by Ptr. Art Calaguas
Last week, we looked at John 4:4-6 and the historical and cultural context of Sychar, Shechem, Mt. Gerizim, Mt. Ebal and the Samaritans as a background of our study. Let’s keep in mind that Shechem was the location of Jacob’s well. It was a City of Refuge in the time of Joshua and the Judges of Israel. It was the location of the proclamation of blessings and curses relating to the Sinai Covenant. It was the location of the Renewal of the Mosaic Covenant in Joshua’s twilight years. And it was also the location of Joseph’s tomb. We now proceed to the actual conversation between our Lord and the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well (John 4:7-15).
John’s Gospel had a bit of an understatement in John 4:9 when it was noted that Jews did not deal or associate with Samaritans; given the long and deep historical antagonism existing between them! Furthermore, the Jews believed that the Samaritans were ritually “unclean” and hence, any implement they used, such as a water jar, or water dipper, would be “unclean” for Jews. Hence, the dialogue between the Lord and the nameless Samaritan woman in John 4:7-9 seems incongruous at first glance.
In John 4:10 the Lord Jesus pointed right away to the notion of grace when the Greek nounδωρεά,“dorea” (a free gift; needing no repayment), was used. This word translated as “gift” is only used 11 times in the New Testament (NT) mostly related to God’s grace or gift of the Holy Spirit. Also, in John 4:11 the Samaritan woman made it clear that Jacob’s well was deep. Archaeologists cleaned this well in 1935 and measured its depth to 42 meters. It was really deep! Now the emphasis of these particular verses is the theme of “living water” (Greek ὕδωρζῶν,“hudorzon” found in John 4:10-11) leading up to eternal life. This was God’s gift of unmerited favor coming from the deepest inexhaustible source.
There are actually several water motifs in the Gospel of John; found in the first 7 chapters:
1:26, 31 (water baptism);
2:6-9 (turning water into wine);
3:5-8 (water and Spirit);
4:7-15 (living water);
5:1-9 (healing at Bethesda pool);
6:16-21 (walking on water); and
7:37-39 (living water and the Spirit).
We will focus on the very close relationship of John 4:7-15 and John 7:37-39 as highlighted above.
Note that there are Bible passages that speak of “living water” in the Old Testament (OT)as well: Jeremiah 2:13, Ezekiel 47:1-12 and Zechariah 14:8. These OT verses may have been in the mind of our Lord Jesus when he was in conversation with the Samaritan woman.
In Jeremiah 2:13 the LORD God says that his people have forsaken him, the “spring of living water.” The Hebrew words for “living water” (חַיִּ֗יםמַ֣יִם“mayimchayim”) are close counterparts of the Greek words found in John 4:10 (ὕδωρζῶν) and 4:11 (τὸὕδωρτὸζῶν) which just include the Greek definite articles τὸ, “to” meaning “the.” The ca. 250 BC Septuagint (LXX) Greek translation of Jeremiah 2:13 used slightly different words; inflected variations of these same Greek words; (ὕδατος ζωῆς, “hudatos zoes”) but the meaning is the same.
Ezekiel 47:1-12 tells of a river that miraculously flows from the New Temple that the prophet saw in his vision after the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of Solomon’s Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BC. The water came out of this temple in his vision and became a river that even flowed all the way to the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea (really a lake), in the southern part of and in between Israel and Jordan, is the lowest elevation on earth at 430 meters below sea level and has a salinity level of more than 33%, much greater than the 3.5% salt in the world’s oceans. Because of this toxic salinity concentration, no life can thrive. But when this water empties into the Dead Sea, it becomes a fresh water lake! Then living creatures will live in the Dead Sea. The Hebrew word affecting the waters used in Ezekiel 47:8 is a passive/reflexive form of the verb רָפָא, “rapha” which means the waters “are healed.” Other Hebrew words are used in these Ezekiel verses together with רָפָא. These words are חַי (“chay” adjective) meaning “alive” or “living;” and חָיָה (“chayah” verb) meaning “to live.” It may be that the Lord Jesus was consciously thinking of these verses and words and applying them to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. Unfortunately, for the Samaritan woman, the connections are lost because their only scripture was the Pentateuch (albeit their version) and only prophet was Moses. They did not recognize the other parts of the Jewish scriptures, namely the Prophets and the Writings. The rich imagery found in Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Zechariah were simply not part of Samaritan scriptures.
