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Jesus leaves Judea and enters Samaria: Verses 1-6

Jesus’ 2^nd discourse "the water of life" recounted: Verses 7-42

Jesus leaves Samaria and goes into Galilee: Verses 43-54

Jesus Departure for Galilee – Verses 1 – 3

EXEGESIS VERSES 1-3:

GNT John 4:1 ~Wj ou=n e;gnw o` VIhsou/j o[ti h;kousan oi` farisai/oi o[ti VIhsou/j plei,onaj maqhta.j poiei/ kai. bapti,zei h' VIwa,nnhj

NAS John 4:1 When therefore the Lord knew ~Wj w`j (cs; "When/After") ou=n (infer.conj.; "therefore/consequently"; based on the accounts of John/B and Jesus ministry of 3:22ff) o` VIhsou/j (d.a. + n-nm-s; "Jesus"; from "Joshua/The Lord [Yahweh} saves"; Gk. noun for Lord is ku.rioj/kurios; emphasis is on Jesus' humanity ) e;gnw ginw,skw (viaa--3s) that the Pharisees had heard o[ti (cc; intro.ind.discourse) oi` o` farisai/oi Farisai/oj (d.a. + n-nm-p; "the Pharisees") h;kousan avkou,w (viaa--3p) that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John o[ti (cc; intro.ind.disc.) VIhsou/j (n-nm-s) poiei/ poie,w (vipa--3s; "making") kai, (cc) bapti,zei bapti,zw (vipa--3s; "baptizing") plei,onaj polu,j (comp.adj-am-p; "more/many") maqhta.j maqhth,j (n-am-p) (vipa--3s) h; (cs; "than") VIwa,nnhj (n-nm-s)

GNT John 4:2 kai,toige VIhsou/j auvto.j ouvk evba,ptizen avllV oi` maqhtai. auvtou/

NAS John 4:2 (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, kai,toige (cs; "although/yet") VIhsou/j (n-nm-s) auvto,j (npnm3s) ouvk (neg) evba,ptizen bapti,zw (viia--3s) but His disciples were), avllV avlla, (strong advers.) auvtou/ auvto,j (npgm3s) oi` o` maqhtai. maqhth,j (d.a. + n-nm-p) "were" implied

GNT John 4:3 avfh/ken th.n VIoudai,an kai. avph/lqen pa,lin eivj th.n Galilai,anÅ

NAS John 4:3 He left Judea, avfh/ken avfi,hmi (viaa--3s; "left/departed/abandoned" cp. Mat.26:56) th.n h` VIoudai,an VIoudai,a (d.a. + n-af-s) and departed again into Galilee. kai, (cc) avph/lqen avpe,rcomai (viaa--3s; "departed"; compound verb "to go away from") pa,lin (ab; "again"; denotes reoccurrence) eivj (pa) th.n h` Galilai,anÅ Galilai,a (d.a. + n-af-s)

ANALYSIS VERSES 1-3:

The link of transition between Chapters 4 and 3 stems from the tie of John/B’s and Jesus’ ministries functioning together in time (3:22-23).

Though both ministries had similar characteristics in function such as content, ritual and enjoyment of many followers, they remained independent and separate from one another.

The author in the prologue through chapter 3 has alternately made reference to both Jesus and John the Baptist in the narratives.

He now utilizes the scenario of 3:22-23 to "spin off" from emphasis on both, to dedicate complete attention to the One who "must increase" (3:30), which the remainder of John’s gospel focuses on.

As the author zeroes in strictly on Jesus ministry at this point, by implication so does the shift of attack in the A/C turn from the Forerunner to Messiah.

The overt signal of change was in the relative success of each ministry and that now Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John.

The author has already denoting the brewing controversy between John/B and the leaders of Judaism in Joh.1:19ff.

As noted, it was evident to the Jewish leaders that John’s activities and corresponding response of followers was seen as a possible threat to their system of Judaism, causing a formal inquiry via a deputation to investigate, and subsequently it resulted in John being taken into custody. Mat.4:12 cp. Joh.1:42

Now, the success of Jesus’ ministry quickly attracted their attention as well.

Jesus’ rising popularity and increasing following was news that the Pharisees had heard about and hence the "heat" moves from John to Jesus/the Lord.

Again, it is the legalistic Pharisees, the dominant sect of Judaism and general reflection of Jewish leadership that are seen as the adversarial Jewish "KGB" poised to gather information and promote police action towards the One "following" in John’s footsteps.

Their knowledge of Jesus’ work in the Judean region was no doubt, going to lead them to confront Him just as they did John.

How Jesus came by this information is not mentioned, but John does mention later in this book that he himself had some relationship with the high priest. Joh.18:15

So it is not inconceivable that some of Jesus’ disciples would hear scuttlebutt from one of their associates and bring the information to Jesus.

This is an example of Messiah under kenosis coming across information just as any other human would and making decisions based on what He finds out. cf. Joh.1:43

Thus, God is free to provide direction and guidance in the life of one whom is "tuned in" to His will, through circumstances and situations. Ex. Joh.5:30

Jesus clearly understood that His ministry was not complete and therefore by Divine design, took measures necessary in His humanity to avoid interruption of it. Joh.7:8; cp. 6:15

When therefore Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard of the success His ministry was enjoying, according to God’s plan for His ministry, He left the region of Judea (3:22), and departed setting out again (cp. 1:43) into the region of Galilee.

The Pharisees were for the rest of Jesus ministry His most persistent and dangerous enemies.

They realized the implications if Jesus’ ministry continued with such success with the people.

They being extremely jealous of their influence over the people were worried and that fear would soon escalate their plans to murder. Joh.5:18

Messiah understood that His ministry was by commission separate from John’s and was to take a different tact, and to stay in Judea beyond a point would be self-defeating.

The verb "He left/avfi.hmi" Judea carries with it a nuance of "abandon".

Jesus had complete confidence and understanding that any +V He left behind would be provided for.

This very phrase underscores the fact that even for the Savior of the world, His number one priority in His ministry was not "how many can He evangelize", but to fulfill His role as Messiah qualifying Him to be the sacrificial Lamb.

Jesus abandoned a thriving ministry (large numbers were being saved and baptized) illustrating that as numbers were not the issue for John’s ministry (3:26-27), neither was it the issue for Christ’s ministry.

Rather, for both and with Christ perfectly, the issues for their ministries were to acclimate to their perspective niches, to bear witness to the truth no matter how many accepted or rejected it and fulfill God’s plan for their lives as "Forerunner" and "Messiah".

The parenthetical insertion of verse 2, "although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were", is included by the author to denote the following:

The person of Jesus was set apart as superior to all men including even one as great as John the Baptist. Joh.1: 27, 30

Men can only teach or illustrate salvation while Christ is the reality of salvation. Joh.1:29; 1Tim.1:15

Men can only ritually baptize using the physical while Christ’s baptism is real and spiritual. Joh.1:33

While John’s baptism and those practicing it during this period was a means to call Israel to notice of the ushering in of their Messiah and parenthetically concluding the Age of Israel (Dan.9:26); Jesus’ baptism by the Holy Spirit when it did finally occur, was a means for ushering in the Church Age dispensation (Act.2:1-4).

Jesus Himself baptized no one so as not to associate Himself with salvation by ritual. 1Pet.3:21 cp. 1Cor.1:14-17

EXEGESIS VERSIS 4-6:

GNT John 4:4 e;dei de. auvto.n die,rcesqai dia. th/j Samarei,ajÅ

NAS John 4:4 And He had to pass through Samaria. de, (cc) auvto.n auvto,j (npam3s; "He Himself"; ref. Jesus) e;dei dei/ (viia--3s; "had to/it was neccessary) die,rcesqai die,rcomai (compl.inf./p/dep; "to go through/pass through") dia, (pg; "through") th/j h` Samarei,ajÅ Sama,reia (d.a. + n-gf-s; "Samaria")

GNT John 4:5 e;rcetai ou=n eivj po,lin th/j Samarei,aj legome,nhn Suca.r plhsi,on tou/ cwri,ou o] e;dwken VIakw.b Îtw/|Ð VIwsh.f tw/| ui`w/| auvtou/\

NAS John 4:5 So He *came to a city of Samaria, ou=n (infer.conj.; "So/Therefore") e;rcetai e;rcomai (vipdep--3s; historical pres.; "He came") eivj (pa) po,lin po,lij (n-af-s; "city/town") th/j h` Samarei,aj Sama,reia (d.a. + n-gf-s; "Samaria") called Sychar, legome,nhn le,gw (adj./ptc/p/p/af-s; modifies [Sychar]; "being called") Suca,r (n-af-s; "Sychar") near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; plhsi,on (pg; "near/close by") tou/ to. cwri,ou cwri,on (d.a. + n-gn-s; "the place/spot/piece or parcel of ground") o] o[j (apran-s; "that") VIakw,b (n-nm-s; "Jacob") e;dwken di,dwmi (viaa--3s; "gave to") auvtou/\ auvto,j (npgm3s) tw/| o` ui`w/| ui`o,j (d.a. + n-dm-s; "son") Îtw/|Ð o` VIwsh,f (d.a. + n-dm-s; "Joseph")

GNT John 4:6 h=n de. evkei/ phgh. tou/ VIakw,bÅ o` ou=n VIhsou/j kekopiakw.j evk th/j o`doipori,aj evkaqe,zeto ou[twj evpi. th/| phgh/|\ w[ra h=n w`j e[kthÅ

NAS John 4:6 and Jacob's well was there. de, (cs; "and") tou/ o` VIakw,b (d.a. + n-gm-s; "Jacob's"; descriptive gen.) phgh, (n-nf-s; "well/spring") h=n eivmi, (viia--3s) evkei/ (adv. of place; "there") Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, o` VIhsou/j (d.a. + n-nm-s) ou=n (inf.conj; "therefore") kekopiakw.j kopia,w (circum.ptc/Pf/a/nm-s; used 23x; "to work hard/labor/to work to the point of fatigue/becoming weary from work") evk (pg) th/j h` o`doipori,aj o`doipori,a (d.a. + n-gf-s; "the journey/trip"; here obviously a trip on foot) was sitting thus by the well. evkaqe,zeto kaqe,zomai (vi/ipf/dep--3s; "was sitting") ou[twj ou[tw (adv; "thus/under these circumstances") evpi, (pd; "by/lit. upon") th/| h` phgh, (d.a. + n-df-s; "the well") It was about the sixth hour. h=n eivmi, (viia--3s) w`j (adv. with numerals; "about/approximately") e[kthÅ e[ktoj (ord.adj.-nf-s; "sixth") w[ra (n-nf-s; "hour")

ANALYSIS VERSES 4-6:

Verse 4 on the surface has the appearance that it was physically necessary for Messiah to pass through Samaria on His way to Galillee.

This is not the case for two reasons:

Strict Jews who were hostile to the Samaritans and considered them heretical (Joh.8:48), would by-pass Samaria going to Galilee taking a longer route around.

The verb dei//it was necessary/He had to pass through, is used 10x in John and in all occurrences it is used of a Divine necessity, not human necessity.

Therefore/So, it was by Divine design that Jesus took the route He did and came to a city of Samaria called Sychar.

One logical conclusion for God to send Christ to Galilee via this route is to note that +V existed in Samaria and this region too would benefit from His teaching.

Secondarily and through deductive reasoning, if the Pharisees were indeed in process of finding Jesus and interfering with His ministry, what better route to take than one that these legalists would want to avoid.

The primary reason why it was God’s will for Christ to minister in Samaria can only be seen through the historical significance this passage reflects.

