26. Going through Samaria; The Woman at the Well (continued)

        ¹³Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, ¹⁴but whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst. And this water shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
        ¹⁵The woman said, “Sir, give me this water that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”
        ¹⁶Jesus said to her, “Go call your husband and come here.”
        ¹⁷The woman answered him, “I have no husband.”
       Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; ¹⁸the man you are now living with is not your husband.”
        ¹⁹The woman said to him: “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. ²⁰Our fathers worshiped on this mountain;^g and you would say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”
        ²¹Jesus said to her: “Woman, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. ²²You worship that which you know not; we (the Jews) worship what we know. ²³But the hour is coming, and now is, when all true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for such worshipers the Father seeks. ²⁴God is spirit,^h and they who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
        ²⁵The woman said to him, “I know that the Deliverer is coming (he who is called Christ);ⁱ when he comes, he will show us all things.”
        ²⁶Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”^j
        (Jn. 4:13–26)

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g   “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain;”—When Alexander the Great passed through Palestine he was accorded a friendly reception by the Samaritans. In return for their cooperation Alexander allowed the Samaritans to build a temple on Mount Gerizim. Here they worshiped and gave sacrifices in the manner of the temple at Jerusalem. This practice was ended during the reign of the Maccabees when the Jews destroyed the temple.

g   “God is spirit”—Jesus taught that “God is spirit” and that “God is love.”

i   “I know that the Deliverer is coming (he who is called Christ);”—The Jewish scriptures taught the coming of one anointed by God who would bring about the kingdom of God on earth. He was also known as the “Deliverer” because he was to deliver his people from their bondage. Christ is the Greek translation of Messiah, the Hebrew word for annointed one. (See also Ch. 13, fn.c.)

j   “I who speak to you am he.”—This is Jesus' first public admission and affirmation that he is the promised deliverer.

Jn. 4:14  but whosoever drinks (KJV) / but whoever drinks (RSV)
Jn. 4:18  the man you are now living with is (Gspd) / he whom you now have is (RSV)
Jn. 4:21  Woman, the / Woman, believe me, the (RSV)
Jn. 4:22  worship that which you know not; we (KJV) / worship what you do not know; we (RSV) • we (the Jews) worship / we worship (RSV) • know. / know, for salvation is from the Jews. (RSV)
Jn. 4:23  when all true / when the true (RSV) • such worshipers the (NIV) / such the (RSV) • seeks. / seeks to worship him. (RSV)
and in truth
Jn. 4:24  and in truth (KJV) / and truth (RSV)
Jn. 4:25  the Deliverer is (Ch. 13, fn. c) / the Messiah is (RSV)   (143:5/1613–4)

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