Thomas Aquinas Commentary John 4:10-26

"Jesus answered and said unto unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his sons, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Every one that drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up unto eternal life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come all the way hither to draw. 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. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall ye worship the Father. Ye worship that which ye know not: we worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth: for such doth the Father seek to be his worshippers. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah cometh (he that is called Christ): when he is come, he will declare unto us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am [he]." — John 4:10-26 (ASV)

1. At Jesus answered and said to her, the Evangelist gives us Christ’s spiritual teaching.

   First, he gives the teaching itself.

   Second, he describes the effect it had, at and immediately his disciples came (John 4:27).

   Regarding the first part, he does two things.

   First, a summary of the entire instruction is given.

   Second, he unfolds it part by part, starting at the woman said to him: Lord, you have nothing with which to draw, and the well is deep.

2. He said therefore: You are amazed that I, a Jew, should ask you, a Samaritan woman, for water. But you should not be amazed, because I have come to give a drink even to the Gentiles. Thus he says: if you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you perhaps would have asked him.

3. We may begin with the last part, and we should first understand what is meant by water. We should say that water signifies the grace of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes this grace is called fire, and at other times water, to show that it is neither of these in its nature, but is like them in the way it acts.

   It is called fire because it lifts up our hearts by its ardor and heat: ardent in Spirit (Romans 12:11), and because it burns up sins: its light is fire and flame (Song of Solomon 8:6). Grace is called water because it cleanses: I will pour clean water upon you, and you will be cleansed from all your uncleanness (Ezekiel 36:25); because it brings a refreshing relief from the heat of temptations: water quenches a flaming fire ; and also because it satisfies our desires, in contrast to our thirst for earthly and all temporal things: come to the waters, all you who thirst (Isaiah 55:1).

   Now, water is of two kinds: living and non-living. Non-living water is not connected or united with the source from which it springs, but is collected from rain or in other ways into ponds and cisterns, where it stands separated from its source. But living water is connected with its source and flows from it. According to this understanding, the grace of the Holy Spirit is correctly called living water, because the grace of the Holy Spirit is given to a person in such a way that the source of the grace itself is also given, that is, the Holy Spirit. Indeed, grace is given by the Holy Spirit: the love of God is poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us (Romans 5:5). For the Holy Spirit is the unfailing fountain from whom all gifts of grace flow: one and the same Spirit does all these things (1 Corinthians 12:11). And so, if anyone has a gift of the Holy Spirit without having the Spirit, the water is not united with its source, and so is not living but dead: faith without works is dead (James 2:20).

4. Thus it is evident what is understood by water. Then we are shown that in the case of adults, living water—that is, grace—is obtained by desiring it, which means by asking for it. The LORD has heard the desire of the poor (Psalms 9:17), for grace is not given to anyone without their asking and desiring it. Thus we say that in the justification of a sinner, an act of free will is necessary to detest sin and to desire grace: ask and you will receive (Matthew 7:7). In fact, desire is so important that even the Son himself is told to ask: ask me, and I will give to you (Psalms 2:8). Therefore, no one who resists grace receives it, unless he first desires it. This is clear in the case of Paul who, before he received grace, desired it, saying: Lord, what do you want me to do? (Acts 9:6). Thus it is significant that he says, “you perhaps would have asked him.” He says perhaps on account of free will, with which a person sometimes desires and asks for grace, and sometimes does not.

5. There are two things which lead a person to desire and ask for grace: a knowledge of the good to be desired and a knowledge of the giver. So, Christ offers these two to her. First of all, a knowledge of the gift itself; hence he says, if you knew the gift of God, which is every desirable good that comes from the Holy Spirit: I know that I cannot control myself unless God grants it to me . And this is a gift of God. Second, he mentions the giver; and he says, and realized who it is who says to you, that is, if you knew the one who can give it, namely, that it is I: when the Paraclete comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth... he will give testimony of me (John 15:26); you have given gifts to men (Psalms 67:19).

   Accordingly, this teaching concerns three things: the gift of living water, asking for this gift, and the giver himself.

6. When he says, the woman said to him, he treats these three things explicitly.

   First, the gift;

   Second, asking for the gift, at Lord, I perceive that you are a prophet; and

   Third, the giver, at the woman said to him: I know that the Messiah is coming.

   He does two things concerning the first point.

   First, he explains the gift by showing its power.