Some background information on Samaria and Sychar:

The region of Samaria included the city of Samaria that was the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel as a result of the split from Judah during the reign of Rehoboam c. 922 BC. 1Kgs.12:16-17

This territory was considered as the land occupied by the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, the two sons of Joseph, which both were given a portion of the Promised Land. Cp. Isa.7:9; Gen.41:50-52; 46:20; 48:1-22

Samaria as part of the dispersion of the Northern Kingdom in 721 BC by the Assyrians, fell victim to a mass re-population by gentiles. 2Kgs.17:23,24

As a result, these peoples worshipped their own gods (polytheism) and also added Yahweh to the list. 2Kgs.17:29-31, cp. 25, 28, 32ff, 41.

Over time, their worship became mostly monotheistic centered around Yahweh, but with extreme peculiarities.

For example, they considered only the Pentateuch as sacred and worshipped in their own temple on Mt. Gerizim built c. 440 BC, instead of Jerusalem.

This stemmed in part due to the return of the exiles of the Southern Kingdom from Babylon and the Samaritan’s offered help in rebuilding of the temple c. 500 BC, which help was rejected. Ezra 4:1-3

This engendered great bitterness between the "North" and the "South" and around 128 BC, the Jews under John Hyrcanus subdued Samaria militarily and destroyed their temple on Mt. Gerizim.

This attitude of estrangement continued to exist into New Testament times with the Jews speaking of the Samaritans as "no nation" and "the foolish people that dwell in Shechem, a city of fools".

Sychar has been identified by some as being ancient Shechem, but positive affirmation is absent in this regard.

However, the location as described in our passage places Sychar at least in very close proximity of Shechem, cp. Gen.33:18-19.

Since Sychar is near the parcel of ground that Jacob purchased outside of the city of Shechem, it is reasonable to conclude that not many miles distanced the two references if not the same location.

The piece of land that Jacob (later name Israel by God; Gen.23:28) gave to his son Joseph is also where Joseph’s bones were buried after their removal from Egypt. Josh.24:32

It is specifically in the city called Sychar that Jacob’s well was located and is still designated as such even today located at Mt. Gerizim (Joh.4:20).

Though there is no OT record of Jacob ever digging a well there, it is certainly reasonable and expected that he did.

The well still in use today is 75 feet deep and is located in a crypt under the floor of a Greek Orthodox church, that has never been finished above the exterior walls.

It is supplied with water in two ways – through underground sources that make it a true well (phgh./well or spring; vs.6), and by percolated surface water, which makes it a cistern (fre,ar/cistern or reservoir; vs.11).

The historical input of John’s narrative not only exposes the well of Jacob, but that this particular parcel of ground was part of the double portion that Jacob gave to Joseph. Gen.48:22; Josh.24:32

The mention of what once belonged to Jacob was given to Joseph highlights the blessing of "Israel" as seen passed down to the only son of Jacob whose person had a prophetic gleam of a Messianic type as seen in: (Psa.105:17-23; Gen.37, 39-43ff)

Joseph was beloved of his father – Jesus was His Father’s Beloved Son. Mat:3:17

His brothers at the price of a slave sold Joseph – Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave. Mat.27:9

Joseph was found taking upon him the form of a servant – Jesus humbled Himself and took upon Him a similar form. Phil.2:7

Joseph was victorious in resistance of temptation – Jesus was more than conqueror over Satan and the cosmos. Heb.4:15

Joseph was for his own sake, a blessing to others – God blesses us for Christ’s sake. Eph.1:3

Joseph was falsely condemned and bound – likewise Jesus. Isa.53:9; Heb.7:26

Joseph was exalted to a prince and savior – Jesus was highly exalted because of His finished work and will be Prince and King of kings. Phil.2:9; Act.5:31; 1Tim.6:15

Hence, the tie spiritually behind this historical setting is between Israel and Christ.

It seems clear that the references to these OT believers and their significance geographically is mentioned to point out that the separation/rift between the Jews and Samaritans were not by God’s directive will, rather due to the current –V and STA activity of men.

In other words, these peoples shared a common doctrinal history and God did not sanction the schisms/splits that had developed.

By divine design, the region of Samaria (as well as Galilee) was considered as much a part of Israel as Judea.

In fact, it is Israel as a whole and as a common/joint people that they are called "The sons of Jacob and Joseph". Psa.77:15

It seems equally clear that Jesus had no regard for "contemporary" thinking about the "racial problems" imagined or real that the Judeans and Samarians propogated.

As John the Baptist proclaimed and as Jesus Himself did, Jesus’ ministry was not to just a portion of the Jews, but to the entire nation of Israel. Joh.1:31; Mat.15:24

Therefore, as part of fulfillment of His ministry, it was necessary that Jesus pass through Samaria at some point and time, which it is recorded that He does at least twice with both a positive (Joh.4:39) and negative response (Luk.9:51-56).

The spiritual significance of why Jesus had to go into Samaria as well as Judea and Galilee is compressed into the historical background of verse 5.

The topography of Jesus’ journey to Sychar included hilly or mountainous terrain. Josh.21:21 cp. Joh.4:20

Jesus had apparently been traveling since early morning and by the time He arrived there, it was about the sixth hour or twelve noon.

Jewish time reckoned hours in twelfths from sunrise to sunset or approximately from 6AM to 6PM.

Jesus therefore, in His humanity being wearied from a laboring walk, was resting and sitting by/evpi. – "upon" the mouth of the well.

In addition to His fatigue, Jesus was also in need of water (vs.7).

The author brings into focus the limitations associated with Christ’s humanity.

On various occasions Jesus was angry, hungry, thirsty, wearied, sad, etc.

In short, He was fully human and that was obvious.

This was one of the challenges of being a disciple of Jesus, orienting to the fact that He was God, all the while observing His obvious humanity and the limitations associated with being human.

It is under the irony of this physical weakness and need of water, that Jesus spins off to evangelize.

With a "background" of Jacob (Israel), Jacob and Joseph (Israel), Joseph (a type of Christ) and "Israel’s" well that seemingly has a limitless supply of life sustaining H2O, Jesus once again uses earthly things to make a proclamation of heavenly/spiritual things.

EXEGESIS VERSES 7-10:

GNT John 4:7 :Ercetai gunh. evk th/j Samarei,aj avntlh/sai u[dwrÅ le,gei auvth/| o` VIhsou/j( Do,j moi pei/n\

NAS John 4:7 There *came a woman of Samaria to draw water. :Ercetai e;rcomai (vipd--3s) gunh, (n-nf-s) evk (pab) th/j h` Samarei,aj Sama,reia (d.a. + n-abf-s) avntlh/sai avntle,w (vinf.purpose/aa; "to draw out/dip out/remove liquid"; unique to John; used 4x same as 2:8,9) u[dwr (n-an-s) Jesus *said to her, "Give Me a drink." o` VIhsou/j( (d.a. + n-nm-s) le,gei le,gw (vipa--3s) auvth/| auvto,j (npdf3s; "to her") Do,j di,dwmi (vimp.aa--2s; "you give") moi evgw, (npd-1s) pei/n\ pi,nw (inf.aa; acts as object of verb; lit. "give me to drink", omitting the implied noun "water"; emphasizes His thirst)

GNT John 4:8 oi` ga.r maqhtai. auvtou/ avpelhlu,qeisan eivj th.n po,lin i[na trofa.j avgora,swsinÅ

NAS John 4:8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. ga,r (cs; explanatory) auvtou/ auvto,j (npgm3s) oi` o` maqhtai. maqhth,j (d.a. + n-nm-p) avpelhlu,qeisan avpe,rcomai (vi/plu.Pf/a--3p; denotes the action as completed up to a specific time in the past; "had gone away/went after") eivj (pa) th.n h` po,lin po,lij (n-af-s; "the city") i[na i[na(cs; denotes purpose; "in order that"; not translated) avgora,swsinÅ avgora,zw (vsaa--3p; "might do business in the marketplace/buy or purchase at a market") trofa.j trofh, (n-af-p; "food/nourishment/provision")

GNT John 4:9 le,gei ou=n auvtw/| h` gunh. h` Samari/tij( Pw/j su. VIoudai/oj w'n parV evmou/ pei/n aivtei/j gunaiko.j Samari,tidoj ou;shjÈ ¿ouv ga.r sugcrw/ntai VIoudai/oi Samari,taijÅÀ

NAS John 4:9 The Samaritan woman therefore *said to Him, h ` Samari/tij( (d.a. + n-nf-s) h` gunh, (d.a. + n-nf-s) ou=n (infer.conj.; "therefore") le,gei le,gw (vipa--3s) auvtw/| auvto,j (npdm3s; ref. Jesus) "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink Pw/j (interr.adv; "How is it that/how can you") su, (npn-2s) w'n eivmi, (circ.ptc/p/a/nm2s; "while being") VIoudai/oj (ap-nm-s; "a Jew") aivtei/j aivte,w (vipa--2s; "ask/request/demand") parV para, (pab; "from") evmou/ evgw, (npg-1s) pei/n pi,nw (purpose-inf/aa; "to drink") since I am a Samaritan woman?" ou;shjÈ eivmi, (adj.ptc/p/a/gfs/1st person; "since I am/I being") Samari,tidoj Samari/tij (n-gf-s) gunaiko.j gunh, (n-gf-s) (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) ¿ga,r (explan.conj.) VIoudai/oi VIoudai/oj (ap-nm-p) ouv (neg) sugcrw/ntai sugcra,omai (vipd--3p; used only 1x; "to have dealings with/to associate with"; lit. in context, "to use implements or utensils together with someone"; referring to that with which the water must be drawn with) Samari,taijÅÀ Samari,thj (n-dm-p)

GNT John 4:10 avpekri,qh VIhsou/j kai. ei=pen auvth/|( Eiv h;|deij th.n dwrea.n tou/ qeou/ kai. ti,j evstin o` le,gwn soi( Do,j moi pei/n( su. a'n h;|thsaj auvto.n kai. e;dwken a;n soi u[dwr zw/nÅ

NAS John 4:10 Jesus answered and said to her, VIhsou/j (n-nm-s) avpekri,qh avpokri,nomai (viad--3s; "answered/responded") kai, (cc) ei=pen le,gw (viaa--3s) auvth/|( auvto,j (npdf3s; "to her") "If you knew the gift of God, Eiv eiv(2nd class cond.part.; "If" - "and you don't") h;|deij oi=da (vi/pluPF/a--2s; "you knew") th.n h` dwrea.n dwrea, (d.a. + n-af-s; "the gift"; used 11x; something given for free, not based on merit) tou/ o` qeou/ qeo,j (n-subj.gm-s; the One producing the gift) and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' kai, (cc) ti,j ti,j(interr.pro./nm-s; "who") evstin eivmi, (vipa--3s; "it is") o` le,gwn le,gw (d.a. + substant. ptc/p/a/nm-s; "the one saying") soi( su, (npd-2s) Do,j di,dwmi(v/imp./aa--2s) moi evgw, (npd-1s) pei/n( pi,nw (purp.inf/aa; "to drink") you would have asked Him, su, (npn-2s; you yourself) a;n (part. of indefiniteness; with the aorist it expresses what would have been if this or that had been the case; "would have") h;|thsaj aivte,w (viaa--2s; "asked/demanded") auvto.n auvto,j (npam3s) and He would have given you living water." kai, (cc) a;n (part.; "would have") e;dwken di,dwmi (viaa--3s; "gave/given") soi su, (npd-2s) zw/nÅ za,w (adj.ptc/p/a/an-s; "living") u[dwr (n-an-s; "water")

ANALYSIS VERSES 7-10:

John continues the narrative with the use of a historical present to denote that as Jesus was resting at the well, there came a woman of Samaria to draw water.

As with many aspects of the ministry of Jesus, John records yet another historical event not recorded in the synoptics.

This scenario centers on an unnamed single woman of Samaria who portrays the following summary profile:

She has understanding of the difference between Jewish and Samarian customs and beliefs (vs.9 cp. 20).

She considers herself of Jewish lineage (vs.12).

She has markings of intellectual honesty though overtly of questionable reputation (vss.16-18).

She has markings of a "religious" background from the source of scripture (vs.25).

