John 4:29Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

She does not state this about Him directly, yet she does not keep silent. She did not wish to draw them merely by her own opinion, but desired that they hear Him and then share her judgment themselves.

This made her words even more acceptable to them. Although Christ had not disclosed her whole life, from what He had said she was convinced that He knew all the rest as well.

Nor did she say, Come, believe. She said, "Come, see," which was much easier and drew them more strongly.

Do you see the woman's wisdom? She knew, she knew beyond doubt, that as soon as they tasted from this spring, they would experience the same thing she had.

If a more sensual person had been in her place, he would have concealed the rebuke made to him. But she reveals her life and makes it known before all, if only to draw them and turn them to Christ.

"Come, see a Man." She did not say, Go, see God among men, lest they take her for mad, and lest people say, She is beside herself.

Indeed, has anyone ever seen God walking upon the earth? Has anyone ever seen God among men? "Come, see a Man who told me all that I ever did."

She awakened in them the desire to go and become His prey. As she herself had been caught, so she caught others. She herself began with "a Jew" and came to "Lord."

She leads them from a man to the knowledge of God. O harlot preacher! O harlot who surpassed the apostles!

Only after the whole divine economy had been fulfilled did the apostles begin their apostolic preaching. But the harlot proclaims Christ even before the Passion, the redemption, and the Resurrection.

"Come, see a Man who told me all that I ever did." For your benefit I publicly proclaim my sins. I publish my vices, so that you may see God who has come to men.

Worship Christ, who does not disdain sinners. "Come, see a Man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?"

Do you see the woman's wisdom? Do you see the right-mindedness of the harlot? Christ spoke to her of only one sin, namely fornication.

Yet she left the waterpot and ran into the city, saying: "Come, see a Man who told me all that I ever did."

She preaches His omniscience, and her preaching surpasses the preaching of the apostles. She had not seen Him risen from the dead.

She had not seen Him call the four-days-dead Lazarus from the tomb. She had not seen His victory over death. She had not seen the sea calmed by a word.

She had not seen Him who formed Adam from clay fill in what was lacking in creation for the blind man. Yet she preached Him who in Paradise created from clay by a word.

Let us also imitate this Samaritan woman, and not be ashamed of our sins, but fear God. For now, as I see, the opposite happens.

We do not fear Him who is coming to judge us, while we fear and are ashamed before those who cannot harm us at all. For the very thing of which we are ashamed, we bear punishment.

The one who is ashamed to reveal his sins to a man, and is not ashamed to sin before the eyes of God, and then does not wish either to confess his sins or repent, will be put to shame on that day.

He will be shamed not before one or two, but before the whole universe.

Therefore let us converse with Christ. Even now He stands among us and speaks with us through the prophets and apostles. Let us listen to Him and obey Him.

How long shall we live vainly and uselessly? If we spend the time given to us here without profit, then after departing from here we shall undergo heavy punishment for careless waste.

God gave us this present life and breathed into us a rational soul, not so that we might use only this temporary life, but so that we might all obtain the life to come.

Only the present life is granted to irrational animals. We have an immortal soul in order to prepare for that life there, to shine there, to rejoice with the angels, and always to stand before the King unto endless ages.

For this reason our soul is immortal, and the body will be returned to us. If, when heavenly things are before you, you are attached to the earth, consider what insult you offer your Benefactor.

He offers you heavenly things, and you, paying no attention to this, prefer the earth? When He is despised, He threatens you also with Gehenna, so that you may learn from this what good things you are losing.

But may God deliver us from the danger of experiencing this punishment in deed. May He count us worthy, as those who have pleased Him, of eternal blessings.

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

Therefore she prepares them by the miracle and, having struck them with wonder, makes the way to faith easier. “Come and see,” she says prudently, almost crying out with an excited voice.

Even sight alone will be enough for faith, and those present will receive assurance through wondrous miracles. For the One who knows hidden things and has received this great and God-befitting dignity will surely be able to accomplish with perfect ease whatever He wills.

Having heard, “I who speak to you am He” (Jn 4:26), and having received Christ the Lord in her heart, what else could she do but leave her water jar and hurry to bear the good news, evangelizare?

She left her thirst and hastened to communicate the truth. Let those who wish to bear the good news learn from her. Let them leave the water jar at the well.

You remember what I said above about the water jar. It was a vessel with which water is drawn. In Greek it is called hydria, for water in Greek is called ύδωρ.

It is as though in Latin a water jar were called an aquarium. Thus she left the water jar, which was already useless and only burdened her. For she had one desire alone: to drink that water.