Zechariah 14:8 references the aforementioned Ezekiel passages. On a day of the LORD God, Zechariah declares that “living water” will flow out from Jerusalem; half will flow to the Mediterranean while the other half flows to the Dead Sea. The Hebrew words for “living water” in Zechariah are מַֽיִם־חַיִּים֙, exactly the same words used in Jeremiah 2:13 we saw earlier. In the LXX translation of Zechariah 14:8 the exact Greek words (ὕδωρζῶν) used in John 4:10 are used.
Now in John 4:13-14 the Lord Jesus gives us the direct connection of “living water” to eternal life that he would say again another time to the Jews in the Feast of Tabernacles as narrated in John 7. John 4:13-14 states:
13Jesus answered and said to her: “Anyone drinking of this water will thirst again;14but whoever may drink of the water I will give to him shall never thirst into perpetuity, but (also) the water I will give him will become in him a spring of water leaping up into eternal life.”
John 4:13-14
Compare this to what is narrated in John 7:37-39 during the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles/Booths/Ingathering or Sukkot where a water libation ritual had taken place at the Temple in Jerusalem:
37And on the last, great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried aloud saying:“If anyone might thirst, let (him) come to me and (let him) drink.38The (one) believing in me, as the scripture said; rivers from his belly/womb will flow of living water.”39But he said this about the Spirit; who the (ones) after believing in him were about to receive; for the Spirit was not yet (given), because Jesus was not yet glorified.
John 7:37-39
The allusions to Jeremiah 2:13, Ezekiel 47:1-12 and Zechariah 14:8; mentioned above with respect to “living water” are quite obvious. The Greek words ὕδατος ζῶντος, “hudatos zontos” are used in John 7:38 for “living water.” The Greek words mean the same as those used in John 4:10 and 4:11 and Jeremiah 2:13 (LXX) we saw earlier. And in John 7:39 it is explicitly stated that this “living water” is the in-filling Holy Spirit!
From my ESV and NASB Study Bibles, it is pointed out that there are thematic allusions or parallel hints to other Biblical passages with the Lord’s words of invitation for those who are thirsty to come to him and drink (John 7:37 cf. Isaiah 55:1); for continuous life-giving springs of water (John 4:13 cf. Isaiah 58:11); the “living water” is the Spirit (John 7:39 cf. Isaiah 44:3); and ultimately, the grace given for salvation (John 4:13-14 and 7:37-39 cf. Isaiah12:3).
Moreover, if we read on a bit more, in Zechariah 14:16-19 we see that the prophet says that the survivors of the nations who had fought against Jerusalem in some future war will join the Jews in the Feast of Tabernacles! This is the very same festival mentioned in the context of John 7:37-39 (NB. Sukkot was celebrated from sundown to sundown in Israel last Sept. 20-27).
It would be good to mention that in the historical future, after the conversation at Jacob’s well in Sychar; in the last chapters of Revelation in particular, the theme of “living water” was again taken up.
In Revelation 21:6 the LORD God says to the Apostle John that he is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, and promises to give freely from the “spring of the water of life” to the thirsty. The Greek adverbδωρεάν “dorean” (meaning freely done; used only 9 times in the NT), related to the noun δωρεάwas used. Furthermore, the Greek τοῦὕδατος τῆςζωῆς are again the same words (with definite articles) we saw earlier used for “water of life” or “living water.”
Also, in Revelation 22:1 the Apostle John narrates that the angel showed him the river of the water of life (Greek ὕδατος ζωῆς) flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. And in Revelation 22:17 the Apostle records that this time, it is the Spirit and the Bride (i.e., the Church) who reiterate the invitation to the thirsty to come and take freely (Greek δωρεάν) the water of life (Greek ὕδωρζωῆς). The parallels and linkages of these Revelation passages to John 4:10-14 and 7:37-39; Isaiah 55:1, 58:11, 44:3 and 12:3; Jeremiah 2:13; Ezekiel 47:1-12; and Zechariah 14:8 are quite evident. Once again we see the beautiful unity of Scripture from the OT prophets to the NT Gospel of John and Revelation.
Going back to Jacob’s well, with the silent witness of Joseph’s tomb nearby, the Lord Jesus was extending grace and compassion to the Samaritan woman. He was not too concerned with doctrinal differences but seemed to be inviting the woman to have healing and “living water;” the Holy Spirit, into her life and eternal life at that!
In John 4:15, the unnamed Samaritan woman drops her guard and asks the Lord Jesus to give her this “living water.”
We will continue next week with a brief consideration of the person of the Samaritan woman prior to our Lord’s first Ἐγώεἰμι,“I AM” revelatory declaration.
God bless us all.