Highlighting her profile shows at least two common characteristics between the Judean Jews and this woman who represents their Northern counterparts in that both declare Jewish descent and appeal to scripture for their beliefs.

The not so obvious common denominator implied by context is that as with Judaism, Samarianism adhered to a works system for salvation.

This clue is provided in the very evangelizing by Messiah as well as His use of the words "gift of God" (vs.10).

This lends further support as to the necessity of Jesus’ ministry to include Samaria in His commission regarding "the lost sheep of the house of Israel".

However, to maintain a correct focus on the population of racial Jews actually residing in the region of Samaria, Mat.10:5-6 provides that clue.

If Jesus instructs His disciples to refrain from evangelizing in Samaria during His ministry, but yet He was required to do so, then one can surmise that only around the city of Sychar and along the outer fringes of the Samaritan border did racial practicing Jews of any substantial number, actually inhabit this region. Cp. Luk.17:11

If there were other pockets of Jews in other towns of Samaria the most that can be gleaned in their regard is that they were negative. Luk.9:53

Hence, the validity and necessity of Jesus ministry in Samaria, but yet the obvious absence of time spent there compared to time in Galilee and Judea, and why Jesus regarded other cities of Samaria on equal plane as Gentile cities.

It was essentially these "pockets" of Jews in Samaria that Jesus Himself would plant the "seed" of the gospel (vss.37, 38) that would later open the doors for evangelizing to all of Samaria following the dictates of God’s plan, "to the Jews first, then to the gentiles". Act.8:25; cp. Rom.1:16

Through Divine timing and at a historical Israeli landmark, the first recorded +V of Jews in Samaria emerges in total contradiction to the legalistic viewpoint of their Southern relatives, and that +V being a woman.

The fact that it is a woman of Samaria that God brings into Jesus periphery further dismembers Judaistic thinking towards these "unclean people".

The Mishnah (The first part of the Talmud, a body of Jewish civil and religious law, including commentaries on the Torah, or Pentateuch) records these words; "The daughters of the Samaritans are menstruants from the cradle (considered ceremonially unclean)".

Principle: Jesus does not let the pressures of society or "religious" dictates of His time influence His thinking and approach in total obedience to God’s will during His ministry.

Principle: A legalistic approach to evangelism is one that caters to certain "types" and disregards others whom God knows as "seekers".

Principle: Stick to your niche as according to BD and God’s will for your life and He will bring +V into your periphery.

As Jesus functions in His niche, God brings to Him this woman of Samaria engaged in a normal function of her niche, opening the door for Jesus to speak to her under natural circumstances and minus any "forced" intrusion or setup.

As Jesus was thirsty from His trip and she has come to draw water, He said to her, "Give Me a drink."

As He used earthly things to explain heavenly things to Nicodemus, He now utilizes the same approach with the Samaritan woman.

The author in verse 8 explains that during this scenario, Jesus disciples had gone away from this area into the city (Sychar) in order to buy food and provisions.

Again, what we see is a situation where normal functions are occurring and God has set up an occasion that will be unobtrusive with no unnecessary pressure and as little distraction as possible for the gospel to be presented.

In addition, the situation is one where there is legitimate reason for Messiah to engage in discourse with the woman (needing assistance to draw water) otherwise affected with the presence of His disciples who could have provided the water for Him.

Principle: God controls all circumstances and situations and will provide the proper setting for evangelism to occur absent of any pre-planned or pre-conceived attempts by men.

The Samaritan woman expresses no little surprise that Jesus has made this audacious (one who shows little or no regard for the accepted forms, institution, religions, etc.) request of her.

John parenthetically records the norm of relations between the Samaritans and mainline Jews at the end of verse 9 explaining, "For Jews have no dealings with/lit. do not share utensils with Samaritans".

Therefore, it was with shock that she reacted and said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink.

Implied she is stating amazement that Jesus would even consider the idea of rendering Himself "defiled".

In fact, it smacks to her of a "double whammy" defilement since she proclaims "I am a Samaritan woman".

The view that mainline Jews had absolutely no dealings with the Samaritans is obviously incorrect based on verse 8.

It is with understanding that Jesus suggested a sharing of utensils together with her that puts the right "twist" on the legalistic attitude that existed.

In other words, this woman understood Judaistic teaching that it is by keeping the Law/works that determined one’s spirituality (Ph1) or lack thereof, before God.

It is Jesus response to her that reflects that even with the distinct difference between beliefs of Samaritan Jews and mainline Judaism, both systems were lacking some critical information.

He used a second class condition when He said to her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink’…", indicating that she did not know salvation was via a gift and via a "person".

Even in a separated environment geographically, the legalism of Judaism had spread.

Jesus directs the conversation immediately off the physical to higher, spiritual matters.

The genitive case of God is subjective and denotes He is the subject or the One giving the gift.

The gift of God refers in context to the living water and thus stresses the non-meritorious/non-works nature of salvation.

God gives it, and it is not earned nor deserved but comes on the basis of grace.

As the second clause states, she was not aware as to whom she was speaking.

The One she saw in front of her was God’s personal representative and One who had access to the free gift of living water.

Had she been aware of these two spiritual realities, Jesus states that she would have reacted in a completely different fashion and would have asked Him and He would have given her living water.

She would not be focused on the physical ramification of this Jew asking her for a drink, she would be asking Him for that which only He could provide.

Jesus directly indicates that if she would indeed ask for this great gift, He would then provide it freely.

His final statement implies two things:

She was positive and He knew this.

Anyone, who is positive and asks, receives.

The phrase "and He would have given you living water" indicates the following:

The Lord is the source. Jer.17:13

Living water symbolizes BD, in particular the doctrine of the gospel. Pro.13:14; 18:4

It is provided freely, on a grace basis to anyone who chooses to avail him or herself of it. Isa.55:1; Rev.21:6; 22:17

The implication of drinking equals faith in the truth.

The result of drinking is eternal life that has the capacity for greater expression. Joh.4:14; 7:38

Jesus Christ is the only dispenser of living water to mankind. Joh.7:37-38

To be thirsty is to be lost, an unbeliever.

EXEGESIS VERSES 11-12:

GNT John 4:11 le,gei auvtw/|( Ku,rie( ou;te a;ntlhma e;ceij kai. to. fre,ar evsti.n baqu,\ po,qen ou=n e;ceij to. u[dwr to. zw/nÈ

NAS John 4:11 She *said to Him, le,gei le,gw (vipa--3s) auvtw/| auvto,j (npdm3s)( "Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; Ku,rie( ku,rioj (n-vm-s; here not in "religious" sense but a polite address, "Sir") e;ceij e;cw (vipa--2s; "you have") ou;te (conj.; used in an ascensive sense; "not even"/nothing) a;ntlhma (n-an-s; "vessel for drawing water/bucket/pail"; used only here) kai, (cc) to. fre,ar (d.a. + n-nn-s; "well/cistern/reservoir") evsti.n eivmi, (vipa--3s) baqu,\ baqu,j (a--nn-s; of an extreme degree; "deep") where then do You get that living water? po,qen (interr.adv.; "from where") ou=n (infer.conj.; denotes a logical conclusion; "therefore/then") e;ceij e;cw (vipa--2s; "do you have/get") to. zw/nÈ za,w (d.a. + adj.ptc/p/a/an-s; ) to. u[dwr (d.a. + n-an-s)

GNT John 4:12 mh. su. mei,zwn ei= tou/ patro.j h`mw/n VIakw,b( o]j e;dwken h`mi/n to. fre,ar kai. auvto.j evx auvtou/ e;pien kai. oi` ui`oi. auvtou/ kai. ta. qre,mmata auvtou/È

NAS John 4:12 "You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You (the question "are You" is not in the Greek; this is a statement of perception), su, (npn-2s) ei= eivmi, (vipa--2s) mh, (neg) mei,zwn me,gaj (comp.adj.-nm-s; "greater than/outstanding/larger"; here to denote rank or authority) h`mw/n evgw, (npg-1p; "our") tou/ o` patro.j path,r (d.a. + n-gm-s; "father"; the phrase "our father/tou/ patro.j h`mw/n" is used 6x and denotes a racial/genetic relationship cp. Mk.11:10; Joh.8:53; Act.4:25; Rom.4:12; 9:10) VIakw,b( (n-gm-s; "Jacob") who gave us the well, o[j (rel.pro./nm-s; "who") e;dwken di,dwmi (viaa--3s; "gave") h`mi/n evgw, (npd-1p; "to us") to. fre,ar (d.a. + n-an-s; "the well/cistern") and drank of it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?" kai, (cc) e;pien pi,nw (viaa--3s; "drank") evx evk (pAbl.; "of or from") auvtou/ auvto,j (npabl. of source/neuter3s; "it"; ref. the well) auvto,j (npnm3s; "he himself/personally") kai, (cc) auvtou/ auvto,j (npgm3s) oi` o` ui`oi. ui`o,j (d.a. + n-nm-p; "sons") kai, (cc) auvtou/È auvto,j (npgm3s) ta. to. qre,mmata qre,mma (d.a. + n-nn-p; "flocks/cattle/livestock"; domesticated animals which are taken care of)

ANALYSIS VERSES 11-12:

The Samaritan woman interprets Jesus’ words of verse 10 literally, as Nicodemus did in John 3.

However, the flavor of incredulity that she expresses is not the same as Nicodemus who considered himself on equal plane with Jesus as a teacher and in understanding God’s plan.

Rather, what she said to Him simply reflects one who tries to figure out where He is coming from based on a strictly physical understanding.

But even absent of any arrogant approach, this demonstrates once again the limitations of the natural man when it comes to matters of doctrine; they can only grasp that which is physical and they have no perception or appreciation for that which is spiritual.

It is obvious that her expectant hostility from this "Jew" has been laid to rest by Jesus’ words since now she addresses him in a polite and respectful manner, akin to our "sir".

It is not necessarily that she disbelieves Jesus claim of possessing a superior source of "water" either, but through deductive reasoning since He has produced no physical evidence of possessing it, does not understand how it will become available.

She appeals to the reality of the physical situation first by declaring to Him that You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep.

The well today as previously described continues to hold a depth of 75 feet and considering the hundreds of years of existence, the well at that time was probably around 100 feet.

With that depth and the fact that Jesus had no implement with to reach and draw from the well, it is obvious that she would point this out.

This leads her to an alternate assumption that this "water" that He is speaking of is from another source and leads to the question, "where then do You get that living water?"

It is obvious that she understands the term living water in an ordinary or idiomatic usage referring to "running/flowing water" such as a river or stream.

She considers Jesus’ proposition as one of providing H2O of excellent quality, even over and beyond that from Jacob’s well.

As her Southern neighbors, she and the Samaritans held the patriarchs is high esteem.

Jacob, the founder of this present water source, was considered among the same ranks in the eyes of the Jews as Abraham, Isaac and David. Mar.11:10; Joh.8:53; Rom.9:10

The only problem in the consideration of these patriarchs was that they only had appreciation for the physical inheritance passed down by them and have totally missed the spiritual inheritance they truly represented.

Her eyes only focused on the physical, can only compare Jesus’ words to that which she understands and that is the physical inheritance of Jacob/Israel and that is the land upon which they live that includes this well.

It is with no little doubt then that her thinking is how can anyone possess something greater than what our father Jacob has already left us.

She was content with this available seemingly unlimited supply of water, and since He has no visible alternative, how can He claim to do better.

She sees Him as an ordinary man and based on appearance alone cannot fathom Him being on par with Jacob let alone proclaim to possess something of greater value than what is available now.

Therefore, it is with skepticism that she makes the statement, "You are not greater than our father Jacob who gave us the well".

It is the phrase "our father Jacob" that continues to clue the reader in as to the Samaritan Jews thinking with regard to what they considered necessary to have a relationship with God.

