In the first nine verses of the fourth chapter, the Evangelist had provided us with the setting: a public well at Shechem, in the region of Samaria. He mentioned the characters: Christ and a Samaritan woman who came to draw water. He gave the occasion for the encounter: Christ resting at midday during His journey from Judea to Galilee. Next, St. John recounted the teaching Christ gave to the woman (vv. 10-26).

The Samaritan woman was surprised that Christ, a Jew, would speak to her, for devout Jews avoided any social interaction with their Samaritan neighbors. So, she asked Him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jn 4:9). Christ had the appearance of a devout, conservative Jew, perhaps because of His pious demeanor and manner of dress. He probably dressed like Jew, wearing tassels on the corners of His garment. If she had understood His mission, she would not have been so amazed that He spoke to her, for the Son of God became man in order to bestow grace, not only upon Jews, but upon Gentiles as well. He asked her for a drink of water from the well, but He came to give her and all mankind an abundant supply of living water from His eternal wellspring. This living water is the grace of the Holy Spirit.

To her question, He replied, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water” (Jn 4:10). His teaching to her is encapsulated in this statement, and the teaching concerns three things: (1) the gift of living water, (2) our asking for the gift, and (3) the giver of the gift.

1. The gift of living water. Grace is sometimes depicted as fire, sometimes as water. It is called fire for two reasons. First, because it gives rise to fervor for God in the heart, as St. Paul counseled the Romans, “be aglow with the Spirit” (Rom 12:11). Concerning the fervor of pure love, it is written: “Its flashes are flashes of fire, a most vehement flame” (Cant 8:6). Second, grace is called fire because it burns up our sins.

Grace is called water for three reasons. First, because it cleanses the soul of the stain of sin, as the Lord said through the prophet Ezekiel; “I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses” (Ez 36:25). Second, grace is called water because it quenches the heat of temptation, as “Water extinguishes a blazing fire” (Sir 3:30). Third, grace is likened to water because it satisfies our deepest desire. Earthly water slakes the thirst, and material goods satisfy earthly desires for a time, but living water completely satisfies our desire to obtain our ultimate end, which is union with God. “Ho, every one who thirsts, come to the waters” (Is 55:1), that is, to the living waters, to the grace-filled waters, to Christ’s baptism of water and the Holy Spirit.

There are two types of water: non-living and living. Non-living water is not united with the source from which it springs. It is either collected from rain showers or it aggregates in ponds and lakes. But it simply stands there, motionless, separated from its source. Living water, on the other hand, is connected to its source and is always in motion. A flowing river is connected to a running stream, and the stream is connected to a bubbling spring, which is the source of all the water coursing through the stream and the river. The grace of the Holy Spirit is like living water, for when grace is given to a man, the source of the grace, that is, the Holy Spirit, is given along with it. Thus, the Apostle taught that “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us” (Rom 5:5). The Holy Spirit is the spring from Whom all blessings flow. Speaking of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, St. Paul said, “All these are inspired by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills” (1 Cor 12:11). If one truly has a gift of the Holy Spirit, then it is true to say that he has the Holy Spirit Himself. If a man of faith claims to have a gift, but lacks the Spirit, then he does not have living water, but lifeless water. Since living water is in motion, it brings about changes in the objects it touches, whereas non-living water, because it is static, produces no change. A faith without the vivifying effect of living water is unproductive, and an unproductive faith is a lifeless faith, for life begets life, or as St. James said: “faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead” (Jas 2:17). The character of a person’s deeds reveals his true condition, for “the tree is known by its fruit” (Mt 12:33).

2. Our asking for the gift of living water. Adults obtain living water, that is, grace, by asking, as the Psalmist humbly and confidently prayed, “O Lord, thou wilt hear the desire of the meek” (Ps 10:17). Christ instructs us: “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (Mt 7:7-8) Because grace comes to a person by asking for it, Christ said to the woman, “If you knew the gift . . . you would have asked.” God does not give sanctifying grace unless one desires it and asks for it. For this reason, a sinner must have a free will and must make some act of contrition in order to be justified. If one resists grace, he will not receive it, for God will not force it upon a man against his will.

3. The giver of the gift. Two things lead a person to desire grace: knowledge of the good which is desired and knowledge of the giver. Christ offered both to the woman. First, by saying, “If you knew the gift of God,” He made her aware of the good she desired. The “gift of God” is every good which comes from the Holy Spirit. All that we have and all that we are ultimately come from God. The wise man confessed that even his very wisdom comes from God: “I would not possess wisdom unless God gave her to me” (Wis 8:21). Second, when Christ said, “who it is that is saying to you,” He identified Himself as the giver, the One Who was able to give her the gift of grace. This Giver promised to send the gift of the Holy Spirit to His church after He had ascended into to heaven, whence He came (Jn 15:26).

