Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of John 4:10
Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
10. the gift of God ] What He is ready to give thee, what is now held out to thee, thy salvation. For ‘knewest’ read hadst known. Comp. Joh 11:21; Joh 11:32, Joh 14:28, where we have the same construction; and contrast Joh 5:46 and Joh 8:19, where the A. V. makes the converse mistake of translating imperfects as if they were aorists.
thou wouldest have asked of him ] instead of His asking of thee: ‘thou’ is emphatic. ‘Spiritually our positions are reversed. It is thou who art weary, and foot-sore, and parched, close to the well, yet unable to drink; it is I who can give thee the water from the well, and quench thy thirst for ever.’ There is a scarcely doubtful reference to this passage in the Ignatian Epistles, Romans VII. See on Joh 6:33, to which there is a clear reference in this same chapter. The passage with these references to the Fourth Gospel is found in the Syriac as well as in the shorter Greek versions of Ignatius; so that we have almost certain evidence of this Gospel being known as early as a.d. 115. See on Joh 3:3.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The gift of God – The word gift, here denotes favor. It may refer to Jesus Himself, as the gift of God to the world, given to save men from death Joh 3:16; 2Co 9:15, or it may refer to the opportunity then afforded her of seeking salvation. If thou knewest how favorable an opportunity God now gives thee to gain a knowledge of himself, etc.
And who it is … – If thou knewest that the Messiah was speaking.
Living water – The Jews used the expression living water to denote springs, fountains, or running streams, in opposition to dead and stagnant water. Jesus here means to denote by it his doctrine, or his grace and religion, in opposition to the impure and dead notions of the Jews and the Samaritans. See Joh 4:14. This was one of the many instances in which he took occasion from common topics of conversation to introduce religious discourse. None ever did it so happily as he did, but, by studying his example and manner, we may learn also to do it. One way to acquire the art is to have the mind full of the subject; to make religion our first and main thing; to carry it with us into all employments and into all society; to look upon everything in a religious light, and out of the abundance of the heart the mouth will speak, Mat 12:34.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Joh 4:10
If thou knewest the gift of God
Wayside opportunities
I.
THE SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPORTANCE OF WAYSIDE OPPORTUNITIES. Speaking after the ordinary manner this transaction was accidental; apparently unpremeditated on the part of Christ, unexpected on the part of the woman.
1. We go into transactions which involve our highest good or greatest loss as unexpectedly. The woman was looking for the Messiah, but she little expected to find Him a tired traveller. You expect to find God in Church: do you ever expect to find Him in common events?
2. The character of a man, his real strength or weakness, appears not in his seizure of great events but of ordinary ones–not in martyrdom, but in endurance.
3. Opportunities for serving Christ are offered when truth has to be done or spoken, in doing and speaking it not boastfully or independently or impudently, but simply and in love.
4. You meet Christ by the wayside in every duty, great or small, which calls you from the wrong to the right.
5. Opportunities for religious instruction and worship are not confined to one day, place, or act, but every day, everywhere, and by everything that brings us in contact with God. And as the highest religious truth in nature lies close by the way if we will only pluck it, so in the Bible the great truths lie on the surface.
II. How CHRIST USED HIS OPPORTUNITIES.
1. He made them the occasion of a great and effective religious work.
2. The freedom and spontaneousness of Christs teaching fill us with wonder. It is perfectly independent of times and places, but makes all times and places consecrated and effective.
3. Why? Because religion in Him was a real matter. It is unreality that makes it unnatural, constrained, vague.
4. The man who is truly religious never forces His religion on any one. It goes wherever he goes. If the conversation takes a religious turn, what he says comes as spontaneously as it did from Christ.
5. This is the power of effective preaching. Some preaching is simply the setting forth of abstract doctrines. The real preaching passes the life up into the doctrines, being based on the realities of life.
III. THE WOMANS OPPORTUNITY.
1. That of ministration to the necessities of Christ. We cannot do this as she did; but Christs doctrine is, that what is done to the least of His brethren is done to Him. With every needy, weak claimant by the wayside Christ comes.
2. That of reception. The gift of God was her opportunity. Our evil is that we do not know our wants, and therefore do not know our opportunities. (E. H.Chapin, D. D.)
