Jesus and the Samaritan woman, teaching in John 4:5-43
Jesus and the Samaritan , a biblical passage that shows us once again the humility and mercy of God for each of his children. In this article we will offer you a broad reflection on everything you should know about this passage, and that perhaps you did not know. If you are interested in understanding this biblical passage more deeply, continue reading.
Jesus and the Samaritan woman
Jesus and the Samaritan woman, as we mentioned initially, is a biblical passage that shows us the humility and mercy of God, and invites us to approach him so as not to “feel thirsty anymore”.
Jesus was on his way to Galilee, and in order to do so, he had to go through a certain city in Samaria known as Sychar, where one of his sons, Jacob, had built a huge and quite deep well. His disciples had gone to buy food, when suddenly a woman approaches, to whom Jesus asks her to give him water to drink.
It should be noted that this woman was a Samaritan and she is amazed when Jesus addresses her, since Samaritans and Jews did not used to get along or treat each other in any way, besides, she was a woman, and in itself, the words or wishes of these to men were not taken into account.
Have you ever wondered what “Samaritan woman” really means? Samaritan woman is the woman who “steals husbands in a small place” and thinks she finds happiness in sexual pleasures.
Jesus and the Samaritan Woman , makes us reflect on two things: first, that Jesus wants us to know him, and that we follow and believe from the heart and without question in his word and example, and second, that it is our duty as good Christians to help others that they also know him and drink of the living water that he offers us, so that then, they will no longer be thirsty either.
The “water” that Jesus refers to represents the fact of approaching him in a pure, honest and willing way from the heart. The source of “living water” is Christ, our Lord, and everything, who drinks from him, that is, from his word, then he will never thirst again.
The living water that God offers us also refers to the grace of the holy spirit that everyone who believes and accepts him as his lord and savior will receive.
God gives us everything, and always comforts us, encourages us and fights our battles. Every time we have a difficult moment, it is God, who is by our side and through his word gives us strength and reminds us that his love is infinite and his omnipotence and omnipresence have no limits.
The Samaritan woman, still confused, continues, and asks him how he intends to get the water? Since the well is quite large and deep, but thanks to Jacob, his children and cattle have been able to drink from said well, and quench their “thirst”.
Jesus wisely tells him that anyone who drank from such a well would continue to be thirsty and need to go again for more water. The woman, even more surprised by her comment, asks him to know how to get that “living water” so that she no longer thirsts.
The Samaritan woman could represent each one of us, because in reality, we are not clear about what we are, so let us tell you to clarify who you are (paraphrasing our Lord): each one of us is the image and likeness of God, children of God and lambs of God.
God is triune and throughout history has been related to each one of us, his beloved children. Aristotle already said it once: human beings are social beings, therefore, we need others, and the only true relationship that exists (and we have) is love.
We are created in the image and likeness of God because we have been created to love and to be loved. However, many people have not been loved, and that has generated traumatized people.
Teasing, mistreatment, insults, rejections, and thousands of other things affect us throughout our lives, leaving us with wounds, some physical and visible, and others, even deeper and extremely difficult to heal, the so-called Wounds of the soul, although we cannot appreciate them, are there, they change us and make us vicious.
Vices are not only alcohol, cigarettes or drugs, there is also the vice of sex, gluttony, envy, lies, among others. And these are nothing more than the reflection, refuge and escape of a wounded and traumatized person. These actions or behaviors are not justified, simply, we should not judge, but rather guide and advise those who need it.
At some point, fed up with vices and lies, we seek to “clean ourselves”, we scrub our bodies and remove dead skin, but how do we cleanse our souls? to heal our wounds?
That is why Jesus makes the reference in the episode of Jesus and the Samaritan woman , that whoever drinks from that well will be thirsty again, because it becomes a vicious circle of pleasure, vice, guilt, and trying to cleanse and free ourselves from all of it. , and since it doesn’t happen, we feel frustrated and return to vice or pleasure, we feel guilt again and we start all over again.
Sometimes, there are so many wounds that in an attempt to escape from them we begin to lie to ourselves, saying that it does not affect us or that we do not care, when in fact it destroys our soul and builds a shell in our heart.
We lie so much that we no longer know how to differentiate what is a lie and what is reality? We even make ourselves into a lie. Our life, “friends”, vision of life. That apparent positivism and eternal happiness are nothing more than a facade, an attempt not to be so obvious, to protect a painful truth, but no matter how hard we try, it is still there, latent.
That is why God offers us his living water, so that we stop worshiping false gods, following false prophets, and begin to listen once and in a clear and conscious way to his word, which is the divine and eternal source for our true salvation. , is the divine and eternal source to cleanse our sins and be truly happy.
Continuing with the biblical episode of Jesus and the Samaritan woman, Jesus tells the woman to go and look for her husband and then return to the well, the woman answered Jesus that she did not have a husband, and Jesus then told her that She had answered truthfully, because she did not have a husband, in fact, she had had five husbands, and the woman then understood that Jesus was a prophet, he was the messiah of whom she had heard that he would come to profess everything that Jesus was telling her at that moment.
The Samaritan woman, still shocked, and despite having recognized Jesus as a prophet, dared to ask him if they and their parents had worshiped the gods in that place, how he dared to say that where they should worship was in Jerusalem, and also, to a God that for them, was false.
This Samaritan woman gives us a valuable lesson, without knowing it, she was a highly religious woman, a committed Samaritan, what do we mean? She shows us that she knew a lot about religion, let’s look at the details:
- He knew that the Samaritans were different from the Jews.
- He knew that a messiah would come.
- He told Jesus “you are a prophet”.
He asked Jesus where should they worship God? On Mount Arisim as they believed or in Jerusalem as the Jews claimed? Jesus tells us that the place does not matter, as long as we worship him in spirit and in truth.
If I have faith, that is what really matters; The woman goes on to say that in the town they are waiting for a messiah that everyone talks about. She refers to Jesus, the anointed of God.
According to the Samaritan woman, everyone in the town was waiting for this messiah to tell them what to do. To her surprise, Jesus makes a great revelation to her and tells her: “I am the messiah.” In the Gospel of Saint John this is the first time that Jesus manifests himself as a messiah.
Perhaps, many wonder how Jesus is going to manifest himself first to a woman? Let us then remember the episode that speaks of his resurrection, Jesus manifested himself first to a woman, Mary Magdalene, who, in addition, was also a woman of evil life according to the Church.
By this time, Mary Magdalene had already converted, and was demonstrating more faith and devotion than all other Jewish men. While the apostles were hiding, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, and seeing it empty, she is surprised and Jesus appears to her already risen.
