John 4:27Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

It is true that in many cases they showed much boldness. For example, John leaned on His breast. Or they came to Him and said: "Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?" (Mt 18:1).

Likewise, the sons of Zebedee asked Him that one might sit at His right hand and the other at His left (Mk 10:37).

Why then did they not ask Him in the present case? Because all those occasions concerned themselves, and therefore they needed to ask. The present circumstance did not concern them at all.

Moreover, John did this, that is, reclined on Christ's breast, much later, near the end. Then he enjoyed special nearness to Him and was completely assured of Christ's love.

He, as it is said, was the disciple "whom Jesus loved" (Jn 13:23). What can be compared with such blessedness?

But we, beloved, should not limit ourselves to blessing the apostle. We should do everything to be numbered ourselves among those who are blessed. Let us imitate the evangelist.

To this end, consider by what he acquired so great a love. By what, then? He left his father, the boat, and the nets, and followed Christ.

But this was common to him with his brother, with Peter, Andrew, and the other apostles. What then was particular to him, from which Christ's great love arose?

The evangelist himself says nothing of this about himself, except that he was loved by the Savior. Out of modesty, he keeps silent about the virtues for which he was loved.

That Christ loved him with some special love is evident to all. Yet we do not see him conversing with Christ or asking Him anything separately from the others, as Peter, Philip, Judas, and Thomas often did.

We see this only when John wished to please and show obedience to his fellow apostle (Jn 13:24-25). When the chief apostle urged him by a sign, then he asked Jesus.

For these two apostles had great love between them. Thus we see them entering the temple together and speaking to the people together.

It is true that Peter always acts and speaks with greater fervor. At the end he even heard from Christ Himself: "Do you love Me more than these?" (Jn 21:15).

The one who loved "more than these" was surely himself loved. Yet this plainly came from love for Jesus, whereas the other came from the love of Jesus Himself.

What then stirred this special love toward John? It seems to me that this man showed exceptional modesty and meekness. For this reason he never displayed boldness in any case.

How great this virtue is can be seen from the example of Moses. This very thing made him so great and glorious. Nothing can be compared with humility of mind.

For this reason Christ began the Beatitudes with it. Intending to lay, as it were, the foundation of the greatest building, He placed humility first of all.

Without it, it is impossible, impossible, to be saved. Even if someone fasts, prays, and gives alms, if he does these things with pride and lacks humility, all this is abominable.

If it is done with humility, it is desirable, greatly beloved, and full of hope.

Therefore let us humble ourselves, beloved, let us humble ourselves. If we keep watch over ourselves, this virtue will be very easy for us.

And what, indeed, can stir you to pride, O man? Do you not see the nothingness of your nature, and the readiness of your will to incline toward evil?

Think of your end. Consider the multitude of your sins. But perhaps you have accomplished many great works, and therefore think highly of yourself.

Yet by this very thing you lose everything. Not so much the sinner as the virtuous person must take care for humility. Why so?

Because the sinner is compelled toward humility by conscience. But if the virtuous person does not keep careful watch over himself, he is carried up as though by wind and is immediately darkened, like that Pharisee.

You help the poor, but you give them not your own property, but the Lord's, held in common for all His servants like yourself.

Therefore, seeing your own misfortune in your neighbor's misfortune, and learning your own nature in others, you must humble yourself all the more.

Perhaps we too have come from such ancestors. If wealth has fallen to us, it can again depart from us. And what is wealth? An empty shadow, vanishing smoke, the flower of grass, or rather something even less than a flower.

Why then are you puffed up over grass? Does wealth not fall also to thieves, adulterers, fornicators, and robbers of graves? Does it puff you up that you have such partners in acquisition?

Or do you love honor? There is no surer means to honor than almsgiving. Honors acquired by wealth and predominance of power are forced and hateful to others.

Honors given for almsgiving are rendered by the free will and conscience of those who honor. Therefore those who honor can never take these honors away.

If people have such respect for the merciful and desire every good thing for them, then consider what reward and recompense they will receive from the God who loves mankind.

Let us seek this wealth, which abides forever and never disappears. Then, having become great here and been glorified there, we may attain eternal blessings.

This is by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

At that time the disciples come and find Him conversing with a woman: "and they marveled that He talked with a woman." He who is worshiped by angels conversed with a harlot.

He who shares the infinite Kingdom with the Father conversed privately with a woman.

He determines life through faith not for men alone, but draws the female sex also to it. Let the church teacher also take this as an example and not refuse to benefit women.

For he must pursue not his own wishes, but the profit of the preaching.

“Yet no one said, What do You seek? or, Why are You speaking with her?” It was an act of the disciples’ prudence and of their ability to preserve proper respect toward the Teacher.

They did not, by unnecessary questions, give themselves over to absurd suppositions about His conversation with the woman. Rather, with reverence and fear they restrained their tongue.

