Marriage Requires Consent, Commitment and Witnesses
There was a long history of division between the Samaritans and the Jews. To the surprise of the disciples (and the religious leaders), Jesus loved people and ministered to people who were not Jews. Conversion to Judaism was not a requirement.
Continuing the conversation with the Samaritan woman, Jesus asked her to go get her husband. This is awkward. Then, Jesus reveals that He knows this woman has a reputation problem. Still (and, as we shall soon see to the chagrin of the religious leaders) Jesus continues to discuss the theological question she asked.
Let’s talk about sex. Can you be accidentally married-in-the-eyes of God by having sex? What is fornication? Adultery? Experience can make us jaded in relationships. In another place, Jesus says, the law allowed divorce because the people had hard-hearts. In this story, Jesus mentions only the misrepresentation of virginity (i.e. fornication) as the only cause for divorce. Adultery? Actually, adultery should be forgiven.
We’ll resume here next time.
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Chapter 8 (Part 2)
RETURNING to Galilee after a trip to Judea, Jesus came, about noon, to the outskirts of the city of Sychar in Samaria near Jacob’s well, situated on the parcel of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
A woman of Samaria came to draw water. To her Jesus said:
“Give me to drink.”
The woman responded:
“How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria?
The Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
Jesus replied:
“If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, ‘Give me to drink,’ thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.”
Not understanding, the woman replied:
“Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?”
Jesus answered:
“Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”
The woman said: “Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.”
Jesus saith unto her,
“Go, call thy husband, and come hither.”
The woman answered saying:
“I have no husband.”
Jesus said:
“Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.”
The astonished woman replied:
“I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”
Jesus replied:
“Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
Marveling at his words, the woman said:
“I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.”
Jesus replied:
“I that speak unto thee am he.”
The disciples returned and marvelled that Jesus was talking with the woman: yet no man questioned him as to his reason. The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and said to the men:
“Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?”
The men left the city and approached Jesus as his disciples were asking him to eat.
Jesus answered:
“I have meat to eat that ye know not of.”
The disciples asked one another:
“Hath any man brought him ought to eat?”
But Jesus answered:
“My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye, ‘There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest’? Behold, I say unto you, ‘Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.’ And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, ‘One soweth, and another reapeth.’ I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.”
Many of the Samaritans believed in him because of what the woman had told them and
they asked them to stay with them.
He remained two days and, during that time, many more came to believe in him because
of his own words. They said unto the woman:
“Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, --the Saviour of the world.”
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John 4:1-42
When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another
reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours. And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. And many more believed because of his own word; And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