Jesus had forgiven all her sins, she had put her bad life behind her, and the only thing that mattered to her at that moment was her faith and her love for him.
That is why God decides to manifest him as Messiah first to another woman with a bad life, because he knows that he can act on her and transform her. And having read his heart, finally, he believes him and recognizes him as a Prophet.
Sometimes, with religion, we try to be and “know a lot” about religion, but we are not in a true relationship with God, because our hearts are wounded and we continue in the same vices, leading the same life, without converting. This happens because we do not allow Jesus to inhabit our heart and heal it from the inside as only he knows and can do.
Science swells, but love inflames, says Monsignor Roberto Sipols, who belongs to the Church of the Assumption and Santa Rita, in our beautiful Valencia, Venezuela; It is not necessary to do much, but to love a lot. Let’s not focus on “knowing”, but on allowing God to dwell in our hearts.
Jesus and the Samaritan reflection : What are titles worth to us? What is the use of doing a thousand courses to say that we are…? What is the use of attending Holy Mass every Sunday? What good is it to us to “worship God”?
What is the use of all this, if in reality, we continue allowing wounds to make us fall into the same vices and do not allow God to heal our wounds. Let’s reflect on it, and ask ourselves, what good is all this to us?
Let’s be honest with ourselves and ask ourselves, what are appearances worth? Let’s follow the example of the Samaritan woman and take off our masks. Let’s be honest with ourselves, let’s admit that our hearts have been hardened by bitter experiences.
Let’s accept that we are human beings and we make mistakes. That we are human beings, and we sin. Let us repent then and ask our Lord God the Father Almighty to cleanse us and heal us.
Jesus and the Samaritan woman also teaches us that for the woman, that place, with the well, represented something very special to her. It was that space, which allowed her to be withdrawn from everyone, be honest with herself and get out of it all her frustrations.
How many times have we not filled that “well” with salty water because of so many tears when our hearts have been broken? But we are still thirsty, because that bucket with which we collected the water could only remove the thirst from our mouths, but it did not remove the emptiness and the pain from our hearts.
God wants a relationship with you, not religious, but deeper. God wants to live in your heart, see you smile, be happy and enjoy a full life.
As human beings, and devoid of affection, we avoid admitting that we have been hurt, and we try to hide our pain with religion and trivial matters, will we be able to really be completely and entirely honest with ourselves?
If we allow it, God will give us “living water”, what generates that living water in us? Let’s see it with an example. The living water that God offers us is like an immense wave that arrives, touches us and stirs us up, cleanses us to the depths of our being. It is a water that heals us and then that, we are not the same.
That living water is the love of God. That love that wants to heal everything, that wants to get inside you to be able to heal your wounds. Surrender to him, tell God without fear that he calms you, that he disturbs you, that he makes you suffer, because he is there, next to you, sitting in the well, waiting for you to go to him.
Lent is misunderstood. It is not a moment where you change for an instant, but what about the rest of the year? God, in Lent wants us to seek him and convert from heart. So, what or what are the messages that God wants to give us during Lent?
- May we allow ourselves to be found by God, just as the Samaritan woman did.
- Do not seek to walk beside God with the flock, allow him to hold you like one of his sheep, and finally,
- Let us be led home (the Father’s house).
How did God heal the Samaritan woman? With the purest and simplest religion that exists: Christianity. God is the father, and this means that God is love, and God must be adored, spiritually and with sincerity; A sincere and open relationship with God, letting ourselves be loved by our Lord, that is all of religion, there is nothing else.
Men are the ones who have invented norms, manners, texts, names (Christians, Evangelicals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, among others), fighting for things as absurd as the “true name of God”, how we celebrate Mass, and believe have the absolute truth, when the only absolute, universal and irrefutable truth is that God loves us all equally and seeks to have a relationship with us.
God asks us to share with others the joy of having a spiritual mother and father. Let us acclaim our brothers that God is our Father and the Blessed Virgin Mary is our Mother. To understand it, it is very simple.
If God is our Father, then everyone else is my brother. And if I am loved, the logical thing is that I also love others. That should be our only religion, simple, only we insist on making it so complicated, when God is as simple as water.
The greatest proof that God loves us is that while we were sinners he sent his son to die for us. So, feel loved and do not doubt that God is always with you. He allows him to fill your voids and let the waves of his love come over you. Look for silence, and in that silence, be honest with God.
Jesus and the Samaritan woman: The disciples of Jesus had returned with the food, and they saw the teacher Jesus and the Samaritan woman talking, however, they did not ask any questions, and the woman retired to her town.
When he got there, he told the men what he had just experienced and invited them to go to the well, because apparently he had run into Jesus, the messiah, and they did so.
The men of her town obeyed the Samaritan woman because she inadvertently evangelized others, telling her testimony and telling them that they should go meet that man because he had told her everything she had done, and seeing her joyful and not bitter, It was reason enough to run to meet the messiah, who evangelized them for two continuous days.
The disciples were trying to get Jesus to try something, but he refused and told them (here is another lesson) that he had a “food” that they did not know, this “food” was that the will of his father be fulfilled, who had sent him and put an end to his mission.
When a person has had an intimate encounter with Jesus, they no longer need pond water, that is, worldly pleasures (sexual pleasures), but rather continue to know him and listen to his word.
The prophet Jeremiah spoke to us about “cracked wells”, which do not retain water, and that is why they leave life “drier”. And he wondered why he hadn’t met Jesus before? Instead of living in cracked wells.
In Jesus and the Samaritan Woman , we can clearly see the steps of conversion. First of all, God sits at the well and appears in front of the Samaritan woman, and it is he who presents himself (initially) as a needy person and asks her to give him some water.
Saint Augustine says: “We would never have found God, if God had not found us first”. This is what is known theologically as “grace.” Grace is an undeserved favor, this leads us to the next question:
What merit then did that woman have for Jesus to have approached her and that she was also the first, according to the Gospel of Saint John, to whom Jesus was revealed as a messiah?
Actually, there was nothing special about it. Something that we must understand is that everything that happens with us in our conversion into grace, many times the Lord went to find us when we were looking for water from the puddle, far from him, and perhaps, we have even answered him in a bad way, but Jesus always knows how to make use of any circumstance, and this is what is called grace.
When the person feels that grace, he feels great joy, and then he feels the desire to share it. We are no longer afraid to tell our testimony of how the Lord has changed our lives.
Sometimes we puff up our chests saying that it was we who have found Jesus, but it is always Jesus who finds us. God is the protagonist of this story, not us, we are his servants, his children, who must worship and obey him.
