|
Greetings, SBT Readers:
The Samaritan woman in today's Gospel does not shy away from speaking her mind or asking challenging questions. Perhaps, having had five husbands, she is used to heated conversations and to using sarcasm to get her point across. Her first words to Jesus are barely civil: "How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?" (Jn 4:9). She then goes on to ridicule his offer of Living Water, pointing out that the cistern is deep and that he has no bucket. "Are you greater than our father Jacob who gave us this cistern?" she asks incredulously. We can sense her annoyance as Jesus distinguishes between water from the cistern and the water of eternal life. "Well, give me this water then because I'm tired of having to draw water from this well," she says, picking up her pitcher wearily. It is noon and the heat is beginning to bother her as much as the stranger. It is precisely at this moment that Jesus reveals aspects of her life she would prefer not to mention. Then the conversation takes a very different turn...
Sometimes, we are so familiar with biblical stories that we think we know them. Take this story of the Samaritan woman, for example. How many times have we heard this powerful exchange between Jesus and the woman at the well—and how often have we assumed that this was a polite conversation, with the Samaritan woman being open to Jesus’ message? Our assumptions, of course, are influenced by the way the text is proclaimed and it is true to say that most proclamations of this Gospel present the Samaritan woman as curious, friendly and willing to learn more—or else she comes across as rather “generic,” as a type rather than as a flesh and blood individual. In re-reading the narrative this week, I encountered a very different character than I had met before. Based on her words in response to Jesus’ teachings on Living Water, I now see her as a rather salty character who is determined to put the stranger in his place. Yes, she is curious but she is more guarded than anything else, determined not to comes across as a gullible fool, and quick to object to Jesus’ claims. Far from being a harmonious encounter, Jesus’ meeting with the Samaritan woman is fraught with tension-- until she has a mind-shift. In reading her story -- or in listening to it-- may we identify those aspects of disbelief with which we struggle; and may we, too, become more receptive to Jesus' message of Living Water.
Lenten Blessings!
Elizabeth
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
Link to the Sunday Readings
Jesus replied,
“Believe me, woman, the time is coming
when you will worship the Father
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
You Samaritans worship what you do not understand;
we worship what we do understand,
because salvation is from the Jews.
But the hour is coming, and is already 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 God
must worship in Spirit and truth.”
The woman said,
“I know the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ; when he comes, he will tell us everything.”
Then Jesus said,
“I am he, the one speaking with you.”
JN 4:5-42
Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman is one of the most intimate scenes in the New Testament. We never learn the woman's name but in defiance of cultural norms, Jesus initiates their extraordinary conversation by asking her for a drink. His request sparks curiosity and as Jesus gradually leads her from a literal understanding of "water" to spiritual understanding, the woman's heart and mind are opened to all that he is saying. Understandably, she is skeptical at first, perhaps apprehensive about Jesus' intentions toward her. Why, after all, would a Jewish man condescend to speak to a Samaritan -- especially a woman? When she eventually warms up to the possibility that Jesus might actually be able to offer life-giving water, she still thinks literally: What she wants is to be saved from the inconvenience of drought and from back-breaking labor -- the dreary trudge, the blistered hands, the heavy burden, the weary heart...
Considering she is alone at the well, it is possible her sketchy marital history has turned her into something of a pariah, a woman of ill-repute whom other women avoid for fear of contamination. How convenient it would be if she could avoid the endless treks to the well and no longer have to endure the village women's scorn! Then Jesus punctures all her daydreams and assumptions by revealing that he knows of her five husbands and her lover. Emboldened by his kindness and lack of condemnation, she comes to the conclusion that he is a prophet but by the end of their conversation, she has a deeper understanding of his identity and knows him to be the Messiah. So powerful is her experience of knowing and being known that she abandons her water jar --the symbol of literal water-- and hastens to evangelize the very people who despise her.
What an amazing text! The Samaritan woman's story is uniquely hers and yet it also provides a template for understanding Christian discipleship. On the one hand, the "water" Jesus offers each of us is nothing less than the life of the Spirit, that fathomless well of Divine Love that is available to all who worship in Spirit and Truth. This "well" is neither dependent on sacred mountains, holy cities, temples, synagogues, churches, rituals, retreats, pilgrimages, or devotions, but is freely given, without limit, without restrictions, to those who seek God with their whole being. Even more amazing is Jesus' assertion that because God is Spirit, God, in turn, seeks such worshippers (Jn 4:23) -- in other words, the Divine Heart longs for a human response that is neither rote nor lukewarm, but which flows with passionate intensity. Little wonder that Jesus is outraged by the buying and selling in the temple court; little wonder that he overturns tables and drives out the buyers, the sellers, and the money changers, along with all the sacrificial animals (Jn 2:13-22). For him, it is not the transactions that are the problem but the fact that prayer has been reduced to a commercial enterprise and ritual obligation. What offends him is the mindlessness of those who claim to be worshipping.
+ + +
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
* In what ways do YOU worship in Spirit and Truth and is there anything that holds you back from doing so?
* What does the Israelites' behavior in the desert reveal about their relationship with God? (Ex 17:3-17)
* What images of God block us from experiencing "living water" when we pray?
* How can traditional prayers still be vehicles for experiencing the intimacy of God's Presence?
+ + +
| 
