Third Sunday of Lent
Lectionary: 28
Lectionary: 28
In those days, in their thirst for water,
the people grumbled against Moses,
saying, "Why did you ever make us leave Egypt?
Was it just to have us die here of thirst
with our children and our livestock?"
So Moses cried out to the LORD,
"What shall I do with this people?
a little more and they will stone me!"
The LORD answered Moses,
"Go over there in front of the people,
along with some of the elders of Israel,
holding in your hand, as you go,
the staff with which you struck the river.
I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb.
Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it
for the people to drink."
This Moses did, in the presence of the elders of Israel.
The place was called Massah and Meribah,
because the Israelites quarreled there
and tested the LORD, saying,
"Is the LORD in our midst or not?"
the people grumbled against Moses,
saying, "Why did you ever make us leave Egypt?
Was it just to have us die here of thirst
with our children and our livestock?"
So Moses cried out to the LORD,
"What shall I do with this people?
a little more and they will stone me!"
The LORD answered Moses,
"Go over there in front of the people,
along with some of the elders of Israel,
holding in your hand, as you go,
the staff with which you struck the river.
I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb.
Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it
for the people to drink."
This Moses did, in the presence of the elders of Israel.
The place was called Massah and Meribah,
because the Israelites quarreled there
and tested the LORD, saying,
"Is the LORD in our midst or not?"
Responsorial
PsalmPS 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
R. (8) If
today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works."
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works."
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Reading 2ROM 5:1-2, 5-8
Brothers and sisters:
Since we have been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith
to this grace in which we stand,
and we boast in hope of the glory of God.
And hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
For Christ, while we were still helpless,
died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,
though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
Since we have been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith
to this grace in which we stand,
and we boast in hope of the glory of God.
And hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
For Christ, while we were still helpless,
died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,
though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
Verse Before
The GospelCF. JN 4:42, 15
Lord, you are truly the Savior of the world;
give me living water, that I may never thirst again.
give me living water, that I may never thirst again.
GospelJN 4:5-42
Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar,
near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
Jacob's well was there.
Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.
It was about noon.
A woman of Samaria came to draw water.
Jesus said to her,
"Give me a drink."
His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.
The Samaritan woman said to him,
"How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?"
—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—
Jesus answered and said to her,
"If you knew the gift of God
and who is saying to you, 'Give me a drink, '
you would have asked him
and he would have given you living water."
The woman said to him,
"Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep;
where then can you get this living water?
Are you greater than our father Jacob,
who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself
with his children and his flocks?"
Jesus answered and said to her,
"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;
but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;
the water I shall give will become in him
a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
The woman said to him,
"Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty
or have to keep coming here to draw water."
Jesus said to her,
"Go call your husband and come back."
The woman answered and said to him,
"I do not have a husband."
Jesus answered her,
"You are right in saying, 'I do not have a husband.'
For you have had five husbands,
and the one you have now is not your husband.
What you have said is true."
The woman said to him,
"Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.
Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain;
but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem."
Jesus said to her,
"Believe me, woman, the hour is coming
when you will worship the Father
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
You people worship what you do not understand;
we worship what we understand,
because salvation is from the Jews.
But the hour is coming, and is now here,
when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth;
and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.
God is Spirit, and those who worship him
must worship in Spirit and truth."
The woman said to him,
"I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ;
when he comes, he will tell us everything."
Jesus said to her,
"I am he, the one speaking with you."
At that moment his disciples returned,
and were amazed that he was talking with a woman,
but still no one said, "What are you looking for?"
or "Why are you talking with her?"
The woman left her water jar
and went into the town and said to the people,
"Come see a man who told me everything I have done.
Could he possibly be the Christ?"
They went out of the town and came to him.
Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat."
But he said to them,
"I have food to eat of which you do not know."
So the disciples said to one another,
"Could someone have brought him something to eat?"
Jesus said to them,
"My food is to do the will of the one who sent me
and to finish his work.
Do you not say, 'In four months the harvest will be here'?
I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest.
The reaper is already receiving payment
and gathering crops for eternal life,
so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together.
For here the saying is verified that 'One sows and another reaps.'
I sent you to reap what you have not worked for;
others have done the work,
and you are sharing the fruits of their work."
Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him
because of the word of the woman who testified,
"He told me everything I have done."
When the Samaritans came to him,
they invited him to stay with them;
and he stayed there two days.
Many more began to believe in him because of his word,
and they said to the woman,
"We no longer believe because of your word;
for we have heard for ourselves,
and we know that this is truly the savior of the world."
near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
Jacob's well was there.
Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.
It was about noon.
A woman of Samaria came to draw water.
Jesus said to her,
"Give me a drink."
His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.
The Samaritan woman said to him,
"How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?"
—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—
Jesus answered and said to her,
"If you knew the gift of God
and who is saying to you, 'Give me a drink, '
you would have asked him
and he would have given you living water."
The woman said to him,
"Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep;
where then can you get this living water?
Are you greater than our father Jacob,
who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself
with his children and his flocks?"
Jesus answered and said to her,
"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;
but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;
the water I shall give will become in him
a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
The woman said to him,
"Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty
or have to keep coming here to draw water."
Jesus said to her,
"Go call your husband and come back."
The woman answered and said to him,
"I do not have a husband."
Jesus answered her,
"You are right in saying, 'I do not have a husband.'
For you have had five husbands,
and the one you have now is not your husband.
What you have said is true."
The woman said to him,
"Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.
Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain;
but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem."
Jesus said to her,
"Believe me, woman, the hour is coming
when you will worship the Father
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
You people worship what you do not understand;
we worship what we understand,
because salvation is from the Jews.
But the hour is coming, and is now here,
when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth;
and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.
God is Spirit, and those who worship him
must worship in Spirit and truth."
The woman said to him,
"I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ;
when he comes, he will tell us everything."
Jesus said to her,
"I am he, the one speaking with you."
At that moment his disciples returned,
and were amazed that he was talking with a woman,
but still no one said, "What are you looking for?"
or "Why are you talking with her?"
The woman left her water jar
and went into the town and said to the people,
"Come see a man who told me everything I have done.
Could he possibly be the Christ?"
They went out of the town and came to him.
Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat."
But he said to them,
"I have food to eat of which you do not know."
So the disciples said to one another,
"Could someone have brought him something to eat?"
Jesus said to them,
"My food is to do the will of the one who sent me
and to finish his work.
Do you not say, 'In four months the harvest will be here'?
I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest.
The reaper is already receiving payment
and gathering crops for eternal life,
so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together.
For here the saying is verified that 'One sows and another reaps.'
I sent you to reap what you have not worked for;
others have done the work,
and you are sharing the fruits of their work."
Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him
because of the word of the woman who testified,
"He told me everything I have done."
When the Samaritans came to him,
they invited him to stay with them;
and he stayed there two days.
Many more began to believe in him because of his word,
and they said to the woman,
"We no longer believe because of your word;
for we have heard for ourselves,
and we know that this is truly the savior of the world."
Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar,
near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
Jacob's well was there.
Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.
It was about noon.
A woman of Samaria came to draw water.
Jesus said to her,
"Give me a drink."
His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.
The Samaritan woman said to him,
"How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?"
—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—
Jesus answered and said to her,
"If you knew the gift of God
and who is saying to you, 'Give me a drink, '
you would have asked him
and he would have given you living water."
