_CHRIST TALKETH WITH A WOMAN OF SAMARIA, AND REVEALETH HIMSELF UNTO HER: HIS DISCIPLES MARVEL; HE DECLARETH TO THEM HIS ZEAL FOR GOD'S GLORY. MANY SAMARITANS BELIEVE ON HIM: HE DEPARTETH INTO GALILEE, AND HEALETH THE RULER'S SON THAT LAY SICK AT CAPERNAUM._ _Anno Domini 30._... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN THEREFORE THE LORD KNEW, &C.— The Baptist's imprisonment happened while our Lord was in Judea (see Mark 6:17., &c.) where he continued till the fame of his doctrine, disciples, and miracles, reaching Jerusalem, gave umbrage to the Pharisees. These men, claiming it as the privilege of their sect... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE MUST NEEDS GO THROUGH SAMARIA.— In his way to Galilee, Jesus was obliged to pass through Samaria, where one evening, _being wearied with his journey,_ he sat down by Jacob's well, not far from the city of _Sychar,_ which the evangelist tells us _was near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gav... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW JACOB'S WELL WAS THERE.— Mr. Maundrell, in his Travels, gives the following account of Jacob's well: "About one-third of an hour from _Naplosa_ (the ancient _Sychar,_ as it is termed in the New Testament) stood Jacob's well, famous not only on account of its author, but much more for the memorab... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE COMETH A WOMAN OF SAMARIA, &C.— An inhabitant of the _country,_ not the _town_ of Samaria; for _Sebaste,_ the ancient _Samaria,_ according to Mr. Maundrell, is about two hours or six miles distant from Sychar, consequently about seven miles from the well; a distance by far too great for one, e... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE JEWS HAVE NO DEALINGS WITH THE SAMARITANS.— _Have no friendly intercourse,_ &c. This must be the meaning of ου συγχρωνται here; for it is evident from John 4:8 that the Jews had some dealings with them. It has been frequently observed, that many causes concurred to occasion this inveterate h... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS ANSWERED,—IF THOU KNEWEST THE GIFT OF GOD,— If thou knewest what an opportunity God hath put into thine hand, of receiving the greatest blessing that ever was bestowed, as well as who, and how great a person, he is that speaks to thee; instead of scrupling to grant him so small a favour, _thou... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU HAST NOTHING TO DRAW WITH, &C.— Literally, _Thou hast no bucket._ See John 4:28 and on John 4:6. In the dry countries of the East, the inhabitants find themselves obliged to carry with them great leathern bottles of water, which they fill from time to time as they have opportunity; but what is... [ Continue Reading ]
ART THOU GREATER THAN OUR FATHER JACOB,— "Are you a person of greater power, or more in favour with God, than our common father Jacob, that you can procure water for yourself by supernatural means?—He was obliged to dig this well for the supply of himself and his family; can you create water?"—The m... [ Continue Reading ]
WHOSOEVER DRINKETH OF THIS WATER, &C.— "This water can allay the pain of thirst only for a little while, because, though it be drank ever so plentifully, the appetite will return again; _but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst;_ shall at no time be subject to an... [ Continue Reading ]
SIR, GIVE ME THIS WATER,— The woman still ignorant of his spiritual meaning, and understanding him only of natural water, says to him with great respect, _Sir,_ Κυριε, _Lord,_—I claim thy promise, _Give me this water._ The title which she gives our Lord, though a Jew, and as such esteemed an inveter... [ Continue Reading ]
HE WHOM THOU NOW HAST, IS NOT THY HUSBAND:— This can imply no less than that she wasnot married to the man she now lived with; for Christ seems to have allowed the other five to have been husbands, though her separation fromsome of the former, and her marriage with the rest, had probably been unlawf... [ Continue Reading ]
I PERCEIVE THAT THOU ART A PROPHET.— To find a person who was a perfect stranger, and who, on account of the national animosity, could not be suspected of having any intercourse with her townsmen, or with the Samaritans in general, discovering, nevertheless, the most secret particulars of her life;... [ Continue Reading ]
OUR FATHERS WORSHIPPED IN THIS MOUNTAIN;— Whom the woman meant by the appellation of_fathers,_ is a point much disputed: they who think that she meant the Ephraimites, from whom the Samaritans pretended their descent, hold that the mountain on which they worshipped was mount Ephraim, wherewas Shiloh... [ Continue Reading ]
WOMAN, BELIEVE ME, &C.— To understand the force of our Lord's reply, it will be necessary to recur to the origin of this dispute between the two nations. We shall first premise that Christ waves the decision of the question put to him by the woman, and with good reason; for he was about to destroy a... [ Continue Reading ]
YE WORSHIP YE KNOW NOT WHAT:— The Samaritans worshipped the true God, and seem to have had as just notions of his perfections in general as the Jews; for they drew them from the five books of Moses, the authority of which they acknowledged. If so, the meaning of the clause in the original, can hardl... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THE HOUR COMETH,— The thing you are chiefly concerned to know is, that a dispensation of religion is now beginning, under which all languages, countries, and places being sanctified, men are to worship God, not in Jerusalem, but _in spirit;_ by offering the sacrifice, not of beasts, but of thems... [ Continue Reading ]