God is the one who provokes conversion, it is God who provokes the water of eternal life, and that water of eternal life we now understand as receiving the holy spirit by those who believe in him.
In the Catholic Church, there are many who do not evangelize, and even if they are highly religious and committed, if they do not evangelize it is because they have not experienced an authentic encounter with God, and therefore, there has not been a true conversion.
So the person may be very religious, but he is not converted. The Pharisees, for example, were very religious, the Pharisees, they knew the writing from head to toe, they even did many good works, but they were not converted, because their hearts had not changed.
If we do not experience a personal encounter with God, then we have not yet received the water of eternal life from the holy spirit, and the holy spirit is the only one that heals, that cleanses, that has the ability to change our minds and hearts. Understanding this is very important, both on a personal level and communicating it.
Communicating it is the sign that confirms that we have received the grace of the Holy Spirit. Feeling the need to communicate what we have experienced, how we have changed, and wanting to help others so that Jesus too finds them, knows him, glorifies him, adores him and follows him.
If we have important people we must communicate with them and talk to them about God and his work in us, however, we must be prepared for them to respond with contempt, anger or rejection, as the Samaritan woman did with Jesus. But our duty is to continue.
Part of living this conversion is learning to personify ourselves. We all have a past, no one escapes from it, much less can we change it, but what we can do is forgive ourselves and allow ourselves a new opportunity to transform our lives and do things differently.
How can we know if we haven’t forgiven ourselves yet? Because we continually live reproaching ourselves for what has already happened, when God tells us clearly in his writing, in Jeremiah 43:25 that we would not remember any of our sins, however, we remember every day, every hour, every moment, and we reproach ourselves over and over again.
If the Samaritan woman had not forgiven herself, she would not have been transformed. God, he doesn’t care about our sins, he doesn’t judge us, and what really matters to him is that we love him, that we are willing to change, to be and act differently and show him our love and devotion.
God is interested in our trust and love towards him, not our past, so why do we insist on punishing ourselves for it? Let us forgive ourselves with joy, and with that same joy, let us share our testimony, let us evangelize others.
The Lord left Judea and went again to Galilee
Jesus and the Samaritan woman : Jesus, at the beginning of his ministry, had been in Judea for a long time, and this is not what we say, this information is revealed and was compiled by three other gospels.
During the time that Jesus was in Judea, Saint John the Baptist, together with the other disciples of Jesus, dedicated themselves to baptizing all those Israelites who decided to repent from the heart and wanted to follow the path of Jesus. It is important to note that Jesus evangelized, but did not baptize, this was the task of his disciples.
With the passage of time and the increase of its believers, the inevitable happened: the Pharisees heard that there was a man named Jesus whom everyone spoke of and affirmed that he was the messiah, the son of God, of a God they called real.
At that time, Jesus did baptize people, it is even said that he baptized more Israelites than all his disciples together, including Saint John the Baptist.
Needless to say, this situation inevitably came to the Pharisees, however, that was part of God’s will, part of the mission that God had entrusted to his only begotten son.
This situation was commented on with some concern, since the Pharisees did not accept any god that was not part of their belief, in addition, the popularity that Jesus was gaining was becoming more and more noticeable and was generating too many changes, the main one, the conversion of many Israelites, and of course, this was unacceptable.
No Jewish or Pharisee leader had taken in a good way the popularity gained by this supposed messiah and one of his disciples: Saint John the Baptist. His influence on the town was so great that they only generated anger and concern among these supposed “religious leaders.”
This evangelization that Jesus and his disciples were achieving was only the beginning of the plan and the will of his father, almighty and merciful God. Jn 1: 25-27 tells us that Jesus himself had said that someone more powerful than he was about to reveal himself to all his people and would demonstrate his power and what he was capable of.
Not surprisingly, this was an immediate alarm to the Pharisees and other religious leaders, for until now, they had not known a god or gods that were more powerful than the ones they knew and worshiped.
It is clear that the concern of the Pharisees and other religious leaders came from their hearts, because deep down, they perfectly understood that the popularity and believers of Jesus and of this new God would make them lose the control they had over their people. His popularity and influence in his people was threatened by a man, apparently the same as another, but ultimately, they knew that he was a true prophet, they knew that Jesus was the true son of God and that his words were not in vain.
In view of this fear of men and that he knew what it would entail. Jesus, he decides to leave Judea, the reason? Jesus knew that if he stayed in that place, a confrontation between the Jewish leaders, the Pharisees and his disciples, believers and himself would be inevitable, and this was not the time.
It was not at that moment, when that confrontation should take place, which would represent the first step to fulfill the will of God. Jesus, in his wisdom, prefers to withdraw from Judea, but not before having evangelized almost all the people. Of course, there were people who still didn’t believe, especially the women.
In reality, the issue with women was a little different, because many, although they believed, did not show it, since they had to submit to their husbands and their belief, and under no circumstances should they question them, or reveal themselves, for what before After leaving, Jesus decided to go in the company of Mary Magdalene and his other disciples to profess to a village where women abounded.
At first, they only murmured about Jesus, the messiah, they had recognized him just by seeing him, but Jesus, Mary Magdalene and his disciples continued with a firm step. And they began to prophesy to all the women of the village.
Of course, at first they were afraid, doubtful and did not understand how while the men kept them down, this man, and even another woman told them that they could be free if they wanted to.
The presence and participation of Mary Magdalene in this episode was vital in getting most of the women (if not all) to take an important step and become free, follow their hearts and listen carefully to Jesus.
After a few hours, most of these women ask Mary Magdalene to baptize them in the name of that God whom, although they do not know, they believe in him. And Mary Magdalene, with the permission of her teacher, her Jesus baptized these women for hours in the name of the father, the son and the holy spirit.
Jesus, Mary Magdalene and his disciples then retire to the mountains to appreciate their people one last time before continuing. Although they know that part of their work is done, they must continue before they return there and the inevitable showdown ensues.
To get to Galilee, they had to go through Samaria. Jesus, tired from the road, sat down like this by the well and a while later, at noon to be more exact, a woman appeared with buckets to draw water. This woman was, the Samaritan woman.
With the woman at the well
Before going into the matter and analyzing this biblical episode in depth, it is important to highlight an aspect about the Samaritans. The first thing is to understand your geographical location.
In the New Testament or in any atlas of this we will notice that in those times when Jesus inhabited the land that we currently know as Palestine, it was divided into three large regions: Judea, on the south side, Galilee, on the north side, and Samaria, which was in the central zone, that is, in the middle of both.
The second aspect that we will highlight is that these “divisions” were not only at a geographical level, but also at the level of their cultures, beliefs and religions. In fact, the extremely notorious and marked differences both culturally and religiously between Jews, Galileans and Samaritans.