The woman said to him,
"Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep;
where then can you get this living water?
Are you greater than our father Jacob,
who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself
with his children and his flocks?"
Jesus answered and said to her,
"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;
but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;
the water I shall give will become in him
a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
The woman said to him,
"Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty
or have to keep coming here to draw water.
"I can see that you are a prophet.
Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain;
but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem."
Jesus said to her,
"Believe me, woman, the hour is coming
when you will worship the Father
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
You people worship what you do not understand;
we worship what we understand,
because salvation is from the Jews.
But the hour is coming, and is now here,
when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth;
and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.
God is Spirit, and those who worship him
must worship in Spirit and truth."
The woman said to him,
"I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ;
when he comes, he will tell us everything."
Jesus said to her,
"I am he, the one who is speaking with you."
Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him.
When the Samaritans came to him,
they invited him to stay with them;
and he stayed there two days.
Many more began to believe in him because of his word,
and they said to the woman,
"We no longer believe because of your word;
for we have heard for ourselves,
and we know that this is truly the savior of the world."
near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
Jacob's well was there.
Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.
It was about noon.
A woman of Samaria came to draw water.
Jesus said to her,
"Give me a drink."
His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.
The Samaritan woman said to him,
"How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?"
—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—
Jesus answered and said to her,
"If you knew the gift of God
and who is saying to you, 'Give me a drink, '
you would have asked him
and he would have given you living water."
The woman said to him,
"Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep;
where then can you get this living water?
Are you greater than our father Jacob,
who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself
with his children and his flocks?"
Jesus answered and said to her,
"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;
but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;
the water I shall give will become in him
a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
The woman said to him,
"Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty
or have to keep coming here to draw water.
"I can see that you are a prophet.
Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain;
but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem."
Jesus said to her,
"Believe me, woman, the hour is coming
when you will worship the Father
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
You people worship what you do not understand;
we worship what we understand,
because salvation is from the Jews.
But the hour is coming, and is now here,
when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth;
and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.
God is Spirit, and those who worship him
must worship in Spirit and truth."
The woman said to him,
"I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ;
when he comes, he will tell us everything."
Jesus said to her,
"I am he, the one who is speaking with you."
Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him.
When the Samaritans came to him,
they invited him to stay with them;
and he stayed there two days.
Many more began to believe in him because of his word,
and they said to the woman,
"We no longer believe because of your word;
for we have heard for ourselves,
and we know that this is truly the savior of the world."
3rd Sunday in Lent – Cycle A
Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of this discussion, it is recommended that the reader look up and read that passage.
1st Reading - Exodus 17:3-7
The Book of Exodus (Greek for “going out”) relates the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt; the birth and education of Moses and his flight into the land of Midian; the appearance of God to Moses at Mount Sinai (Horeb); revelation of the sacred name of Yahweh (I AM), and the commissioning of Moses and Aaron to deliver the Israelites from bondage; the return of Moses to Egypt, and his vain appeal to Pharaoh to let Israel to go free; the first nine plagues (blood, frogs, gnats, flies, on livestock, boils, hail, locusts, and darkness); the institution of the Passover meal and the 10th plague (on the firstborn), and Israel’s departure from Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, the death of the pursuing Egyptians, the Song of Triumph, the manna, and other incidents of the journey through the wilderness; the sojourn at Mount Sinai and the giving of the Law, including the 10 commandments and the book of the covenant; directions for the building of the tabernacle and the consecration of Aaron and the priests; the falling away of the people from Yahweh and the worshiping of the golden calf; the prayer of Moses for the people and their return to God’s favor; the construction of the tabernacle and its furniture.
Unfortunately, the author does not name the Pharaoh or Pharaohs under whom the events in Egypt transpired. 1 Kings 6:1 says that it was 480 years from the Exodus to Solomon’s temple. Since Solomon ascended to the throne in 960 B.C., the exodus would have been about 1440 B.C. This would place the events in the 15th century, but archaeological evidence points to a 13th century date. If one takes the 1st Kings 480 years to be a round number indicating 12 generations, a 1 th century date is possible; in fact, 1280 is suggested by archaeological evidence (Rameses II was pharaoh from 1292-1225 B.C.). Tradition has Moses as the author.
Today’s reading describes events which took place just before the Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai. Since they arrived at Mount Sinai three months after they left Egypt, this is very early in the Exodus; but after the manna and the quail. From the wilderness of Sin the Israelites moved on to Rephidim which most scholars today locate in the Wadi Refayid, some 30 miles from Mount Sinai.
quarrel is really with God: they do not believe He can be their God in the wilderness and don’t trust Him to provide for them.
saying, “Why did you ever make us leave Egypt? Was it just to have us die here of thirst with our children and our livestock?” 4 So Moses cried out to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? A little more and they will stone me!” 5 The LORD answered Moses, “Go over there in front of the people, along with some of the elders of Israel, holding in your hand, as you go, the staff with which you struck the river.
The staff is the same one that turned into a serpent, brought forth the plagues of frogs and gnats, turned the Nile into blood, and parted the Red Sea.
6 I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb.
“Horeb” is a general name for the mountain range that runs through the region. Sinai is one of its peaks. Generally, the name is used interchangeably with Sinai.
Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it for the people to drink.” This Moses did, in the presence of the elders of Israel.
Notice that there is no divine rebuke, but only the command to take some of the elders and go to the rock and strike it. The elders represent the people and are witnesses.
7 The place was called Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled there and tested the LORD,
“Massah” means “the (place of the) testing” and “Meribah” means “the (place of the) quarreling”in Hebrew.
saying, “Is the LORD in our midst or not?”
God has provided manna and water in the desert, He has withstood their test and has shown His authority over the wilderness.
From this incident, later rabbis built an oral tradition that this rock as a source of water followed the Israelites through the desert. St. Paul refers to this oral tradition in 1 Corinthians 10:4. Yet, there are people today who state that oral tradition has no authority.
2nd Reading - Romans 5:1-2, 5-8
The letter to the Romans was written by Paul during his third missionary journey (A.D. 55- 56). It was probably written from Corinth. Paul’s background was that of a Hebrew pharisee, and thus schooled in the concept of family covenant rather than in the Roman court as so many today try to assert. We must always be careful to interpret Scripture through the eyes and understanding of the sacred writer.
5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith,
The earlier part of this book shows that faith is not just believing, but living out that belief because of certainty that God is true to His covenant. His covenant with Abraham (to provide worldwide blessing) is not yet finished. In fact, the first and last uses by Saint Paul of the word “faith” in this book of Romans (1:5 and 16:26) it is not “faith alone”, but “obedience of faith” to which he refers, thus setting the context for the use of the word “faith” throughout the entire epistle. The only use of the term “faith alone” in the entire Bible is in James 2:24 where it says “See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”
“Let no one say to himself: ‘If [justification] is from faith, how is it freely given: If faith merits it, why is it not rather paid than given?’ Let the faithful man not say such a thing; for, if he says: ‘I have faith, therefore I merit justification,’ he will be answered: ‘What have you that you did not receive?’ If, therefore, faith entreats and receives justification, according as God has apportioned to each in the measure of his faith, nothing of human merit precedes the grace of God, but grace itself merits increase, and the increase merits perfection, with the will accompanying but not leading, following along but not going in advance.” (Saint Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 417), Letter to Paulinus of Nola, 186§3,7]
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Because of Jesus’ all-perfect sacrifice, heaven is now opened and we are no longer slaves or servants, but children of God. See also Romans 14:19.