They waited for the Lord Himself, by His own will, to begin speaking and offer them an explanation. Therefore one ought here to admire the meekness of Christ and the wisdom of the disciples, their prudence and knowledge of what is fitting.

Yet none of the disciples dared ask the Lord, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You speaking with her?” They showed their Teacher fitting zeal and due reverence.

At the same time, they teach us to turn away from useless curiosity.

The Samaritans, predisposed by their beliefs and expectations to receive the Messiah, showed in the person of the woman that they were already ripe for Christ's granary.

Jesus Christ had already sent one reaper into Shechem. He Himself had already reaped fruit on this field. It remained for the disciples to follow Him and make use of labor they had not begun.

But this was only the fulfillment of the saying: one sows, and another reaps. Indeed, when the Samaritans heard His preaching, they believed in Him.

The stay of Jesus Christ among the Samaritans could clearly show His disciples that the preaching of the Kingdom of God must be spread not only among the Jews, but also among other peoples.

Here they had to be convinced that neither tribal hostility nor religious prejudices can hinder the spread of truth.

In entering into conversation with the Samaritan woman and addressing His preaching to the Samaritans, Jesus seems to depart from His own rule. This rule was to preach the coming of the Kingdom of God only to the lost children of the house of Israel.

This was because Israel was most immediately prepared to receive the Messiah. Yet attentive examination of this case clearly reveals that the Samaritans of that time shared one faith with the Jews.

Therefore they were no less prepared than the Jews to receive the preaching concerning the Messiah. The Messiah who had come could find among the Samaritans people ready to hear the word of truth.

He could find among them a faith such as He had not found even in Israel.

It is enough to note this: when the Jews awaited the coming of the Messiah, they awaited an earthly king. They awaited a liberator of the Jews from a foreign yoke, a conqueror and subduer of nations.

They dreamed of His restoring the earthly kingdom of Israel. The Samaritans, by contrast, modestly awaited the Messiah as teacher and enlightener, who would teach them true worship of God.

Consequently, their expectations of the Messiah were not darkened by any prejudices or self-interested calculations like those of the Jews.

We see this clearly in the Samaritan woman who spoke with Jesus at the well. She firmly kept the traditions of her people concerning the superiority of Samaritan worship on Mount Gerizim over Jewish worship in Jerusalem.

Yet without prejudice or conceit, she seeks from a Jewish prophet the solution to the question concerning the place of worshiping God.

When she hears from Him a solution not in agreement with the beliefs of her people, she is ready, without contradiction or hesitation, to submit this religious question to the judgment of the awaited Messiah.

She does this although she knows that He will be a Jew. Evidently she hopes that He will be able to put an end to the religious division existing between Jews and Samaritans.

Of course, not only this woman who came to the well expressed such beliefs and expectations concerning the Messiah. All her fellow citizens shared her convictions.

For as soon as they heard from the woman that outside the city, by the well, a Man had appeared who was probably the Christ, they went out to Jesus beyond the city.

They did so without long questioning and without any doubt about the truth of her words. They asked Him to stay with them. When He stayed there two days, they believed in Him as the true Messiah.

From this it is evident that the Samaritans were sufficiently prepared to receive the Messiah.

If one accepts as a real fact the incident related by Jesus in the parable about "who is our neighbor," namely the Samaritan's treatment of the Jew who had fallen among robbers, then another conclusion follows.

One may conclude that, morally also, many Samaritans were capable and ready to receive the new spirit of grace, and to enter the Kingdom of the Messiah together with the Jews.

This was why Jesus, while preaching to the Israelites about the coming of the Kingdom of God, did not deprive the Samaritans of His preaching.

He also commanded His Apostles to preach concerning Him not only in Judea, but also in Samaria (Acts 1:8).

He must not wear patched shoes, because in some cases patches might become a burden forbidden by the law. He must not speak with a woman in a public place.

He must avoid mutual association with the common people. He must not take large steps, since this would reveal a certain frivolity and insufficient absorption in the study of the law. He must not walk upright, since this would reveal pride in him.

It was still more improper to speak with her about religion and the law. “Better to burn the words of the law,” says one strict rabbi, “than to entrust them to a woman.”

Meanwhile the disciples saw that Jesus Christ was conducting a long and serious conversation with a woman, and apparently a sinful woman. Evidently, He was speaking precisely about matters of religion and the law.

Yet they did not dare to remark to Him about this and began to speak about the purchases they had made.

“Better to burn the words of the law than to teach them to a woman”: such were rabbinic sayings.

“Yet no one said”: this was out of reverence for the person of their great Teacher. Perhaps they had already begun to observe that He was establishing new orders in His new Kingdom, and new relations between people in the moral and social sense.

They already understood that every word and every act of their Teacher was clothed with the gracious power to do good.

Many think that when the other disciples went to buy food, the beloved disciple John remained with the Lord. He recorded the conversation with the Samaritan woman, but did not mention himself out of humility, just as he nowhere names himself in the Gospel he wrote.