For example, the origin of the Samaritans comes from the fact that many Jews began to mix with people of different cultures, races and nationalities. The history of the Samaritans and their origin can be found in 2 Kings 17:24-41. Beyond the cultural mix, each of them had different practices and different gods that they worshiped in each of their cultures.
These verses tell us a story that begins when the King of Assyria, after conquering the north of the kingdom, wanted to get rid of the Israelites by bringing people from Jamat, Babylon, Sepharvayin, Ava and Cuta to his people.
His intention was, according to him, that they inhabit the region of Samaria, remember? It was the same Palestine but divided into three regions. At first, when these people from different cities were just settling down, they refused to worship God, they continued to worship other gods and as a punishment, God sent them packs of lions that wreaked havoc in the region.
Desperate, they send the news to the King of Assyria, but not even he was able to understand why all this was happening? His only response was that he did not know what they were trying to say to him in the face of such a massacre.
In an attempt to resolve this situation and “please” his false gods, he deported scores of Jews to his lands. Among these people who had been returned to their country, they had captured several priests, however, one of them caught the attention of the King and demanded that he return and teach his people to worship God.
After some time, the Jews returned to Babylon and began to rebuild temples, and then the city. The curious thing is that the inhabitants of Samaria were the ones who opposed these works, a bit absurd, right? (Ezra 4).
As expected, each culture, despite the fact that they had learned to worship God, continued with their own practices and worship of their cultures, worshiping false doses, in other words, defying God.
Each city established some gods in which to believe, and placed each of these in their respective places of “worship” where they even made sacrifices to “worship” them.
The inhabitants of the city of Babylon made Sucot-benot, the inhabitants of the city of Hamath built Asima, and those of Cuta raised a temple to Nergal.
For their part, the inhabitants of the city of Sepharvaim burned their own children and offered them as sacrifices in fire to worship the gods Adramelech, Serafin and Anamelech. The inhabitants of the city of Aveos worshiped rather the gods Tartac and Nibhaz.
They imagine? Palestine, divided into three regions, and furthermore, each sticks to its own culture, beliefs and Gods. This of course unleashed the wrath of God.
They said they feared Jehovah, as they used to call him, they built temples on the highest mountains where they sacrificed their own children, honored gods according to their own culture, and despite all that they dared to say that they feared God (for them Jehovah) .
It was only a matter of time before they built temples to worship false gods and forgot the covenant they had made with Jesus. They built the temple of Gerizim, although they also claimed to have accepted the revelation of Moses, however, they completely rejected the texts of the Old Testament.
Jews and Samaritans did not relate to each other and in Jn 4:9 we can see why. And these differences were not only cultural, in fact, their non-treatment between these cities was due to a hatred that had taken over their hearts and prevented them from seeing others as their brothers.
Their mutual hatred was so great that Jn 8:48 tells us that the Jews believed they had insulted Jesus by calling him a Samaritan, and accused him of having a demon within him. They said this as a result of his ignorance and of not believing that Jesus was the son of God, but instead attributed his powers, miracles and works to a demon.
However, Jesus, always with sweet and wise words, answered them saying: that no demon lived in him, that his power came from someone more powerful than him (God the Father Almighty) and that he was only fulfilling the will and the mission that had been entrusted to him.
Even, as a result of their ignorance, they ended up throwing stones at Jesus for glorifying himself, and according to them, believing himself to be more than his father Abraham.
Logically, this attitude was not exclusive to the Jews, the Samaritans received the Jews with insults when they crossed their region.
As men, we are not very tolerant with those who do not share our beliefs and it is not a current weakness, we can confirm that this has been the case since the beginning of time.
There is a specific event that we cannot miss, and that is that one day Jesus decided to send his disciples to a village that was in Samaria to prepare some preparations, however, the Samaritans refused to receive them because they looked like ” come from Jerusalem.”
The Gospel of Lk 9:51-56 tells us that the disciples felt offended and let themselves be carried away, demanding that their master Jesus call for fire to fall from heaven and consume the Samaritans, but Jesus lectured them, reminding them that man came to save the Samaritans. the souls of other men and not to judge and lose them, so they simply decided to go to another town.
The tension between Jews and Samaritans was such that if a Jew wanted to go from Judea to Galilee, he had to cross the Jordan River, then go around Perea to the north side, where he finally had to cross it again and thus be able to reach Galilee.
Obviously, this was not the fastest path, nor the shortest, but it was the only way they had to avoid crossing Samaria without generating any kind of problems, unpleasant or hostile situations.
Understanding all this, now yes, let’s get down to business. You had commented at the beginning that Jesus, together with his disciples, to avoid confrontation with religious leaders and Pharisees, decided to withdraw to Galilee.
Of course, getting there meant having to cross Samaria, or skirt the river, reach the north and go through the “normal” process like any other Jew. But Jesus did not act like an ordinary Jew, but what was his motivation then? Why didn’t he cross the river and avoid conflict? Why did he insist on going through Samaria?
Jesus, as teacher, son of God and messiah, knew that it was necessary to go through Samaria to achieve something great there. He had a clear mission, so it had to be done despite being aware of how they would be received.
This attitude of Jesus shows us that part of that need had a greater intention capable of being understood by men. This decision was part of the divine mission that his father had entrusted to him and that this Samaritan woman especially required.
Jesus, tired of the journey, sat thus by the well
Jesus along with his disciples arrived at what some believe may have been the city of Shechem. Let’s say in a general way that they were in Samaria, in a city of this called Sychar.
A curious fact that Gen 33:18-19 reveals to us is that Jacob, son of Isaac and Rebekah, had bought a piece of land near Shechem, and in fact, the remains of Joseph were buried on that same piece of land (Jos 24:32). so it is assumed that the “exact” or most logical region where Jesus would have arrived with his disciples was Shechem.
However, there is no way to check this so far. There is no absolute certainty that the city of Sychar was actually the city of Shechem, so it is just a theory. To prove or disprove this, a new investigation by archaeologists would be necessary and for them to advance their previous investigations.
Leaving the theories a bit, let’s go to the facts. It is said that Jesus sat down at the well to rest from the long journey. It is said that he was probably more tired than his disciples, so he sat at the well while his disciples went to buy food.
Another reason why Jesus decided to stay sitting at the well was because he knew that the Samaritan woman would come and he preferred to approach her alone so that she would not feel fearful or singled out among so many men.
The effort at a spiritual level to teach, and above all, to heal others should not be easy at all, which is why Jesus exhausted himself much more than his disciples. However, this shows us that the human nature of Jesus was real.