   Second, he considers the perfection of the gift, at the woman said to him: Lord, give me this water.

   Concerning the first of these, he does two things.

   First, he gives the woman’s request.

   Second, Christ’s answer, at Jesus answered and said to her: whoever drinks of this water will thirst again.

7. We should note, with respect to the first point, that this Samaritan woman, because she was sensual, understood in a worldly sense what the Lord understood in a spiritual sense: the sensual man does not perceive those things that pertain to the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:14). Consequently, she tried to reject what our Lord said as unreasonable and impossible with the following argument: You promise me living water, and it must come either from this well or from another one. But it cannot come from this well because you have nothing with which to draw, and the well is deep; from where do you have living water? And it does not seem probable that you can get it from some other well, because you are not greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well.

8. Let us first examine what she says: you have nothing with which to draw, that is, no pail to use to draw water from the well, and the well is deep, so you cannot reach the water by hand without a bucket.

   The depth or vastness of the well signifies the depth of Sacred Scripture and of divine wisdom: it is vast and deep. Who can find it out? (Ecclesiastes 7:24). The bucket with which the water of saving wisdom is drawn out is prayer: if any of you lacks wisdom, ask God (James 1:5).

9. The second point is given at, are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well? As if to say: Have you better water to give us than Jacob? She calls Jacob her father not because the Samaritans were descendants of the Jews, as is clear from what was said before, but because the Samaritans had the Mosaic law, and because they occupied the land promised to the descendants of Jacob.

   The woman praised this well on three counts. First, on the authority of the one who gave it; so she says: our father Jacob, who gave us the well. Second, on account of the freshness of its water, saying: Jacob drank from it himself, and his children. For they would not drink it if it were not fresh, but would only give it to their cattle. Third, she praises its abundance, saying, and his cattle. For since the water was fresh, they would not have given it to their flocks unless it were also abundant. So, too, Sacred Scripture has great authority, for it was given by the Holy Spirit. It is delightfully fresh: how sweet are your words to my palate (Psalms 118:103). Finally, it is exceedingly abundant, for it is given not only to the wise, but also to the unwise.

10. Then when he says, Jesus answered and said to her: whoever drinks of this water, he sets down the Lord’s response, in which he explains the power of his doctrine.

    First, with respect to the fact that he had called it water.

    Second, with respect to the fact that he called it living water, at but the water that I will give to him will become in him a fountain of water, springing up into eternal life.

11. He shows that his doctrine is the best water because it has the effect of water—that is, it takes away thirst much more than natural water does. He shows by this that he is greater than Jacob. So he says, Jesus answered and said to her, as if to say: You say that Jacob gave you a well, but I will give you better water, because whoever drinks of this water—that is, natural water, or the water of sensual desire and concupiscence—although it may satisfy his appetite for a while, will thirst again, because the desire for pleasure is insatiable: when will I wake up and find wine again? (Proverbs 23:35). But he who will drink of this water that I give to him will not thirst again. My servants will drink, and you will be thirsty (Isaiah 65:13).

12. Since we read that those who drink me will still thirst , how is it possible that we will never be thirsty if we drink this water of divine wisdom, when this wisdom itself says we will still thirst: those who drink me will still thirst ?

    I answer that both are true: he who drinks the water that Christ gives both still thirsts and does not thirst. But whoever drinks natural water will become thirsty again for two reasons. First, because material and natural water is not eternal and does not have an eternal cause, but an impermanent one; therefore its effects must also cease: all these things have passed away like a shadow . But spiritual water has an eternal cause, that is, the Holy Spirit, who is the unfailing fountain of life. Accordingly, he who drinks of this will never thirst, just as someone who had within himself a fountain of living water would never thirst.

    The other reason is that there is a difference between a spiritual and a temporal thing. For although each produces a thirst, they do so in different ways. When a temporal thing is possessed, it causes us to be thirsty, not for the thing itself, but for something else; a spiritual thing, when possessed, takes away the thirst for other things and causes us to thirst for it. The reason for this is that before temporal things are possessed, they are thought to be of great price and to be satisfying; but after they are possessed, they are found to be neither as great as thought nor sufficient to satisfy our desires, and so our desires are not satisfied but move on to something else. On the other hand, a spiritual thing is not known unless it is possessed: no one knows it except the one who receives it (Revelation 2:17). So, when it is not possessed, it does not produce a desire; but once it is possessed and known, then it brings pleasure and produces desire, but not to possess something else. Yet, because it is imperfectly known on account of the deficiency of the one receiving it, it produces a desire in us to possess it perfectly.