Now that Christ had given a brief overview of His teaching concerning the gift of living water, our asking for the gift, and the giver of the gift, He then proceeded to unfold His teaching step by step in greater detail (vv. 11-26).

The Samaritan woman then challenged Christ’s request to give Him a drink of water: “The woman said to him, ‘Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; where do you get that living water?’” (Jn 4:11) We can interpret this statement both in a literal sense and in a spiritual sense. As to the literal sense, we note two things. First, the woman was carnal, not spiritual. She thought that Christ’s living water could be captured in a bucket. Because she was sensual, she understood in a worldly sense the spiritual goods about which Christ was speaking. St. Paul taught that one must become spiritual in order to receive spiritual gifts: “The unspiritual man does not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor 2:14). Second, the woman pointed out the obvious: “the well is deep,” so deep, in fact, that one could not reach down with one’s hand and scoop out some water. The water of this well, like so many others in that arid region, could not be reached, except by lowering a bucket. But Christ did not have a bucket. Surely she had a bucket, for she came there to draw water for herself (v. 7). She must have assumed that a good Jew would not have wanted to drink from her bucket, lest he be made ritually unclean by using a Gentile’s utensil.

As to the spiritual sense, we can make two additional points. First, the depth of the well signifies the profound depth of Sacred Scripture and of divine wisdom. Qoheleth said of divine wisdom, it is “far from me. That which is, is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?” (Eccl 7:23-24) Second, the bucket represents prayer, for the water of wisdom is reached through prayer, as St. James taught, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him” (Jas 1:5).

“Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?” (Jn 4:12) It was believed that Jacob dug the well where Christ met the Samaritan woman. Since He mentioned “living water,” she wanted to know if His living water was better than the water found in the well which was dug by their forefather Jacob centuries ago. She called Jacob “our father,” because Jews and Samaritans had a common heritage traced back to him. The Samaritans were not blood descendants of Jacob, but rather, they were foreigners whom the king of Assyria compelled to settle in the region after 722 B.C., in order to displace the Jews. However, Samaritans did observe parts of the law of Moses and they lived on the land which Jacob gave to his son Joseph. For these two reasons, they considered Jacob to be their forefather.

Jacob’s well signifies Sacred Scripture in three ways. Consider how the woman praised the well on three counts. First, according to the authority of the one who dug the well: their patriarch Jacob. Hence, she asked Jesus, “Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well?” Second, she attested to the freshness of its water, for Jacob and his sons drank from it. Third, she suggested its abundance when she added that Jacob’s cattle drank from it, too, for only a most abundant supply of water could sate, not only the people, but their thirsty flocks as well. Jacob’s well fittingly signifies Sacred Scripture on all three counts. First, Sacred Scripture has the highest authority, because it was given by the Holy Spirit. Second, Sacred Scripture is delightfully refreshing and satisfying, as the Psalmist proclaimed, “How sweet are thy words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Ps 119:103). Third, Sacred Scripture is exceedingly abundant, for it is given not only to the wise, but to the unlearned as well. Everyone, in fact, can partake of some measure of its wisdom.

Then Jesus explained the difference between earthly water and living water, when He said, “Every one who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.” (Jn 4:13-14a). Living water is like Jacob’s water in that each water quenches. But Christ’s water is greater, because one who partakes of it will never thirst again. Earthly water satisfies physical thirst, but only for a time. Likewise, the man who indulges his sensual appetite and gratifies his concupiscence will soon thirst again, for the desire for pleasure is insatiable: “When shall I awake? I will seek another drink” (Prv 23:35). By contrast, the living water, which is spiritual water, completely satisfies, as the Lord said, “behold, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty” (Is 65:13). There are two reasons why natural water does not satisfy for long, but living water satisfies fully. First, natural water has a temporal cause, such as a wellspring or a rain shower. Since a temporal cause is impermanent, its effects must be impermanent as well. Thus, when the wellspring dries up, so does the flow of water emanating from it. So it is with all ephemeral things: “All those things have vanished like a shadow, and like a rumor that passes by; like a ship that sails through the billowy water, and when it has passed no trace can be found, nor track of its keel in the waves; or as, when a bird flies through the air, no evidence of its passage is found” (Wis 5:10-11). But, since spiritual water has an eternal and infinite cause, which is the Holy Spirit, it can never be depleted. The Holy Spirit is an ever-flowing fountain of grace, so that all who come to this fountain are assured that they will always have plenty of water, that is to say, an abundance of sufficient grace. Second, natural water and living water satisfy differently because there is a difference between a spiritual thing and a temporal thing in that each produces a thirst in a different way. Possession of a temporal thing satisfies the thirst for that thing, but causes one to thirst for something else, whereas possession of a spiritual good removes the thirst for other things, but causes one to thirst even more for the spiritual good that is possessed. The reason for this is that temporal things are more highly regarded before they are possessed than after they are possessed, for they tend to disappoint, whereas spiritual goods, because they are truly unknown until they are actually possessed, are not objects of desire for a person who does not possess them. Ironically, it is the thing which satisfies the least, namely, a temporal thing, that we desire the most, whereas the thing which gives the greatest pleasure, namely, a spiritual good, is not at all desirable to a man who does not already possess it. It is as we read in the Apocalypse: “I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone which no one knows except him who receives it” (Rv 2:17). Those who possess a spiritual thing, albeit imperfectly, ardently desire to possess it perfectly, as the Psalmist cried out, “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Ps 42:2). The thirst for spiritual goods, however, will never be completely satiated in this life, for we cannot fully understand spiritual things in this life. Thus, it is said of Wisdom, Who is the Word of God, “those who drink me will thirst for more” (Sir 24:21). But in the life to come, when “They feast on the abundance of thy house, and thou givest them drink from the river of thy delights” (Ps 36:8), our spiritual thirst will be completely satisfied. This is as Christ promised, when He said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Mt 5:6), that is, fully satisfied in the life of glory, where they shall partake of grace freely and most abundantly.

