Third Sunday of Lent (A)

March 15, 2020

Readings:

First Reading: Exodus 17: 3-7

Psalm 95 “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”

Second Reading: Romans 5: 1-2, 5-8

Gospel reading according to John 4: 5-42

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Homily: The Samaritan Woman and the Life giving Water

Jesus was journeying long and wide in different places, towns and villages came to the town of Sychar in Samaria.  “Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.  Jacob′s well was there” (John 4: 5).  He came to the place where Jacob had a land given to Joseph in ancient times.  There was also a cistern there where water is drawn up for drinking of humans and animals.   Jesus was tired in his roaming around and in his journeying doing God′s will.  “Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.  It was about noon” (John 4: 6).  When he saw the well, he sat down on its side to rest for a while.  It was a hot noon day and the sun was in its summit.  Nobody was there, and no one was fetching water because its noon time and its hot.  Women usually are the ones fetching water.  And in the well they have a chance to chat, talk and to get news in their community. 

When suddenly, out of the blues, a woman came, to fetch water alone and at noon time were no other women are drawing water.  This woman was different from the other women.   “A woman of Samaria came to draw water.  Jesus said to her, ‵Give me a drink′.” (John 4: 7).  Jesus initiated the dialogue with that woman by asking her water to drink. “His disciples had gone into the town to buy food” (John 4: 8).  Jesus was also left alone for his disciples went to the village to buy food for them to eat.  The woman was amazed and confused.  She did not expect a man will talk to her, for women are prohibited from being seen talking in public with another man except their husbands, brothers or fathers; and she recognized him as a Jew, for the Jewish people do not mingle with the Samaritan people.  Jews think that Samaritans were unclean and impure stock in the Israelite (Hebrew) society.  The present Samaritans are remnants of the foreigners and pagans inter-married with the remaining Jews when they were repopulated after the Israelites were in exile.  “The Samaritan woman said to him, ‵How can you, a Jew ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?′ – For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritan” (John 4: 9).  For her, it was a big scandal to talk to a strange man and at the same time to a Jew, their rival.

Jesus assured her and removed her doubt about his intention in asking water.  “Jesus answered and said to her, ‵If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, Give me a drink, you would ask him and he would have given you living water′.” (John 4: 10).  He showed her the gift of God which is the life giving water, and introduced himself as the one who will give her this life giving water.  The woman challenged Jesus for he has no bucket to fetch water and the water is less and it is deep for it is dry in the hot noon.  “The woman said to him, ‵Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks′?” (John 4: 11-12). The woman knew and understood that the life living water was the stream of running water.  If her forefather Jacob found this stream of underground running water, and Jesus was offering her life giving water, therefore he was greater than Jacob as what this woman understood what Jesus was saying.  She did not understand what Jesus meant, for he was referring to himself, the source of the life living water.

He explained to her by comparing the Jacob′s well to himself.  “Jesus answered and said to her, ‵Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life′.” (John 4: 13-14).  With this water, that is in Jacob′s well, those who fetched in it will be thirsty again and continue fetching.  The life living water that Jesus will give is making one    always satisfied and quench their thirst.  There is no thirst any longer and no more fetching water in the deep well.  The life living water that Jesus will give is overflowing, never dry up, and always full to the brim. Everybody will be satisfied, content and full.  The woman became convinced.  “The woman said to him, ′Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water′ ...” (John 4: 15).  She wanted to have this life living water.  She asked him to give her this life living water so that she might no longer thirst and always coming back to the cistern to fetch water. 

She also recognized Jesus as a prophet.  “′I can see that you are a prophet.  Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem‵.” (John 4: 19-20).  She was reminded that in the ancient times her ancestors worship on this mountain, and still worshiping on that place near Jacob′s well, when they were not allowed to worship in Jerusalem.  All the Israelites believed God is in Jerusalem Temple and no other places.  But because the Samaritans were expelled in worshipping in Jerusalem they built their own temple. 

Jesus as a true prophet made a revelation to her. “Jesus said to her, ′Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem‵.” (John 4: 21).  He said to her that God the Father is no longer being worship on this mountain nor in Jerusalem but in any places where there are true believers.

In spite the Samaritans and many other peoples of different tribes, races, nationalities, etc., do not understand what they are worshiping for, only Jewish people, the chosen people of God, understood it, for in the past, present and in the future salvation comes through Jesus, the Christ.  “′You people worship what you do not understand, we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews.  But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth‵.” (John 4: 22-24).  Nevertheless, because of his coming, Jesus will teach all peoples of the world in One, Holy Lord God the Father of all and Giver of all in the living Spirit and in truth – the life giving water.

Another realization that woman recognized about Jesus, that he is the Messiah, the Christ which Jesus confirmed. “The woman said to him, ′I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ; when he comes, he will tell us everything.′ Jesus said to her, ‵I am he, the one who is speaking with you′.” (John 4: 25-26).  She knew also the coming of the Messiah, but she did not know who he was.  What she knew, when the Messiah comes he will tell all the truth in Spirit and in truth.  Jesus told her that he is he, the Messiah, the Christ they are waiting for, who is to come and he comes to tell all in the Spirit and in truth.

After the woman returned to the town and told all the townspeople about her encountered with Jesus, the prophet, the Messiah, the Christ, they went out and met Jesus in the well.  They invited him to preach in their town and many of them believed in him.  “Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him.  When the Samaritans came to him, they invited him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days.  Many more began to believe in him because of his word, and they said to the woman, ‵We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world′.” (John 4: 39-42).  They said to the woman that they believed because they heard Jesus speaking to them personally.