As with the Jews of Judea, she too considers the aspect of being a racial Jew a physical criteria of utmost importance to secure a place in the "kingdom of God", a theological glitch John the Baptist has already confronted (Mat.3:9) and Jesus confronts elsewhere (Joh.8:39ff).

In order to emphasize the supreme importance she placed on this physical claim of equality she enjoyed as Jacob’s descendant, she continues by adding, not only did he give this well to us, he personally drank of it himself, and his sons, and his cattle.

In other words by implication, she is stating that if the physical things that Jacob left for his descendants was good enough for him, his family and their existence, its all that we need too.

The discourse of events as John has revealed provides several clues regarding the Samaritans and the "Jews":

The Jews and Samaritans considered themselves distinct and separate as a race and peoples. vs.9

The reality of their race was that both regions contained racial Jews. vs.12

Their system of theology regarding salvation phase 1 was that both considered their racial heritage and a system of works as being necessary. vs.10 – "gift of God"; vs.12 – "greater than our father Jacob"

The deviations theologically included the Samaritans rejection of the O.T. as being holy excepting the Pentateuch and the geographical location for establishing the temple for worship. vs.20

The central controversy between the Jews and the Samaritans based on their "physical/natural" approach to God and His plan evolves around which geographical region of corporate Israel was considered to be holy and set apart for the worship of God. vs.20

This is implied in the Samaritan woman’s appeal to Jacob/Israel.

As we shall see, of the two evils the Samaritans carry the greatest blame. vs.22

EXEGESIS VERSES 13-14:

GNT John 4:13 avpekri,qh VIhsou/j kai. ei=pen auvth/|( Pa/j o` pi,nwn evk tou/ u[datoj tou,tou diyh,sei pa,lin\

NAS John 4:13 Jesus answered and said to her, VIhsou/j (n-nm-s) avpekri,qh avpokri,nomai (viadep--3s; "responded/answered") kai, (cc) ei=pen le,gw (viaa--3s) auvth/|( auvto,j (npdf3s) "Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again; Pa/j (a--nm-s) o` (dnms+) pi,nwn pi,nw (d.a. +adj. ptc./p/a/nm-s) evk (pg; "of/from") tou,tou ou-toj (near dem.pro.-gn-s) tou/ to` u[datoj u[dwr (n-gn-s) diyh,sei diya,w (vifa--3s; "will thirst"; used 16x; here of physical thirst) pa,lin\ (adv; "again"; denotes a return to a previous state)

GNT John 4:14 o]j dV a'n pi,h| evk tou/ u[datoj ou- evgw. dw,sw auvtw/|( ouv mh. diyh,sei eivj to.n aivw/na( avlla. to. u[dwr o] dw,sw auvtw/| genh,setai evn auvtw/| phgh. u[datoj a`llome,nou eivj zwh.n aivw,nionÅ

NAS John 4:14 but whoever drinks of the water de, (ch) o[j (rel.pro./nm-s +) a;n (part. of uncertainty; "whoever") pi,h| pi,nw (vsaa--3s; 3rd class cond.; maybe he will drink, maybe he won't) evk (pabl.) tou/ to` u[datoj u[dwr (n-abl. of source/n-s; "the water") that I shall give him shall never thirst; ou- o[j (rel.pro./abl.n-s; "that"; ref. to water) evgw, (npn-1s; "I Myself/I personally) dw,sw di,dwmi (vifa--1s; "will give") auvtw/|( auvto,j (npdm3s; "to him") v ouv mh, (double neg.; "absolutely not"; strongest construction) diyh,sei diya,w (vifa--3s; "will thirst") eivj (pa; "into") to.n o` aivw/na( aivw,n (n-am-s; "the age; idiomatic for "eternity/forever";) but the water that I shall give him avlla, (strong adver.) to` u[dwr (n-nn-s) o] o[j (rel.pro./an-s; "that/which") dw,sw di,dwmi (vifa--1s; "I will give"; harks back to the "free gift" vs.10) auvtw/| auvto,j (npdm3s) shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life. " genh,setai gi,nomai (vifd--3s; "will become") evn (pL) auvtw/| auvto,j (npLm3s) phgh, (n-nf-s; "a well"; a well not dependent upon upon rain runoff/ground water but one fed by an independent self-contained supply of water cp. vs.6) u[datoj u[dwr (n-gn-s) a`llome,nou a[llomai (adj.ptc/p/d/gn-s; "to leap/spring up/gush forth") eivj (pa) aivw,nionÅ aivw,nioj (a--af-s; "eternal") zwh.n zwh, (n-af-s; "life")

ANALYSIS VERSES 13-14:

Jesus now responds and answered her not deterred by her lack of insight or preconceived ideas and sticks squarely with the issue at hand i.e., living water.

The words that He now says to her are designed to give her opportunity to rethink her perception as purely physical to the higher spiritual principle He is proclaiming.

He points out that everyone who drinks of this physical water from Jacob’s well shall certainly thirst again.

He then contrasts the effect and result of drinking this physical water to the water that He shall give.

Whereas, physical water can only provide temporary results, whoever drinks of the water He is speaking of shall never thirst.

The force of the Greek demands strict attention here and could be rendered, "Everyone who continually drinks (participle of pi,nw) will get thirsty again and continue to be in need of this life giving substance, but whoever drinks one time (aorist of pi,nw) of the water that I shall give him shall never ever have need nor become thirsty again (lit. "will not thirst into forever").

He clearly indicates that He is the source of giving of this water and by implication from His previous statement in verse 10 is declaring the water as "the free gift".

However, the 3^rd class condition of whoever drinks realizes that there are those who refuse to accept this gift of living water.

Jesus continues to expound upon the superior nature of the water that He is speaking of in vs. 14b.

The strong adversative avlla,/but indicates that not only does this water extinguish thirst forever; its properties include an overabundance of thirst quenching.

In fact He says, the water that I shall give him shall become in the sphere of his person a well of water leaping or springing up to eternal life.

The phrase "the water that I shall give him" in vs.14b assumes the individual has chosen to drink of the water that I shall give him in 14a.

As the future potential of drinking this water guarantees that one will never thirst again, it has further future ramifications.

This same water if drunk has ongoing future results in the entire being of the person.

The living water becomes a vigorous stream gushing forth from the one who has drunk but one time.

There is the future potential for that person to exploit this "water" and become a fountain of doctrine.

The phrase "shall become in him" denotes the future potential of existence of the individual.

The word "well/phgh." denotes the source of water is self-sustained and non-dependent upon additional resources for its existence.

The words "springing up" indicate that one only need to "tap/drink of" this precious resource to release its full potential.

"Into eternal life" has both Phase 1 and Phase 3 implications:

Ph1 refers to the possession of the life of Christ through faith in Him, and is the present reality for every believer.

Ph3 refers to the eternal life niche that will be shared by all believers, but that has the potential for greater expression among those who exploit doctrine in time.

Passages that teach eternal life Ph1 include: Joh.3:15, 36; 5:24; 6:47; 10:28; 1Tim.1:16; 1Joh.5:13.

Passages that deal with eternal life as a future potential include: Mat.19:29; Mar.10:30; Luk.18:30; Joh.6:27; 1Tim.6:12

The analogy as Jesus has presented it explained:

Water symbolizes Bible Doctrine, Phase 1 gospel specifically.

Drinking symbolizes faith in the gospel.

The fact that one must drink only once indicates that the SAJG requires only one act of faith in the individual’s life in order to secure Phase 1 salvation benefits.

Never thirsting represents eternal security i.e., that one cannot lose their salvation or become an unbeliever again.

The well of water springing up to eternal life depicts the life giving Christ as the source in the believer via the human spirit and through the ministry of the Holy Spirit and BD that produces the maximum results that God’s plan has to offer in eternity.

The explanation of Jesus’ statement is that if one drinks (believes) he will never thirst (be an unbeliever) again.

The initial act of faith in Christ then sets the believer up for the potential of a further understanding of God and His plan and opens the door for the indwelling ministry of the Holy spirit and the Word of God via the GAP system.

Eternal life is defined in Joh.17:3 as the knowledge of God, so the believer who possesses a greater knowledge of God via GAP potentially has more eternal life, and this will be fully manifested in Ph3.

The exploitation of the eternal life niche ought to be the goal of each and every believer.

It is Jesus mention of eternal life that should have clued the woman that Jesus was not discussing physical water, but even that amount of spiritual insight is found void in this unbeliever as we see in verse 15.

EXEGESIS VERSE 15:

GNT John 4:15 le,gei pro.j auvto.n h` gunh,( Ku,rie( do,j moi tou/to to. u[dwr( i[na mh. diyw/ mhde. die,rcwmai evnqa,de avntlei/nÅ

NAS John 4:15 The woman *said to Him, h` gunh,( (d.a. + n-nf-s) le,gei le,gw (vipa--3s) pro,j (pa) auvto.n auvto,j (npam3s) "Sir, give me this water, Ku,rie( ku,rioj (n-vm-s) do,j di,dwmi (v/imp.aa--2s) moi evgw, (npd-1s) tou/to ou-toj (near dem.pro./an-s) to. u[dwr( (d.a. + n-an-s) so I will not be thirsty, i[na i[na(cs; "in order that/so") mh, (neg. +) diyw/ diya,w (vsub.pa--1s; "might not thirst") nor come all the way here to draw." mhde, (disjuctive part.; shows parallel negations; "nor that") die,rcwmai die,rcomai (vsub.pd--1s; "I might travel or come to/pass through") evnqa,de (adv.; "here/to this place") avntlei/nÅ avntle,w (inf. of purpose/pa; "to draw/dip out"; same vs.4)

ANALYSIS VERSE 15:

Verse 15 removes any doubt that the woman is relating Jesus’ reference to living water on a physical plane with no spiritual comprehension.

However, there are subtle clues as to her demeanor both overtly and mentally with regard to Jesus’ proposition that can be gleaned from the words she said back to Him.

Again, we don’t see an attitude in her of contempt towards Jesus as seen in her continued address of Him as sir.

She is synonymous with Nicodemus (Joh.3) in that she is only able to comprehend Jesus’ words literally and she has doubt as to the validity of Jesus’ claim.

However, unlike Nicodemus who arrogantly regarded Jesus’ teaching as ridiculous and impossible (Joh.3:4), she portrays one who is willing to give Jesus the benefit of doubt and though considers His claim as improbable, respectfully demands proof.

Unlike Nicodemus, this woman at least shows a sense of humility.

The evidence that she is willing to let Jesus prove Himself is seen in the use of the imperative/command in the phrase "give me this water".

This phrase also reveals to what degree of understanding she does have with regard to what Jesus said.

The 2^nd person singular imperative of "You give/di,dwmi" indicates:

She understood that He is claiming He is the source from which this "living water" could be obtained.

That it was free with the asking.

The dative personal pronoun of "to me/evgw," states that she desires to be the personal recipient of this water.

The near demonstrative pronoun of "this/ou=toj" water indicates her realization that whatever water He is speaking of is within their immediate location.

It is the remainder of the verse that clearly pictures her "natural" insight.

Since she is in a state of unbelief, she can only perceive based on her fleshly desires.

As with all STA thinking, that which they want is for the purpose to satisfy physically.

Since the woman still thinks Jesus is speaking of literal water, she places the potential of obtaining it to her physical advantage:

So/in order that I will not be thirsty.

Nor have to come all the way here anymore, to draw water for my needs.

To this STA controlled woman, she can only relate to the benefits of Jesus’ claim of helping her here and now and providing a more relaxed and comfortable niche.

But even in her slanted nearsighted view there is continued indication that she has advanced here thinking to what Jesus was saying.

This is seen in the subjunctive moods of "might not thirst/diya,w" nor "might come to/die.rcomai".

Jesus clearly declared the future benefits of drinking this water, so even though she is still focused on only the physical, she understands some sort of benefits.