“The water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (Jn 4:14b). This is the spring of which it has been written: “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High” (Ps 46:4). Natural water moves away from its source, but living water flows back to its source, for it seeks to be united with its source. Natural water flows downstream, but living water flows upward and carries its partakers aloft. The living water becomes a fountain within its partaker, “welling up,” through good works, to eternal life, where he shall thirst no more. Living water produces good works in those it refreshes, and by these good works he merits for himself eternal life in God, for the living water of grace naturally seeks to return to God, its source. Living water flows upward and carries aloft those who partake of it and do good works in the state of grace. Christ said of the man who believes in Him: “Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water” (Jn 7:38).

These wonderful words of Christ fascinated the woman and enkindled her desire to possess this most excellent gift. “The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw’” (Jn 4:15). We can make three observations here. First, upon hearing Jesus’ description of the living water, the Samaritan woman began to desire it. This indicates the perfection of the gift, for a person only desires that which she perceives to be a good. The strength of her desire tells us that she considered this living water to be a great good. Second, being carnal, she did not yet understand that this living water was a spiritual drink. And so, she asked for the water for two temporal reasons: so that she would no longer thirst and so that she would no longer need to carry water from the well to her home, for it is natural for man to thirst and to shrink from labor. Third, note the manner in which she addressed Christ. At the beginning of their conversation, she had simply called Christ “a Jew”: “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jn 4:9). But as soon as she realized that He could be of some use to her, that he possessed something she desired, namely, this mysterious, but useful, living water, she addressed Him respectfully as “Sir” or “Lord” (Domine). Later, when the official pleaded with Christ to cure his son, he used the same ingratiating form of address, saying, “Sir, come down before my child dies” (Jn 4:49).

“Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here” (Jn 4:16). Here the Lord answered her in a spiritual way, though she understood it in a sensual way. Accordingly, this verse can be interpreted in two ways: literally and spiritually. First, according to St. John Chrysostom, who interpreted it in a literal sense, Christ told her to summon her husband because He intended to give the instruction both to her and to her husband, for “the head of a woman is her husband” (1 Cor 11:3). Second, according to St. Augustine, who interpreted this statement in a spiritual sense, Christ was speaking symbolically of her husband, just as He had spoken symbolically of living water. The husband is the human intellect and the wife is the human will. The will brings forth an action because the intellect moves it, just as a wife conceives because her husband initiates conjugal intercourse with her. The woman at the well was ready to receive the water; and so, she asked for it. But, she did not properly understand what she was asking for. She thought she was asking for one thing, while Christ was offering another. She wanted natural water to refresh her thirsty body, but Christ was offering supernatural water to refresh her parched soul. Her will was ready to act, but it was not moved by the intellect to a proper understanding. She was willing, but misinformed. Her intellect was stuck on the sensual level. Christ told her to call her husband, that is, to call upon the rational power of her intellect, so that she might understand in a spiritual way what she had previously understood in a sensual way.