    We read of this thirst: my soul thirsted for God, the living fountain (Psalms 41:2). This thirst is not completely taken away in this world because in this life we cannot fully understand spiritual things; consequently, one who drinks this water will still thirst for its completion. But he will not always be thirsty, as though the water will run out, for we read: they will be intoxicated from the richness of your house (Psalms 35:9). In the life of glory, where the blessed drink perfectly the water of divine grace, they will never be thirsty again: blessed are they who hunger and thirst for what is right, that is, in this world, for they will be satisfied, in the life of glory (Matthew 5:6).

13. Then when he says, but the water that I will give to him will become in him a fountain of water, springing up into eternal life, he shows from the movement of the water that his doctrine is living water; thus he says that it is a leaping fountain: the streams of the river bring joy to the city of God (Psalms 45:4).

    The course of material water is downward, which is different from the course of spiritual water, which is upward. Thus he says: I say that material water is such that it does not slake your thirst; but the water that I give not only quenches your thirst, but it is a living water because it is united with its source. Hence he says that it will become in him a fountain: a fountain leading, through good works, into eternal life. So he says, springing up, that is, making us leap up, into eternal life, where there is no thirst: he who believes in me, as the Scripture says, ‘Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water’ (John 7:38); with you is the fountain of life (Psalms 35:10).

14. Then when he says, the woman said to him, he states her request for the gift.

    First, her understanding of the gift is noted.

    Second, the woman is found guilty, at you have said well: I have no husband.

    As was said, the way to obtain this gift is by prayer and request.

    And so first, we have the woman’s request.

    Second, Christ’s answer, at Jesus said to her: go, call your husband.

15. We should note with respect to the first point that at the beginning of this conversation the woman did not refer to Christ as Lord, but simply as a Jew, for she said: How is it that you, being a Jew, ask me for a drink, who am a Samaritan woman? (John 4:9). But now as soon as she hears that he can be of use to her and give her water, she calls him Lord: the woman said to him: Lord, give me this water. For she was thinking of natural water and was subject to the two natural necessities of thirst and labor—that is, of going to the well and of carrying the water. So she mentions these two things when asking for the water: saying in reference to the first, so that I may not thirst; and in reference to the second, nor come here to draw, for man naturally shrinks from labor: they do not labor as other men (Psalms 72:5).

16. Then, at Jesus said to her: go, call your husband, the answer of Jesus is given. Here we should note that our Lord answered her in a spiritual way, but she understood in a sensual way. Accordingly, this can be explained in two ways. One way is that of Chrysostom, who says that our Lord intended to give the water of spiritual instruction not only to her, but especially to her husband, for as is said, man is the head of woman (1 Corinthians 11:3). Christ wanted God’s precepts to reach women through men, so that if the wife wishes to learn anything, let her ask her husband at home (1 Corinthians 14:35). So he says, go, call your husband and then come back here; and then I will give it to you with him and through him.

    Augustine explains it another way, mystically. For as Christ spoke symbolically of water, he did the same of her husband. Her husband, according to Augustine, is the intellect. For the will brings forth and conceives because of the cognitive power that moves it; thus the will is like a woman, while the reason, which moves the will, is like her husband. Here the woman, that is, the will, was ready to receive, but was not moved by the intellect and reason to a correct understanding; she was still detained on the level of sense. For this reason the Lord said to her, go, you who are still sensual, call your husband, call in the reasoning intellect so you can understand in a spiritual and intellectual way what you now perceive in a sensual way; and then come back here, by understanding under the guidance of reason.

17. Here, at the woman answered and said: I have no husband, the woman is found guilty by Christ.

    First, her answer is set down.

    Second, the encounter in which she is found guilty by Christ, at you have said well.

18. As to the first, we should note that the woman, desiring to hide her wrongdoing and regarding Christ as only a mere man, did answer Christ truthfully, although she kept silent about her sin, for as we read, a fornicating woman will be walked on like dung in the road . The woman answered and said: I have no husband. This was true; for although she previously had a number of husbands, five of them, she did not now have a lawful husband, but was just living with a man. It is for this that the Lord judges her.