He, like any of his disciples or anyone else, felt hunger, thirst, cold, pain, sadness, joy… And of course, exhaustion, despite this, he remained firm in the will that the father had entrusted to him and endured all humiliation and agony to save us.
It is quite interesting that the sacred word, the holy bible, or the gospel, as you prefer to call it, shows us on different and repeated occasions (especially the gospel of Saint John) the human nature of Jesus, the son of God.
Just as he shows us his miracles, works and divine nature from the father, he also shows us his human nature and reactions. Some examples of it:
Jn 11:35 when Jesus wept at the tomb of his good friend Lazarus.
Jn 12:27 the soul of Jesus was disturbed to feel that his death on the cross was approaching
Jn 13:21 tells us that Jesus was devastated by the betrayal of one of his most beloved apostles: Judas.
Jn 19:28 tells us that Jesus felt thirsty when he was on the cross
Let’s see another curious and relevant fact to the biblical episode. Jesus, tired from the journey, asks his disciples to go buy food while he rests a bit at the well. Of course, there is nothing divine or inexplicable about this, but we tried to show that he was a human being in the fullest sense of the word.
As we go into the in-depth analysis of Jesus and the Samaritan woman, we will progressively include many of the miracles that Jesus performed, for example, the well-known “multiplication of loaves and fishes” that he performed before a crowd that was suffering from hunger due to the shortage of these.
The million dollar question is, why didn’t Jesus perform a similar miracle if they were hungry? Instead of sending the disciples to the city for food. The answer to this is that God does not perform miracles to satisfy his own needs, he wanted to experience in his own flesh every human difficulty and need.
It is for this way of acting that Jesus was so admired and followed, because despite being able to perform miracles, he preferred to live as his people and suffer the same needs as his people.
Jesus teaches us that we must live with humility, and learn to do things for ourselves, not expect someone else, in this case Jesus, to solve their lives and satisfy all their needs with his miracles. The miracles, he performed them to demonstrate the power and glory of the father of him almighty and eternal God, and that then they could follow him and believe in this God of the Jews.
A woman came to draw water
Perhaps, from our human and limited nature, the first thought that comes to mind and offers us a reason why Jesus remained sitting at the well was that “he was exhausted from the long journey”. However, Jesus is very wise, and in fact, he had deeper plans in mind.
Let’s go step by step. First, why had Jesus decided to go through Samaria knowing all the conflicts and mistreatment that this would entail? The answer, he knew from this Samaritan woman who needed him. Of course, her divine nature allowed her to even know the exact time the woman would go to the well for water and quench her thirst.
It is said that noon, or the sixth hour as described in the Gospel, was not the best time to go to the well for water, due to the sun being so strong that it was perceived. However, this woman decided to go at that time because she knew that no one else would, in addition to the fact that as a Samaritan (“husband stealer”) she was a woman singled out and judged, in addition to her always bitter and hateful attitude towards other members of the the community did not help her.
Another reason why the woman decided to go at that time was to think and have a moment for herself and talk with God. In the midst of her stillness, of that solitude, she could commune with him. Evidently, she had not known the true God, even more so if she had knowledge of his word. In fact, everyone in her town was waiting for the arrival of this messiah to guide them.
Beyond the reason of the Samaritan woman or the intention of Jesus, the important thing about all this is that in one way or another, both should coincide that day, at that time, and it should be without interruptions or distractions.
This is how we begin the meeting of Jesus and the Samaritan woman. This biblical episode shows us how Jesus in a simple way manages to convert each one of his faithful. Approaching Jacob’s well, this woman realizes that there is a man who is sitting on it, of Jewish appearance, so she quietly dedicates herself to drawing water from the well.
Jesus speaks to her and shows need, the surprised woman listens as Jesus tells her, everything she has done throughout her life, although she is somewhat embarrassed, she is sincere with Jesus and confesses that she leads a life of sin. Jesus firmly, but without judging her, shows her spiritual lack, creates the need for a new consciousness and answers without haste and frankly to each one of the doubts that distressed her spirit.
Finally, he reveals that he is the messiah, the son of God and the one who would save the world. He was that Jesus that everyone talks about, and after such a revelation and having explained to her in great detail all his sins, she surrendered to him and believed in what Jesus told her.
Jesus said to her: Give me a drink
That hot day, the Samaritan woman had no idea of the plan that God, through her son Jesus, had for her. The Samaritan woman would never have imagined that what she thought would be a normal day would end in a not at all casual encounter that would totally and completely change her life.
Jesus seeks to break the ice to give rise to the conversation with the Samaritan woman showing himself as a needy and thirsty man. This made her feel important, first, because a man took her into account, and second, because she was the one who had the means (pots / buckets) to obtain water from the well.
Something that we must highlight is the ease, humility and sweetness with which Jesus was able to approach any man or woman, regardless of whether he or she had committed the most heinous sins. Jesus did not seek to dazzle or stand out from the crowd by his miracles, but rather, he was a teacher, trying to show that despite power we must be humble and obedient to our father.
He knew perfectly well that he should not act arrogantly, or like the religious leaders and Pharisees, who only boasted of themselves, were arrogant, despots and lived humiliating and despising anyone who “did not measure up to them”, these people, they were mostly his own people.
If Jesus had acted like them or the false prophets, very likely, when approaching the Samaritan woman, he would have pointed her out or judged her, and she would have left, with a more broken heart, humiliated and with a harder armor in her heart. .
But God, who knows everything and can do everything, and is also very wise, knows that he must approach us with sweetness, love and mercy, listen to us, and little by little we fall in love, just as he did with the Samaritan woman.
Let us then remember the episode expressed in Heb 12:18-21 when God manifests himself to his people of Israel on Mount Sinai and everyone, without exception, was amazed at his glory and trembled with fear before his power.
Jesus, however, had an advantage over his father. By showing you as weak as any other human being, despite the fact that he had committed serious sins, it allowed him to approach under the guise of a man, so he did not frighten the person who required him.
Jesus had asked the Samaritan woman to give him a drink, but Jesus was a Jew, and she was a Samaritan, and we must remember that they did not get along at all, in fact, they despised each other. So, what would be the motivation for giving your “enemy” water to drink?
How can you, being a Jew, ask me for a drink, a Samaritan woman?
Jesus and the Samaritan woman: Continuing with this biblical episode, the woman asks Jesus, how is it possible that being Jewish (and pure) he asks her for water, who is a Samaritan woman (a woman rejected)?
