is of no importance, the gospel is. 1 John 2: 2. The Lord died for all the gospel is to be given to all. The Lord is showing his disciples that in His sight they are all of equal value and the Lord is going to die for this woman's sins as well as theirs. Men and women are equal in the sense that they are all sinners and need a Saviour. Everyone is unequal and different as far as intellect, background, gifts but there are two equalities, we are all born sinners and we all are saved by the work of the Holy Spirit and the Blood of Christ. The Lord shows that there is no place for pride, racism or sexism. The disciples marvelled at this - "phaumazo" - marvelled - but they did not ask questions as they knew he had a reason. 28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? The woman left the water pot and went into the city and said to the men, come and see a man who has told me everything about me. "Can he be the Messiah?' And they came to Him like Andrew, for the woman's enthusiasm attracts them. It appears that at this point she has accepted the Lord. She is no longer worried about physical water but is concerned about spiritual life. She goes to the men as the women would not speak to her. She knows the men have the same need as she does. They lack meaning and purpose, and previously may have tried to fill their inner vacuum through sexual relationships with her. She knows the weaknesses of these men. She says to them that the Lord has met her needs and that He can meet yours also. He knows everything about me and the implication is that He knows everything about you also. The question she asks is, "Is this the Christ?" "Is" in this construction in the Greek, supposes a negative answer, such as in 1 Corinthians 12 in dealing with the gifts. However in this case it means, "Could this be the Christ? come and see". This is the aorist imperative of "horao". She tells them to prove it to themselves, which is an excellent example of evangelism. Whilst you should not have the baby believer on the street as a full time evangelist, the new born believer is able to witness to friends and neighbours right from the start of their changed life. She calls Him a Jew v 9, Sir v 11, Prophet v 19 and Christ v 29. What a great change has occurred in her. As she got more information she became convinced that He was the Messiah. It probably took her half and hour to get up into the village and get back down all the while the disciples are trying to encourage Him to eat. Jesus shows the right motivation in doing those things which the Father required of Him. 30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. 31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. 32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? 34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. In verse 30 everybody left the city at the same time as seen by the aorist tense but they arrived one after another to meet the Lord as shown by the imperfect tense showing that they kept on coming. They were benefited by their meeting as seen by the middle voice of erchomai. The disciples ask him to eat the physical food that they have brought from Sychar but the Lord speaks of spiritual food and refreshment, doing the father's will, and giving the gospel. The disciples wonder in verse 33 whether someone else has given him food in their absence but Jesus shows that physical eating is of lesser importance than doing the work of God. The imperfect tense of “lego” shows that the disciples constantly asked each other if someone had brought food. 35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. Do not say that there are four months to harvest, behold the fields are white unto harvest, noting the white clothed Samaritans coming down the path from Sychar. Look and see that a revival is starting says the Lord. It is something bigger than the food you bought; it is the working of the Holy Spirit. As we walk through the world are we looking for the work of the Holy Spirit? Are we ready to assist the Samaritan women we see? The Lord now discusses the harvest of souls. In the agricultural realm you can plan on time frames, but with the destiny of souls you cannot be sure when the seed will grow. We are to be constantly "looking to the fields", to see if the time has come overnight! The word for "look" is the Greek word, "theaomai" - which means to contemplate as you look, to assess a situation. You do not "blepo", have a quick glance, or "horao", scan the scene, but He tells them to concentrate, look and think about it. All of us should be ready to give the gospel at a second’s notice, to lead the prepared person to Christ and to disciple the new believer once they have believed. |