Homilies on John, Homily 32

“Jesus answered her, Whoever drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water that I will give him will never be thirsty; instead, the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up into everlasting Life.” [1.] Scripture sometimes calls the grace of the Spirit “Fire” and sometimes “Water,” showing that these names describe its operation, not its essence; for the Spirit, being Invisible and Simple, cannot be made up of different substances. John declares the first when he says, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with Fire” ( Matt. iii. 11 ); Christ declares the other: “Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.” ( John vii. 38.) “But this,” John says, “He said about the Spirit, whom they were to receive.” So too, when speaking with the woman, He calls the Spirit water: “Whoever drinks the water that I will give him will never be thirsty.” He also calls the Spirit “fire,” referring to grace’s ability to rouse and warm us and its power to destroy transgressions; He calls it “water” to express the cleansing it brings and the great refreshment it gives to the minds that receive it. And with good reason: it makes the willing soul like a garden filled with every kind of fruitful, ever-flourishing tree, allowing it neither to feel despondent nor to suffer from Satan’s plots, and it quenches all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And notice, please, Christ’s wisdom, how gently He leads the woman forward. He did not begin by saying, “If you knew who it is who says to you, Give Me a drink.” Instead, after He had given her an occasion to call Him “a Jew” and made her answerable for having done so, He refutes the accusation by saying, “If you knew who it is who says to you, Give Me a drink, you would have asked Him.” And after His great promises had compelled her to mention the Patriarch, He lets the woman see further. Then, when she objects, “Are You greater than our father Jacob?” He does not say, “Yes, I am greater” (for He would have seemed merely to boast, since the proof was not yet apparent), but accomplishes this through what He says. He did not simply say, “I will give you water.” Instead, after first setting aside the water Jacob gave, He exalts the water He Himself gives, wishing to show, from the nature of the gifts, how great the distance and difference are between the givers, and His own superiority to the Patriarch. “If,” He says, “you admire Jacob because he gave you this water, what will you say if I give you Water far better than this? You yourself have already been the first to acknowledge that I am greater than Jacob, by arguing against Me and asking, ‘Are You greater than Jacob, that You promise to give me better water?’ If you receive that Water, you will certainly acknowledge that I am greater.” Do you see the woman’s fair judgment, reaching her decision from the facts, both about the Patriarch and about Christ? The Jews did not act this way. Even when they saw Him casting out demons, they not only failed to call Him greater than the Patriarch, but even said He had a demon. The woman acts differently: she forms her opinion from the evidence Christ wants her to consider, the proof His works provide. For He vindicates Himself through these, saying, “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, even if you do not believe Me, believe the works.” ( c. x. 37, 38.) And in this way the woman is brought to faith. That is also why, after hearing, “Are You greater than our father Jacob?” He leaves Jacob aside and speaks about the water, saying, “Whoever drinks this water will be thirsty again.” He makes His comparison by showing the excellence of the other water, without disparaging the first. He does not say, “This water is worthless,” or, “It is inferior and contemptible.” He says what nature itself confirms: “Whoever drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the Water that I will give him will never be thirsty.” The woman had already heard about “living Water” ( v. 10 ), but had not understood its meaning. Because water that flows year-round and bubbles up continually from unfailing springs is called “living,” she thought this was the water He meant. So He makes this clearer by speaking this way and establishing through a comparison the superiority (of the water which He would give). What, then, does He say? “Whoever drinks the Water that I will give him will never be thirsty.” This, and what He said next, showed its superiority especially clearly, since material water has none of these qualities. And what follows? “It will become in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” For just as someone who had a well within him could never be overcome by thirst, neither can someone who has this Water. The woman immediately believed, showing herself much wiser than Nicodemus, and not only wiser but more manly. For although he heard ten thousand such things, he neither invited others to hear them nor spoke out openly himself. But she acted like an Apostle, preaching the Gospel to everyone, calling them to Jesus, and bringing an entire city out to Him. When Nicodemus heard, he said, “How can these things be?” And even when Christ gave him a clear illustration, that of “the wind,” he still did not receive the Word. The woman responded differently. At first she doubted, but afterward, receiving the Word without a formal demonstration, simply as an assertion, she immediately hurried to embrace it. For when Christ said, “It will become in him a well of water springing up into everlasting Life,” the woman immediately said, Ver. 15. “Give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or come here to draw.” Do you see how, little by little, she is led up to the highest doctrines? First she thought He was some Jew who was breaking the Law. Then, after He had refuted