The two fountains
I. THERE IS A CONTRAST BETWEEN CHRISTS PRESENT BODILY NEED AND HIS PERMANENT SPIRITUAL ABUNDANCE. Give me to drink He would have given thee living water.
1. The contrasts in the life of Jesus are very striking.
(1) Even in physical things. He sleeps from weariness, but awakes to hush the storm; He is hungry, but dooms the fig-tree to perpetual barrenness.
(2) More so in spiritual things, as when, crucified through weakness, He promised life to the malefactor.
2. The living water was not mere happiness, but the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life. There is in man a thirst for God which only the Spirit can quench, a thirst of need or a thirst of desire.
3. Jesus would not have had living water to bestow had He not been in a condition to require the refreshment He asked. It was because He assumed a humanity, tempted in all points like as we are, that He could give the water of life.
II. THERE IS A CONTRAST HERE BETWEEN THE NARROWNESS OF RELIGIOUS PREJUDICE AND THE GENEROSITY OF CHRISTIAN GRACE. To tell a thirsty man that he belongs to another religion! The gift of man is hindered by what should have arrested and inspired it, the gift of God. Knows no obstacle but our unfitness.
1. The desire to bless was strong, constant, and spontaneous in Jesus.
2. As we possess Christs Spirit we shall do likewise. Do we want occasions for doing good? It is the occasions rather that want us; and the heart filled with Divine love will use occasions as they present themselves, just as water flows through the channels made for it.
3. In proportion to our likeness to Him will be our generosity. Living water cannot be restrained. Mere beliefs, feelings, customs, may be stagnant ponds, hut the power of the Divine Spirit is like running water: its movement keeps it fresh. Love must act to live. Grace gains by giving.
III. HERE IS A CONTRAST BETWEEN THE WOMANS RELATION TO CHRIST AND HER OWN CONCEPTION OF IT. She did not know Him or the boon He bore. A man may know and not do, but he cannot do unless he know. And knowledge of the principles of religion would secure its possession. If men knew Christs unspeakable gift they could not fail to seek it. The womans ignorance made her look on Christ as one to be ministered to. Had she known Him she would have been the supplicant. Our ignorance of Him is continually misrepresenting His requirements.
1. He requests our obedience, and we consider whether or not we shall comply, as if in doing we were to oblige Him. A full knowledge will make us realize our indebtedness to Him, and to see in His mighty help the only possibility of doing His will and to crave it.
2. The thought applies to the efficiency of works of faith and love. We think that is due to the intrinsic excellence of our deeds. But He employs us and renders His work effectual.
3. The same is applicable to rewards, which we expect on the ground of worthness; but all our goodness is from Him, and knowledge of Christ would make eternal glory a thing to be sought, not deserved.
IV. A CONTRAST BETWEEN EAGERNESS FOR THE LOWER GOOD AND INDIFFERENCE TO THE HIGHER. When the woman mistook Christ as meaning literal running water she said, Give me the water. Yet we are not told that when she learnt the sense of Jesus, she asked to be supplied with His spiritual gift. So men labour for the perishing and neglect the eternal. (A. J. Morris.)
The gift of God and living water
I. THE GIFT OF GOD.
1. There is nothing that is not a gift of God. Every good and perfect gift is from above. But what are all earthly gifts combined compared to the gift of Gods only-begotten Son?
2. The greatest gift sanctifies all minor ones: as the sun beautifies the tamest landscape. Christ is like the numeral which, put before the unmeaning cyphers, invests them with value.
3. While feelingly alive to Gods goodness in His other gifts we can heartily join in the estimate of the apostle, Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift. With this, Having nothing we possess all things.
II. LIVING WATER–the purchased blessing of Christs salvation, beginning with pardon here, and culminating in glory. Observe, it is
1. Living water. The tiniest stream has more true glory than the stagnant lake: the smallest flower than the inanimate trunk of the giant tree. So with all dead things wherein the soul has no part, and which are earthy, the mere accident of fleeting existence. They are streams, but not living streams–they evaporate as they flow; but the blessings of salvation are as deathless as the God who gave them.