Next, she was found guilty. “The woman answered him, ‘I have no husband’” (Jn 4:17a). We can interpret this in three ways. First, in a literal sense, what she said was true. But she answered carefully, even cleverly, so as to conceal her hidden sin of habitual fornication. Although she previously had five husbands, the man with whom she had been living at the time was not her lawful husband. For this sin, Christ judged her, saying, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband; this you said truly” (Jn 4:17b-18). The Lord mentioned all these hidden things about her past and present situation in order to prove His omniscience, that she might know that He is God. By leading her to believe in His divinity, Christ placed her on the road to spiritual regeneration. Second, in a spiritual sense, the five husbands stand for the five books of the law of Moses, the Pentateuch. Since Samaritans accepted these books, Christ said “you have had five husbands.” Her current husband, that is, the One to whom she was then listening, was Christ. But, Christ was not truly her husband, because she had not yet accepted Him as the Son of God. Third, the opinion of St. Augustine is that this spiritual interpretation is faulty, for the woman came to her present husband only after leaving the five others, whereas those who follow Christ do not set aside the Pentateuch. Augustine interpreted this verse differently, asserting that the five husbands signify the five bodily senses, which she had used up until the time she met Christ. The man that she was then living with was her own errant intellect, her faulty reasoning, for she did not understand Christ’s words in a spiritual sense, as He had intended, but rather, she took them in a carnal way. Her faulty intellect was not assisting her, as husband and wife assist each other, but rather, it was corrupting her, like an adulterer corrupts his accomplice. Christ said, “Go, call your husband,” that is, summon your rational intellect, that she might understand the true meaning of His teaching, the spiritual meaning of His words.

“The woman said to him, ‘Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet’” (Jn 4:19). Here she confessed that Jesus was qualified to teach her, for He seemed to be a prophet in that He knew many secret things about her past and present. According to St. Augustine, at that very moment, her true husband, that is, right reason, began to return to her. This was the turning point in her conversion and the beginning of her spiritual regeneration. It is true that Christ was a prophet, for He said of Himself, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house” (Mt 13:57). But, He was more than a prophet, for He Himself makes prophets, as is said of Wisdom, who is the Word of God: “she passes into holy souls and makes them friends of God, and prophets” (Wis 7:27).

Next, the Evangelist discussed prayer, for it is through prayer that one obtains the gift of grace. Accordingly, she invited Christ to teach her, saying, “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain; and you say that Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship” (Jn 4:20). Believing that Jesus was a prophet who knew many secret things, she might have asked Him to foretell the future for her temporal benefit or to discuss worldly affairs that might concern her. Instead, she asked this Prophet to reveal divine things to her. We read in Mt 6:25-32 that Gentiles are inclined to be overly concerned with the necessities of life: food, drink, clothing, and the like. “Gentiles seek all these things” (Mt 6:32). But this Gentile, this Samaritan, was different. She did at that time what Christ would later command: “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well” (Mt 6:33).

This spiritual question that she asked concerned a matter often discussed in Samaria, namely, the proper place to pray, for this was a point of sharp disagreement between Samaritans and Jews. Samaritans worshipped the God of Israel according to the law of Moses, but did so in their own temple, which they built in the fourth century B.C. upon Mount Gerizim. Samaritans argued that Gerizim was a more fitting place because Jacob and his sons worshipped there. Thus, she said, “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain,” that is, on Mount Gerizim, the site of the Samaritan temple.

How could she say, “Our fathers”? Samaritans were not descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but rather, they were Gentiles who were forced to colonize the area in 722 B.C., following the fall of the Kingdom of Israel. We may understand “Our fathers” in two ways. First, according to St. John Chrysostom, some claim that it was on Mount Gerizim that Abraham was tested and found to be faithful when God asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac (Gn 22:1-19). Others say that this took place on Mount Zion. The actual site of this epochal event is significant, for it would seem to create an historical precedent for worship at that location. Wherever this took place, it was there that Abraham’s faith was proven, and it was there that the Lord promised to bless him and his posterity: “I will indeed bless you, and I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore” (Gn 22:17). Thus, when the woman at the well said “Our fathers,” she may have been thinking of Abraham and Isaac. Second, by “Our fathers,” she may have meant Jacob and his sons, who lived in Shechem, which is located in the pass between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. They probably worshipped God on Mount Gerizim. “And Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, on his way from Paddan-aram; and he camped before the city. And from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, he bought for a hundred pieces of money the piece of land on which he had pitched his tent. There he erected an altar.” (Gn 33:18-20)

Though Samaritans were not physical descendants of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (renamed Israel in Gn 32:28), they nonetheless considered these men their ancestors for two reasons: first, because Samaritans observed the law of Moses, which was given to the people by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and second, because the Samaritans lived in the land of Israel.