GOD IS A SPIRIT, &C.— As a further answer to the woman's question, our great Teacher delivered a doctrine which may justly be called his own, as it exhibits an idea of the Supreme Being, and of the worship due to him, far more sublime than the best things which the philosophers have said on that sub... [ Continue Reading ]
I KNOW THAT MESSIAS COMETH,— This, as well as John 4:29; John 4:42 plainly proves, both that the Samaritans expected the Messiah, and that they concluded he would be a _prophet._ The general expectation which now prevailed, that a great prince was to arise in Judea, together with Moses's prophesy co... [ Continue Reading ]
I THAT SPEAK UNTO THEE AM HE.— That Christ was very cautious of acknowledging himself to be the promised Messiah, in his conversation with the _Jews,_ is very apparent. The reason for that caution has been frequently explained in this commentary, and is intimated in the foregoing note, together with... [ Continue Reading ]
TALKED WITH THE WOMAN:— The wonder of the disciples was raised by their Lord's talking with a _Samaritan woman._... [ Continue Reading ]
THE WOMAN THEN LEFT HER WATER-POT, &C.— When the woman heard Jesus call himself the Messiah, she set down her pitcher, and ran into the city, where she published the news in the streets, and desired all she met to go with her, and see him, assuring them that he had told her the principal occurrences... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE MEAN WHILE HIS DISCIPLES PRAYED HIM,— While these things were doing, the disciples set the meat which they had bought, before their Master; but he regarded it not, though he then stood much in need of refreshment. He was wholly intent on the duties of his mission, preferring them to his neces... [ Continue Reading ]
SAY NOT YE, THERE ARE YET FOUR MONTHS, &C.— Whitby, Grotius, and many others, understand this as if our Lord had said, "It is a proverbial expression for the encouragement of husbandmen, that there are but four months between seed-time and harvest." The author of the translation of 1729 renders it,... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE THAT REAPETH, &C.— As the disciples laboured together with our Lord in this spiritual harvest,—to encourage them, he put them in mind of the reward. The passage should be read as follows: _"He that reapeth and gathereth the fruit_ [_of souls_] _unto life eternal;_ he that conducts others into... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MANY OF THE SAMARITANS—BELIEVED— Many of the Samaritans had been so struck with the account which the woman gave of Jesus, that they believed him to be the Messiah on her testimony. Accordingly, being come to him, they begged him to take up his residence in their city. Jesus, in compassion to th... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MANY MORE BELIEVED— This was the more extraordinary, as they not only had a natural prejudice against him asa Jew; but, living near mount Gerizim, had a particular interest in maintaining the usual worship there, which must have been very advantageous to the neighbourhood in a temporal point of... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR JESUS HIMSELF TESTIFIED, &C.— It is plain that this is spoken as the reason why he rather chose to travel into those parts of Galilee, than to go directly to _Nazareth,_ which is particularly called _his own country,_ in distinction from Galilee, and even from Capernaum. Luke 4:23. The time when... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN—THE GALILEANS RECEIVED HIM,— That is, treated him courteously, and attended his ministry with a disposition to believe. See Ch. John 2:23 John 3:2 and Luke 4:14.... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE WAS A CERTAIN NOBLEMAN,— Though Herod was only _tetrarch_ of Galilee, yet he was commonly distinguished by the title of _king;_ and as Capernaum lay in his dominions, this person was probably a nobleman of some distinction belonging to his court; for this is the proper signification of the ori... [ Continue Reading ]
HE—BESOUGHT HIM THAT HE WOULD COME DOWN— Though this nobleman's faith in our Lord's miraculous power was certainly very great, for he came at least a _day's journey_ across the country to him,—which may be fairly inferred from John 4:52 as well as from the accounts which the best geographers give us... [ Continue Reading ]
EXCEPT YE SEE SIGNS, &C.— Jesus said _to him,_ and to them that were about him, "I perceive that though _the Samaritans_ shewed so great a regard to my word, as to believe without the cogency of miracles, (see on John 4:41.) yet unless _you_ see with your own eyes some remarkable and repeated miracl... [ Continue Reading ]
THE NOBLEMAN SAITH UNTO HIM, &C.— Weak as his faith was, the nobleman urged only parental affection, determined to press the matter to the utmost; and therefore, without any explication or apology respecting our Lord's reproof, he entreats him to _come down ere his child die;_ urging that the case w... [ Continue Reading ]
YESTERDAY AT THE SEVENTH HOUR, &C.— That is, it left him all of a sudden; so that being restored to perfect health in an instant, the whole family knew that he was miraculously cured, and particularly the nobleman himself, who, by the time of the cure, perceived that it happened at the very moment t... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SECOND MIRACLE— Some render it, _A second._ Others translate it, _This second miracle Jesus performed, when he came out of Judea;_ for it is manifest that the words must be taken with this limitation, as Christ had wrought many miracles in other places. _Inferences_ drawn from the cure of the r... [ Continue Reading ]