2. The fountain head of this water is living. The gift of God is not dry doctrine, but a living Being.
III. THIS VERSE IS A GOLDEN GATE, TO OPEN WHICH THERE ARE TWO KEYS.
1. The key of faith. Had the woman apprehended Christs meaning, what a barrier there would have appeared between her and mercy–how often must she climb Gerizim to load its altars with sacrifices! Christ says, If thou knewest the gift of God. Faith brings the soul into immediate contact with the Saviour without the intervention of preparations and penances.
2. The key of prayer. Thou wouldst have asked. How many blessings are lost for the want of this I How often is the Divine saying verified, I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye my face in vain! (J. R.Macduff, D. D.)
Living water
The life of the Lord, living water, in distinction from the stale water of this worlds life.
I. THE LATTER PROVOKES THIRST, THE FORMER QUENCHES IT.
II. THE ONE BECOMES FOUL, THE OTHER TAKES AWAY FOULNESS.
III. THE ONE STANDS IN A MARSH, THE OTHER GUSHES AND FLOWS.
IV. THE ONE SINKS OR EVAPORATES, THE OTHER BECOMES AN ETERNAL FOUNTAIN. (Lange.)
Christs testimony concerning His mission
It is said that there is no passion so strong in human nature as an educated religious hatred, and history by many an example proves the assertion true. When fathers not only hand down to their children an heritage of antagonism against any party or sect, but, from a sense of duty to God, conscientiously teach them that the party or the sect is their natural foe with whom no terms can ever be made and no intercourse be held, it is not difficult to see what result will ensue. Bitterness, contempt, strife must be inevitable fruits of such an education. At any moment the passionate hostility will flame forth, and all humane and generous feeling will wither in the burning heat. How often you may find generation after generation inheriting and perpetuating the hatreds and conflicts of their ancestors! The memory of some wrong inflicted long ages ago, or of some fierce controversy which ought to have been dead, buried, and forgotten, is cherished with religious zeal, and manifests itself whenever an opportunity occurs. Peace on earth and goodwill among men are made almost impossible, because we all more or less inherit our ancestors prejudices. We start in life with an animus against certain people or forms of thought, and the hardest of all tasks is to free ourselves from the narrowing effects of our education. Illustrations of educated religious hatred are not wanting in the various churches of Christendom at the present day, and they are sometimes as fierce as the enmity was between the Jew and the Samaritan. This, as you know, rose to such a pitch that they refused all intercourse with each other. The education of the Jew made him a very determined hater, and every patriotic impulse and the whole fervour of his religious feeling quickened and intensified the hatred and contempt with which he looked upon a mongrel race who practised idolatry–the greatest crime known to a Jew–under the pretence of a rival worship of Jehovah. It was because of this strong national abhorrence that the woman of Samaria, when asked by this weary stranger for a draught of water, exclaimed, How is it that Thou, being a Jew, asketh drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. It was a natural surprise on her part to find one of the proud race turned into a suppliant. No doubt she regarded Him as an enemy, and felt something of the antagonism of her race and education excited by His request. But I do not think that she meant to be particularly cruel, or to allow animosity to destroy her humanity. She had no intention to refuse what He asked. She seems to have been a shrewd, yet genial, easy-dispositioned sort of creature; but, human-like–perhaps woman-like–she could not refrain from this little bit of tantalisation and apparent triumph before giving the stranger what He, in His weariness, so much required. However, this bitter utterance of hers gives our Lord the opportunity which He desired to teach her some great spiritual truths. He makes no mention of the enmity of the two peoples; He will not enter upon that old controversy which she had started; He will not stir, by the slightest word of His, any anger in the soul He seeks to save. Yet in a way He accepts the challenge, and responds to her words, though in a different maturer from that which she had expected. She had seemingly set herself in antagonism against Him–Thou asketh me!–and Christ answers by putting His power of supply over against her need, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give Me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water. You will mark here an important difference. Christ mentions nothing about Samaritan or Jew. He does not say, If thou, being a Samaritan, hadst asked of Me, a Jew, I would have given thee living water.