A key disagreement between Jews and Samaritans concerned the legitimacy of their respective places of worship. Both cited Sacred Scripture to justify the establishment of their temples: the Jews’ temple on Mount Zion in Jerusalem and the Samaritans’ temple on Mount Gerizim near Shechem. First, as to the Jews’ claim. They believed that Mount Zion was the proper place to worship the Lord, for in the law it is written: “Take heed that you do not offer your burnt offerings at every place that you see; but at the place which the Lord will choose” (Dt 12:13-14). At first, the Jews prayed in Shiloh, which was located about two-thirds of the way from Jerusalem to Shechem. Shiloh was an ancient shrine which served as a religious and administrative center during the twelfth century B.C., during the time when the tribes of Israel began to put down roots in Canaan and the surrounding territories. At Shiloh, they set up the tent of meeting, with the Ark of the Covenant (Jos 18:1). Two centuries later, the Ark was moved to Jerusalem by Solomon and placed in the temple, which David had commenced to build with the blessing of the prophet Nathan, and which Solomon had completed. The reason for this transfer was explained in Psalm 78, where we read that, because certain northern tribes “rebelled against the Most High God, and did not observe his testimonies, . . . He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among men” (Ps 78:56, 60). He punished their rebellion, and gave to his faithful servants in Jerusalem authority to rule over his chosen people: “He rejected the tent of Joseph, he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim; but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loves. He built his sanctuary like the high heavens, like the earth, which he has founded for ever. He chose David his servant.” (Ps 78:67-70) Thus, Jews believed that the proper place to worship God was on Mount Zion, for that is where God Himself chose to dwell. Moreover, the Lord removed Himself from the shrine at Shiloh when the northern tribes rebelled. If God withdrew His seat from His own chosen people on account of their unfaithfulness, it stands to reason that He would be even less inclined to dwell among Gentiles, who though Him to be just another deity in their pantheon. Thus, in the eyes of the Jews, the Samaritans built their temple on Mount Gerizim without God’s approval. Second, as to the Samaritans’ claim. They appealed to the authority of the patriarchs, as the Jews had appealed to the authority of prophets like Nathan. The Samaritans did not accept the authority of Nathan. This is the issue that the woman at the well had raised with Jesus. She wanted to hear Jesus’ explanation of how David and Solomon, on the authority of Nathan, justified moving the ancient cultic center from Mount Gerizim, where the patriarchs had worshipped, to Jerusalem, where David and Solomon ruled. The Samaritans may have argued that the Ark was transferred, not by divine mandate, but for political reasons, for David and Solomon had greater control over the southern tribes. Samaritan scholars, no doubt, cited the patriarchal history, which had been carefully preserved in Sacred Scripture, to support their claim that Mount Gerizim was the more suitable sanctuary on account of its antiquity and its primitive historical connection with the forefathers.

Christ then responded to the woman’s question concerning this centuries-old theological dispute, which was largely responsible for the smoldering enmity of the Jews for their Samaritan neighbors, and which frequently erupted into heated debates among the elders on each side. He prefaced His response by saying, “Woman, believe me” (Jn 4:21). We can make two observations. First, He said this to alert her that He was about to say something especially important, even crucial, for a proper understanding of His teaching. This figure of speech is like the prefatorial remark, “Amen, I say to you,” which He used at times to emphasize the truth of His teaching. Second, she must believe, not only what He said, but she must believe in Him, for “without faith it is impossible to please him” (Heb 11:6), that is, to please God. The Lord spoke through the prophet Isaiah to King Ahaz of Judah: “[if you will not believe, you shall not endure]” (Is 7:9).

Then Christ gave His response, saying, “the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father” (Jn 4:21). Here, Christ alluded to three types of worship. First, there is the type of worship already being practiced by the Samaritans on Mount Gerizim; and this He referred to when He said that the hour was coming when the Samaritans would no longer worship the Father “on this mountain.” Second, there is another type of worship being practiced by the Jews on Mount Zion; and He referred to this worship when He said, “nor in Jerusalem.” Third, there is a new type of worship for the future, and this was the worship that Christ Himself would establish. It differed from the other two. It replaced the other two, for since Christ desired to unite Jews and Gentiles, it was first necessary to eliminate that which separated them. Only then could He successfully establish a true and lasting form of worship. To unite Jews and Gentiles under one faith in one God, the ritual observances of the Jews must be eliminated, and the idolatry of the Gentiles must be eliminated, for these things had become a wall that separated the two peoples. Christ desired to break down that wall, as St. Paul explained, “he is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility” (Eph 2:14).

In a spiritual sense, according to Origen, the three types of worship are the three ways in which one can participate in divine wisdom. First, there are those who participate under a dark cloud of error. They are represented by the Samaritans, who worship on Mount Gerizim. It is of those in error that the Lord said, “Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, says the Lord” (Jer 51:25). Second, there are those who participate in true divine wisdom, albeit imperfectly. They see obscurely, as through a cloudy mirror. These are represented by the Jews, who worship on Mount Zion. Of them it was said, “The Lord builds up Jerusalem” (Ps 147:2). Third, there are the saints who participate in divine wisdom perfectly, without error, for in heaven they see God, not dimly as in a mirror, but as He is, face to face. St. John wrote of that blessed state: “we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 Jn 3:2). This perfect participation is not something found in this life, but in the life to come. Thus, Christ said, “the hour is coming.”