that accusation (for the person who was going to teach her such things needed to be above suspicion), she heard about “living water” and supposed He meant material water. Afterward, when she learned that His words were spiritual, she believed that the water could remove the need that thirst creates, but did not yet know what this could be. She still had doubts, considering it to be above material things, but without a precise understanding. Here, however, she has gained a clearer insight, though she still does not fully grasp the whole (for she says, “Give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or come here to draw”), and for now she places Him above Jacob. “For,” she says, “I do not need this well if I receive that water from You.” Do you see how she places Him above the Patriarch? This is what a fair-minded soul does. She had shown how highly she regarded Jacob; she saw Someone better than he was, and her previous attachment did not hold her back. So this woman was neither gullible (she did not carelessly accept what was said; how could she have, when she questioned Him so closely?) nor disobedient nor argumentative, as her request showed. Yet He once said to the Jews, “Whoever eats My flesh will never be hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty” ( c. vi. 35 ); but they not only refused to believe, they took offense at Him. The woman had no such reaction; she stays and asks. To the Jews He said, “Whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.” He did not speak this way to the woman, but in more material terms: “Whoever drinks this Water will never be thirsty.” For the promise concerned spiritual and unseen things. So, after lifting her mind through His promises, He continues to use expressions drawn from the senses, because she could not yet grasp a precise statement of spiritual things. If He had said, “If you believe in Me, you will not be thirsty,” she would not have understood His words, since she did not know who was speaking to her or what kind of thirst He meant. Why, then, did He not do this with the Jews? Because they had seen many signs, while she had seen no sign and was hearing these words for the first time. That is why He next reveals His power through prophecy. He does not introduce His rebuke directly; what does He say? Ver. 16–19. “Go, call your husband, and come there. The woman answered, I have no husband. Jesus says to her, You were right to say, I have no husband: for you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband; you spoke the truth about that. The woman says to Him, Sir, I see that You are a Prophet.” [2.] How wise this woman is! How gently she receives the rebuke! “Why wouldn’t she?” someone says. Tell me, why would she? Did He not often rebuke the Jews too, and with greater rebukes than these? (For exposing the hidden thoughts of the heart is not the same as revealing something done in secret. The first are known to God alone, and no one else knows them except the person who has them in his heart; the second is known to everyone who took part in it.) Yet when rebuked, they did not bear it patiently. When He said, “Why are you trying to kill Me?” ( c. vii. 19 ), they not only failed to admire Him as the woman did, but even mocked and insulted Him. Yet they had proof from other miracles, while she had only heard these words. Still, they not only failed to admire Him, but even insulted Him, saying, “You have a demon; who is trying to kill You?” She, however, not only refrains from insulting Him, but admires Him, is amazed at Him, and considers Him a Prophet. Yet this rebuke really touched the woman more closely than the other touched them. Her fault was hers alone, while theirs was shared; and something general does not sting us as much as something personal. Besides, they thought they would achieve something great if they could kill Christ, while everyone agreed that what the woman had done was wicked. Yet she was not angry, but amazed and full of wonder. Christ did exactly the same thing with Nathanael. He did not begin with the prophecy or say, “I saw you under the fig tree.” Only when Nathanael said, “How do You know me?” did He introduce it. For He wanted the very people who approached Him to provide the starting points for His signs and prophecies, so that what He did would draw them closer to Him and He would avoid any suspicion of vanity. He does the same thing here. To have accused her at the outset by saying, “You have no husband,” would have seemed oppressive and unnecessary. But to take the reason (for speaking) from her own words and then set all these matters right was entirely appropriate and softened His listener’s attitude. “And how,” someone says, “does the statement, ‘Go, call your husband,’ connect with the conversation?” They were discussing a gift and grace surpassing mortal nature, and the woman was pressing to receive it. Christ says, “Call your husband,” showing that he too must share in these things. But she, eager to receive (the gift), concealing the shameful circumstances, and supposing that she was speaking with a man, said, “I have no husband.” After hearing this, Christ now introduces His rebuke at the right moment, stating both points precisely: He counted all her former husbands and rebuked her about the man she was now trying to hide. What, then, did the woman do? She was not annoyed, did not leave Him and run away, and did not consider it an insult. Instead, she admired Him and persisted all the more. “I see,” she says, “that You are a Prophet.” Notice her good judgment: she did not immediately rush to Him, but continued to consider Him and marvel at Him. For “I see” means, “You appear to me to be a Prophet.” Then, once she suspected this, she asked Him nothing about this life—nothing about bodily health, possessions, or wealth—but immediately asked about doctrines. For