I. THE CHARACTER IN WHICH JESUS CHRIST PRESENTS HIMSELF TO THE WORLD. He declares that He is the gift of God. He claims to be a person of the highest importance. He does not disguise Himself, but boldly announces the majesty of His nature and the glory of His work. The woman saw in Him as yet only a wearied, travel-stained man of another race, and as such she treated Him. Her eye could not penetrate beneath the outward form to the Divine nature enshrined within it. He begins by awakening her curiosity concerning Himself. You regard Me, He seems to say, only as a Jew; but if thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give Me to drink, your speech and conduct would be entirely changed; for I have resources in Me of which you know nothing. Living water. As we think of it, however, what could be more delightfully expressive than such a figure? Perhaps we in these cold lands, where water is often in superabundance, cannot appreciate the deep and attractive beauty of the phrase; but to an Eastern mind the idea conveyed by it is of the most fascinating character. Water is inexpressibly precious in a land where it is often scarce, where a well is a family fortune. Had she never known that the water was a gift of God? Had not thirst on a hot day, or the failure of the spring, taught her that? Was water a thing to traffic in? Did she never think of the gift of water as something very free and universal? Christ stands as Gods response to the thirst of human souls. Friends, there is no real need of your natures, however deep, that Christ cannot and does not meet. There is one who wants to know truth. He is ever asking questions that trouble and burden him. Is there a God? Is He mindful of men? Is He a Father? Is there a life hereafter, or are we extinguished at death? Brother, Christ meets that thirst of yours with living water, for he that hath seen Christ hath seen the Father, and He has brought life and immortality to light. There is another who has aspirations after nobleness, yet is sadly, bitterly conscious of sin. He would rise, but he is dragged down. Christ came to enter into your condition, to fight with your temptations, to sacrifice Himself for the removal of your sins, to stand by you in the terrific encounter, to sanctify your nature, to make it strong and brave and pure.
II. THE EFFECT WHICH A RECOGNITION OF CHRIST WOULD PRODUCE IN HUMAN HEARTS. There are three things here which are like links in a chain, a golden chain–three steps which naturally follow one after the other. First, If thou knewest; second, Thou wouldest have asked; third, He would have given. Let us see how these processes and results are related to one another.
1. The first is–knowledge. Mark how tenderly and gently our Lord charges His solitary hearer with ignorance. There is an exquisite tone of compassion in the words, if thou knewest. It recognizes at once that there is no wilful opposition to Him as the Christ, or to His great mission, for she had hitherto had no chance of knowing anything whatever about Him. Her religious responsibility had not yet begun, Reproach! condemnation! Christ has nothing of all this for the ignorant; it is their misfortune, not their fault. We have received the knowledge; Christ has been revealed to us. He stands before us in the glory of His character as the gift of God. To know Christ, that is the first thing; to know Him in all the glory of His Divine commission, in all the plentitude of His life-giving power, in all the reviving, refreshing, inspiring sweetness of His love, this is what is necessary, necessary to awaken trust and love; for does not Christ Himself declare, If thou knewest the gift of God, thou wouldest have asked, He would have given? Here we have the second step or link.
2. It is confidence. Knowledge produces trust. They that know Thy name will put their truest in Thee. Jesus Christs confidence in the effect of the revelation of Himself is most decisive. Most firmly do I believe that this is everywhere true. It is He who has created the desire, the appetite for these things, by making them known to us. It is as with children–so long as they are ignorant of the various good things which others enjoy, so long, of course, they have no wish for them; but bring them within the range of their knowledge, show them how beautiful and desirable and attainable they are, and immediately the craving to possess them arises. Their conceptions are enlarged by every new object presented to their view, and, as a rule, the desire to obtain it follows. It is so in all that pertains to our civilized life–it is knowledge that awakens appetite and longing to possess. All this, however, is general, and the particular illustration is, perhaps, that which we most require. Therefore I say that as soon as you and I see Christ as He really is, as soon as we know Him in the full purpose of His mission, we must seek the gift He has to bestow. When I see that He has come to teach me about God, I want to know about God; when I see that He has come to redeem me from sin, I realize how much I need redemption from sin; when I hear Him offering heart-rest amid the strifes of the world, and eternal rest hereafter, I know that is just the supreme and unspeakable blessing which will satisfy me. I never felt all that till Christ was revealed to me, and so in my ignorance I did not cry, Give me to drink.
