REFLECTION

Gospel

Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar,  near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there.

Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well. It was about noon. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”

—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.— Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,  ‘you would have asked him  and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him,  “Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep;  where then can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob,  who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself  with his children and his flocks?”

Jesus answered and said to her,  “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;  but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;  the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty  or have to keep coming here to draw water.” Jesus said to her, “Go call your husband and come back.” The woman answered and said to him, “I do not have a husband.” Jesus answered her, “You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband.’ For you have had five husbands,  and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true.” The woman said to him, “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain;  but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 

You people worship what you do not understand;  we worship what we understand,  because salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now 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 him must worship in Spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ; when he comes, he will tell us everything.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one speaking with you.” At that moment his disciples returned,  and were amazed that he was talking with a woman,  but still no one said, “What are you looking for?”  or “Why are you talking with her?” The woman left her water jar and went into the town and said to the people,  “Come see a man who told me everything I have done. Could he possibly be the Christ?” They went out of the town and came to him.

Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” So the disciples said to one another,  “Could someone have brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, ‘In four months the harvest will be here’? I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest.

The reaper is already receiving payment  and gathering crops for eternal life,  so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together. For here the saying is verified that ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap what you have not worked for;  others have done the work,  and you are sharing the fruits of their work.”  

Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him because of the word of the woman who testified,  “He told me everything I have done.” When the Samaritans came to him, they invited him to stay with them;  and he stayed there two days. Many more began to believe in him because of his word,  and they said to the woman,  “We no longer believe because of your word;  for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the saviour of the world.”                                                                                                           John 4: 5-42

Reflection

Jesus is “The word” to be heard, “The Life” to be lived, and “The Light” to be seen. This Word, Life and Light becomes flesh to speak and be taken in. This Life is to be lived and shared. This Light is both to be seen and to be displayed by all who hear, live and see.

John often uses the light of the sun and the darkness of night as images of good things happening and bad as well. In today’s Gospel the event takes place at noon. Obviously there is much in today’s Readings about water and thirst and grumbling. In our First Reading from Exodus the very last verse is the central theme, “Is the Lord in our midst or not? ”Our Gospel answers this!

Light is both seen and shines so that all else can be seen. Next Sunday’s Gospel will be all about the Light curing the inability to see, the inability to believe. Today’s Gospel in the midday light has Jesus offering Life to not only a woman of her culture, but a woman from an alien group. She gets more than she is asking for. The Word, the Life and the Light are offering a new way of seeing herself and she hears, receives and returns having a changed vision of herself, her identity, her dignity. She leaves her old water jar and returns inviting other villagers to “come see: a man Who has given her a new sight of belief in Him and herself.

Where is Lent for us in all this? Well, the women of the village usually came to the well very early in the morning. This woman was excluded from that water brigade, because of her multi-marriage lifestyle. Jesus addresses her first and by doing so begins helping her see herself, because of His being the Light. As mentioned, she leaves behind her old jar, (identity) and returns with a new “water welling up to eternal Life”. 

Whatever we are giving up or giving away this Lent, whatever “jar”, it seems that it is Lent if letting it go allows for more going out, going into, bringing Light, Life and Jesus into community rather than doing a penance just for ourselves. The old “jar” is the symbol for our old image which keeps us less relational. Jesus as Light shines upon our whole self, not just our darkness. Jesus invites rather than indicts and this leads us to Easter!

Julie Leonard

Religious Education Leader/Wellbeing Leader