Category:Samaritan Woman at the Well (subject)

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Samaritan Woman at the Well refers to an episode in the Ministry of Jesus. The episode is narrated solely in the Gospel of John (ch.4).

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Overview

According to the Gospel of John, an unnamed Samaritan Woman met and had a conversation with Jesus of Nazareth at Jacob's well in Sychar.

Samaritan Woman, in ancient sources

Gospel of John

John 4:3-42 (NRSV) -- [3] he left Judea and started back to Galilee. [4] But he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. 7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." 8 (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered 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." 11 The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?" 13 Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." 15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water." 16 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come back." 17 The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!" 19 The woman said to him, "Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem." 21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." 25 The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us." 26 Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you." 27 Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, "What do you want?" or, "Why are you speaking with her?" 28 Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, 29 "Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?" 30 They left the city and were on their way to him. 31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, "Rabbi, eat something." 32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." 33 So the disciples said to one another, "Surely no one has brought him something to eat?" 34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. 35 Do you not say, 'Four months more, then comes the harvest'? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. 36 The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, 'One sows and another reaps.' 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor." 39 Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I have ever done." 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world."

Cf. Gospel of Barnabas

[81] After his prayer he [Jesus] said: 'Tomorrow we needs must pass into Samaria, for so hath said unto me the holy angel of God.' Early on the morning of a certain day, Jesus arrived near to the well which Jacob made and gave to Joseph his son. Whereupon Jesus, being wearied with the journey, sent his disciples to the city to buy food. And so he sat himself down by the well, upon the stone of the well. And, lo, a woman of Samaria cometh to the well to draw water. Jesus saith unto the woman, 'Give me to drink,' The woman answered: 'Now, art thou not ashamed that thou, being an Hebrew, askest drink of me which am a Samaritan woman?' Jesus answered: 'O woman, if thou knewest who he is that asketh thee for a drink, perchance thou wouldest have asked of him for drink.' The woman answered: 'Now how shouldest thou give me to drink, seeing thou hast no vessel to draw the water, nor rope, and the well is deep?' Jesus answered: 'O woman, whoso drinketh of the water of this well, thirst cometh to him again, but whosoever drinketh of the water that I give hath thirst no more; but to them that have thirst give they to drink, insomuch that they come to eternal life.' Then said the woman: 'O Lord, give me of this thy water.' Jesus answered: 'Go call thy husband, and to both of you I will give to drink.' Said the woman: 'I have no husband.' Jesus answered: 'Well hast thou said the truth, for thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband. The woman was confounded hearing this, and said: 'Lord, hereby perceive I that thou art a prophet; therefore tell me, I pray: the Hebrews make prayer on mount Sion in the temple built by Solomon in Jerusalem, and say that there and nowhere else [men] find grace and mercy of God. And our people worship on these mountains, and say that only on the mountains of Samaria ought worship to be made. Who are the true worshipers?'

[82] Then Jesus gave a sigh and wept, saying: 'Woe to thee, Judaea, for thou gloriest, saying: "The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord," and livest as though there were no God; given over wholly to the pleasures and gains of the world; for this woman in the day of judgement shall condemn thee to hell; for this woman seeketh to know how to find grace and mercy before God.' And turning to the woman he said: 'O woman, ye Samaritans worship that which ye know not, but we Hebrews worship that which we know. Verily, I say unto thee, that God is spirit and truth, and so in spirit and in truth must he be worshipped. For the promise of God was made in Jerusalem, in the temple of Solomon, and not elsewhere. But believe me, a time will come that God will give his mercy in another city, and in every place it will be possible to worship him in truth. And God in every place will have accepted true prayer with mercy.' The woman answered: 'We look for the Messiah; when he cometh he will teach us.' Jesus answered: 'Knowest thou, woman, that the Messiah must come?' She answered: 'Yea, Lord.' Then Jesus rejoiced, and said: 'So far as I see, O woman, thou art faithful: know therefore that in the faith of the Messiah shall be saved every one that is elect of God; therefore it is necessary that thou know the coming of the Messiah.' Said the woman: 'O Lord, perchance thou art the Messiah.' Jesus answered: 'I am indeed sent to the house of Israel as a prophet of salvation; but after me shall come the Messiah, sent of God to all the world; for whom God hath made the world. And then through all the world will God be worshipped, and mercy received, insomuch that the year of jubilee, which now cometh every hundred years, shall by the Messiah be reduced to every year in every place.' Then the woman left her waterpot and ran to the city to announce all that she had heard from Jesus.

[83] Whilst the woman was talking with Jesus came his disciples, and marvelled that Jesus was speaking so with a woman. Yet no one said unto him: 'Why speakest thou thus with a Samaritan woman?' Whereupon, when the woman was departed, they said: 'Master, come and eat.' Jesus answered: 'I must eat other food.' Then said the disciples one to another: 'Perchance some wayfarer hath spoken with Jesus and hath gone to find him food.' And they questioned him who writeth this, saying: 'Hath there been anyone here, O Barnabas, who might have brought food to the master?' Then answered he who writeth: 'There hath not been here any other than the woman whom ye saw, who brought this empty vessel to fill it with water.' Then the disciples stood amazed, awaiting the issue of the words of Jesus. Whereupon Jesus said: 'Ye know not that the true food is to do the will of God; because it is not bread that sustaineth man and giveth him life, but rather the word of God, by his will. And so for this reason the holy angels eat not, but live nourished only by the will of God. And thus we, Moses and Elijah and yet another, have been forty days and forty nights without any food.' And lifting up his eyes, Jesus said: 'How far off is the harvest?' The disciples answered: 'Three months.' Jesus said: 'Look now, how the mountain is white with corn; verily I say unto you, that to-day there is a great harvest to be reaped. And then he pointed to the multitude who had come to see him. For the woman having entered into the city had moved all the city, saying: 'O men, come and see a new prophet sent of God to the house of Israel'; and she recounted to them all that she had heard from Jesus. When they were come thither they besought Jesus to abide with them; and he entered into the city and abode there two days, healing all the sick, and teaching concerning the kingdom of God. Then said the citizens to the woman: 'We believe more in his words and miracles than we do in what thou saidst; for he is indeed a holy one of God, a prophet sent for the salvation of those that shall believe on him.'