3. The third link in the chain, the supreme result, is this–the asking is always followed by the giving. The asking must precede giving; but let this condition be fulfilled, and the result will ensue. So Christ teaches this ignorant woman the great secret of Divine giving. It is the response to prayer. (W. Braden.)
Christ and the woman of Samaria
These words open UP to you three of the features of the Lord Jesus.
1. It shows you His care of individual souls.
2. Christ loves to save the worst.
3. Christ bears with stupidity. This woman was very stupid in Divine things; the words of Christ seemed to make no impression. Let us attend closely to these words, and let us consider
I. THAT CHRIST IS THE GIFT OF GOD. If thou knewest the gift of God, etc. This is one of the sweetest names Christ bears–the gift of God. Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift; God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son; The gift of God is eternal life. Whose gift is He? The gift of God. Some seem to think that no good thing can come from God. When they hear that God has kindled eternal fire for the wicked, they say, can any good thing come from Him? But, ah! there is this and this good thing. Observe what the gift is–The gift of God. He did not give a creature. He did not give angel or seraph. He gave His Son. Why did He give this gift? God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, etc: Ah! here is the guilt of unbelief, that you do not take up what God has laid down.
II. CHRIST IS NEAR TO SINNERS. If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it was that said unto thee, give Me to drink, etc.
1. He is nigh thee on account of His two natures (Joh 1:18).
2. Christ has promised to be near in His ordinances — I will come near and bless you. In secret prayer He records His name. In the broken bread and in the poured out wine He records His name. There are some of you who are awakened by the Spirit; now it is to such that Christ is near. Christ is as near to you as He was to the woman of Samaria. If Christ is so near, you ought to improve Him. You know that the farmers know how to improve the seasons. You know, brethren, that merchants do not let seasons pass.
III. IT IS IGNORANCE THAT KEEPS SINNERS FROM APPLYING TO CHRIST. If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give Me to drink, etc. It was ignorance that made the Jews crucify Christ. It was ignorance that made Paul persecute the Church. It was ignorance that made the woman answer Christ so rashly at the well. You are sailing over the sea of life, and you do not know that there are pearls below you. There is a thought comes over me, and it is this–that some of you will know when it is too late.
IV. WHAT IT IS THAT CHRIST IS WILLING TO GIVE SINNERS, even the chief, If thou knewest the gift of God, etc. The living water here spoken of is the Holy Spirit. Christ offered her here the very thing that she needed. It was an impure heart; now, Christ here says, I will give thee water to make thy heart clean. Again, this womans heart was full of sin. She had a constant craving for sin. But Christ says, I will here give thee water that will make thee thirst no more. Again, this womans heart was con- stantly boiling up with sin. Christ says to her, I wilt here give thee a well of water springing up–not a pond that may dry up–but a well of living water springing up into everlasting life. Again, this womans heart would have ended in the second death. Christ says, I will here give thee water–a well of water that will spring up to everlasting life. (R. M. McCheyne.)
The gift of living water
The turning points in our career have commonly nothing in them to distinguish them from common events, nothing to show that they are turning points. We do not know the faces that lie hidden all around us. We pass all our life along side of that which would make all eternity different to us, and yet, for lack of knowledge, for lack of consideration, for lack often of one hours serious, heart-searching thought, the thin veil continues to hide from us our true and lasting blessedness. Like the crew that were perishing from thirst, though surrounded by the fresh waters of the River Amazon that penetrated far into the salt ocean; so are we surrounded on all hands by God–the living, loving God–and upheld by Him, and living in Him, yet do not know Him, and refrain from dipping our buckets and drawing out of His life-giving fulness. How often, looking on those who, like this Samaritan woman, have gone wrong and know no recovery, who go through their daily duties sad and heavy at heart and weary of sin–how often do these words rise to our lips, If only thou knewest! How often does one long to be able to shed a sudden and universal light into the minds of men, that they may see things as they really are, that would reveal to them the goodness, the power, the all-conquering love of God! Two particulars our Lord mentions as being defective in this womans knowledge.