2 through whom we have gained access (by faith) to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God. 5 And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us.
As children of God, we have an inheritance – the kingdom of God.
6 For Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly. 7 Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die.
Before the sacrifice of Christ, no one was justified and could do nothing to enable them to appear morally right before God.
8 But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
God so loves us that He allowed His Son to die so that heaven might be opened and we could enter. There is no quid pro quo here, this is not repayment, but a gift to us who are so undeserving.
“If Christ gave Himself up to death at the right time for those who were unbelievers and enemies of God ... how much more will He protect us with His help if we believe in Him! He died for us in order to obtain life and glory for us. So if He died for His enemies, just think what He will do for His friends!” [The Ambrosiaster (A.D. 366-384), Commentaries on Thirteen Pauline Epistles]
Gospel - John 4:5-42
This event happened very early in Jesus’ public ministry: immediately after His baptism, the wedding feast at Cana, and His encounter with Nicodemus, all of which have baptismal significance.
5 So he came to a town of Samaria
During the Assyrian occupation most of the inhabitants of Israel had been carried off into exile; some remained behind and intermingled with the people whom Sargon II (king of Assyria) had imported from Babylon, Cutah, Affa, Hamath, and Sepharuaim; thus forming a new people. From that time on, these people were called Samaritans (2 Kings 17:24). Friendly relations existed between the Samaritans and the kingdom of Judah until the Babylonian exile. When the Samaritans desired to assist the repatriated Jews in rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem, their offer was refused (Ezra 4:2-3). The Samaritans therefore built a temple of their own on Mount Gerizim. The Jews regarded them as racially impure and compromisers in religion. The usual route from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria and took about three days.
called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there.
“Sychar” Means “liar” or “drunkard”. Archaeologists have identified it with ‘Askar, a small town on the southern base of Mount Ebal., about a mile north of Jacob’s well. Saint Jerome identifies it as Shechem, as noted in Syriac manuscripts. Genesis 33:19 tells of Jacob’s purchase of the land and Joshua 24:32 tells us that Joseph was buried there.
Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well. It was about noon. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.)
Not only was it unheard of for a rabbi to speak familiarly with a woman in public, it was also unheard of for a Jew to request a drink from a Samaritan. Jews considered Samaritans, and therefore their utensils for eating and drinking, unclean.
10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’
Jesus himself, whom the woman does not yet recognize, is the gift. She sees only a Jew who is a very bold and thirsty traveler.
you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11 (The woman) said to him, “Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water?
As Nicodemus did (John 3:4), the woman takes Jesus literally. She thinks he is talking about flowing water rather than water from a well or cistern. Just as He did with Nicodemus, Jesus uses this misunderstanding as an opportunity for further teaching.
12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?”
Since Jesus can’t mean to get water from this well, where will He get it? Even Jacob had no better source than this well. The Samaritans also claimed descent from the patriarchs, through the Joseph tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and thus refer to Jacob as their father.
13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; 14 but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Jesus begins to explain the meaning of His words (as He does every time He is misunderstood). Sirach 24:20 (a writing with which the Samaritan woman would be unfamiliar) says that the drinker of wisdom will thirst again. The water which Christ will give will satisfy thirst forever. The Christian reader is reminded of baptism, the water of Christ that confers the gift of eternal life.
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”
The woman still misunderstands.
16 Jesus said to her, “Go call your husband and come back.”
The Hebrew word for husband is baal which also means “lord”.
17 The woman answered and said to him, “I do not have a husband.” Jesus answered her, “You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband.’ 18 For you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true.”
In saying “the man you are with now”, Jesus is referring to Himself. Jacob met his wife at a well but Jesus tells her that He is not destined to be her husband. There is, however, a much deeper meaning: Hosea 2 tells of when the Messiah comes he will go to Israel (Samaria) and betroth to Israel and take away the Baals. According to Dr. Scott Hahn, the prophets were sent to condemn Samaria “you will be given over to the pagan nations surrounding you and they will bring their Baals (gods).” The prophets listed five different Baals (2 Kings 17) and she has had five husbands (baals).
19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.
A curious statement, coming from a Samaritan. The Samaritans held only the first five books of the Bible to be sacred because they rejected the prophets (who did not speak kindly of them). The only prophet they accepted was the one who was to come as promised in Deuteronomy 18:15-19. What she is really saying is that Jesus is The Prophet.
20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”
This conversation takes place at the foot of Mount Gerizim (Mount Ebal in Jewish terminology), the Samaritan place of worship; here the patriarchs had sacrificed (Genesis 12:7; 33:20) and here according to the Samaritan version of Deuteronomy 27:4, the Israelites had first set up an altar in Palestine.
21 Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews.
Jesus must be agreeing that in Judaism, not the Samaritan version of it, God’s revelation has been safeguarded.
23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.
The first mention of His “hour” in John’s gospel is associated with wine at the marriage feast. Here, it is associated with worship. The Spirit is given by God that reveals truth and enables one to worship God appropriately (John 14:16-17). The Spirit is received at baptism.
24 God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.”
The new covenant which Jesus will institute is Spirit and truth.
25 The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Anointed; when he comes, he will tell us everything.”
The woman again states her recognition that Jesus is the prophet the Samaritans had expected; she uses Jewish terminology, the Samaritans expected a prophet like Moses.
26 Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking with you.”
Jesus confirms her knowledge by saying “I am” (Yahweh).
27 At that moment his disciples returned, and were amazed that he was talking with a woman, but still no one said, “What are you looking for?” or “Why are you talking with her?” 28 The woman left her water jar and went into the town and said to the people, 29 “Come see a man who told me everything I have done. Could he possibly be the Messiah?”
The woman leaves to spread the word without the usual warning of “tell no one.” She is the first evangelist.
30 They went out of the town and came to him. 31 Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Could someone have brought him something to eat?”
The woman fully realizes who Jesus is, but the disciples are slow to understand. They still take everything in its superficial sense.
34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work.
In these words Jesus sums up His entire career.
35 Do you not say, ‘In four months the harvest will be here’?
This is apparently some sort of Palestinian proverb. It takes four months from planting to harvest.
I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest.
The harvest of which Jesus speaks is of God’s planting and is ready now (see Matthew 9:37-38). The woman who goes even now to witness to the people of her village, who will soon come to see for themselves.
36 The reaper is already receiving his payment and gathering crops for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together.
In this harvest there is no interval at all from sowing to reaping, the sower and the reaper rejoice at the same time when their jobs are finished.
37 For here the saying is verified that ‘One sows and another reaps.’
Job 31:8; Ecclesiastes 2:21.
38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; others have done the work, and you are sharing the fruits of their work.” 39 Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me everything I have done.”
The Samaritans follow the model of all who have true faith; almost the same words are used to describe the disciples in John 17:20. First having believed because of the woman’s testimony, they eventually come to believe because of His own word.