Very subtly, she is giving evidence that at least her thinking has gravitated toward understanding that whatever water He is speaking of can be of an immediate benefit that will have future ramifications.

It is all these subtle realizations that is enclosed in this verse that provides those with spiritual insight, discernment as to the kind of individual whose +V is primed with respect to their "seeking" of God’s plan:

The individual will be removed from an "arrogant" approach to the one evangelizing to an attitude of humility or respect.

They will not readily discern all that the evangelist might say, but will openly with intellectual honesty give the evangelizing believer a hearing.

There will be an honest attempt to understand what is being said though obvious failure can be expected at the outset.

The evangelist must stick to the issue and not let others misperceptions or distractions split or preclude their own thinking and approach. (The woman is still considering the issue of living water that Jesus has presented.)

The potential +V individual will want proof or evidence with regard to the doctrine given.

They will show a desire to understand and willingness to be a recipient of what the doctrine has to offer.

They will be focused on what the evangelist has to say even in the midst of miscomprehension.

Once the evidence is given that what the evangelist says is true (vss.16-18), the individual under the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit will come to grips with the salvation issue (Ph1) and believe (vss.39).

Though the woman obviously has her problems, Jesus immediately provides proof that what He is saying is true thus elevating her thinking to the spiritual plane necessary for her to "receive the free gift of living water" (vs.25-26).

Though the example here is one with evidenced perfect timing in the +V possessed by the individual coming to fruition/realization, it does not mean that one refuses to proclaim the truth to those who may give indication otherwise as the example of Nicodemus provides.

Rather, it is an example of "testing the waters" (pun intended) and how God controlling all circumstances and situations can in the normal "routine" of the life of an adjusted +V individual, bring into their periphery other potential +V and reveal the "marking indicators" of their +V.

John through this narrative brings into focus a second possible scenario when compared to the Nicodemus account of how God may bring into the adjusted believers periphery potential +V for the purpose of evangelizing:

Someone who will approach you personally based on their perception of your understanding of BD.

Someone who doesn’t know you but in a general doctrinal conversation will give indicators as to having a true interest in the truth presented.

In either case, a believer who does not make BD a daily issue in life, aborts their opportunity to enjoy any possibility to engage in sound evangelizing towards any potential +V God brings into their life.

What is true with Ph1 +V can also be applied to potential Ph2 +V.

EXEGESIS VERSES 16-18:

GNT John 4:16 Le,gei auvth/|( {Upage fw,nhson to.n a;ndra sou kai. evlqe. evnqa,deÅ

NAS John 4:16 He *said to her, Le,gei le,gw (vipa--3s) auvth/|( auvto,j (npdf3s) "Go, call your husband, and come here." {Upage u`pa,gw (vimp.pa--2s; "Go/depart/lead"; has the nuance of authority or right; "depart with authority and bring back/lead to") fw,nhson fwne,w (vimp.aa--2s; "call/speak to") sou su, (npg-2s) to.n o` a;ndra avnh,r (d.a. + n-ams; "man/husband") kai, (cc) evlqe. e;rcomai (vimp.aa--2s) evnqa,de (adv.; "here/to this place; same place vs.15)

GNT John 4:17 avpekri,qh h` gunh. kai. ei=pen auvtw/|( Ouvk e;cw a;ndraÅ le,gei auvth/| o` VIhsou/j( Kalw/j ei=paj o[ti :Andra ouvk e;cw\

NAS John 4:17 The woman answered and said, h` gunh, (d.a. + n-nf-s) avpekri,qh avpokri,nomai (viad--3s) kai, (cc) ei=pen le,gw (viaa--3s) auvtw/|( auvto,j (npdm3s; "to Him"; not translated) "I have no husband." Ouvk ouv (neg + ) e;cw e;cw (vipa--1s; "I do not have") a;ndraÅ avnh,r (n-am-s; "a husband") Jesus *said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband'; o` VIhsou/j( (n-nm-s) le,gei le,gw (vipa--3s) auvth/| (npdf3s) Kalw/j (adv.; "well/correctly/rightly/that which is true"; +) ei=paj le,gw (viaa--2s) o[ti (cc; intro. ind.discourse) :Andra avnh,r (n-am-s) ouvk ouv (neg.) e;cw\ e;cw (vipa--1s; Lit. "A husband I do not have")

GNT John 4:18 pe,nte ga.r a;ndraj e;scej kai. nu/n o]n e;ceij ouvk e;stin sou avnh,r\ tou/to avlhqe.j ei;rhkajÅ

NAS John 4:18 for you have had five husbands, ga,r (cs; explanatory; gives the reason why the woman has spoken rightly) e;scej e;cw (viaa--2s; "you had") pe,nte (card.adj.-am-p; "five"; modifies "husbands") a;ndraj avnh,r (n-am-p) and the one whom you now have is not your husband; kai, (cc) o[j (-rel.pro./am-s; "the one whom/he whom") e;ceij e;cw (vipa--2s) nu/n (adv.; "now/at the present time") ouvk ouv (neg. + ) e;stin eivmi, (vipa--3s; "keeps on not being") sou su, (npgen. of relationship-2s) avnh,r\ (n-nm-s) this you have said truly. "tou/to ou-toj (near dem.pro./an-s; "this thing you has said") ei;rhkajÅ le,gw (viPFa--2s; denotes the ramifications of her honesty) avlhqe.j avlhqh,j (a--an-s; "true/a true fact"; translated like an adverb)

ANALYSIS VERSES 16-17:

Jesus who "knew all men" has a clear read as to the physical level of thinking of the woman.

He responds to her demand for proof of His possession of this living water with a change of subject as brought out from the absence of "answered/responded" in the words "He said to her".

This phrase also notes His immediate reaction to the potential +V she has expressed in her desire and seeking for evidence. (The absence of avpokri,nomai infers that the subject speaking is not responding within the contextual train of thought and intent of the context previously advanced or in accordance/agreement with a situation facing them, but rather shows a direct response according to their own assessment and thoughts as to the intent of what was being said or according to the situation they may confront.)

He now responds in such a way that it will get the woman’s eyes off of seeing only earthly things onto a realm that will demand a higher spiritual form of thinking.

The evidence He provides as proof that He is no ordinary man promoting empty promises comes in the form of Divine revelation.

All that He is about to say to her is information that she knows no stranger would be privy to and therefore Jesus must have Divine insight (vs.19).

Another not so obvious effect that His words will have is to demonstrate to her that her sins are not a bar to the living water that He offers.

Jesus knew that the woman had a "colorful/bad" reputation and it has been suggested that she was here drawing water during the heat of the day due to the fact that she was somewhat ostracized by other women.

One who believes in a "works for salvation" system would readily believe that their sins and failures are major if not insurmountable obstacles to a relationship with God.

People particularly think this about sins that are more shocking to them personally or to society in general.

This woman becomes another case study in the fact that Jesus can save any and all who comes to Him and believes.

There is no reason why any member of the human race cannot come to Christ and enjoy the living water other than the fact that they are negative and do not want to.

Jesus begins first by testing the woman’s intellectual honesty.

He issues 3 commands/orders to her:

Go/depart, which has a nuance of the individual having a right or authority by which to carry out the action and in context, transfers that right to the remaining imperatives.

Call/speak to your husband (with the right to do so).

And come back here (assuming the rights to perform the 1^st two imperatives are in place).

The implication behind Jesus’ commands demands that the woman must have a husband in order for her to carry out His orders.

This issue hits at the very core of at least one of the woman’s failures in meeting the standards of God’s righteousness.

The very reference to it should at least cause her to realize that she falls short of the "glory of God". Rom.3:23

It is her admittance of not having the capability to fulfill Christ’s commands that reflects a necessary ingredient for one to come to saving faith and that is her honesty with regard to her failings.

Though, when the woman responded/answered and said to Him, "I have no husband", does not disclose the entirety or extent to which she has failed in this area, it minimally reveals intellectual honesty as to the reality of her life.

In other words, she refuses to hide behind excuses or lies when confronted with facts of reality.

This is further substantiated in Jesus assessment of her response in the words He said to her, "You have well said, I have no husband" in vs.17b and "this you have said truly" in vs.18c.

The adverb "well/kalw/j" is a derivative of ka.loj, and means "good" intrinsically or that her words manifest that "good" deep within her reflecting what’s in her soul.

The noun translated as an adverb "truly/avlhqh.j" means "truth/a true fact" and is the evidence of the intrinsic "good" within the woman via the verbal honesty with which she speaks.

The perfect of "you have said/le.gw" of vs.18c indicates that there are existing results attached to the woman’s honest approach to life as seen in:

Because she is honest and truthful she has an appreciation towards others who are honest and will recognize the truth when expressed by others, specifically regarding Jesus as Messiah (vss.25-26).

The fact that she is truthful to others will have a future impact on other +V (vs.39).

Principle: Those who are positive will first and foremost be honest with themselves and as a result will reflect honesty towards others.

It is Jesus’ continued explanation and interpretation as to the full reality of the woman’s answer that produces the desired effect upon her.

He reveals an attribute He possesses that no mere man could possibly have.

Only omniscience could possibly reveal unknown facts to someone who otherwise has never been in contact with a situation or the people around it.

Whether this insight was via God the Holy Spirit or Jesus tapped His Deity, it does not violate the doctrine of kenosis since it is strictly for the benefit of others.

This revelation that He provides gives evidence as to a trend of her STA and explains why her response is indeed accurate.

Jesus knows how truthful her statement in essence truly was since/for He reveals to her that "you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband".

It is this declaration of her past 5 marriages and her current live in situation that quickly arrests her attention (vs.19).

He makes no observations about the previous five marriages, so we cannot know what the exact situation was in regard to each marriage.

It is Jesus’ emphasis on her current relationship status that implies that the previous marital relationships, which also demand divorce or other contractual annulment for the sequence of their occurrence to be validated as "husbands" by Christ, were relationships emulating a pursuit of the flesh.

It is obvious that this woman portrayed one of relatively low moral character and the fact that she had been married five times and now lives with a man not her husband indicates that she was "man-crazy".

Her current situation further indicates that she had even dropped the pretense of marriage and resigned herself to pursuing men apart from accepted societal norms and standards.

The use of the verb "have/e;cw" in the phrases "you have had five husbands" (valid marriages) and "whom you [lit.] keep one having now" (not a valid marriage) further indicates her pursuit of fleshly happiness in this area and ties her actions in both accounts together.

When considering the issues of marriage and divorce, one must make a distinction between what is correct Biblically and what is accepted socially.

Believers are challenged to GAP and apply the Biblical standards that are far more stringent that that which is allowed and even encourage by society.

Marriage is defined as the legal relationship between a man and a woman for the purpose of founding and maintaining a family, which union has both legal and social implications, and for the believer, spiritual implications.

While society tolerates divorce for many frivolous reasons, the Word of God states that there is only one legitimate reason for one to apply for divorce i.e., adultery.

And even in that case, divorce is never commanded, only merely allowed. Mat.19:3-8

There are however, two conceivable reasons why an individual can remarry and still remain in the directive will of God:

As the innocent party of a divorce issued and sexual infidelity/adultery has occurred. Mat.5:31-32; 19:9

If a spouse dies, the contract is considered null and void and the remaining spouse is free to remarry. Rom.7:2-3

But it also must be understood that even though one may divorce not based on Biblical grounds, if they remarry, their new marriage is still considered to be a valid marital contract before God.

This is understood in the light of the fact that the first sexual consummating act of the new marriage is considered as "adultery", thereby providing a Biblical "release" for the previous marriage and correspondingly making the divorce valid and new marriage valid before God. Mat.5:32; Mar.10:11-12; Luk.16:18

Based on the woman’s ongoing pursuit of an STA driven relationship and the fact that Jesus considers her first 5 relationships as valid marriages, again indicates that the woman at least to some degree in not judging too harshly, has been consistently violating this aspect of God’s plan.