what does she say? Ver. 20. “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain,” (meaning Abraham and his family, for they say that he brought his son up there,) “and how is it that you say Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship?” [3.] Do you see how much higher her thoughts have risen? The woman who was anxious to avoid the trouble of thirst now asks about doctrines. What, then, does Christ do? He does not settle the question (for His concern was not simply to answer people’s words, since that was unnecessary), but leads the woman higher. And He does not discuss these matters with her until she has acknowledged that He is a Prophet, so that afterward she may hear His Word with great faith. For once she was convinced of this, she could no longer doubt what He would say to her. Let us now feel ashamed and blush at this. A woman who had had five husbands and was from Samaria was so eager to learn about doctrines that neither the time of day, nor the fact that she had come for another purpose, nor anything else distracted her from asking about these matters. But we not only fail to ask about doctrines; our whole attitude toward them is careless and indifferent. That is why everything is neglected. For which of you, when at home, picks up a Christian book, goes through its contents, and searches the Scriptures? No one can say he does this. Instead, in most homes we will find checkers and dice, but books nowhere, except among a few people. And even these few have the same attitude as the many: they tie up their books and always keep them stored in cases, caring only about the fine parchment and beautiful lettering, instead of reading them. They have not bought them to gain help and benefit from them; they devote their attention to such things to display their wealth and pride. Such are the extremes of vanity. I do not hear anyone boast that he knows the contents, but that he has a book written in gold letters. Tell me, what benefit is that? The Scriptures were not given to us merely so that we might have them in books, but so that we might engrave them on our hearts. For this kind of possession—keeping the commandments merely in written form—belongs to Jewish ambition. But the Law was not given to us in that way at all; it was given on the tablets of flesh that are our hearts. I say this, not to discourage you from obtaining Bibles; on the contrary, I urge you and earnestly ask you to do so. But I want you to transfer the words and meaning from those books into your understanding, so that it may be purified as it receives the meaning of what is written. For if the devil will not dare approach a house where a Gospel is lying, much less will any evil spirit or any sinful nature ever touch or enter a soul that carries within it the thoughts the Gospel contains. Sanctify your soul, then; sanctify your body by keeping these things always in your heart and on your tongue. For if filthy speech defiles us and invites demons, it is clear that spiritual reading sanctifies us and draws down the grace of the Spirit. The Scriptures are divine charms; let us apply the remedies they provide to ourselves and to the passions of our souls. For if we understand what is being read, we will listen to it eagerly. I am always saying this, and I will not stop saying it. Is it not strange that people who sit around the marketplace can tell you the names, families, and cities of charioteers and dancers, and each one’s particular abilities, and can give a precise account of the good and bad qualities of the very horses, while those who come here know nothing about what happens here and do not even know how many sacred Books there are? If you pursue those worldly things for pleasure, I will show you that there is greater pleasure here. Tell me, which is more enjoyable, which more marvelous: to see a man wrestling with a man, or a man fighting a demon, a body grappling with an incorporeal power, and someone of your own race victorious? Let us watch these wrestling matches, which are also proper and beneficial to imitate. By imitating them, we may be crowned. Let us avoid those whose imitation brings shame on the person who imitates them. If you watch one kind of contest, you watch it with demons; the other, with Angels and Archangels and the Lord of Archangels. Tell me now, if you were allowed to sit with governors and kings and watch and enjoy the spectacle, would you not consider it a very great honor? And here, when you watch in the company of the King of Angels, when you see the devil gripped around the middle of his back, struggling hard to gain the upper hand but powerless, do you not run eagerly after such a sight? “And how is this possible?” someone says. By keeping the Bible in your hands. For in it you will see the wrestling grounds, the long races, his holds, and the skill of the righteous man. By watching these things, you too will learn how to wrestle this way and will get clear of demons. The performances of the pagans are assemblies of demons, not theaters of human beings. So I urge you to stay away from these Satanic assemblies. For if it is not lawful to enter an idol’s house, much less is it lawful to enter Satan’s festival. I will not stop saying these things and wearing you out until I see some change. For to say these things, as Paul says, “is indeed no trouble for me, but it is safe for you.” ( Phil. iii. 1.) So do not take offense at my urging. If anyone ought to take offense, it is I, who speak so often and am not heard, rather than you, who are always hearing and always disobeying. God grant that you will not always be open to this charge, but that, freed from this shame, you may be judged worthy to enjoy the spiritual spectacle and the glory to come, through the grace and loving kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory forever and ever. Amen.