It is not illogical to think that the woman felt confused, since Jesus had just broken with all kinds of conventionalism imposed by men. First, Jesus was a man and she was a woman. Second, she was a Samaritan and he was a Jew, and third, the conventions of the culture forbade any contact between a Jewish rabbi and a woman.
But God made flesh, was in this world to break any rule or convention that generated distances between men, for him, all were his brothers and came from the same source: The Father.
Neither Jesus nor God recognize any type of border, enmity or division between men, because they know that every man needs to be saved regardless of their race, skin color, religion, sex, or any other “difference” they may have. We are all children of God, and as such, God will always be willing to listen to us and deal with us despite our differences.
That is why, although Samaritans and Jews did not treat each other, Jesus treated them all, and equally. The first woman who had the fortune to verify that not all Jews were the same, that some were open to treating them with respect and without insults, was Jesus. Despite her respect and good treatment, the Samaritan woman was not able to please Jesus by giving her a drink, as she had asked.
If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you: Give me a drink…
Jesus was not bothered that the woman refused to do so, evidently, she was confused, and Jesus was prepared for her to treat him in a distrustful, distant and even bad way. Ignoring this, Jesus decides to continue the conversation with the Samaritan woman by telling her that he could give her some water that would quench her thirst and she would no longer need to go back to the well for more water.
Then, Jesus began to speak to her about the “living water” and the joy of receiving the grace of the Holy Spirit through it with a somewhat mysterious and reflective tone, by using this tone, he invites the Samaritan woman to want to know more and continue to listen carefully.
Let us imagine for a moment that we are the Samaritan woman, and we find ourselves face to face with Jesus (without knowing that he is the messiah and savior of all of us), and suddenly, he tells us about a living water that can quench our thirst, the gift of God, the grace of the holy spirit, what would they ask him?
Perhaps, what does this gift and gift of God mean? How is it that this living water can quench our thirst? Who is the holy spirit? What does it mean to receive grace from him? And much more. Normally, no one offers anything without wanting something in return. We have learned to distrust others, especially if they break with all socially accepted regulations.
We cannot imagine how confused this woman could feel, in the presence of Jesus. Furthermore, as if it were not enough that he had asked her for water, being a woman, and then offered her living water, he continues with an even stranger phrase, he tells her: If she knew who was really asking her for water, she would be the one I’d beg for some of this.
Obviously, at this point, the Samaritan woman had not the slightest idea that the one she had refused to give a drink was the very messiah everyone was talking about in her town. Had she known, she probably would have acted differently. But God, with his infinite goodness, decides to give such a gift to this sinful woman and pointed out by all, can you imagine such happiness?
You would ask him, and he would give you living water
Jesus had granted the Samaritan woman to calm one of her needs, however, she refused because she did not know who she was dealing with, and perhaps she felt confused and fearful at the request of that mysterious man.
If we analyze it objectively and with a cool head, we will realize that many times, we act like the Samaritan woman, suspicious and fearful of who is offering us an invaluable gift.
Sometimes, we deny God even though he seeks us out and insists on getting closer to us. While he approaches with sweetness, love and without expecting anything in return, we reproach him, we move away and claim him.
God is always sitting in our well, waiting for us to talk with him, give him a drink, open our hearts and be willing to love, adore and glorify him, because he has given us life and only he knows the desires of our hearts. and that quiets our mind, which is that, that constantly robs us of sleep.
When we are restless, we see life as a punishment, as a heavy burden, as if everything we lived through was misfortune, it is a clear sign that we have not been in a true and authentic disposition to receive God and that he dwells in our hearts, and with the grace of the holy spirit cleanse us from within, heal our wounds and produce a real change in our lives.
It is important to note that the living water that Jesus offers to each of his children, although it is accessible to anyone, only those who ask from this pure and unlimited spring will be able to drink from it.
Jacob’s well, in addition to being immense, was constantly filled with rainwater, this water was good and clean, but it did not compare with the living water that Jesus offered to the Samaritan woman.
The water from the well was similar to an immense and limited cistern, dependent on the rain, and although it has good water, living water is fresh water, abundant, infinite water, and it flows constantly and unlimitedly from the purest spring that exists: God. Also, this living water is special because it offers us infinite blessings that never end and eternal life.
The woman said to him: Lord, you have nothing to take her out with
Something that is very clear is that that Samaritan woman could not understand the immensity of the gift that Jesus offered her at that moment. She, from her spiritual immaturity, could not understand the language that the master Jesus was using with her.
Of course, he was also ignorant of the fact that he was not talking to just any man, but he was talking to the son of God, the messiah, the king of kings, the savior of the world and of all men who dwell on earth. To her, this man was nothing more than a thirsty Jew, needy, exhausted and with nothing to enable him to draw water from the well and thus quench her thirst.
Women, at that time, especially the Samaritans, were not only rejected, singled out and judged, but also were not taken into account. They were to submit to the will of her men, if they contradicted or rebelled in any way, then who was she? What was so special about her? And more importantly, what would she offer him? If she didn’t have anything either. The most valuable thing she believed she possessed was her body.
Her ignorance did not allow her to realize that she had all the resources to quench the thirst of that man, who, in reality, was the son of God made flesh, and showing himself to her humble, tired and in need of a little water.
The most important thing in Jesus and the Samaritan woman is not whether Jesus needed the woman, or whether the woman needed Jesus, the most important thing in all of this was what they could see in each other and perceive about themselves.
In the case of the Samaritan woman, she did not see Jesus as a savior or as the messiah, she was limited to seeing a man in need, without any means to get water from Jacob’s well and quench her need: thirst. And she saw herself as worthless or without any resources to help that man.
On the other hand, Jesus knew exactly what this Samaritan woman needed. That she was an empty and bitter woman, tired of so much rejection and whose only value (according to her) was her body. Jesus, he could clearly see that she was endowed with the necessary resources to be able to help him quench her thirst, however, her spiritual immaturity, her ignorance and her self-perception did not allow him to see beyond. and recognize the true value of it.
Just as the woman rejected Jesus, many times, we act when we refuse to believe that God offered the life of his own son, of his only begotten son so that he would die on the cross for us, to save us. When Jesus was on the cross, dying, tortured, he had been inhumanly treated and mistreated, and he only asked for a little water because he was thirsty (Jn 19:28) the men who had hurt him did nothing but mock him and give him gall and vinegar.
However, in the end, when Jesus dies after a long agony and the sky thunders with all its might as a sign of God’s pain at seeing his son die in this way, these men understood that they had made a mistake. That they had killed the son of God. That he was not just another man and that everything that had come from his lips was the truth.