19. Then the Evangelist reports that Jesus said to her: you have said well, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and he whom you have now is not your husband. This you have said truly. What you said is true, because you do not have a husband. The reason our Lord spoke to her about these secret things, which he had not learned from her, was to bring her to a spiritual understanding so that she might believe there was something divine about Christ.

20. In the mystical sense, her five husbands are the five books of Moses, for, as was said, the Samaritans accepted these. And so Christ says, you have had five husbands, and then follows, and he whom you have now, that is, he to whom you are now listening, Christ, is not your husband, for you have not believed.

    This explanation, as Augustine says, is not very good. For this woman, having left the other five, came to her present husband, but those who come to Christ do not put aside the five books of Moses. We should rather say, you have had five husbands, that is, the five senses, which you have used up to this time; but the man you have now, that is, an erring reason, with which you still understand spiritual things in a sensual way, is not your husband, but an adulterer who is corrupting you. Call your husband, that is, your intellect, so that you may really understand me.

21. Now the Evangelist treats the request by which the gift is obtained, which is prayer.

    First there is the woman’s inquiry about prayer.

    Second, Christ’s answer, at Jesus said to her: woman, believe me.

    Concerning the first, the woman does two things.

    First, she admits that Christ is qualified to answer her question.

    Second, she asks the question, at our fathers worshipped on this mountain.

22. And so this woman, hearing what Christ had told her about things that were secret, admits that the one who until now she believed was a mere man, is a prophet, and is capable of settling her doubts. For it is characteristic of prophets to reveal what is not present and is hidden: he who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer (1 Samuel 9:9). And so she says, Lord, I perceive that you are a prophet. As if to say: You show that you are a prophet by revealing hidden things to me. It is clear from this, as Augustine says, that her husband was beginning to return to her. But he did not return completely because she regarded Christ as a prophet. For although he was a prophet—a prophet is not without honor except in his own country (Matthew 13:57)—he was more than a prophet, because he produces prophets: wisdom produces friends of God and prophets .

23. Then she asks her question about prayer, saying: our fathers worshipped on this mountain, and you say that Jerusalem is the place where it is fitting for men to worship. Here we should admire the woman’s diligence and attention. For women are considered curious and unproductive, and not only unproductive, but also lovers of ease (1 Timothy 5), whereas she did not ask Christ about worldly affairs, or about the future, but about the things of God, in keeping with the advice, seek first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). She first asks a question about a matter frequently discussed in her country, that is, about the place to pray; this was the subject of argument between Jews and Samaritans. She says, our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you say that Jerusalem is the place where it is fitting for men to worship.

    We should mention that the Samaritans, worshiping God according to the precepts of the law, built a temple in which to adore him; and they did not go to Jerusalem where the Jews interfered with them. They built their temple on Mount Gerizim, while the Jews built their temple on Mount Zion. The question they debated was which of these places was the more fitting place of prayer, and each presented reasons for its own side. The Samaritans said that Mount Gerizim was more fitting, because their ancestors worshiped the Lord there. So she says, our fathers worshipped on this mountain.

24. How can this woman say, our fathers, since the Samaritans were not descended from Israel?

    The answer, according to Chrysostom, is that some claim that Abraham offered his son on that mountain; but others claim that it was on Mount Zion (Genesis 22). Or, we could say that our fathers means Jacob and his sons, who, as it is said, lived in Shechem, which is near Mount Gerizim, and who probably worshiped the Lord there on that mountain (Genesis 33). Or it could be said that the children of Israel worshiped on this mountain when Moses ordered them to ascend Mount Gerizim that he might bless those who observed God’s precepts (Deuteronomy 6).

    She calls them her ancestors either because the Samaritans observed the law given to the children of Israel, or because the Samaritans were now living in the land of Israel, as said before. The Jews said that the place to worship was in Jerusalem, by command of the Lord, who had said: take care not to offer your burnt offerings in every place, but offer them in the place the Lord will choose (Deuteronomy 12:13). At first, this place of prayer was in Shiloh. Then later, on the authority of Solomon and the prophet Nathan, the ark was taken from Shiloh to Jerusalem, and it was there the temple was built. So we read: he left the tabernacle in Shiloh, and a few verses later, but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved (Psalms 77:60, 67-68). Thus the Samaritans appealed to the authority of the patriarchs, and the Jews appealed to the authority of the prophets, whom the Samaritans did not accept.

