THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA
[Sidenote: St. John 4]
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 Judæa, 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 water-pot, 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.