SUMMARY
The SamaritanSamaritans were a people who mostly lived between Galilee and Judea and were avoided or shunned by mainstream Judaism. Jesus' message, however, was so inclusive that he often spoke favorably of Samaritans as he did with the woman at the well (John 4) and in... woman at the well recognizes JesusJesus is the Messiah whose life, death, and resurrection are God's saving act for humanity. as a prophet and inquires as to where one should worship God.
ANALYSIS
The exchange about the woman’s husband is neither a trap on Jesus’ part nor is it meant to shame the woman or expose her supposed sins. Rather, this portion of the dialogue moves the woman further in her recognition of who Jesus is. She has already seen that he is the source of something that she needs, water, and she openly asks for what he has to offer, “Sir, give me this water” (4:15). Because of her openness, in contrast to Nicodemus’ “How can these things be?” Jesus takes the conversation to the next level. When Jesus asks about her husband, the woman simply tells the truth, “I do not have a husband.” Jesus knows this, knows her plight as one whose husbands have either died or divorced her, likely because she was barren, and because he knows these intimate aspects of her life, she sees Jesus to be a prophet. If Jesus is a prophet, then he would know the proper place to worship God. For the Samaritans, they worshiped God in their templeThe Jerusalem temple, unlike the tabernacle, was a permanent structure, although (like the tabernacle) it was a place of worship and religious activity. On one occasion Jesus felt such activity was unacceptable and, as reported in all four Gospels, drove from the temple those engaged... on Mount Gerizim. For the Jews, their temple was in Jerusalem. In asking where to worship, the woman is really asking, “Where is God?” to which Jesus responds, “I Am” (4:26), the first absolute “I Am” statement in the Gospel. The conversation leads to Jesus revealing his true identity to this unnamed woman at the well.