He is pointing out to her by a general statement of facts that her life reveals gross failure in her endeavor to pursue God/salvation by being "good" under the works for salvation system she operates under.

It is her "intellectual honesty" that will produce the realization for her that indeed she needs to look elsewhere in order to obtain eternal life and that being "drinking of the free gift of living water" that He has offered, which ultimately she does.

Doc. of Divorce and Remarriage

EXEGESIS VERSES 19-20:

GNT John 4:19 le,gei auvtw/| h` gunh,( Ku,rie( qewrw/ o[ti profh,thj ei= su,Å

NAS John 4:19 The woman *said to Him, h` gunh,( (d.a. + n-nf-s) le,gei le,gw (vipa--3s) auvtw/| auvto,j (npdm3s) "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Ku,rie( ku,rioj (n-vm-s) qewrw/ qewre,w (vipa--1s; "perceive/understand through mental perception"; same 2:23 "beholding/to view attentively"; our word "theorize") o[ti o[ti (conj. intro. ind. disc.) su,Å (npn-2s) ei= eivmi, (vipa--2s) profh,thj (n-nm-s; "a prophet")

GNT John 4:20 oi` pate,rej h`mw/n evn tw/| o;rei tou,tw| proseku,nhsan\ kai. u`mei/j le,gete o[ti evn ~Ierosolu,moij evsti.n o` to,poj o[pou proskunei/n dei/Å

NAS John 4:20 "Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, h`mw/n evgw, (npgen.relationship-1p) oi` o` pate,rej path,r (n-nm-p; "fathers") proseku,nhsan\ proskune,w (viaa--3p; "worshiped"; lit. bow down to kiss someone's feet/pay homage to/do obeisance to (genuflection to show deference/veneration, reverence, honor"; an action to show submission/acquiescence (compliance)/respect; used 58x ) evn (pL) tou,tw| ou-toj (dem. adj.Ln-s; "this") tw/| to` o;rei o;roj (d.a. + n-L of location/n-s; "the mountain"; ref. to Mt. Gerazim) . and you people say that in Jerusalem kai, (cc) u`mei/j su, (npn-2p; "you all"; ref. to Southern/mainstream Judaism) le,gete le,gw (vipa--2p; "keep on saying"; donotes a present reality) o[ti (conj.; intro. ind. disc.; "that") evn (pL) ~Ierosolu,moij ~Ieroso,luma (n-L of loc./n-p; "Jerusalem") is the place where men ought to worship." evsti.n eivmi, (vipa--3s) o` to,poj (n-nm-s; "the place/location") o[pou (adv.; "where") dei/Å (vipa--3s; "men ought/lit. it is necessary") proskunei/n proskune,w (comp. inf./pa; "to worship")

ANALYSIS VERSES 19-20:

The Samaritan woman, who initially viewed Jesus as nothing more than a thirsty Jew asking her for a drink, now has a different understanding regarding His person as seen in what she says to Him.

As the Greek reveals, she does not want to continue the context of discussion Jesus has initiated as seen in the absence of the word "answered/a.pokri,nomai".

Probably due to the embarrassing nature of the subject, she now attempts to draw attention elsewhere.

However, the primary impact of Jesus’ intentions in His previous revelation is not lost upon her.

Whereas, her eyes were only focused on the physical aspects of the discourse between them, now her understanding is stretched in a greater way elevating her thinking onto a spiritual plane.

If there was any doubt to an attitude of humility in this woman previously, that doubt is totally erased in her present address of Jesus as "sir".

Her response denotes her understanding that Jesus is not an ordinary man, but He at least is a prophet.

Her words, "I perceive that You are a prophet" indicates the deductive reasoning she has used in Jesus proclamation of her checkered past and present and theoretically comes to this succinct conclusion.

The term prophet is used of one who speaks for another, especially for God, and is one whom delivers an inspired message. Mat.1:22; 2:5,15,17, et al.

It is clear from this passage and from Luk.7:39 that men generally recognized that prophets had insight into the character of those with whom they dealt.

Certain facts about prophets and prophecies:

Vocabulary:

Greek:

Nouns – profhtei,a: used 19x; translated "prophecy/prophetic utterances/prophecies/prophesying"; this word means to speak forth the words of God, which: declares that which cannot be known by natural means (Mat.13:14; 1Cor.13:2); was a temporary spiritual gift given to the early church no longer extant in the CA (Rom.12:6; 1Cor.12:10 cp.13:8); it denotes that prophecy was a communicative gift given for believers in the church (1Cor.14:6 cp. vs.22; 1Thess.5:20); the words of one prophesying are God inspired (2Pet.1:20,21); profh,thj: used 144x; translated "prophet" and refers to the office (Mat.3:3; 4:14; Eph.4:11); as one who prophesies (1Pet.1:10); can refer technically of writers of the OT (Mat.26:56; Luk.18:31) or post Mosaic writers both major and minor prophets (Mat.2:17,23; cp.5:17; 7:12; 11:13; 12:39; Luk.16:29,31; Act.2:16,30); profh/tij: used 2x for "prophetess".

Adj. profhtiko,j: used 2x; translated "prophets" and describes scripture as prophetically God inspired (Rom.16:26; 2Pet.1:19)

Verb: - profhteu,w: used 28x; translated "prophesy/prophesied/ prophesying/prophetesses (ptc.)/prophesies"; the verb emphasizes the act of prophesying and includes: those who falsely prophesy (Mat.7:22); the prophecy provides evidence of being a true prophet by being able to reveal unknown facts whether past or present (Joh.4:16-19; Mat.26:68; Luk.22:64) or future (Mat.15:7; Joh.11:51) indicating that God is behind the one communicating (1Cor.14:24).

Hebrew:

Verb; root word - ab'n" : Means "to prophesy" and is used to prophesy under influence of Divine Spirit/to prophesy falsely".

Noun - aybin" : Translated "prophet/prophecy/them that prophesy" and can indicate a true or false prophet.

Noun - ha'Wbn> : Translated "prophecy/prophetic writing".

Noun - ha'ybin> : Translated "prophetess"

With regards to prophecy and its application for the Church we note the following:

To secure a complete understanding of its intent and purposes as provided by God, it must be broken down according to the very words that describe it in some way.

The nouns prophetes and prophetis emphasizes the individual to whom the gift has been given and denotes:

Both men and women could have this gift. Exo.15:20; Judg.4:4; Luk.2:36; Act.21:9

The gift of prophecy may or may not include holding the office of prophet:

In the Eph.4:11 list of gifts that have authority/rank/office in the church, prophets are listed.

However, prophetesses (women) are excluded from having authority over men in the local church as designated by Paul. 1Cor.14:34 cp. 1Tim.2:12

This did not mean that women could not function under this gift to other women, children or in their daily routines.

Those men with this gift held equal rank with other men with the gift in the local church and were held accountable by one another. 1Cor.14:29,32

They were considered second in rank in the local church only preceded by the gift of apostle. 1Cor.12:28

The verb propheteuo emphasizes the function/action of the gift:

The main function of the gift was to proclaim the truth of Bible Doctrine. Mat.15:7; Mar.7:6; Luk.1:67; Jud.1:14; Rev.10:11

The information that was proclaimed was revealed supernaturally via God the Holy Spirit and was otherwise previously unknown to the prophet, but could be otherwise substantiated by Scripture. 1Pet.1:10

The primary operation of this gift within the early church was to communicate yet unwritten New Testament scripture applicable for church age saints. 1Cor.13:9-10

Of all the gifts available to the early church, Paul regards the function of this gift as of most/highest importance for a properly functioning local church and took precedence over the other temporary gifts. 1Cor.14:1,5,39

In fact, the function of this gift is tantamount to the responsibility of all communicators and function of the gift of P-T today. 1Cor.14:3, 31 cp. 2Cor.10:8; 13:10; 1Tim.3:2; 4:11; 4:13; 2Tim.2:2,24; Eph.4:11,12

Even though the primary function of the gift was directed towards the believers of the local church for Ph2 sanctification (1Cor.14:22), it also functioned with respect to Ph1 evangelizing. 1Cor.24 cp. function of the P-T 2Tim.4:5

A validating aspect for the unbeliever to recognize that the one evangelizing was speaking the truth and thus had authority as God’s communicator, came in the inherent ability of the functioning gift of a prophet to proclaim undisclosed facts concerning the unbeliever or others. Ex. Jesus and the Samaritan woman of our passage (Joh.4:1ff); 1Cor.14:24,25 cp. Mat.26:68; Luk.22:64

But it is obvious that this function of the gift was only a secondary ability in order to validate its primary function of proclaiming BD.

The temporary gift of tongues was the primary gift used for evangelizing Ph1 in the early church and was secondary in its application towards presenting Ph2 gospel. 1Cor.14:22 cp.vss.5,39

The noun "propheteia" emphasizes the result or effect of the individual functioning under the gift of prophet, which was the content/instruction/words of the prophecy being equated as that which God speaks i.e., Bible Doctrine.

The primary effect of the prophecies was to fill in the "gap" (pun intended) for the church of New Testament doctrine during the era of its existence before the canon of scripture was completed. 1Cor.13:9-11

The content and instruction of the "prophetic utterances" was to reveal aspects of doctrine that pertained to the Church Age dispensation directly including a correct interpretation of all scripture. 1Cor.13:2 provides characteristics of prophecy as revealing "all/pa/j mysteries/musth,rion" (used for plan of God [Mat.13:11; Mar.4:11] and technically for the Church Age [Rom.11:25; 16:25]); and "all knowledge/pa/j gnw/sij" including a correct understanding of all scripture (Rom.2:20; 11:33; 15:14; 2Cor.10:5; 1Tim.6:20).

The fact that the prophecies of this gift were considered equal with our written canon of scripture today is seen in the use of this noun as referring to the content of the Book of Revelation. Rev.1:3; 22:7,10,18,19

All prophecy under this gift was underwritten/inspired by God the Holy Spirit. 2Pet.1:20,21 cp. 2Tim.1:14 of the P-T

It is the use of this noun that encompassed both the individual prophet and the function of his gift into an embodiment or whole of expression/communication of Bible Doctrine. In other words, this noun reflects the primary purpose of the gift being the communication of Bible Doctrine to include: 1) all instruction, commands/dictates, exhortations, etc., necessary for a properly functioning church 2) harmonization of OT scripture with NT doctrine and 3) the forecast of new eschatological events.

Without this noun, ipso facto you do not have a "prophet prophesying" therefore no valid gift of "prophecy".

This is why Paul chose to use this noun in his declaration of 1Cor.13:8-10 noting that the purpose of the gift was temporary and no longer valid or needed after the completion of NT scripture.

All "prophetic utterances" that the early church was not to despise (1Thess.5:20) was secured in written form of the NT to carry the Church through the remainder of the Church Age.

It is the adjective "prophetikos" that ties in the prophecies of those functioning under the gift with the scriptures. Rom.16:26; 2Pet.1:17-19

It is also the use of the noun "propheteia" that helps decipher and provide apologetics as to why the list of spiritual gifts for the Church as presented by Paul in Corinthians and Romans are not parallel.

Paul’s address of spiritual gifts to the Church at Corinth was delivered in the midst of a spiritually maladjusted and mal-functioning local church.

He uses all three words (noun - prophet, verb – prophesying, noun – prophecy) in 1Cor.12,13,14 in his discourse on spiritual gifts.

It is this gift, its function and effect that Paul leaves little doubt as to its utmost importance in comparison to the other gifts. 1Cor.12:28

The Corinthians were totally messed up in the application of the temporary gifts and their (gifts) rank of priority as they were to function in the local assembly.

Until they straightened this mess out, they would not have a clear read and understanding of a properly functioning local church.

Until they allowed the gift of prophesy to fulfill its intended position and role of "building up" the church providing the necessary "intake" of spiritual food for all to make proper adjustments to the plan of God for the church, they would be "stymied/thwarted" spiritually and thus functionally.