    This is the issue the woman raises. It is not surprising that she was taught about this, for it often happens in places where there are differences in beliefs that even the simple people are instructed about them. Because the Samaritans were continually arguing with the Jews over this, it came to the knowledge of the women and ordinary people.

25. Christ’s answer is now set down, at Jesus said to her: woman, believe me.

    First he distinguishes three types of prayer.

    Second, he compares them to each other, at you adore that which you do not know.

26. As to the first, he first of all gains the woman’s attention to indicate that he was about to say something important, saying, believe me, and have faith, for faith is always necessary: to come to God, one must believe (Hebrews 11:6); if you do not believe, you will not understand (Isaiah 7:9).

    Second, he mentions the three kinds of worship: two of these were already being practiced, and the third was to come. Of the two that were current, one was practiced by the Samaritans, who worshiped on Mount Gerizim; he refers to this when he says, the hour is coming, when you shall adore the Father neither on this mountain, of Gerizim. The other way was that of the Jews, who prayed on Mount Zion; and he refers to this when he says, nor in Jerusalem. The third type of worship was to come, and it was different from the other two. Christ alludes to this by excluding the other two, for if the hour is coming when they will no longer worship on Mount Gerizim or in Jerusalem, then clearly the third type to which Christ refers will be a worship that does away with the other two. For if someone wishes to unite two people, it is necessary to eliminate that over which they disagree and give them something in common on which they will agree. And so Christ, wishing to unite the Jews and Gentiles, eliminated the observances of the Jews and the idolatry of the Gentiles, for these two were like a wall separating the peoples. And he made the two people one: he is our peace, he who has made the two of us one (Ephesians 2:14). Thus the ritual observances and the idolatry of the Gentiles were abolished, and the true worship of God was established by Christ.

27. As for the mystical sense, and according to Origen, the three types of worship are three kinds of participation in divine wisdom.

    Some participate in it under a dark cloud of error, and these adore on the mountain, for every error springs from pride: I am against you, destroying mountain (Jeremiah 51:25). Others participate in divine wisdom without error, but in an imperfect way, because they see in a mirror and in an obscure way; and these worship in Jerusalem, which signifies the present Church: the Lord is building Jerusalem (Psalms 146:2). But the blessed and the saints participate in divine wisdom without error in a perfect way, for they see God as he is (1 John 3:2).

    And so Christ says, the hour is coming, that is, is awaited, when you will participate in divine wisdom neither in error nor in a mirror in an obscure way, but as it is.

28. Then, at you adore that which you do not know, he compares the different kinds of worship to each other.

    First, he compares the second to the first.

    Second, the third to the first and second, at but the hour is coming.

    As to the first he does three things.

    First, he shows the shortcomings of the first type of worship.

    Second, the truth of the second.

    Third, the reason for each statement.

29. As to the first he says, you adore that which you do not know.

    Some might think that the Lord should have explained the truth of the matter and solved the woman’s problem. But the Lord does not bother to do so because each of these kinds of worship was due to end.

    As to his saying, you adore, and so on, it should be pointed out that, as the Philosopher says, knowledge of complex things is different than knowledge of simple things. For something can be known about complex things in such a way that something else about them remains unknown; thus there can be false knowledge about them. For example, if someone has true knowledge of an animal as to its substance, he might be in error regarding the knowledge of one of its accidents, such as whether it is black or white, or of a difference, such as whether it has wings or is four-footed. But there cannot be false knowledge of simple things, because they are either perfectly known inasmuch as their quiddity is known, or they are not known at all if one cannot attain a knowledge of them. Therefore, since God is absolutely simple, there cannot be false knowledge of him in the sense that something might be known about him and something remain unknown, but only in the sense that knowledge of him is not attained. Accordingly, anyone who believes that God is something that he is not—for example, a body, or something like that—does not adore God but something else, because he does not know him, but something else.

    Now the Samaritans had a false idea of God in two ways. First of all, because they thought he was corporeal, so that they believed that he should be adored in only one definite corporeal place. Furthermore, because they did not believe that he transcended all things, but was equal to certain creatures, they adored certain idols along with him, as if they were equal to him. Consequently, they did not know him, because they did not attain a true knowledge of him. So the Lord says, you adore that which you do not know, that is, you do not adore God because you do not know him, but only an imaginary being you think is God, as the gentiles do, with their foolish ideas (Ephesians 4:17).

