There was a long history of division between the Samaritans and the Jews. To the surprise of the disciples (and the religious leaders), Jesus loved people and ministered to people who were not Jews. Conversion to Judaism was not a requirement.
Continuing the conversation with the Samaritan woman, Jesus asked her to go get her husband. This is awkward. Then, Jesus reveals that He knows this woman has a reputation problem. Still (and, as we shall soon see to the chagrin of the religious leaders) Jesus continues to discuss the theological question she asked.
Let’s talk about sex. Can you be accidentally married-in-the-eyes of God by having sex? What is fornication? Adultery? Experience can make us jaded in relationships. In another place, Jesus says, the law allowed divorce because the people had hard-hearts. In this story, Jesus mentions only the misrepresentation of virginity (i.e. fornication) as the only cause for divorce. Adultery? Actually, adultery should be forgiven.
We’ll resume here next time.
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Chapter 8 (Part 2)
RETURNING to Galilee after a trip to Judea, Jesus came, about noon, to the outskirts of the city of Sychar in Samaria near Jacob’s well, situated on the parcel of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
A woman of Samaria came to draw water. To her Jesus said:
“Give me to drink.”
The woman responded:
“How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria?
The Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
Jesus replied:
“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.”
Not understanding, the woman replied:
“Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?”
Jesus answered:
“Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 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.”
The woman said: “Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.”
Jesus saith unto her,
“Go, call thy husband, and come hither.”
The woman answered saying:
“I have no husband.”
Jesus said:
“Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.”
The astonished woman replied:
“I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”
Jesus replied:
“Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 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. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
Marveling at his words, the woman said:
“I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.”
Jesus replied:
“I that speak unto thee am he.”
The disciples returned and marvelled that Jesus was talking with the woman: yet no man questioned him as to his reason. The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and said to the men:
“Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the...