Therefore, it was necessary for Paul to list all of the temporary gifts so that the Corinthians could ascertain that the "prophet" demanded the first order of business for the church providing their spiritual needs, which in turn would provide the information necessary for the remaining gifts to function properly.

He then includes 3 of the permanent gifts that also was necessary for the church to logistically function properly: helps (assisting others), teachers (necessary for continued studies of the OT as well as for children) and administration (logistically managing the church in a decent and orderly way).

Until the Church at Corinth made this major adjustment, any further focus on other permanent gifts intended to carry the church after the temporary gifts are moot.

The church at Rome however, did not have this problem.

In fact, the book of Romans gives no indication of the church corporately not functioning with regards to spiritual gifts, as it should.

However, to say that temporary gifts were not prevalent at Rome defies the time of its existence as both Romans and 1Corinthians was written mid-fifties AD.

Since the temporary gifts were functioning properly at Rome, which would indicate the priority of "prophecy" established, it was not necessary for Paul to address the temporary gifts as he did at Corinth.

He chooses the noun "propheteia" to describe the "gift" to denote that the content of the functioning gift has had its desired impact.

In other words, he simply lists the "top" temporary gift indicating that the remaining subservient temporary gifts are functioning within their proper callings/posts.

Since the temporary gifts are in line, it leaves Paul free to expound upon the permanent gifts that will ultimately help carry the Roman church (and other adjusted churches) into the far future.

This did not mean that the Romans did not have their problems, only there was not a problem in the function of the temporary gifts, hence only an abbreviated inference to them in the form of the resulting effect of the "head" gift, was deemed all that was necessary by Paul in addressing that aspect of their worship and spiritual advancement.

The fact that the gift of P-T took the place of the gift of prophecy is further supported by 2Pet.2:1 cp. the books of 1 & 2Tim. and Titus who are P-Ts (with Apostolic authority) given authority over the local churches they were in charge of at Ephesus and Crete. 1Tim.1:3; Ti.1:5 There is no evidence of either Timothy or Titus having the gift of prophecy but the gift was still operating per Eph.3:5.

No distinction can be made between the office of prophet (Eph.4:11), and the prophecy of the prophet of Rom.12:6 other than one emphasizes the individual and the other emphasizes the individual’s communication/words.

Back to the text: Christ who held the title of Prophet as Messiah, utilizes the understanding of function of this gift to validate to the woman the authenticity of His words.

But rather than let the prophet continue His "inspired" (all of Jesus’ words were inspired) declaration concerning her specifically, she quickly changes the subject.

Since she now sees Him on a spiritual plane, she brings forth a subject considered by her and other Samaritans as a spiritual issue.

If she indeed perceived Jesus to be a prophet, she wants to hear His opinion on an ongoing controversy.

The controversy is stated in verse 20: "Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you all say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship".

One of the chief differences between the Jews and Samaritans was the place that God deemed as necessary for worship.

The Jews believed that God had chosen Jerusalem as the permanent location.

The Samaritans believed it was Mt. Gerazim.

Their disagreement came about over the reading of Deu.12:5, which the Jewish text reads, "..you shall seek the Lord at the place which the Lord your God shall choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling..", but the Samaritan text changes one letter of "will choose" to "has chosen" - rx;b' vs. rx;b,yI .

The Samaritans argued for Mt. Gerazim because:

Shechem was the 1^st place Abraham built an altar upon his arrival in Canaan. Gen.12:6-7

Jacob built an altar in this same vicinity. Gen.33:18ff

The Samaritans held that it was on this mountain that Abraham met Melchizedek. Gen.14:18

Their tradition stated that this was the mountain on which Abraham was to offer Isaac. Gen.22:1-14

This mountain was the recipient of God’s blessing. Deu.11:26-29

It was the place where God pronounced blessing on Israel after taking Canaan. Deu.27:12

Considering the misreading of Deu.12:5, the Samaritan’s concluded that with so many important events having occurred on and around this mountain that God must have set it apart for Himself.

While the OT is very clear that the place where God had decided to permanently establish a house for Himself, the Samaritans rejected all this since they rejected all scripture of the OT after the Pentateuch/Moses. 2Chron.3:1; 6:1-6; 7:12

So the Samaritans built their temple there and based on "tradition" continued to cling to a false interpretation of BD.

It is in the area of accepting the entire OT canon, the Law and the Prophets, that the Southern Jews had the superior position.

Even in the –V distorted application and interpretation of scripture, at least the Jews took their stand on the entire revealed Word of God rather than rejecting a mass majority of it.

Jesus turns her question to His advantage, not letting the change of subject deter Him from abandoning the real issue at hand, salvation.

ANALYSIS VERSES 21-24:

GNT John 4:21 le,gei auvth/| o` VIhsou/j( Pi,steue, moi( gu,nai( o[ti e;rcetai w[ra o[te ou;te evn tw/| o;rei tou,tw| ou;te evn ~Ierosolu,moij proskunh,sete tw/| patri,Å

NAS John 4:21 Jesus *said to her, o` VIhsou/j( (d.a. + n-nm-s) le,gei le,gw (vipa--3s) auvth/| auvto,j (npdf3s; "to her"; ref. the woman) "Woman, believe Me, gu,nai( gunh, (n-vf-s) Pi,steue, pisteu,w (v/imp./pa--2s; "believe") moi( evgw, (npd-1s; "Me"; emphasizes the one whom she perceives as a "prophet") an hour is coming o[ti (cc; indir.disc.; not translated) w[ra (n-nf-s; "an hour"; period of time) e;rcetai e;rcomai(vipdep.--3s; "keeps on coming") when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, o[te (temp. adv.; "when/in which time" ) ou;te (cc; when used two x's = "neither...nor") evn (pL; "in/at") tou,tw| ou-toj (near dem.adj.-Ln-s; "this") tw/| o` o;rei o;roj (d.a. + n-Ln-s; "the mountain/Mt. Gerazim") ou;te (cc; "nor") evn (pL; "in/at") ~Ierosolu,moij ~Ieroso,luma (n-Ln-p; "Jerusalem") shall you worship the Father. proskunh,sete proskune,w (vifa--2p; "will you all worship") tw/| o` patri,Å path,r (d.a. + n-dm-s; "the Father")

GNT John 4:22 u`mei/j proskunei/te o] ouvk oi;date\ h`mei/j proskunou/men o] oi;damen( o[ti h` swthri,a evk tw/n VIoudai,wn evsti,nÅ

NAS John 4:22 "You worship that which you do not know; u`mei/j su, (npn-2p; "you all yourselves"; ref. Samaritan Jews) proskunei/te proskune,w (vipa--2p) o] o[j (-apran-s; "that which") ouvk ouv (neg. + ) oi;date\ oi=da (viPFa--2p; "you do not know") we worship that which we know, h`mei/j evgw, (npn-1p; "we all ourselves"; ref. Judean Jews) proskunou/men proskune,w (vipa--1p) o] o[j (-apran-s; "that which") oi;damen( oi=da (viPFa--1p; "we know") for salvation is from the Jews. o[ti (cs; used after verbs of perception to intro. what is perceived cp. 4:19; "for") h` swthri,a (d.a. + n-nf-s; "the salvation") evsti,nÅ eivmi, (vipa--3s) evk (pabl.; "out of/from the source of") tw/n o` VIoudai,wn VIoudai/oj (d.a. + ap-ablm-p; "the Jews")

GNT John 4:23 avlla. e;rcetai w[ra kai. nu/n evstin( o[te oi` avlhqinoi. proskunhtai. proskunh,sousin tw/| patri. evn pneu,mati kai. avlhqei,a|\ kai. ga.r o` path.r toiou,touj zhtei/ tou.j proskunou/ntaj auvto,nÅ

NAS John 4:23 "But an hour is coming, and now is, avlla, (ch) w[ra (n-nf-s) e;rcetai e;rcomai (vipd--3s) kai, (cc) nu/n (adv.; "now") evstin( eivmi, (vipa--3s) when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; o[te (adv.; "when/in that time") oi` o` avlhqinoi. avlhqino,j (ascriptive.attrib.adj.--nm-p; shows quality; "true/genuine/real/pure"; denotes that which not only has the appearance of something, but the very nature of it corresponds with its appearance; ex. Joh.1:9; 6:32; 15:1; 17:3 ) proskunhtai. proskunhth,j (n-nm-p; "worshipers") proskunh,sousin proskune,w (vifa--3p; "will worship") tw/| o` patri. path,r (d.a. + n-dm-s) evn (pL) pneu,mati pneu/ma (n-Ln-s; "spirit") kai, (cc) avlhqei,a|\ avlh,qeia (n-Lf-s; "truth") for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. kai, (ascensive use; "even") ga,r (causal conj.; "for"; gives the reason for the time period and its characteristics) toiou,touj toiou/toj (dem.pro./am-p; "people such as/such people"; referring to definate individuals with special characteristics or qualities) o` path,r(d.a. + n-nm-s; "the Father") zhtei/ zhte,w (vipa--3s; "seeks/looks for/to earnestly look for based on desire or want") tou.j o` proskunou/ntaj proskune,w(subs.ptc./p/a/am-p; "the ones who worship") auvto,nÅ auvto,j (npam3s; "Him"; ptc. + pro. = His worshipers)

GNT John 4:24 pneu/ma o` qeo,j( kai. tou.j proskunou/ntaj auvto.n evn pneu,mati kai. avlhqei,a| dei/ proskunei/nÅ

NAS John 4:24 "God is spirit, o` qeo,j( (d.a. + n-nm-s) ("is" supplied) pneu/ma pneu/ma(n-Pred.Nom./n-s) and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." kai, (cc) tou.j o` proskunou/ntaj proskune,w (subst.ptc./p/a/am-p; "those who worship") auvto.n auvto,j (npam3s) dei/ (vipa--3s; "it is necessary" + ) proskunei/nÅ proskune,w(compl.inf./pa; "to worship"; verb + inf. = "it is an absolute necessity to worship/must worship") evn (pL) pneu,mati pneu/ma (n-Ln-s; "spirit") kai, (cc) avlhqei,a| avlh,qeia (n-Lf-s; "truth")

ANALYSIS VERSES 21-24:

The woman in vss.19-20, while advancing in her thinking by regarding Jesus as a prophet, tries to test His "gift" by bringing up a controversial religious issue.

The effect of her question regarding the issue of worship is designed to cause Jesus to take sides, one way or the other.

It is easy to see how in her thinking, if this "Jewish" prophet sided against the religious views of her people, then the pain of His earlier disclosure regarding her personal failures might be pacified based on conflict of other "religious" grounds.

On the flip side, if He sided with the Samaritans, then pacification of pain would come through acknowledgement that "religiously" she was on the right track.

In either case, it gave her avenues to pursue in trying to avoid any further focus upon her personal life.

Jesus however, while not sidestepping the issue, does not fall into this trap of engaging in controversy over men’s traditional views of religion and thus frustrating the real purpose of His conversation, evangelizing.

It further emphasizes all of Judaism’s legalistic approach to God denoting what they considered as issues in His plan.

That is, the physical location of where you worshipped took precedence over how you worshipped God.

Jesus response to her transcends beyond this physical concept of God’s plan and rather addresses the spiritual realities regarding the aspect of worship, the noun or verb used 8 times in these verses.

As a prophet, Jesus proclaims the truth on the matter of what constitutes "real" worship of God versus the general human viewpoint saturating her own thinking.

Beyond that, He gives a veiled prophecy of the fall of the nation in vs.21 and the rise of the Church Age in vs.23.

Jesus for the first time in His conversation with the Samaritan addresses her sternly though not rudely, as "Woman" and indicates:

His assertion as a true authority over her intimating the spiritual rank she has placed upon Him as a prophet.

What He is about to say is still directed towards her personally, though stated as a general overview.