40 When the Samaritans came to him, they invited him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. 41 Many more began to believe in him because of his word, 42 and they said to the woman, “We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”
Not only have they come to believe, they also recognize in Him something more than the Messiah to which the woman had witnessed. Jesus, by transcending national lines in dealing with them, has laid a basis for a universal affirmation of God’s salvation.
Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of this discussion, it is recommended that the reader look up and read that passage.
1st Reading - Exodus 17:3-7
The Book of Exodus (Greek for “going out”) relates the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt; the birth and education of Moses and his flight into the land of Midian; the appearance of God to Moses at Mount Sinai (Horeb); revelation of the sacred name of Yahweh (I AM), and the commissioning of Moses and Aaron to deliver the Israelites from bondage; the return of Moses to Egypt, and his vain appeal to Pharaoh to let Israel to go free; the first nine plagues (blood, frogs, gnats, flies, on livestock, boils, hail, locusts, and darkness); the institution of the Passover meal and the 10th plague (on the firstborn), and Israel’s departure from Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, the death of the pursuing Egyptians, the Song of Triumph, the manna, and other incidents of the journey through the wilderness; the sojourn at Mount Sinai and the giving of the Law, including the 10 commandments and the book of the covenant; directions for the building of the tabernacle and the consecration of Aaron and the priests; the falling away of the people from Yahweh and the worshiping of the golden calf; the prayer of Moses for the people and their return to God’s favor; the construction of the tabernacle and its furniture.
Unfortunately, the author does not name the Pharaoh or Pharaohs under whom the events in Egypt transpired. 1 Kings 6:1 says that it was 480 years from the Exodus to Solomon’s temple. Since Solomon ascended to the throne in 960 B.C., the exodus would have been about 1440 B.C. This would place the events in the 15th century, but archaeological evidence points to a 13th century date. If one takes the 1st Kings 480 years to be a round number indicating 12 generations, a 1 th century date is possible; in fact, 1280 is suggested by archaeological evidence (Rameses II was pharaoh from 1292-1225 B.C.). Tradition has Moses as the author.
Today’s reading describes events which took place just before the Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai. Since they arrived at Mount Sinai three months after they left Egypt, this is very early in the Exodus; but after the manna and the quail. From the wilderness of Sin the Israelites moved on to Rephidim which most scholars today locate in the Wadi Refayid, some 30 miles from Mount Sinai.
quarrel is really with God: they do not believe He can be their God in the wilderness and don’t trust Him to provide for them.
saying, “Why did you ever make us leave Egypt? Was it just to have us die here of thirst with our children and our livestock?” 4 So Moses cried out to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? A little more and they will stone me!” 5 The LORD answered Moses, “Go over there in front of the people, along with some of the elders of Israel, holding in your hand, as you go, the staff with which you struck the river.
The staff is the same one that turned into a serpent, brought forth the plagues of frogs and gnats, turned the Nile into blood, and parted the Red Sea.
6 I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb.
“Horeb” is a general name for the mountain range that runs through the region. Sinai is one of its peaks. Generally, the name is used interchangeably with Sinai.
Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it for the people to drink.” This Moses did, in the presence of the elders of Israel.
Notice that there is no divine rebuke, but only the command to take some of the elders and go to the rock and strike it. The elders represent the people and are witnesses.
7 The place was called Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled there and tested the LORD,
“Massah” means “the (place of the) testing” and “Meribah” means “the (place of the) quarreling”in Hebrew.
saying, “Is the LORD in our midst or not?”
God has provided manna and water in the desert, He has withstood their test and has shown His authority over the wilderness.
From this incident, later rabbis built an oral tradition that this rock as a source of water followed the Israelites through the desert. St. Paul refers to this oral tradition in 1 Corinthians 10:4. Yet, there are people today who state that oral tradition has no authority.
2nd Reading - Romans 5:1-2, 5-8
The letter to the Romans was written by Paul during his third missionary journey (A.D. 55- 56). It was probably written from Corinth. Paul’s background was that of a Hebrew pharisee, and thus schooled in the concept of family covenant rather than in the Roman court as so many today try to assert. We must always be careful to interpret Scripture through the eyes and understanding of the sacred writer.
5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith,
The earlier part of this book shows that faith is not just believing, but living out that belief because of certainty that God is true to His covenant. His covenant with Abraham (to provide worldwide blessing) is not yet finished. In fact, the first and last uses by Saint Paul of the word “faith” in this book of Romans (1:5 and 16:26) it is not “faith alone”, but “obedience of faith” to which he refers, thus setting the context for the use of the word “faith” throughout the entire epistle. The only use of the term “faith alone” in the entire Bible is in James 2:24 where it says “See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”
“Let no one say to himself: ‘If [justification] is from faith, how is it freely given: If faith merits it, why is it not rather paid than given?’ Let the faithful man not say such a thing; for, if he says: ‘I have faith, therefore I merit justification,’ he will be answered: ‘What have you that you did not receive?’ If, therefore, faith entreats and receives justification, according as God has apportioned to each in the measure of his faith, nothing of human merit precedes the grace of God, but grace itself merits increase, and the increase merits perfection, with the will accompanying but not leading, following along but not going in advance.” (Saint Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 417), Letter to Paulinus of Nola, 186§3,7]
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Because of Jesus’ all-perfect sacrifice, heaven is now opened and we are no longer slaves or servants, but children of God. See also Romans 14:19.
2 through whom we have gained access (by faith) to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God. 5 And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us.
As children of God, we have an inheritance – the kingdom of God.
6 For Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly. 7 Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die.
Before the sacrifice of Christ, no one was justified and could do nothing to enable them to appear morally right before God.
8 But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
God so loves us that He allowed His Son to die so that heaven might be opened and we could enter. There is no quid pro quo here, this is not repayment, but a gift to us who are so undeserving.
“If Christ gave Himself up to death at the right time for those who were unbelievers and enemies of God ... how much more will He protect us with His help if we believe in Him! He died for us in order to obtain life and glory for us. So if He died for His enemies, just think what He will do for His friends!” [The Ambrosiaster (A.D. 366-384), Commentaries on Thirteen Pauline Epistles]
Gospel - John 4:5-42
This event happened very early in Jesus’ public ministry: immediately after His baptism, the wedding feast at Cana, and His encounter with Nicodemus, all of which have baptismal significance.
5 So he came to a town of Samaria
During the Assyrian occupation most of the inhabitants of Israel had been carried off into exile; some remained behind and intermingled with the people whom Sargon II (king of Assyria) had imported from Babylon, Cutah, Affa, Hamath, and Sepharuaim; thus forming a new people. From that time on, these people were called Samaritans (2 Kings 17:24). Friendly relations existed between the Samaritans and the kingdom of Judah until the Babylonian exile. When the Samaritans desired to assist the repatriated Jews in rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem, their offer was refused (Ezra 4:2-3). The Samaritans therefore built a temple of their own on Mount Gerizim. The Jews regarded them as racially impure and compromisers in religion. The usual route from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria and took about three days.
called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there.
“Sychar” Means “liar” or “drunkard”. Archaeologists have identified it with ‘Askar, a small town on the southern base of Mount Ebal., about a mile north of Jacob’s well. Saint Jerome identifies it as Shechem, as noted in Syriac manuscripts. Genesis 33:19 tells of Jacob’s purchase of the land and Joshua 24:32 tells us that Joseph was buried there.
Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well. It was about noon. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.)
Not only was it unheard of for a rabbi to speak familiarly with a woman in public, it was also unheard of for a Jew to request a drink from a Samaritan. Jews considered Samaritans, and therefore their utensils for eating and drinking, unclean.
10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’
Jesus himself, whom the woman does not yet recognize, is the gift. She sees only a Jew who is a very bold and thirsty traveler.
you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11 (The woman) said to him, “Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water?
As Nicodemus did (John 3:4), the woman takes Jesus literally. She thinks he is talking about flowing water rather than water from a well or cistern. Just as He did with Nicodemus, Jesus uses this misunderstanding as an opportunity for further teaching.
12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?”
Since Jesus can’t mean to get water from this well, where will He get it? Even Jacob had no better source than this well. The Samaritans also claimed descent from the patriarchs, through the Joseph tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and thus refer to Jacob as their father.
13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; 14 but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Jesus begins to explain the meaning of His words (as He does every time He is misunderstood). Sirach 24:20 (a writing with which the Samaritan woman would be unfamiliar) says that the drinker of wisdom will thirst again. The water which Christ will give will satisfy thirst forever. The Christian reader is reminded of baptism, the water of Christ that confers the gift of eternal life.
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”
The woman still misunderstands.
16 Jesus said to her, “Go call your husband and come back.”
The Hebrew word for husband is baal which also means “lord”.
17 The woman answered and said to him, “I do not have a husband.” Jesus answered her, “You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband.’ 18 For you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true.”
In saying “the man you are with now”, Jesus is referring to Himself. Jacob met his wife at a well but Jesus tells her that He is not destined to be her husband. There is, however, a much deeper meaning: Hosea 2 tells of when the Messiah comes he will go to Israel (Samaria) and betroth to Israel and take away the Baals. According to Dr. Scott Hahn, the prophets were sent to condemn Samaria “you will be given over to the pagan nations surrounding you and they will bring their Baals (gods).” The prophets listed five different Baals (2 Kings 17) and she has had five husbands (baals).
19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.
A curious statement, coming from a Samaritan. The Samaritans held only the first five books of the Bible to be sacred because they rejected the prophets (who did not speak kindly of them). The only prophet they accepted was the one who was to come as promised in Deuteronomy 18:15-19. What she is really saying is that Jesus is The Prophet.
20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”
This conversation takes place at the foot of Mount Gerizim (Mount Ebal in Jewish terminology), the Samaritan place of worship; here the patriarchs had sacrificed (Genesis 12:7; 33:20) and here according to the Samaritan version of Deuteronomy 27:4, the Israelites had first set up an altar in Palestine.
21 Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews.
Jesus must be agreeing that in Judaism, not the Samaritan version of it, God’s revelation has been safeguarded.
23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.
The first mention of His “hour” in John’s gospel is associated with wine at the marriage feast. Here, it is associated with worship. The Spirit is given by God that reveals truth and enables one to worship God appropriately (John 14:16-17). The Spirit is received at baptism.
24 God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.”
The new covenant which Jesus will institute is Spirit and truth.
25 The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Anointed; when he comes, he will tell us everything.”
The woman again states her recognition that Jesus is the prophet the Samaritans had expected; she uses Jewish terminology, the Samaritans expected a prophet like Moses.
26 Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking with you.”
Jesus confirms her knowledge by saying “I am” (Yahweh).
27 At that moment his disciples returned, and were amazed that he was talking with a woman, but still no one said, “What are you looking for?” or “Why are you talking with her?” 28 The woman left her water jar and went into the town and said to the people, 29 “Come see a man who told me everything I have done. Could he possibly be the Messiah?”
The woman leaves to spread the word without the usual warning of “tell no one.” She is the first evangelist.
30 They went out of the town and came to him. 31 Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Could someone have brought him something to eat?”
The woman fully realizes who Jesus is, but the disciples are slow to understand. They still take everything in its superficial sense.
34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work.
In these words Jesus sums up His entire career.
35 Do you not say, ‘In four months the harvest will be here’?
This is apparently some sort of Palestinian proverb. It takes four months from planting to harvest.
I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest.
The harvest of which Jesus speaks is of God’s planting and is ready now (see Matthew 9:37-38). The woman who goes even now to witness to the people of her village, who will soon come to see for themselves.
36 The reaper is already receiving his payment and gathering crops for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together.
In this harvest there is no interval at all from sowing to reaping, the sower and the reaper rejoice at the same time when their jobs are finished.
37 For here the saying is verified that ‘One sows and another reaps.’
Job 31:8; Ecclesiastes 2:21.
38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; others have done the work, and you are sharing the fruits of their work.” 39 Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me everything I have done.”
The Samaritans follow the model of all who have true faith; almost the same words are used to describe the disciples in John 17:20. First having believed because of the woman’s testimony, they eventually come to believe because of His own word.
40 When the Samaritans came to him, they invited him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. 41 Many more began to believe in him because of his word, 42 and they said to the woman, “We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”
Not only have they come to believe, they also recognize in Him something more than the Messiah to which the woman had witnessed. Jesus, by transcending national lines in dealing with them, has laid a basis for a universal affirmation of God’s salvation.
Meditation: A spring of water welling
up to eternal life
Would you do a favor for someone who snubbed you or
treated you like an enemy? Jesus did just that and more! He treated the
Samaritans, the sworn enemies of the Jews, with great kindness and respect. The
Samaritans who lived in middle region of Israel between Galilee and Judaea and
the Jews who lived in the rest of the land of Israel had been divided for
centuries. They had no dealings with one another, avoiding all social contact,
even trade, and inter-marriage. If their paths crossed it would not be unusual
for hostility to break out.
When Jesus decided to pass through Samaria he stopped
at Jacob's well because it was mid-day and he was both tired from the journey
and thirsty. Jacob's well was a good mile and a half from the nearest town,
called Sychar. It wasn't easy to draw water from this well since it was over a
hundred feet deep. Jesus had neither rope nor bucket to fetch the water.
When a Samaritan woman showed up at the well, both
were caught by surprise. Why would a Samaritan woman walk a mile and a half in
the mid-day heat to fetch her water at a remote well rather than in her local
town? She was an outcast and not welcomed among her own townspeople. Jesus then
did something no respectable Jew would think of doing. He reached out to her,
thus risking ritual impurity and scorn from his fellow Jews. He also did
something no strict Rabbi would dare to do in public without loss to his
reputation. He treated the woman like he would treat one of his friends - he
greeted her and spoke at length with her. Jesus' welcoming approach to her was
scandalous to both Jews and Samaritans because this woman was an adulteress and
public sinner as well. No decent Jew or Samaritan would even think of being
seen with such a woman, let alone exchanging a word with her!
Jesus broke through the barriers of prejudice,
hostility, and tradition to bring the good news of peace and reconciliation to
Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles alike. He demonstrated the universality of the
gospel both in word and deed. No one is barred from the love of God and the
good news of salvation. There is only one thing that can keep us from God and
his redeeming love - our stubborn pride and wilful rebellion.
What is the point of Jesus' exchange with the
Samaritan woman about water? Water in the arid land was scarce. Jacob's well
was located in a strategic fork of the road between Samaria and Galilee. One
can live without food for several days, but not without water. Water is a
source of life and growth for all living things. When rain came to the desert,
the water transformed the wasteland into a fertile field.
