Week VIII John 4:1-30 Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman, Tues, 8/7

Major topics

•Samaria/ Samaritan

•Living Water

•Love stories by the well

•Who’s thirty now?

John 4: 1-2
•Who was doing the work (baptism)? Who was making the disciples?
-John 3:20, CCC1548
-in persona Christi Capitis: In the person of Christ

Samaria/ Samaritan
•What do you know about Samaria/ Samaritan?
-2 kings 17
-Mix race:When Assyria overran the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C. part of the population was deported, and other peoples from the Assyrian Empire were resettled in Israel.
-Syncretistic religion: national groups worshipped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.
-Accepts the Torah, temple was at Mount Gerizim (Joshua 8), not Jerusalem
-“unclean”: Samaritans were considered unclean in Judaism. “To drink Samaritan water was worse than drink the blood of a pig.”
-In 2005 there were about 700 Samaritans, living almost exclusively in Kiryat Luza on the holy Mount Gerizim near the city of Nablus (Shechem)

John 4:5-6
•Why water is so important for travelers in Middle East?
-Ex 17:1
•On what other occasion does Jesus become thirsty?
-Jn 19:28
•How is thirst used symbolically in the Bible?
-PS 42:2, 63:1; IS 44:3, Mt 5:6; Jn 6:35

John 4:6-7
•What time was it? Why did the woman arrive at this odd hour instead of cool morning or evening?
•Why do you think Jesus chose her to ask for water? Why not do a miracle Himself?
-CCC 544

John 4:8-9
•Why was the woman so surprised?
-Mk 7:3-5
•How many did social taboos Jesus broke by asking water from that woman?

John 4:10-15
•How does the woman respond to Jesus? How does Jesus answer her?
•How does she misunderstand Him?
-“living” in Greek means both “living” and “flowing”, thirst

Living Water
•What does “Living Water” symbolize in OT?
-EX 17, Jer 2:13, Zech 14:8, Ezek 47:9; Prov 13:14
•What does Jesus mean by “living” water?
-Jn 7:37-39,Rev 22:1, 17, CCC 694, 1137

Love stories by the well
•Do you know any love story by the well in the Bible?
-Isaac (Gen 24), Jacob (Gen 29:9-11)
•Who did Jesus look for? Who’s Jesus’ bride?
-CCC796, Eph 5:25-27
•What do you think St John tried to imply?
-CCC 2560

John 4:17-19
•What 5 husbands may symbolize?
-5 books of the law
-Samaritans are descendents of 5 Gentile nations
•Leaving possible symbolism aside, explain why it seems the woman suddenly changes topic?

John 4:19,20
•Why it is profound for the woman to call Jesus “prophet”?
-Deut 18:15,18
•Not only Samaritan, all Jews in OT associate God with a location. How are Christians different?
-John 4:21

John 4:21-24
•What Jesus mean by “salvation is from the Jews”?
-Is 2:3, Rom 3:1-2, 9:4-5, CCC839
•Do you think the woman was surprised when Jesus called God Father?
-Rom 8:15, CCC 2782
•Let's unpack Jesus’ comparison between old way and his WAY:
-Location:
-People:
-Way to worship

John 4:25-26
•There is no “he” in Greek, simply “I am”. What does Jesus’ answer remind you?
-Ex 3:13-14590
•Do you think the women got it?

John 4:27-30
•what “leaving the jar” may imply?
-1 Tim 6:11, John 2, mk 1:20
•Why do you think people believed in her message? What does her attitude teach us about apostolate?
-CCC 905

Advanced questions
•How did Jesus “evangelized” compare with what he did with Nicodemus? What can we learn from Jesus?
•What does water symbolize so far in St. John’s Gospel?
•Nowadays, who’s thirst? How do we deal with it?
-CCC 2560
•How is the situation with Samaria similar with Protestantism today?