Now that Christ had described the three types of worship, He then proceeded to compare them to each other.

1. Concerning the worship of the Samaritans. Christ said to the Samaritan woman, “You worship what you do not know” (Jn 4:22a). Here He pointed out the shortcoming of the Samaritans’ type of worship. To understand Christ’s meaning, we should explain the difference between knowledge of a complex thing and knowledge of a simple thing. It is possible to know something about a complex thing, but not to know everything about it. One can have both true knowledge and false knowledge of a complex thing. For example, one can have a true knowledge of a certain animal as to its substance, but be mistaken about an accident it happens to possess, such as its color. By contrast, one cannot have false knowledge of a simple thing, for since it possesses no accidents, either its substance is known or it is not known. Since God is absolutely simple, there can be no false knowledge of Him, for He possesses no accidents that a believer could be mistaken about. Either His substance is known or unknown. If He truly is known, then He is known as He truly is in His substance. But if one believes that God is something that He really is not, for example, if one believes that “God” is merely a demiurge or that He is a corporeal body, then that person does not really believe in God, but in something else which he invented in his mind.

Now, the Samaritans had a false concept of God in two respects. First, they thought God was corporeal. That is why they thought He could be worshipped only in one place, on Mount Gerizim. Second, they worshipped Him alongside their idols, as if these created idols were His peers. Christ said, “You worship what you do not know,” for they did not understand the incorporeal and simple nature of God. They did not worship God, but some imaginary creature invented in their intellects. The Samaritans believed that the God of Abraham was just another deity in their pantheon. Since they did not understand His true substance, they did not really believe in the God of Jews and Christians. St. Paul cautioned the Ephesians: “you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds” (Eph 4:17).

2. Concerning the worship of the Jews. Christ stated that the Jews had the true worship, when He said, “We worship what we know” (Jn 4:22b). First, note that Christ affirmed that He Himself was a Jew, for He truly took flesh from the Virgin Mary, who was a Jew. Second, the Jews had a true opinion of God inasmuch as they believed that He was incorporeal and that His greatness could not restricted by place, for “Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built!” (1 Kgs 8:27) Third, they did not worship idols; they were pure monotheists. This set them apart from all other religions. Within the Jewish nation, it appears that the southern tribes were the most faithful, for while the Lord was hailed as “great” among the northern tribes, it was only in Judah that He was truly “known”: “In Judah God is known, his name is great in Israel” (Ps 76:1). Understandably, God chose to live in Jerusalem with His most faithful sons and daughters: “His abode has been established in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion” (Ps 76:2)

Christ then gave the reason why the Jews possessed true knowledge of God: “for salvation is from the Jews.” First, the Jews, and they alone, possessed true knowledge of God, because God had intended, from the beginning of time, that the salvation of mankind should come from them. And indeed it did, for salvation came though Christ, and Christ was a Jew through Mary. Second, since the source of health should itself be healthy, it was fitting that the source of our salvation should possess true knowledge of God, for we acquire salvation by obtaining a true knowledge of God and by worshipping God properly. Our Savior is the Word of God, Who knows all that is in mind of the Father. Through Him we acquire the truth and the grace necessary for salvation. Third, God promised Abraham, our father in faith: “by your descendants shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves, because you have obeyed my voice” (Gn 22:18). Thus, not only Jews would be blessed, but on account of them, all peoples everywhere would receive the same blessings. Salvation comes “from the Jews” in three ways: through their teaching, through their spiritual gifts, and through Christ. First, it comes through their teaching, for they held fast to a true knowledge of God. St. Paul argued that, even though some Jews became unfaithful, and some committed idolatry, most kept the faith. Because of the faithful among them, “the Jews are entrusted with the oracles of God” (Rom 3:2). Second, salvation comes through their spiritual signs, for the prophets arose among them, and other gifts of the Holy Spirit were given to them, before they were given to any other people. The Jews enjoy a certain priority, for their prophets and patriarchs were entrusted with the task of revealing God to the world. The Apostle compared Jews to a sturdy and venerable olive tree, and the Gentiles to a grafted branch. Gentiles, he said, are like “a wild olive shoot, grafted in their place to share the richness of the olive tree” (Rom 11:17). He added that, because the Gentiles owe the Jews a debt of gratitude, they should give to the Jews a portion of the fruit of the blessings they have received through them: “if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings” (Rom 15:27). Third, the Author of salvation came from the Jews, and was a Jew Himself. St. Paul listed (Rom 9:4-5) the spiritual goods which Jews were privileged to possess: the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the law, the worship, the promises, the patriarchs, and best of all, the Christ.