30. As to the second, that is, the truth of the worship of the Jews, he says, we adore that which we do know. He includes himself among the Jews, because he was a Jew by race, and because the woman thought he was a prophet and a Jew. We adore that which we do know, because through the law and the prophets the Jews acquired a true knowledge or opinion of God, in that they did not believe that he was corporeal nor in one definite place, as though his greatness could be enclosed in a place: if the heavens, and the heavens of the heavens cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built? (1 Kings 8:27). And neither did they worship idols: God is known in Judah (Psalms 75:2).

31. He gives the reason for this when he says, for salvation is of the Jews. As if to say: The true knowledge of God was possessed exclusively by the Jews, for it had been determined that salvation would come from them. And as the source of health should itself be healthy, so the source of salvation, which is acquired by the true knowledge and the true worship of God, should possess the true knowledge of God. Thus, since the source of salvation and its cause, that is, Christ, was to come from them, according to the promise: all the nations will be blessed in your descendents (Genesis 22:18), it was fitting that God be known in Judah.

32. Salvation comes from the Jews in three ways. First in their teaching of the truth, for all other peoples were in error, while the Jews held fast to the truth: what advantage do Jews have? First, they were entrusted with the words of God (Romans 3:1–2).

    Second, in their spiritual gifts: for prophecy and the other gifts of the Spirit were given to them first, and from them they reached others: you, a wild olive branch, are ingrafted on them, that is, on the Jews (Romans 11:17); if the gentiles have become sharers in their spiritual goods, they ought to help the Jews as to earthly goods (Romans 15:27).

    Third, since the very author of salvation is from the Jews according to the flesh, since Christ came from them in the flesh (Romans 9:5).

33. Now, at but the hour is coming, he compares the third kind of worship to the first two.

    First, he mentions its superiority to the others.

    Second, how appropriate this kind of worship is, at for the Father also seeks such to adore him.

34. As to the first point, we should note, as Origen says, that when speaking above of the third kind of worship, the Lord said, the hour is coming, when you shall adore the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem; but he did not then add: “and is now here.” But now, in speaking of it, he does say, the hour is coming, and now is. The reason is because the first time he was speaking of the worship found in heaven, when we will participate in the perfect knowledge of God, which is not possessed by those still living in this mortal life. But now he is speaking of the worship of this life, which has now come through Christ.

35. So he says, but the hour is coming, and now is, when the true adorers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. We can understand this, as Chrysostom does, as showing the superiority of this worship to that of the Jews. The sense is this: just as the worship of the Jews is superior to that of the Samaritans, so the worship of the Christians is superior to that of the Jews. It is superior in two respects. First, because the worship of the Jews is in bodily rites: rites for the body, imposed only until the time they are reformed (Hebrews 9:10); while the worship of the Christians is in spirit.

    Second, because the worship of the Jews is in symbols. For the Lord was not pleased with their sacrificial victims insofar as they were things; so we read, shall I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? (Psalms 49:13). And again, you would not be pleased with a burnt offering (Psalms 50:18), that is, as a particular thing; but such a sacrificial victim would be pleasing to the Lord as a symbol of the true victim and of the true sacrifice: the law has only a shadow of the good things to come (Hebrews 10:1). But the worship of the Christians is in truth, because it is pleasing to God in itself: grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17).

    And thus, as to the first, he says that true adorers shall worship in spirit, not in bodily rites; as to the second he says and in truth, not in symbols.

36. This passage can be interpreted in a second way, by saying that when our Lord says, in spirit and in truth, he wants to show the difference between the third kind of worship and not just that of the Jews, but also that of the Samaritans. In this case, in truth refers to the Jews, for the Samaritans, as was said, were in error, because they worshiped what they did not understand. But the Jews worshiped with a true knowledge of God.

37. In spirit and in truth can be understood in a third way, as indicating the characteristics of true worship.

    For two things are necessary for a true worship. One is that the worship be spiritual; so he says, in spirit, that is, with fervor of spirit: I will pray with spirit, and I will pray with my mind (1 Corinthians 14:15); singing to the Lord in your hearts (Ephesians 5:19). Second, the worship should be in truth. First, in the truth of faith, because no fervent spiritual desire is meritorious unless united to the truth of faith: ask with faith, without any doubting (James 1:6). Second, in truth, that is, without pretense or hypocrisy; against such attitudes we read: they like to pray at street corners, so people can see them (Matthew 6:5). This prayer, then, requires three things: first, the fervor of love; second, the truth of faith; and third, a correct intention.