And so, to make Christ known, she casts off the burden and hastens into the city. She says to the people, “Come, see a Man who told me all that I ever did.”

Taking care lest those people suddenly grow angry, be offended, and drive her away, she says, “Come, see a Man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?”

They went out of the city and came to Him.

For this, "Come, see," contains the following meaning: follow me, and I will lead you and show you the Savior who has now come from heaven into the world.

Thus, having stirred them at that time, she presented them to Christ. By leaving both waterpot and home, she teaches us to prefer to necessary needs the benefit that flows from teaching.

The Lord also called this the "good part" (Lk 10:42), when He spoke in the Gospel to Martha concerning Mary, who was listening to the word.

If even necessary needs must be despised, how much more everything else? What then weighs you down and draws you away from listening to what benefits the soul?

Is it care for house, children, or wife? Or some sorrow or joy of your own, or of a person close to you? Or the buying or selling of possessions?

Or is it how to use all your property, or rather, how to misuse it? But listen with understanding to the apostolic instructions: "The time is short, brethren.

From now on, those who have wives should be as though they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they possessed nothing.

Those who use this world should be as though they did not use it. For the form of this world is passing away" (1 Cor 7:29-31).

What does "the time is short" mean? Life is brief. Death is near. This world is corruptible. Only the other world abides eternally.

What refashions us for that world is firm contempt for this world, readiness for that age to come, and a life, as far as possible, distant from the patterns of life here.

It is a life conducted according to the manner of that age, and a flight, as far as strength allows, from the harm of this life.

When enemies frequently attack the outskirts of a city, we possess property as though not possessing it. Most of the time we flee from it, and remain safely inside the city walls.

If the enemy withdraws for a time, we briefly use the chance to leave the city. Yet we do not misuse the time, knowing that time for use is precious.

So too the Apostle beautifully exhorts us to use this world, but not misuse it. He sees that the enemies are attacking fiercely and that the end is expected.

For he says that the form of this world is passing away. Since this world is not stable, the present is, as the Apostle said, nothing other than a form.

In reality it both exists and at the same time is nothing. It appears for a short time and immediately passes away. If someone wished to hold it, he could in no way do so.

It is like a light cloud, driven by the wind in summer, casting a rapidly passing shadow.

From this comes the very counsel that each of us should manifest a clear disposition of soul and give an example of awareness concerning the instructions given by God.

For even if someone wished to hold it, as I have said, everything belonging to the present age is unholdable. This is for two reasons.

Not only does this age pass by, but each of us who uses this world is here only for a time. Before he has gained possession of something in the world, he departs from it.

As though walking along a road, every man passes on. Along this road there occurs a varied movement of things passing by him. Necessarily, one of two things happens.

Either what passes along the road escapes him, and he can no longer hold what he possessed, or he himself, passing on, finally departs from this path of life.

Then he cannot hold what life gives. For man, being mortal, is attached to worldly affairs, and they too are subject to change.

Therefore, man, bound to things that are changeable, is himself changed in many ways and loses what he held. This may be wealth, splendor, or joy.

Or else, by dying, he inflicts upon himself an irreparable change and departs naked from here. He leaves behind what he had here and on which he placed his hopes.

But perhaps this will go as an inheritance to his children? What joy is there in this for him? He will no longer take part in life here, and his children will perish in the same or another way.

Therefore death is always a calamity for those attached to this world. In the end, they are taken from here naked and leave behind everything they loved.

But for those who despise the things of this world, and seek to gain knowledge of the world to come, death brings no harm when it comes.

They strive to do what is useful before the face of that future age. Or rather, death transfers them from vain and unstable things into the unwaning day.

It brings them into immortal life, inexhaustible wealth, pure joy, eternal glory, and that which truly is and remains unchanged.

May we all obtain this by the grace and love for mankind of Him who bowed the heavens and came down for our sake.

He came down not only to us, but also to the souls imprisoned in the lower regions. From there He ascended by the power of the Resurrection and regeneration.

Through Himself He gave us illumination, knowledge, and hope for the heavenly and eternal blessings. In them He is supremely glorified unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Although she believed that He is the Christ, she did not say directly to the Samaritans, “This is the Christ.” Instead, as though doubting, she said, “Can this be the Christ?”

She spoke of Him in this way so as to awaken in them much greater curiosity. Then, coming to Jesus Christ and hearing His teaching, they too would believe as she had believed.

She seems not to believe herself, and therefore her question is expressed in a form that sounds doubtful: “Can this be the Christ?”

Or else: “She does not affirm that He is the Christ, but says, ‘Can this be the Christ?’ in order to bring them themselves to the same opinion as her own and to make her word more acceptable.” Theophylact.