LECTION 23 - Iesus And The Samaritan Woman
Iesus And The Samaritan Woman
1. THEN cometh Iesus to a city of Samaria (which is called Sychar) near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
2. Now Jacob’s well was there. Iesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat alone on the edge of the well, and it was about the sixth hour.
3. And there cometh a woman (of Samaria) to draw water; Iesus saith unto her,
Give me to drink.
(For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy food).
4. Then saith the woman (of Samaria) unto him,
How is it that thou being a Jew, asketh drink of me, who am a woman of Samaria?
(for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.)
5. Iesus answered and said unto her,
If thou knewest the gift (of God) and who it is that saith to thee, Give me drink, thou wouldest have asked of God, who would have given thee living water.
6. The woman saith unto him,
Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep, from whence hast thou that living water. Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank thereof, himself and his children and his camels and oxen and sheep.
7. Iesus answered and said unto her,
Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again, but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well (of water) springing up into everlasting life.
8. The woman saith unto him,
Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
Iesus saith unto her,
Go, call thy husband and come hither.
The woman answered and said,
I have no husband.
9. Iesus looking upon her, answered and said unto her,
Thou hast well said, I have no husband. For thou hast had five husbands and he whom thou now hast is not called thy husband, in that saidst thou truly.
10. The woman saith unto him,
Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain and ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
11. Iesus saith unto her,
Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship God. Ye worship ye know not what; we know what we worship; for salvation is of Israel.
12. But the hour cometh and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the All-Parent in spirit and in truth; for such worshippers the All-Holy seeketh. God is a Spirit and they that worship, must worship in spirit and in truth.
13. The woman saith unto him,
I know that Messiah cometh who is called the Christ: when he is come he will tell us all things.
Iesus saith unto her,
I am he Who speaketh unto thee.
14. And upon this came his disciples and marveled that he talked with the woman, yet no man said,
What seekest thou ? Or, Why talkest thou with her?
15. The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city and saith unto the men,
Come, see a man which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
16. Then they went out of the city and came unto him, and many of the Samaritans believed on him, and they besought him that he would tarry with them; and he abode there two days.
LECTION 23. 1-13. -A similar event is recorded in the life of Buddha, where he asks water of a woman, and receives it from a woman of lower caste, who asks how he, of a higher caste, a Brahmin, comes to ask water of one so much lower. It should cast no doubt on this passage.