3. Concerning the future worship. “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” (Jn 4:23a). Note that in verse 21 Jesus said, “the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.” But here in verse 23 He said, “the hour is coming, and now is.” Origen suggested that the addition of the phrase, “and now is,” distinguished two types of worship. The worship Christ referred to in verse 21 is the perfect worship that is possible only in heaven, where we will have perfect knowledge of God and see Him face to face. The worship of verse 23 is the worship that has come through Christ. It is a true worship, replacing the idolatry of the Gentiles and surpassing the true worship of the Jews, but it is still an imperfect worship, for it is practiced only in this life, where we do not yet have perfect knowledge of God in the beatific vision.

Christ did not say that true worshippers will worship “God,” but that they will worship “the Father.” Under the Old Law, Jews worshipped God, but not as a loving father. They worshipped out of fear. Christians, however, worship out of love, as sons and daughters love their father.

True worship is “in spirit and truth.” We can understand how this is so in three ways. First, according to St. John Chrysostom, this demonstrates that the Christian’s manner of worship is superior to that of the Jews, just as the Jew’s worship is superior to that of the Samaritan. Christian worship is superior for two reasons. First, because Christian worship is in spirit, whereas the Jews worshipped through bodily rituals. The shortfall of Jewish ritual is explained in the Letter to the Hebrews: “gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, but deal only with food and drink and various ablutions, regulations for the body” (Heb 9:10). Second, Christian worship is superior to Jewish worship because Christians worship in truth, whereas Jews worship in symbols of the truth. Temple sacrifices could not perfect those who offered them, for the sacrificial animal lacked the power to cleanse the offeror. It merely served as a symbol of the true victim, Who is Christ, and its immolation served as a symbol of the true sacrifice, which was Christ’s crucifixion and death. The Lord was not entirely pleased with their burnt offerings; and so, He asked, “Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?” (Ps 50:13) No, He does not, for God is a pure spirit. The type of sacrifice that He wanted was different: “The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit” (Ps 51:17). God is pleased with Christian worship, for it is a worship in truth, not in symbols, for “the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (Jn 1:17). “The law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities” (Heb 10:1). Thus, Chrysostom said that true worshippers worship in spirit, not by bodily rites, and they worship in truth, not through symbols. Second, according to another interpretation of this verse, by saying “in spirit and truth,” Christ distinguished true worship from both the Jewish worship and the Samaritan worship. “Truth,” therefore, refers to the Jews, and not to the Samaritans, for the latter did not have a true knowledge of God. Third, according to a third interpretation, “in spirit and truth” indicates the characteristics of true worship: fervor of spirit and a faith that is true. First, one must have fervor of spirit, as St. Paul said, “I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also” (1 Cor 14:15). The Apostle advised the Ephesians to “[make] melody to the Lord with all your heart” (Eph 5:19). Second, one must worship in the truth of faith. When a person fervently believes in something that turns out to be false, he does not possess the light of truth, but sits in the darkness of error, for no amount of fervor or right intention can be meritorious, unless it is united with the truth. Third, to worship in truth, one must worship with a proper intention. Hypocrites put on a magnificent show of piety and fervor, yet their actions are without merit, because they are done to please men, but not to please God. Christ instructed His disciples: “when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Mt 6:5-6) Thus, true worship requires that one have fervor of spirit, the truth of faith, and a proper intention.

True worship is opposed to three things. First, it is opposed to the false worship of the Samaritans. A true believer worships a God who is a pure spirit; idolaters pay homage to corporeal objects, either to natural phenomena or to insignificant baubles which he has crafted from earthly elements. A true believer worships the One God; the pagan gives honor to many imaginary things which he, in his arrogance and foolishness, has arbitrarily raised to the level of divinity. St. Paul exhorted the Ephesians (Eph 4:25) to set aside falsehood and to speak the truth. Second, true worship is opposed to the fruitlessness of bodily rites, like those practiced in the temple on Mount Zion. The Lord asked them, “How long will you love vain words?” (Ps 4:3). Third, true worship is opposed to what is exclusively symbolic. The Old Law contained many symbols; it was a “shadow of the good things to come” (Heb 10:1). But, “grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (Jn 1:17); that is, grace itself and truth itself, not the mere symbols of those things.