The kind of water which Jesus spoke about was living,
running, fresh, pure water. Fresh water from a cool running stream was always
preferred to the still water one might find in a pool or resevoir. When the
Israelites complained about lack of water in the wilderness, God instructed
Moses to strike the rock and a stream of fresh living water gushed out
(Exodus17:6 ). Even though the Israelites did not trust God to care for them in
the wilderness, God, nonetheless gave them abundant water and provision through
the intercession of his servant Moses.
The image of "living water" is used
throughout the scriptures as a symbol of God's wisdom, a wisdom that imparts
life and blessing to all who receive it. "The teaching of the wise is a
fountain of life" (Proverbs 13:14). "Living water" was
also a symbol for the Jews of thirst of the soul for God. The water which Jesus
spoke of symbolized the Holy Spirit and his work of recreating us in God's
image and sustaining in us the new life which comes from God. The life which
the Holy Spirit produces in us makes us a "new creation" in Jesus
Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Do you thirst for God and for the life of the Holy
Spirit within you?
Hippolytus (170-236 AD), an early Christian writer and
theologian who lived in Rome, explains the significance of the Holy Spirit's
work in us:
"This is the water of the Spirit: It
refreshes paradise, enriches the earth, gives life to living things. It is the
water of Christ's baptism; it is our life. If you go with faith to this
renewing fountain, you renounce Satan your enemy and confess Christ your God.
You cease to be a slave and become an adopted son. You come forth radiant as
the sun and brilliant with justice. You come forth a son of God and fellow-heir
with Christ." (From a sermon, On the Epiphany)
Basil the Great (330-379
AD), a great early Christian teacher and Greek bishop of Caesarea, speaks
in a similar manner:
"The Spirit restores paradise to us
and the way to heaven and adoption as children of God; he instills confidence
that we may call God truly Father and grants us the grace of Christ to be
children of the light and to enjoy eternal glory. In a word, he bestows the
fullness of blessings in this world and the next; for we may contemplate now in
the mirror of faith the promised things we shall someday enjoy. If this is the
foretaste, what must the reality be? If these are the first fruits, what must
be the harvest?" (From the treatise, The Holy Spirit)
"Lord Jesus, my soul
thirsts for you. Fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may always find joy in
your presence and take delight in doing your will."
A Daily Quote for Lent: The Living Water of the Spirit, by John
Chrysostom, 347-407 AD
Sometimes Scripture calls the grace of the Spirit
"fire," other times it calls it "water." In this way, it
shows that these names are not descriptive of its essence but of its operation.
For the Spirit, which is invisible and simple, cannot be made up of different
substances... In the same way that he calls the Spirit by the name of
"fire," alluding to the rousing and warming property of grace and its
power of destroying sins, he calls it "water" in order to highlight
the cleansing it does and the great refreshment it provides those minds that
receive it. For it makes the willing soul like a kind of garden, thick with all
kinds of fruitful and productive trees, allowing it neither to feel despondency
nor the plots of Satan. It quenches all the fiery darts of the wicked one. (HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 32.1)
THIRD SUNDAY
OF LENT
SUNDAY, MARCH 19, JOHN 4:5-42 or 4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42
(Exodus 17:3-7; Psalm 95; Romans 5:1-2, 5-8)
SUNDAY, MARCH 19, JOHN 4:5-42 or 4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42
(Exodus 17:3-7; Psalm 95; Romans 5:1-2, 5-8)
KEY VERSE: "The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life" (v.14).
TO KNOW: Jesus offered life-giving water to all who thirsted for God. Perhaps the Samaritan woman at the well was nameless as she represents each person who Jesus personally encounters. St. Augustine said, "It was for you that Jesus was weary from the journey." The woman who met Jesus at the well was despised as a heretical Samaritan, descendants of the Assyrian occupation. With their mixed Jewish and pagan beliefs, Samaritans were regarded as unfit to worship in the temple in Jerusalem, so the Samaritans built their own temple on Mt. Gerizim. Jesus looked beyond national and religious boundaries to the coming of the Spirit who would unite all believers in worship of one God. At first, the woman was suspicious of Jesus and argumentative, but as he revealed her inner need, the woman changed her attitude. She addressed him as "sir" and then as "prophet," but as the woman gradually recognized Jesus as the Messiah, she finally saw him as her personal Savior. Leaving her empty water jar behind (a symbol of her arid life), the woman ran off to tell the people in the village that she found the Lord. Many believed on the strength of the woman's testimony. Meanwhile, Jesus' disciples had gone to the city to buy food. When they returned, he asked them to pray for others, who, like the woman, would harvest the ripe field of souls that lay before them.
TO LOVE: Have I shared Christ's life-giving water with others this Lent?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, increase my thirst for you.
SCRUTINIES -
EXAMINING OUR LIVES
On the Third Sunday of Lent, we celebrate the First Scrutiny and Exorcism for the Elect (RCIA, 150). In the Scrutiny Rites, those preparing for baptism at the Easter Vigil as well as the entire assembly are called to examine the areas in their lives where they thirst for God and need God's healing love. The primary way that the Church assists the elect is through the celebration of the rites called Scrutinies. To scrutinize something means to examine it closely. These ritual celebrations are held on the Third, Fourth and Fifth Sundays of Lent. Where catechumens are present the readings are from the Gospel of John. On the Third Sunday we hear the story of the woman at the well and her thirst for God (Jn 4:4-42). On the Fourth Sunday we hear the story of the man born blind and the healing power of God in his life (Jn 9:1-41). On the Fifth Sunday we hear the story of the raising of Lazarus, which reminds us of our own dying and rising with Christ in Baptism (Jn 11:1-45). The Scrutiny rites of Lent are communal prayers celebrated to strengthen the elect to overcome the power of sin in their lives and to grow in virtues. The community does not scrutinize the elect; they scrutinize their own lives and allow God to scrutinize them and to heal them. Since all of us are called to continual conversion throughout our lives, we join with the elect in scrutinizing our own lives and praying to God for the grace to overcome the power of sin that still has a hold on us, and to be strengthened in the virtues. The presentation of the Creed to the elect takes place during the week following the first scrutiny. The elect are to commit the Creed to memory and they will recite it publicly…prior to professing their faith in accordance with that Creed on the day of their baptism RCIA, 148).
Sunday
19 March 2017
Sun 19th. Third Sunday of Lent. Ex
17:3-7; Rm 5:1-2,5-8; Jn 4:5-42.
In this special Lenten series –
Darkness to light: An intimate journey with Jesus – our guest writer looks to
the Gospel stories for answers to the questions that many of us ask when faced
with difficult times.
‘If you
only knew what God is offering and who it is that is saying to you: Give me a
drink, you would have been the one to ask, and he would have given you living
water.’John 4:10
At this time in Lent the readings
start to shift from the Gospel of Matthew, with its emphasis on the cruelly
treated Messiah, to the Gospel of John. Here the emphasis moves to another
level. The focus is on Jesus as a bearer of divine love. The Gospel of John is
addressed to believing Christians in the early Church and it challenges them to
go much deeper into their faith. All the characters we meet go through a crisis
of doubt and are then emboldened to do more, and indeed they do extravagantly
more. Think, for example, of Mary of Bethany’s extravagant anointing, or Peter
jumping out of the boat. They are overwhelmed by love for Jesus, and this is
the same love that exists between Jesus and the one who sent him, the one he
calls his Father.
