Jesus and the Samaritan woman (C4: 1-42) Part 3 vv31-42
Posted on August 15th 2010 in St. John's Gospel
The disciples return from the town, and are both shocked and concerned about Jesus, and implore Him to eat. This obvious concern and puzzlement about his source of food is the opportunity for Jesus to explain the real food that nourishes His journey. Jesus has been sent by the Father, and the spiritual energy required for His mission is to be faithful to His vocation, that of following the Father’s will. This is the worship ‘in spirit and truth’ that Jesus mentioned to the Samaritan woman. The completion of His work will take place on the Cross. The Gospel reader knows that Jesus will rise from the dead, and the future completion of His task sets the context for the historic mission of the disciples. There is a harvest ready to reap, as made clear by the occasions of faith so far encountered; Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman.
The meeting between Jesus and the Samaritan woman demonstrates that Jesus initiates faith. As the one sent by the Father He comes in search for us. Jesus sows the seed of faith which the disciples are to harvest, and so they in turn become involved with His destiny. They may both rejoice in the same outcome, the great harvest already begun. The kingdom of God has already been inaugurated and the disciples must now reap what has already been sown in terms of faith. They began by copying the Baptism of Jesus, now they must look and reap like Him. The encounter with the Samaritan woman demonstrates that there are many just waiting to hear the Good News, but require someone to open up the necessary spiritual conversation that leads to conversion.
The testimony of the Samaritan woman to her compatriots leads them to Jesus, and to a major statement about the identity of Jesus, that He is Saviour of the world. The recognition comes of Jesus’ universal significance comes outside the confines of orthodox Judaism but one that does not deny the centrality of Judaism and the role of God’s chosen people. The true worship of God will now be universal, ‘in spirit and in truth’, but never dissociated from the historic figure of Jesus Christ, the one sent by the Father.