    He says, the Father, because under the law, worship was not given to the Father, but to the Lord. We worship in love, as sons, whereas they worshiped in fear, as slaves.

38. He says true adorers, in opposition to three things mentioned in the above interpretations. First, in opposition to the false worship of the Samaritans: put aside what is not true, and speak the truth (Ephesians 4:25). Second, in opposition to the fruitless and transitory character of bodily rites: why do you love what is without profit, and seek after lies (Psalms 4:3). Third, it is opposed to what is symbolic: grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17).

39. Then when he says, for the Father also seeks such to adore him, he shows that this third kind of worship is appropriate for two reasons.

    First, because the one worshiped wills and accepts this worship.

    Second, because of the nature of the one worshiped, at God is spirit.

40. Concerning the first, we should note that for a man to be worthy of receiving what he asks, he should ask for things which are not in opposition to the will of the giver, and also ask for them in a way which is acceptable to the giver. And so when we pray to God, we ought to be such as God seeks. But God seeks those who will worship him in spirit and in truth, in the fervor of love and in the truth of faith: and now, Israel, what does the Lord your God want from you, but that you fear the Lord your God, and walk in his ways, and love him, and serve the Lord your God with all your heart? (Deuteronomy 10:12); I will show you, man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: to do what is right, and to love mercy, and to walk attentively with your God (Micah 6:8).

41. Then he shows that the third type of worship is appropriate from the very nature of God, saying, God is spirit. As is said, every animal loves its like ; and so God loves us insofar as we are like him. But we are not like him by our body, because he is incorporeal, but in what is spiritual in us, for God is spirit: be renewed in the spirit of your mind (Ephesians 4:23).

    In saying, God is spirit, he means that God is incorporeal: a spirit does not have flesh and bones (Luke 24:39); and also that he is a life-giver, because our entire life is from God, as its creative source. God is also truth: I am the way, and the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Therefore, we should worship him in spirit and in truth.

42. When he says, the woman said to him, he mentions the one who gives the gift. This corresponds to what our Lord said before: if you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you perhaps would have asked him.

    First, we have the woman’s profession.

    Second, the teaching of Christ, at I am he, who is speaking with you.

    As to the first, he does two things.

    First, the woman professes her faith in the Christ to come.

    Second, in the fullness of his teaching, at therefore, when he has come, he will tell us all things.

43. The woman, wearied by the profound nature of what Christ was saying, was confused and unable to understand all this. She says: I know that the Messiah is coming, who is called the Christ. As if to say: I do not understand what you are saying, but a time will come when the Messiah will arrive, and then we will understand all these things. For Messiah in Hebrew means the same as “anointed one” in Latin, and Christ in Greek. She knew that the Messiah was coming because she had been taught by the books of Moses, which foretell the coming of Christ: the scepter will not be taken away from Judah... until he who is to be sent comes (Genesis 49:10). As Augustine says, this is the first time the woman mentions the name Christ, and we see by this that she is now beginning to return to her lawful husband.

44. When this Messiah comes, he will give us a complete teaching. Hence she says, when he has come, he will tell us all things. This was foretold by Moses: I will raise up a prophet for them, from among their own brothers, like them; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them all I command him (Deuteronomy 18:18).

    Because this woman had now called her husband—that is, her intellect and reason—the Lord now offers her the water of spiritual teaching by revealing himself to her in a most excellent way.

45. And so Jesus says: I am he, who is speaking with you, that is, I am the Christ. Wisdom goes to meet those who desire her, so she may first reveal herself to them , and: I will love him, and will manifest myself to him (John 14:21).

    Our Lord did not reveal himself to this woman at once because it might have seemed to her that he was speaking out of self-glorification. But now, having brought her step by step to a knowledge of himself, Christ revealed himself at the appropriate time: words appropriately spoken are like apples of gold on beds of silver (Proverbs 25:11). In contrast, when he was asked by the Pharisees whether he was the Christ, if you are the Christ, tell us plainly (John 10:24), he did not reveal himself to them clearly, because they did not ask to learn but to test him. But this woman is speaking in all simplicity.