The Gospel of John is also a book
about the conflict between profound opposites like darkness and light, life and
death, the world below and the world of love. The signs that Jesus works –
turning water into wine, breaking bread, giving living water, being raised on a
cross – are signs that reveal God’s extravagant, conquering and glorious love.
This Gospel helps us gather the broken fragments of our faith, helps us
understand what flesh for the life of the world means. God’s overwhelming glory
is revealed in our broken flesh. The Gospel of John takes us into an experience
of divine love for which we have no words, only signs.
The Samaritan woman could be seen
as a symbol of the flesh, but she is also a symbol of spirit, seeking the
fullness of life. Jesus engages her as she is, full of wonder. Lord, even in my
troubled flesh, may I find you in my world. Help me to get a glimpse of your
glory.
ST. JOSEPH
St. Joseph is honored with feast days throughout the Liturgical
Year. This feast encourages us to look at Joseph's role as husband
and head of the Holy Family.
Most
of what we know about the life of St. Joseph comes to us from Scripture and
legends that have sprung up regarding his life. Though Joseph is only
mentioned by two of the evangelists, he is paid the compliment of being a
"just" man. This is a way of saying that Joseph was such a good and
holy man that he shares in God's own holiness. In addition, Joseph gives us an
example of how to be a just spouse and how to have holy relationships.
Joseph's
example as a husband can be best seen in how he respected Mary. He realized
that God had a special plan for his wife and for his son, and Joseph did
everything in his power to help this plan become reality. When Joseph was given
chances to give up his vocation to the married life, by divorcing Mary or
leaving her, he resisted the temptation and stayed by her side providing
support and love.
The
feast of St. Joseph Husband of Mary has been celebrated throughout the church
since the tenth century and has been honored as the Patron of the Universal
Church since 1870. St. Joseph is the patron of workers, carpenters, Austria,
Belgium, Bohemia, Canada, Mexico, Peru, and southern Vietnam.
LECTIO DIVINA: 3RD SUNDAY OF
LENT (A)
Lectio Divina:
Sunday, March 19, 2017
The Meeting of Jesus with the Samaritan Woman
A Dialogue that brings new life
John 4,5-42
A Dialogue that brings new life
John 4,5-42
1. OPENING PRAYER
Lord
Jesus, send your Spirit to help us read the Scriptures in the same way that you
read them to the disciples on the road to Emmaus. With the light of the Word in
the Bible, you helped them to discover the presence of God in the distressing
events surrounding your condemnation to death. The cross, which seemed to put an
end to all hope, was revealed to them as the source of life and resurrection.
Create
in us the silence necessary to hear your voice in creation and in the
Scriptures, in the events of daily life and in people, above all in the poor
and the suffering. May your word give us direction, just as it did to the two
disciples on the road to Emmaus, so that we too will experience the power of
your resurrection and bear witness to others that you are alive in our midst as
the source of community, of justice and of peace. We ask this of you, Jesus,
son of Mary, you who revealed the Father to us and sent us your Spirit. Amen.
2. READING
a) A key for unlocking the text:
The text describes the dialogue between
Jesus and the Samaritan woman. It is a very human conversation, which shows how
Jesus related to people and how he himself learned and became enriched in
talking with others. While reading the text, try to be aware of what
surprises you most about the attitude both of Jesus and the woman.
b) A division of the text to assist a
careful reading:
Jn 4,5-6: Sets the scene in which the
dialogue takes place
Jn 4,7-26: Describes the dialogue between Jesus and the woman
7-15: about water and thirst
16-18: about the husband and family
19-25: about religion and the place for adoration
Jn 4,27-30: Describes the effect of the conversation on the woman
Jn 4,31-38: Describes the effect of the conversation on Jesus
Jn 4,39-42: Describes the effect on the mission of Jesus in Samaria
Jn 4,7-26: Describes the dialogue between Jesus and the woman
7-15: about water and thirst
16-18: about the husband and family
19-25: about religion and the place for adoration
Jn 4,27-30: Describes the effect of the conversation on the woman
Jn 4,31-38: Describes the effect of the conversation on Jesus
Jn 4,39-42: Describes the effect on the mission of Jesus in Samaria
C) THE TEXT:
5-6: So
he came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to
his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and so Jesus, wearied as he was with
his journey, sat down beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.
7-15: There
came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a
drink." For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. The
Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of
me, a woman of Samaria?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus
answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying
to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given
you living water." The woman said to him, "Sir, you have nothing to
draw with, and the well is deep; where do you get that living water? Are you
greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself,
and his sons, and his cattle?" Jesus said to her, "Every one who
drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I
shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become
in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to
him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."
16-18: Jesus
said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." The woman
answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are
right in saying, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and he
whom you now have is not your husband; this you said truly."
19-26: The
woman said to him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers
worshiped on this mountain; and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where
men ought to worship." Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the
hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship
the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for
salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true
worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father
seeks to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in
spirit and truth." The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is
coming (he who is called Christ); when he comes, he will show us all
things." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am he."
27-30: Just
then his disciples came. They marvelled that he was talking with a woman, but
none said, "What do you wish?" or, "Why are you talking with
her?" So the woman left her water jar, and went away into the city, and
said to the people, "Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can
this be the Christ?" They went out of the city and were coming to him.
31-38: Meanwhile
the disciples besought him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." But he said to
them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know." So the disciples
said to one another, "Has any one brought him food?" Jesus said to
them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his
work. Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest? I tell
you, lift up your eyes, and see how the fields are already white for harvest.
He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that sower
and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, 'One sows and
another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you did not labour; others
have laboured, and you have entered into their labour."
39-42: Many
Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony,
"He told me all that I ever did." So when the Samaritans came to him,
they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more
believed because of his word. They said to the woman, "It is no longer
because of your words that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we
know that this is indeed the Saviour of the world."
3. A MOMENT OF SILENT PRAYER
so that the Word of God can enter into
us and light up our lives.
4. SOME QUESTIONS
to help us in our meditation and prayer.
a) What most attracted your attention in
Jesus’ attitude to the woman during the dialogue? What method did Jesus use to
help the woman become aware of a deeper dimension to life?
b) What most attracted your attention
about the attitude of the Samaritan woman during her conversation with Jesus?
How did she influence Jesus?
c) Where in the Old Testament, is water
associated with the gift of life and the gift of the Holy Spirit?
d) How does Jesus’ attitude during the
conversation question me or touch something within me or correct me?
e) The Samaritan woman led the discussion
towards religion. If you could come across Jesus and talk to him, what would
you like to talk about? Why?
f) Do I adore God in spirit and in truth
or do I find my security in rituals and regulations?
5. A KEY TO THE READING
for those who wish to go deeper.
a) The symbolism of water:
* Jesus uses the word water in
two senses. The first sense is the material, normal sense of
water that one drinks; the second is the symbolic sense as the
source of life and the gift of the Spirit. Jesus uses a language that people
can understand and, at the same time, awakes in them, the desire to go deeper
and to discover a more profound meaning to life.