Then Christ explained why the third form of worship is superior to the former two, when He added, “for such the Father seeks to worship him” (Jn 4:23b). To worship in spirit and in truth is appropriate for two reasons: because God accepts it and because of the nature of the One Who is worshipped. First, it is acceptable to God because the worshipper asks for things that are not in opposition to God’s will, and he asks in a way acceptable to God. God seeks those who worship Him with a fervent love and in the truth of faith: “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I command you this day for your good?” (Dt 10:12-13) Or, in the words of Micah the prophet: “He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Mi 6:8) Second, worship in spirit and in truth is superior because of the nature of God. Sirach observed that “Every creature loves its like” (Sir 13:15). If this is true, then God loves us insofar as we are like Him. And we are like Him in spirit, not in body, for He is incorporeal, a pure spirit. God loves especially what is spiritual in us. Thus, the Apostle exhorted the Ephesians, saying, “be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph 4:23-24).

We worship God in spirit and in truth, because this form of worship, not that of the Samaritans and not that of the Jews, is most suitable to God’s divine nature. Thus, Christ taught: “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (Jn 4:24). We worship God in spirit because He is incorporeal. Since “a spirit has not flesh and bones” (Lk 24:39), it is appropriate to worship a pure spirit in a spiritual way, not in a bodily way. Thus, the animal sacrifices of the temple were insufficient. We worship God in spirit for another reason: because He is our Creator. He gives each human person life and breath by animating and informing each human body with an individual and unique living human soul, which He directly creates. We worship God in truth because God is Truth, as Christ said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6).

“The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ)’” (Jn 4:25a). Jews and Samaritans alike hoped for, waited for, the coming of the messiah, to reestablish God’s power in a land occupied by soldiers and officials of the Roman Empire. She believed that a messiah was coming, for Jacob, at whose well they conversed, declared, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs” (Gn 49:10). The one to whom the scepter belongs is the messiah. St. Augustine observed that this was the first time in their conversation that she mentioned the messiah. It seems that she began to perceive Christ’s identity and mission at that point. Yet, she was still greatly confused, for she was unaccustomed to the spiritual profundity of His words.

She said of the messiah, “when he comes, he will show us all things” (Jn 4:25b). Her statement can be interpreted both literally and spiritually. First, in the literal sense, she professed her faith in the messiah and in the fullness of his teaching. She knew already that the messiah would be the giver of some great gift and that he would teach them many things, for God had promised to Moses: “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him” (Dt 18:18). Though Christ had been instructing her all along, it did not yet occur to her that He could be the Messiah. Nor did she realize that the living water which He offered her was a gift that could bring her to eternal life, for when Jesus and she began their conversation, He said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water” (Jn 4:10). Second, according to the spiritual sense, she said, “when he comes,” because she was at the time waiting for her “husband,” that is to say, her rational intellect. For she had summoned her intellect and reason to the task of understanding Christ’s words, as He had instructed her to do, when He said, “Go, call your husband, and come here” (Jn 4:10). During most of their conversation, her “husband” was absent, for she took Christ’s spiritual words in a carnal sense. But when at last her “husband” arrived, and she began to properly employ her rational intellect, then she, with her “husband” at her side, stood face to face with Christ the Truth. It was only then that Christ offered her the life-giving water of His spiritual teaching and revealed Himself to her in a most intimate and excellent manner: “Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am he’” (Jn 4:26), that is, I am the Messiah, “the anointed one.” Because of her persistence and burning desire to know the truth, Christ, Who is the Wisdom of God, went out of His way to teach her and to reveal himself to her, for it is said of Wisdom: “She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her” (Wis 6:14).

Note that Christ did not fully reveal Himself at the beginning of their conversation, but at the end, for if He had claimed to be the Messiah at the outset, when she was still entirely carnal and without a “husband,” then she might have though He was either mad, or a liar, or was speaking out of vainglory. He brought her to a deeper understanding gradually and systematically, and then, at the appropriate time, revealed His identity to her. “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver” (Prv 25:11), that is, a greater teaching is best prefaced by less profound teachings. In order to enjoy refreshing and life-giving water, notice how Jacob dug his well at Shechem: first he scratched the hard surface, and then he pierced deeper and deeper into the arid soil, day after day, until he finally unearthed the water.

St. Thomas had previously pointed out (Chapter 3, Lecture 2, on Jn 3:9) that people ask questions either out of disbelief or in order to learn. The Pharisees often asked questions because of their disbelief, as when they goaded Christ by saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” (Jn 10:24) Others ask questions because of a desire to learn, as was the case with the Samaritan woman at the well. Because the Pharisees asked questions, not to learn, but to test Christ, He did not fully reveal Himself to them. As a result, they learned nothing, and their test revealed nothing. But it was different with the Samaritan woman. She spoke with simplicity and honesty. So, in the end, she learned the plain truth about the Messiah and about His gift of grace in the living water of baptism.