Third Sunday of Lent (A): John 4:5-42
I’ve always enjoyed word play. Puns, crosswords, cryptograms, Scrabble – just about any game involving words. Psychologists tell us that people on the autism spectrum tend to like word play even more than people in general. Puns and word games come standard with us Aspies, so to speak!
But we’re not alone. The Bible is filled with examples of puns and word play. Very often, the naming of a person or place involves a play on words. Adam, on seeing Eve: “This one shall be called ‘woman’, for from ‘her man’ this one has been taken”. In Hebrew, ‘woman’ and ‘her man’ sound almost the same. Jesus, to Simon: “You are ‘Peter’, and upon ‘this rock’ I will build my church.” Again, ‘Peter’ and ‘this rock’ sound almost the same in the original. John, writing out of a rich Biblical tradition, will also use plays on words as a means to draw out deeper meanings. Jesus tells Nicodemus, “You must be born ‘again’.” In Greek, the word translated as ‘again’ can also mean ‘from above’, depending on context. Nicodemus objects, understanding the word in its usual, literal ‘again’ meaning. Jesus then explains further, using the meaning ‘from above’. The Biblical authors used puns and word play not merely because they may have enjoyed it. It served a purpose. It is a reminder that they are writing about realities that cannot be adequately expressed in words. To show this, the Biblical authors used word play to show the reader that there is always more to life, and to God, than we might assume at first glance. Word play is an invitation to “come and see”, to go deeper.
If puns are plays on words, then symbols are plays on objects or ideas. The object or idea has one literal meaning. But, when an object or idea is used in a certain way and has a history behind it, it carries with it deeper meaning. It becomes a symbol. A piece of cloth on your table is just a piece of cloth. Hoist it up on a pole, and it becomes a flag. People start asking why you have done that, because flags are perceived to have some meaning beyond being simply cloth. Make that piece of cloth with red, white, and blue, and in a certain pattern, and you have an American flag. Now, this piece of cloth becomes a powerful symbol. It evokes a variety of feelings from us. It reveals to us our attitudes about our country, and invites us – by showing it proper respect – to reaffirm the values that the flag symbolizes.
In the same way, Biblical authors use symbol to convey deeper and fuller meaning to their writing. Symbol also reminds us that when we speak of God, everything is inadequate. Everything is limited, and suggests a greater meaning and purpose beyond itself. John, too, will use symbol to a great extent in his Gospel, and he expects his readers to catch the symbolism and thus the deeper meaning.
With that introduction, I will use a few examples to show how John’s use of word play and symbolism adds levels of meaning to this story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman. At first glance, we might assume that the story is about a woman who has been married several times, is now living with someone who is not her husband, and is challenged by Jesus to repent. This is an element in the story, to be sure, but not the main point. So, too, some may say that Jesus’ dialogue with the Samaritan woman shows his respect for women and anyone who is seen as “less than” others. Again, this is true, but this isn’t the full thrust of the story.
Let’s look at a few symbols and words that John uses in this story. John tells us early on that it is “about noon”. Since the Gospels give us very few time indicators, we know that when they do, they are important. In the previous chapter of John’s Gospel, Jesus meets Nicodemus, who comes to him “at night”. Nicodemus has some openness to Jesus, but his faith is still incomplete, and he misunderstands what Jesus says. At the Last Supper, as Judas leaves the table to betray Jesus, we are told “and it was night”. Darkness represents hesitation, doubt and sin. Light represents Jesus, who is the light of the world. Later in this story, when Jesus’ disciples return and object to Jesus’ speaking with a Samaritan and a woman, Jesus says, “Look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest”. In the light of Jesus, these people whom they dismiss as unworthy can be seen as ready to welcome the Gospel. We can make yet another connection. John tells us that it was at noon when Pilate seated Jesus on the judge’s bench, cried “Behold, your king!” and finally sentenced him to death. Jesus had said, “When I am lifted up, I will draw all people to myself”. So, simply by the use of the word “noon”, we already have a good idea of what this story is about, and that it will have a good ending. Jesus, the Light of the world, is already drawing all sorts of people to himself. This is one reason why the Church uses this reading for those who are about to enter the Church on Easter.
The setting is a well – Jacob’s well, as we are told. John points us back to the Biblical patriarchs and mentions a well. Why a well? It was at a well where the servant of Abraham arranged the marriage between Isaac and Rebekah, the parents of Jacob. The well is a place where a bridegroom takes a bride. John has already linked Jesus with the image of the bridegroom and the wedding feast of the Messiah in the account of the wedding at Cana, where, significantly, water is turned to wine: our first hint of “living water”.
Then, Jesus asks for water to drink, but tells the woman that he can give her “living water”. The original Greek can be translated two ways: “flowing water”, like that of a stream, being the usual meaning, or “living water”. The woman understands it in the common sense, and asks where this water might be found. Flowing water tastes fresher than the stagnant water of a well, and so would be more desirable. But Jesus explains that he means “living water”, a “water” that will become a well inside the heart of each person who believes in him. The woman wants this water and asks for it. It is here that Jesus raises the question of her husbands. We can now see, based on John’s use of the well and water imagery, that Jesus isn’t asking merely about her love life. Jesus presents himself as the true Bridegroom, the source of truly “living water”, and invites her to faith.
This is remarkable. In the last chapter of John’s Gospel, we met the ultimate Jewish insider – Nicodemus, a man, a Jew, a member of the Sanhedrin, and a “teacher of Israel”. If anyone should have understood Jesus, it was him. Though Jesus invites him to faith, Nicodemus leaves, still in doubt. Here, we have someone who could not be a greater outsider – a Samaritan and a woman. Yet, she responds gradually to Jesus’ invitation.
Seeing it this way helps us understand why the Samaritan woman then asks a question about where they should worship God. If this story is only about her love life, this question appears to be an attempt to change the subject. But if it’s about who the true Bridegroom is, this IS the subject. Who is the true Bridegroom, the true God – and where is God to be found? Jesus assures her that God is not confined to any one place, however sacred it may be. Anyone who worships God in spirit and truth is acceptable. Finally, the woman asks about the Messiah, the one who “will tell us everything”. Her heart is now open and ready. Jesus tells her, “I am he”. Then she runs off, leaving her pail behind. (Remember, every detail counts.) She now has living water, and no longer needs another well. She has found her true Bridegroom and needs no other. She then witnesses to Jesus in her village, and brings many of them to encounter Jesus and believe in him. She believes and witnesses to Jesus, thus helping others come to faith. This is the “punch line” of this story, so to speak. Here, we see Jesus inviting all of us to that same kind of faith – a faith that he alone provides “living water”; a faith that he alone is our true Bridegroom; and, a faith that leads us to witness and bring others to Jesus as well.
There are other symbols here that I haven’t explored, but these may be enough to whet your appetite for more. I hope that this will become an example for you of how to read any Biblical passage, especially the Gospels. You will find word play and symbolism everywhere. That will help you see how the Scriptures are all connected and inspired by the Holy Spirit. This, in turn, may strengthen and deepen your faith. May the Lord, the Bridegroom, the Source of living water, bless you abundantly as you walk the Lenten journey of faith with him!
P.S.: A note on the photo I used. It is the baptismal font from an open-air church in New Harmony, Indiana. It is dedicated to grandparents.