When it was too late, men understood that they had committed the greatest of sins, and although they repented, it was too late. Jesus, before he died, asked his father to forgive them because they did not know what they were doing, after that, he breathed his last breath and his body surrendered, but his spirit was more alive never.
Three days passed, after that bitter and painful day, but Jesus, his teacher, had risen, and asked Mary Magdalene, another woman from “the bad life” according to other men, had been chosen by him to reveal to all his disciples and people of God, who had not died, who was alive, because he had risen from the dead.
You may be wondering, what preference does Jesus have with sinful women with bad lives? The truth is that none. Simply that these women, despite having made many mistakes and believing that satisfaction and happiness are obtained through carnal pleasures, when true satisfaction is found in letting God dwell in our hearts.
God, father, son and holy spirit do not require us to be perfect, they are not interested in our past or our sins. The important thing for them is that we are willing to change, that we surrender to them, that we fear their greatness and power.
Jesus reveals himself to these women for different reasons. Before the Samaritan woman because he needs it and besides, she would be the proof that Jesus was among them. Going from being a bitter woman, hurt and with hatred towards others, to share with others her experience with happiness and joy, was a sign that God had really worked in her.
In the case of Mary Magdalene, Jesus reveals himself to her first because despite her past, she had shown greater devotion, love and fear of God. He had really shown that he had changed and was not afraid to go out and see Jesus in the tomb, while the fearful disciples did nothing but hide for fear of ending up the same way, suffering and then dying on the cross, as It had happened with his teacher.
Even in these current times, sometimes we continue to act like the disciples, with fear and hiding, and even denying God as our lord and savior. Denying Christ, as living water, and source of eternal life. We feel independent and self-sufficient, that we are capable of achieving things on our own merits.
There are others, who are perhaps worse than the previous ones, because they recognize that they need God, but nevertheless, they have such a high level of self-centeredness and self-flattery that they believe that as human beings they are doing God an immense favor, by submit to his will or by following his example. In either case, both possess great ignorance and spiritual immaturity.
We, as human beings, whether we want to accept and recognize it or not, we will always need God, his word, his guidance, the strength he can give us in difficult times, the hope he offers us through his word. , and of the calm, that it gives us in the most stormy moments. So don’t deny him, and surrender to him, accept him, repent from your heart and always keep yourself in a ready attitude to receive and adore him.
Art thou greater than our father Jacob?
The Samaritan woman seemed to have finally understood the greatness and power of that man who was in front of her and who was also in need. Perhaps, she felt fear and that is why she was defensive, asking him if he was bigger than her father Jacob, who had also built the well in which all her children and cattle had quenched her thirst. .
The Samaritan woman, I do not hesitate for a moment in making the comparison between Jesus and Jacob, and obviously, placing him as an inferior being before him.
This Samaritan woman could not understand who this young and Jewish man was who apparently believed himself to be more powerful than Jacob and offered him living water, eternal life and a God she did not know. Who was that man she said and also with such certainty that he was more powerful than the sons who descended from Ephraim and Manasseh.
For the Samaritans, Jacob represented the “father” of an entire Jewish nation, the recognition and respect towards him was quite great, so where did this man come from who proclaimed himself more powerful than Jacob? How was he able to claim such a thing?
Deep down he knew that this man was not lying, but he continued to have thousands of doubts in his heart.
Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again.
The forceful and sure answer that Jesus had offered to the Samaritan woman had made her understand that this man was speaking the truth, and now, she had no doubt that he was even greater and more powerful than Jacob.
The first thing that God decides to show this Samaritan woman is that the water from the well, although it is good, will never quench their thirst. Why? Because this water is like material goods. No matter how many material goods we have, they will never be enough, we will always need more to try to fill our gaps, in this case, those gaps would be “thirst”.
Jacob was just a man like everyone else, and the only thing he was capable of offering others from his human nature was objects and material things, but nothing more. The material, like well water, makes us thirsty, leaves us wanting more, but never fully satisfies us.
Instead, the living water of Jesus quenches our thirst at once, changes us, cleanses us, purifies us, it does not renew. He offers us a different “water”, which also gives us eternal life, and makes us feel full, full, full of joy.
Life today is based on materialism, consumerism and competing to see who has more and thus show our “power”, however, we fail again and again by trying to fill our voids with things.
At this point, the woman then began to change her thoughts and wonder if she was really happy and satisfied with the life she had led up to now, if carnal pleasures were offering her that happiness that she longed for so much, why everything? time was restless, bitter and hated others so much? Among many other things.
But whoever drinks the water that I will give him will never thirst.
Jn 7:37-39 tells us that Jesus had stood up and told everyone that whoever was thirsty should come to him and drink. And whoever believed in him and in his word within him would flow an infinite fountain of this living water. We are fortunate that his promise, even today, is still valid.
Lord, give me that water, so that I won’t be thirsty, nor come here to get it
Jesus had finally made the woman curious and wanted to know more about this living water and grace of the holy spirit that this messiah was talking about. However, she still did not understand the language that Jesus was using to refer to water not as something physical, but as a spiritual concept. This shows us that when we are spiritually immature, not even Jesus himself explaining it to us will we be able to understand his message.
Jesus said to her: Go, call your husband, and come here
Suddenly, the teacher Jesus radically changes the conversation and asks the Samaritan woman to call her husband and then return to the well. Was his presence really necessary? The truth is, no. Simply, Jesus wanted to test whether or not she would answer him honestly.
Having an intimate encounter with God does not require more than our willingness and open heart for it. Although the person is married (which was not the case of the Samaritan woman), the presence of our husband or wife, or spouse is not necessary to be able to converse with God and ask him to help us.
The purpose that God often has for us we fail to understand, that is why, before being able to receive the gifts and grace of the Holy Spirit and enjoy the blessings that God offers us, it is important to repent and accept that we have sinned, that we have wrong, and we beg your forgiveness.
The Samaritan woman, like any of us, had accounts to render to God, that is why Jesus reveals all her sins and lifestyle, because this represented the greatest burden for this woman, and as God says to Through his word, we should leave the past in the past and not think about it anymore. And the failure of her marriage and her adulterous life were the greatest causes of pain and the great emptiness of this woman.
His life was an easy book for Jesus to understand, so he could not in any way answer him with lies, but rather by repenting for his painful and painful truth. Jesus used this as a device to show him that his need for forgiveness and purification was immense.
The woman answered and said: I have no husband.
The Samaritan woman confessed before the son of God saying: “I have no husband”, repentant, ashamed and afraid of being exposed and judged once again. Jesus admired her response, because she was being honest, although halfway, because in reality, she had shared her body with several men, and at that moment, she shared it with another, with whom she also had no formal relationship, simply, it was a relationship sexual.
