Charles Spurgeon Commentary John 4:16-19

"Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said unto him, I have no husband. Jesus saith unto her, Thou saidst well, I have no husband: for thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: this hast thou said truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet." — John 4:16-19 (ASV)

Jesus says to her, Go, call your husband, and come here.

The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said to her, You have well said, I have no husband: for you have had five husbands; and he whom you now have is not your husband: in that you spoke truly. The woman says to him, Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.

She perceived that there was something about him which marked him out as a prophet, so she seemed to say to him, "As you are a prophet, solve me this riddle:"

Jesus says to her, Go, call your husband and come here.

The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said to her, You have said well, I have no husband: For you have had five husbands; and he whom you now have is not your husband: in that you spoke truly. The woman says to him, Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.

Something had come home to her conscience through what the Savior said to her, so she began to speak about what He was, not about what she herself was. This often happens when the preacher is enabled, by divine grace, to come home to the conscience. The result is that the hearer says, "What a wonderful preacher he is!"

But that will do no good; that is not the point at which we are aiming. The woman says to him, Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet, and off she goes, at a tangent, to inquire about various forms of religious observance. Evildoer though she was, she was still a person who wished to be regarded as a religious woman; and it is strange how often a certain religiousness will flourish even in the most depraved heart—not true godliness, however. So she presented this difficulty to the Savior:—