Jesus said to her: “If thou didst know the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, ‘Give me to drink,’ thou, perhaps, wouldst have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water.”[1] The woman replied: “Sir, Thou hast nothing wherein to draw, and the well is deep; whence then hast Thou living water? Art Thou greater than our father Jacob [2], who gave us the well?”
Jesus answered: “Whosoever drinketh of this water, shall thirst again; but he that shall drink of the water that I shall give[3] him, shall not thirst for ever. The water that I shall give him, shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into everlasting life.” Then the woman spoke again: “Sir, give me this water that I may not thirst, nor come hither[4] to draw.”
Thereupon Jesus said: “Go and call thy husband.” She answered: “I have no husband.” Jesus replied: “Thou hast said well; for thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou now hast, is not thy husband.” The woman exclaimed: “Sir, I perceive that Thou art a prophet.” [5]
- ↑ Living water. The ordinary meaning of living water is fresh or running water. But our Lord applied the expression to the life-giving grace which flows from Him upon those who believe in Him.
- ↑ Our father Jacob. She thought He must be referring to the actual spring of water at the bottom of the well, so her words meant: ‘ You cannot get the living water from this well, for you have nothing with which you can reach so deep down. Where will you get better water than from this well? Jacob and his sons could find none better in the country. Are you wiser and more powerful than Jacob? Can you, like Moses, procure water miraculously?” She said “our father Jacob”, because she erroneously believed that the Samaritans were descended from him.
- ↑ The water that I shall give. Our Lord now gave her to understand that he was speaking of no natural water. The water which He will give is quite different from any natural water, for its effects are eternal. He spoke of the water of divine grace.
- ↑ Come hither. Even now the woman did not yet understand our Lord s words, but thought that the water He referred to would quench bodily thirst for ever. “Sir”, she said, “give me of this water.” She showed by these words that she quite believed now that Jesus was greater than Jacob, and was able to give water, the effects of which would be miraculously lasting.
- ↑ A prophet. When Jesus saw her readiness to believe, He revealed Himself to her in a different light; and told her that she had hitherto led a dissolute life and had already had several husbands. Ashamed and confounded at this revelation of her misdeeds, she cried out: “Sir, I perceive that Thou art a prophet!" The fact that Jesus, whom she had never seen before, should know her secret sins and her mode of living, made her say to herself: “This stranger must be a prophet to whom God has revealed hidden things." She did not deny her sin, nor did she excuse it; but acknowledged the truth of what He had said, by the words: “I perceive that Thou art a prophet." As she now believed Him to be a prophet sent by God, she seized the opportunity to put before Him the chief point of dissension between the Jews and Samaritans, or as we should say, to raise the religious question, having full confidence that she would learn the truth from His lips.