When the person begins to feel shame and guilt, when he recognizes his mistakes and accepts his sins, then it is when Jesus works, personifies us and heals us. Jesus, he is like a doctor for us, so when we feel bad, where do we go? To the doctor, and who is the only “doctor” capable of healing our spirit? Jesus! (Luke 5:31-32).
This woman was so deeply hurt that, beyond her life in sin, her bitterness and sadness were a consequence of her continuous failures in matters of love and marriage. The rejection of her neighbors, her remarks, all that tormented her, made her feel bad about herself, therefore, she tried to forget all this by sharing her body, but none of this worked.
Currently, some actions that previously seemed unthinkable and unforgivable have begun to be taken as “normal” behavior and are even being accepted by society.
For example, it is very common to see unmarried young people living as a couple without being married. People who avoid marriage at all costs, for them, marriage implies loss of freedom and autonomy, when nothing is further from reality. Some others get married and divorced as if it were a change of look.
In reality, many values have been lost, and it is an issue on which we must reflect. Yes, God made us free, but also, he does not want us to live a life of sin, lust and unbridled pleasure. Freedom has become licentiousness, and we cannot and should not accept this as “normal”, much less if we call ourselves Christians.
The woman said to him, Lord, it seems to me that you are a prophet.
The revelation of the woman and her sinful life were the irrefutable proof that this man was much more, he was a prophet, who else could know so many details of his intimate life without even knowing him?
The Samaritan woman could not deny what Jesus had revealed to her about her life, yet she was amazed at it. The Samaritans believed only in the first five books that the bible showed, they called this the Pentateuch,
He 4:13 tells us that, in the eyes of God, who is the only one before whom we must give an account, there is no room for lies, because he created us, he knows us deeply, even better than we can know ourselves, and he knows what is in our heart. God knows, all the good, the bad, and what we have kept quiet with our lips, so before him, our only option is to be honest, repent and implore his forgiveness.
Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you say that in Jerusalem…
As human beings, imperfect and sometimes reluctant to assume our responsibilities, when a truth of such magnitude is revealed to us, we try to deny it, hide it or simply hide it. In the case of the Samaritan woman, she tried to change the conversation by asking Jesus where they should worship the God he was talking about.
You worship what you don’t know
God clearly expresses to us that we should not worship other gods, and claims that many times we worship what we do not even know well. The question is, if there is only one true God, how come there are so many Churches and religions? And furthermore, they all affirm that what they profess is the absolute truth.
What we can say from this is that if we do not know the word of God then we cannot worship him as he wishes.
Because salvation comes from the Jews
It is one thing for God to be compassionate, kind and loving, but like all Fathers, he must be firm in his words when the situation calls for it. In the case of Jesus and the Samaritan woman , he revealed to her that Jerusalem was where God should be worshiped, that is, he had told her head-on that they were wrong and that they were only worshiping pagan gods, and such an act did not it was to his liking. And the savior they were waiting for was not of Samaritan origin, but Jewish.
The woman said to him: I know that the Messiah is coming
Faced with so many revelations, sincerity and firmness, the Samaritan woman trusted more and more that Jesus was the true messiah. Indeed, this became so clear to her that when her disciples finally returned and she withdrew to her town, she joyfully and allergy-ridden invited her town to meet Jesus, the messiah they had hoped for. .
Just then his disciples came, and they marveled that he was talking with a woman
Perhaps, in our current times for a man to converse with a woman is considered normal, but at the time of Jesus, doing this was not even allowed by a husband with his wife. That is why, although the disciples were amazed at such an act, they did not comment to their teacher.
So the woman left her pitcher, and went into the city
The heart of the Samaritan woman was for the first time filled with joy, happiness and love, so she decided to leave her pitcher in the well and run to her town, to tell all her neighbors what she had just experienced, and of course, invite them also to know him, listen to him and follow him.
Come, see a man who has told me all that I have done. Is this not the Christ?
The woman could have exalted herself by saying that she had found the messiah, however, with humility and subtlety, she invited them to meet a man who had revealed to her everything he had done and asked them if this was the Messiah they had heard about. The Samaritan woman had demonstrated her evangelistic gifts, without knowing it. Days later, many became convinced that Jesus was the messiah (Jn 4:42).
Meanwhile, the disciples begged him, saying: Rabbi, eat
If Jesus had asked his disciples, why didn’t he want to eat something later? The reason is that he continually showed them with facts truths about the kingdom and his mission. On this occasion, Jesus does not taste anything and tells his disciples that his food is to fulfill the will of his father. Now we know why it is important to fast.
My food is that I do the will of him who sent me, and that he finish his work
When Jesus preached the word, he fulfilled the will of his father and for him there was no food more divine than this. In reality, when he was evangelizing, Jesus did not feel hungry, thirsty or tired, he only had joy and happiness. Perhaps some do not understand this attitude, and others would like to do the same.
Preaching to the Samaritan woman and then to the rest of her people so that they would follow her was only the first part of the will, what would come later was the most difficult, accepting to surrender to die on the cross.
Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest
Actually, Jesus was not referring to the fields, but rather to the people of Samaria, who were already ready, and were willing to follow him, seek him and listen to him like ears of wheat ripe for the harvest.
So that the one who sows may enjoy together with the one who reaps
God speaks to us about those who sow, referring to the prophets, who must be strong and prepare to preach and be rejected by foolish ears, and be able to generate renewed consciences.
Those who sow have an important job, although apparently they “lose” the grains, without them, we would not be able to see sowing.
Those who reap are those who collect the joyful fruits. They know that every effort is rewarded in the end.
And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in him because of the word of the woman
Jesus had made his “sowing” in that Samaritan woman, and the disciples had to prepare for the great harvest, what? All the Samaritans who were willing to follow them from now on.
Never think that you are too small or insignificant to share your message, preach the word of God. Every act, no matter how small, generates a great impact, and if you sow, you will reap.
And they said to the woman: We no longer believe only because of what you said, because we ourselves have heard, and we know
The testimony of the Samaritan woman was vital in achieving the conversion of her people. They believed for the first time when they saw the amazing changes in the woman, and then, they believed even more when they had a direct encounter with him.
Jesus heals the son of a nobleman
After two long days of preaching to the Samaritans, Jesus and his disciples finally arrive in Galilee. There was a party, however, not everything was joy, because the King’s son was sick.
The King had heard of Jesus and his miracles, so he ran in search of him and prayed that he would heal his son. However, Jesus told him to be calm, that his son was healed. The King believed in his words and when he returned, everyone received him with joy, exclaiming that his son was well and healthy.
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