This is the same method of address Jesus used regarding His own mother in response to her theological human viewpoint regarding His ministry in Joh.2:4.

The words "believe me" is a challenge to trust her perceptions of Him as a prophet and thus be willing to jettison any erroneous thinking she has regarding this issue.

He informs her that an hour is coming when this controversy over place of worship will become moot.

The term "hour" is not a literal 60 minute hour, but refers to an extended period of time of a definite duration that is not exactly specified. Cp. 2:4

This "hour" will begin with the fall of the nation Israel to the Romans in 70 AD, consummated by the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.

In fact, the dispersion of 70 AD will be of such complete eradication that neither in this mountain of Mt. Gerazim, nor in Jerusalem will Jews find the freedom or means to worship God. Cp. Luk.21:20-24

It is a fact that since that time, neither in Mt. Gerazim nor in Jerusalem has the Jews been able to engage in formal tabernacle and sacrificial worship as a people.

Jesus prophesies an event that will occur during the CA and without question was fulfilled.

For any that proclaim there are no prophecies fulfilled during the CA must throw this verse and Luke’s passage out of the Bible.

The future plural of "shall you all worship" encompasses all Jews living during this period and lumps together the Samaritans with mainline Judaism lending further support that this Samaritan woman was of Jewish lineage.

The end of this period of time that is presently approaching will of course be recognized at the end of the CA via the rapture.

Though the woman placed the context of worship within the tradition of her ancestral "fathers", Jesus refers to worship in context of God the Father.

While her ancestors did things a particular way and she, like most Jews, followed these traditions, Jesus puts the real issue of worship in front of her.

His reference to the Father infers that worship is not based on "men’s tradition", but according to God’s directive will.

The term "worship" is defined as one who accepts/believes/pays homage to/adheres to/makes obeisance to some ideology, person or thing.

To worship the Father is to be regarded as the direct acknowledgement to God, of His nature, attributes, ways and claims. Joh.9:35-38; cp. false accusation of Paul regarding worship, Act.18:12-13; Rom.1:25; 1Cor.14:24-25; Heb.11:21

The dative use of o` path,r/the Father denotes that He is the indirect object of worship.

In other words, He indirectly or circuitously (roundabout) receives the action of worship.

The direct acknowledgement towards God comes through one’s acceptance and adjustments to His viewpoint via understanding of the Word/Scripture and living their life according to the doctrine. Rev.22:9 (God is dative use; emphasis is on "the words of this book".) cp. Deu.28:58; 30:9-10

It is the Bible, the Word of God that is God represented to mankind and one must adhere to it first in order to worship the Father.

It is under this realization regarding worship that Jesus addresses the real issue of controversy between the Samaritans and mainline Judaism in vs.22.

The personal pronouns su,/You "all yourselves" and evgw,/we "all ourselves" regarding worship makes a clear distinction between what the Samaritans worshiped and what the rest of Judaism worshiped.

It defines both groups very basis for worship.

While the Samaritans engaged in a worship of God, their worship lacked information necessary for a complete understanding of worship.

Remember that they did not accept anything after the Pentateuch, rejecting all of the OT after Moses.

Their worship was based on a gross rejection of Scripture and a "doctored" rendition of the portion they did adhere too.

This is the sense of the clause, "you worship that which you do not know".

The neuter of the relative pronoun "o]j/that which" indicates "that thing which" they worship is the Bible (the word "book/bibli,on" is also neuter and is used to refer to content of scripture, Luk.4:17; Joh.21:25; et al), as is accepted by either the Samaritans or the Jews.

The accusative case of "that which" denotes it directly receives the action of the verb "worship".

Had the Samaritans accepted the revelation of God even up to Solomon, they would have had to acknowledge that Jerusalem was the chosen place that God established for His worship.

Like the Greeks of Act.17:23, they worshiped in ignorance and therefore were severely handicapped in making any adjustments to God and ultimately glorify Him.

The design of this statement is to make one question how, if the Samaritan belief is so remiss in content, can they claim to be true custodians of God’s plan?

And if they cannot profess all of God’s plan, why would God utilize them to promote His plan?

Jesus then declares the true caretakers of God’s word in the clause, "we worship that which we know".

The Judean Jews had a decided advantage when it came to God since they received the entire canon of the OT as the oracles of God.

This is not to say that they at present were obedient to it, but that they at least possessed the essential ingredients for worship.

Those who attached themselves to the worship of Jews in Judea would at least have all the sufficient information concerning God’s plan to include the person and work of Messiah.

In fact, all Messianic prophecies of the OT that are quoted in the NT come from the "Prophets". Ref. Lockyer; "All the Messianic Prophecies of the Bible", pgs. 525-528

This in turn is not to say that one could not come to a realization of a Messiah with just the Pentateuch, but to have a full representation of His person and works demands the entirety of the OT. Ex. Jonah and the whale = Christ’s resurrection, Mat.12:39

By no stretch of the imagination were the Samaritans true representatives of God’s plan and therefore could not be the group/representatives from whom Messiah would appear.

Even though both Samaritans and "Jews" represented God, only the Southern Jews had a complete representation and since Christ had to fulfill all representation of Himself, He obviously would be from the Jews. Mat.5:17

That is the force of the final clause of vs.22, "for salvation is from the Jews".

Salvation has the definite article in the Greek, emphasizing that there is only one salvation and one Messiah.

Although the Jews had not historically been faithful to God and had violated His plan even concerning salvation, the fact is that they still possessed the entirety of truth and it is "out from" the truth that Christ is manifested.

This would also include His physical ties with Judea demanded by Scripture including His birth (Bethlehem), His function in the temple, His participation at feasts and His blood descent from the tribe of Judah, not Joseph.

The short narrative by Jesus in vs.22 summarizes the actual conflict existing regarding the Samaritans and the Jews.

Even though the Samaritans may have claim of Jewish descent, because of their rejection of a completed canon of OT Scripture and tribal position in God’s plan (their lineage going back to Jacob through Joseph as implied in vss.5,6,12), they are disqualified from being in any group of "Jews" from which Messiah would come.

Because of their extremely abbreviated application of God’s plan through a gross rejection of His word, mainline Judaism regarded them no better than the gentiles, hence the pronounced distinction of reference to them only as Samaritans rather than "true" Jews.

In vs.23 Jesus makes another prophecy concerning the subject of worship.

He uses the strong adversative "avlla,/But" to emphasize the total contrast of the woman’s human viewpoint concerning what determines worship (by implication indicting the entire system of Judaism) compared to God’s view of worship.

He speaks of a period of time (an hour) that is coming, and in fact now is.

This period of time includes the transition already underway during Christ’s ministry from the age of Israel to the Church age.

The full realization of this beginning will be apparent in less than 3 years from the point of discussion (April, 33AD) known as the Day of Pentecost and the beginning of the CA.

The purpose of the inclusion of "and now is" emphasizes the results of the ongoing evangelizing by Jesus (and others) to the nation Israel, which will carry forward into the CA. Joh.7:39

This interpretation is supported by the description of this time being when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth.

The words "true worshipers" indicates that there are those who may worship the Father, but in reality it is a pseudo worship and fails to gain God’s approbation/approval.

Jesus is declaring that in order for one to be a genuine worshiper of the Father, it is necessary to have two main ingredients being Spirit/spirit and truth.

The word "spirit/pneu,ma" is without the definite article and refers to the tandem action of God the Holy Spirit and the human spirit, both required for regeneration to occur (Joh.3:5) and both required for one to be in FHS (Rom.8:16; Eph.5:18; Ti.3:5 cp. Col.3:10).

Here the emphasis is being in Fellowship, a necessary requirement for one to have an understanding of God’s word. Joh.14:16,17,26; 16:13

Truth is the entire content of Bible Doctrine.

Jesus is declaring that the difference between worship as perceived by Judaism/Samaritans of today and true worshipers is that the former reflects only a physical genuflecting or acknowledgement of God and His plan while the latter includes acknowledgement of the spiritual realities of His kingdom.

Both the Samaritans and the Jews alike believed in the salvation by works apart from faith and therefore unregenerate corporately.

Even though they had the Bible, they did not have the other required asset for worship and therefore would not enjoy participation of worshiping the Father in this age to come.

To them, worship was simply to participate in a physical pilgrimage (when necessary) to the preordained place established by God whether a temple, mountain, Jerusalem, etc., but carried with it no spiritual reality behind the worship (exceptions noted).

Because of their spiritual dereliction, the custodianship of God’s plan that placed upon them the responsibility to reflect "true worship" will be transplanted to a new "nation" of true worshipers.

Jesus is introducing a new era that will de-emphasize the place of worship and rather will concentrate on the content of worship.

While the Jews may have distorted this truth, the fact remained that the place (physical aspects) was never as much the issue in worship as content and obedience. 1Sam.15:22-23

So, Jesus the prophet announces to the woman that there is a time coming in which location will not be an issue in worship and, in fact, that very principle is now operating even with Jesus’ ministry. Joh.9:38

The place of worship designed to teach doctrine (temple in Jerusalem), which had been paramount in the age of Israel, was gradually giving way to the reality of Israel’s failure in this regard, to be replaced by a believing Church.

This is the force behind the final clause of vs.23, "for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers".

Here, the Father is observed to be actively interested in the type of person who will engage in real worship.

Though this concept is unusual, it is not unique to the WOG. Mat.13:45

Most often the concept of seeking is limited to our seeking of God and points to the activity of positive volition looking for that which will satisfy them.

Here, God is the One seeking for that, which is truly satisfying to Him.

Since the principle "seek and you will find" is bona fide, God will find these types and ensure their place in His kingdom.

In vs.24 the phrase, "God is spirit" is designed to drive home the failure of Israel in their approach to Him and instead, proclaim the spiritual reality.

This declaration refers to His essential nature of being eternal, immaterial, omnipresent, etc., in contrast to the physical, material places that are employed in worship of Him.

Jesus then reemphasizes that those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

He declares that apart from Fellowship with God and alliance to His Word, there is no true worshiper.

It infers to the fact that what a man does outwardly or where he is geographically does not impress God, but what is required is that those who worship Him must do so from the inner man, in FHS and in accordance with Bible Doctrine.

Many people possess a zeal for God, but their desire is not in line with sound doctrine. Rom.10:2

This tandem requirement for worship in spirit and truth states that where there is absence of truth, God will not establish fellowship and where fellowship with God is absent, truth will not be purely declared.

We see in John that both the Son and the Holy Spirit are subservient to truth. Joh.12:49; 16:13

It is truth that provides the directive will of God and instruction necessary for one to have fellowship with Him and maintain that relationship with Him.

Correct content in worship is an absolute necessity and not merely something that is desirable; therefore those who profess loyalty to God may accurately be evaluated by the precepts of the Word of God.

That which is not in line with truth, no matter how pious it may appear or sound, does not constitute true worship of God.

Many are engaged in pseudo worship of the Father in various churches, but in reality are cranking out nothing more than human good based on religious tradition and human viewpoint. Mat.15:9

Again, this is the heart of the Church today and the reason God removes the Church from history and Israel will once again receive custodianship of His plan. Rev.3:14-16

Worship of God is hearing, believing and applying truth in fellowship. Rom.12:1-2

Over and over in the OT, the concept of worship is linked with service. Exo.20:5; 23:24; Deu.4:19; 5:9; 8:19; 11:16; et al.

When one obeys a particular doctrine, whether doctrine of demons or BD, he is engaging in the worship of the one he serves.

The truth regarding Israel corporately and the Samaritans was they worshiped the creation rather than the creator. Rom.2:25; Act.13:46

The following items do not impress God or gain His approbation:

The place or location of worship.

The size, architectural design or facade of the building.

Extra biblical overt activities such as candle lighting, incense, mood lighting or other scenarios designed to stir up the emotions.

Overt posture such as genuflecting, raising the hands, kneeling, etc.

Redundant/repetitive prayer or chanting.