* The symbolic sense of water has its roots
in the Old Testament, where it is frequently a symbol for the action of the
Spirit of God in people. For example, Jeremiah compares running water to water
in a cistern (Jer. 2,13). The more water is taken from a cistern, the less it
has; the more water is taken from a stream of living water, the more it has.
Other texts from the Old Testament: Is.12,3; 49,10; 55,1; Ez. 47, 1-3. Jesus
knew the traditions of his people and he uses these in his conversation with
the Samaritan woman. Suggesting the symbolic meaning of water, he suggests to
her (and to the readers) various episodes and phrases from the Old Testament.
b) The dialogue between Jesus and the
woman:
* Jesus meets the woman at the well, a
traditional place for meetings and conversations (Gen 24,10-27;29,1-14). He
starts off from his own very real need because he is thirsty. He does this in
such a way that the woman feels needed and she serves him. Jesus makes himself
needy in her regard. From his question, he makes it possible for the woman to
become aware that he depends on her to give him something to drink. Jesus
awakens in her the desire to help and to serve.
* The conversation between Jesus and the
woman has two levels.
(i) The superficial level,
in the material sense of water that quenches someone’s thirst,
and in the normal sense of husband as the father of a family.
At this level the conversation is tense and difficult and does not flow. The
Samaritan woman has the upper hand. At the beginning, Jesus tries to meet her
by talking about daily chores (fetching water), but he does not
succeed. Then he tries by talking about family (call your husband),
and still there is no breakthrough. Finally the woman speaks about religion
(the place of adoration). Jesus then gets through to her by the
door she herself has opened.
(ii) The deeper level,
in the symbolic sense of water as the image of the new life
brought by Jesus, and of the husband as the symbol of the
union of God with the people. At this level, the conversation flows perfectly.
After revealing that he himself is offering the water of new life, Jesus says,
"Go and get your husband and then return". In the past, the
Samaritans had five husbands, or five idols, attached to the five groups of
people who were taken off by the King of Assyria (2 Kings 17, 30-31). The sixth
husband, the one the woman had at present, was not truly her husband: "the
one you have now is not your husband" (Jn. 4,18). What the people had did
not respond to their deepest desire: union with God, as a husband who unites
himself to his spouse (Is. 62,5; 54,5). The true husband, the seventh, is
Jesus, as promised by Hosea: "I will espouse you to me forever; I will
espouse you in right and in justice, in love and in mercy. I will espouse you
in fidelity, and you shall know the Lord." (Hos. 2, 21-22). Jesus is the
bridegroom who has arrived (Mk. 2, 19) to bring new life to the woman who has
been searching for it her whole life long, and until now, has never found it.
If the people accept Jesus as "husband", they will have access to God
wherever they are, both in spirit and in truth (vv. 23-24).
* Jesus declares his thirst to the
Samaritan woman but he does not drink. This is a sign that we are talking about
a symbolic thirst, which had to do with his mission: the thirst to accomplish
the will of his Father (Jn. 4, 34). This thirst is ever present in Jesus and
will be until his death. At the moment of his death, he says, "I am
thirsty" (Jn. 19, 28). He declares his thirst for the last time and so he
can say, "It is accomplished." Then he bowed his head and gave up his
spirit. (Jn. 19,30). His mission had been accomplished.
c) The importance of women in the Gospel
of John:
* In John’s Gospel, women feature
prominently seven times, which are decisive for the spreading of the Good News.
To women are given functions and missions, some of which, in the other Gospels,
are attributed to men:
- At the wedding feast in Cana, the mother
of Jesus recognises the limits of the Old Testament and affirms the law of the
Gospel, "Do whatever he tells you". (Jn. 2, 1-11).
- The Samaritan woman is the first
person to have revealed to her by Jesus the great secret, that he is the
Messiah. "It is I who speak to you." (Jn. 4,26). She then becomes the
evangeliser of Samaria (Jn. 4, 28-30. 39-42).
- The woman, who is called an
adulteress, at the moment of receiving the forgiveness of Jesus, becomes the
judge of the patriarchal society (or of male power) that seeks to condemn her.
(Jn. 8, 1-11).
- In the other Gospels it is Peter who
makes the solemn profession of faith in Jesus (Mt. 16, 16; Mk. 8,29; Lk. 9,20).
In the Gospel of John, it is Martha, sister of Mary and Lazarus, who makes the
solemn profession of faith (Jn. 11,27).
- Mary, the sister of Martha, anoints
the feet of Jesus for the day of his burial (Jn. 12,7). At the time of Jesus,
the one who died on a cross was not buried nor embalmed. Mary anticipated the
anointing of Jesus’ body. This means that she accepted Jesus as the
Messiah-Suffering Servant, who must die on the cross. Peter did not accept this
(Jn.13,8) and sought to dissuade Jesus from this path (Mt. 16,22). In this way,
Mary is presented as a model for the other disciples.
- At the foot of the cross, Jesus says,
"Woman, behold your son; son, behold your mother" (Jn. 19,25-27). The
Church is born at the foot of the cross. Mary is the model for the Christian
community.
- Mary Magdalene must announce the Good
News to the brothers (Jn. 20,11-18). She receives an order, without which all
the other orders given to the apostles would have no effect or value.
* The Mother of Jesus appears twice in
John’s Gospel: at the beginning, at the wedding feast in Cana (Jn. 2, 1-5), and
at the end, at the foot of the cross (Jn. 19, 25-27). In both cases, she
represents the Old Testament that waits for the arrival of the New, and, in
both cases, assists its arrival. Mary unites what has gone before with what
would come later. At Cana, it is she, the Mother of Jesus, symbol of the Old
Testament, who perceives its limits and takes steps so that the New will
arrive. At the hour of Jesus’ death, it is the Mother of Jesus, who welcomes
the "Beloved Disciple". In this case the Beloved Disciple is the new
community, which has grown around Jesus. It is the child that has been born
from the Old Testament. In response to Jesus’ request, the son, the New
Testament, welcomes the Mother, the Old Testament, into his home. The two must
journey together. The New Testament cannot be understood without the Old. It
would be a building without a foundation. The Old without the New would be
incomplete. It would be a tree without fruit.
6. PSALM 19 (18)
God speaks to us through nature and
through the Bible
The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares knowledge.
The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words;
their voice is not heard;
yet their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
their voice is not heard;
yet their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
which comes forth like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and like a strong man runs its course with joy.
which comes forth like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and like a strong man runs its course with joy.
Its rising is from the end of the
heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them;
and there is nothing hid from its heat.
and its circuit to the end of them;
and there is nothing hid from its heat.
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving
the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring
for ever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
the ordinances of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover by them is thy servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
But who can discern his errors?
Clear thou me from hidden faults.
in keeping them there is great reward.
But who can discern his errors?
Clear thou me from hidden faults.
Keep back thy servant also from
presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the
meditation of my heart
be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord,
my rock and my redeemer.
be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord,
my rock and my redeemer.
7. FINAL PRAYER
Lord Jesus, we thank you for your word,
which has helped us see better the will of the Father. Let your Spirit illumine
all that we do and give us the strength to carry out that which your Word has
made us see. Let us, like Mary, your Mother, not only listen to the Word but
also put it into practice. You who live and reign with the Father in the unity
of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
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