I. SHE DID NOT KNOW THE GIFT OF GOD. Her expectations were limited by her earthly condition and her physical wants. She had no belief that she had to do with the eternal loving God, and that God desired to communicate to her what was in Himself–deep and lasting blessedness. Through all ages, and for all men, there remains this gift of God, sought and found by those who know Him; different from, and superior to, the best human gifts, inheritances, and acquisitions; not to be drawn out of the deepest, most cherished wells of mans sinking; steadily arrogating to itself an infinite superiority to all that men have regarded and busily sunk their pitchers in–the gift which each man must ask for himself, and having for himself,knows to be the gift of God to him, the recognition by God of his personal wants, and the assurance to him of Gods everlasting regard. This gift of God, which carries to each soul the sense of Gods love, is his deliverance from all evil, his reunion with God Himself.
II. SHE DID NOT KNOW WHO IT WAS that said to her, Give Me to drink. And until we know Christ, we cannot know God. Often, like this woman, we are in Christs presence without knowing it, and listen, like her, to His appeals without understanding the majesty of His person and the greatness of our opportunity. It is always the same request that He urges, Give Me to drink. Is it cruelty to refuse a cup of cold water to a thirsty child, and no cruelty to refuse to quench the thirst of Him who hung upon the cross for us? Ought you to feel no shame that the Lord is still in want of what you can give? Has Christ not sufficiently shown the reality of His thirst for your friendship and faith? (Marcus Dods, D. D.)
Characteristics of living water
I. BRIGHTNESS.
II. REFRESHMENT.
III. FREENESS.
IV. ABUNDANCE.
V. CONTINUITY. He, every one that thirsteth, come. Now. (T. DeWitt Talmage, D. D.)
The gift of God
I. WHAT IS THE GIFT OF GOD?
1. The truth. The Old Testament gives this thought more than once. So Christ was taking an old illustration and applying it to His gospel. The old, old story is the story still. We commonly call this gift revelation. Men could not discover or shape it. Consider
(1) Its realness as contrasted with the shadows and dreams of idolatry and philosophy. The truth of God is a fact. Test it, O doubter!
(2) Its finality. Athens, with its thousands of gods, confesses there is an unknown God. In the gospel man gets his souls desire and is at rest. He has nothing to do but to keep drinking.
(3) Its dogmatic character. We wish to reason out and understand, but Gods dogmas are all axioms.
2. Christ Himself (1Co 10:4). Nor does this oppose the first interpretation, for Christ is the Truth, and pre-eminently the gift of God.
(1) Other good gifts only satisfy certain parts of our nature; this fully satisfies.
(2) Others satisfy only for a time; this for ever.
3. The present opportunity. Every invitation and opportunity is a gift of God. This woman embraced it. How many neglect it and lose it!
II. HOW THIS GIFT DESERVES THE NAME.
1. To be a gift it must be free. And so it is free and unmerited. The sinner has no resources. You cannot offer to God as purchase money what is His own.
2. That it is a gift appears in the eternity of its plan. Gods generosity is shown in His eternal purpose.
3. The fulness of the word appears when we consider how it is pressed on our acceptance. The word is nigh thee, brought to our very door.
4. The truth of the title given to the living water appears still more clearly when we learn how thoroughly it becomes ours in accepting it.
(1) It is absolutely bestowed.
(2) It becomes part of ourselves. Our heart becomes not a cistern, but a spring (Joh 4:14). Christ in you.
1. Springs of water are not for beauty, but for use and reproduction.
2. This reproduction is not a thing of constraint, except so far as constrained by the love of Christ.
3. Therefore with joy draw this water out of the well of salvation.
Conclusion: The inheritance of this gift brings responsibility. (J. J. Black, LL. B.)
The gift Of God
Perhaps no cry in Cairo is more striking than that of the water carrier. The gift of God, he says, as he goes along with his water skin on his shoulder it is very likely that water, so invaluable, and so often scarce in hot countries, was in Christs days spoken of, as now, as the gift of God, to denote its preciousness; if so the expression to the woman would be extremely forcible and full of meaning. (Ragged Life in Egypt.)
The gift of the Spirit
The purifying, refreshing, and fertilizing qualities of water aptly symbolize the operations of the Holy Spirit (Joh 7:38, Zec 14:6; Isa 44:3).
I. THE HOLY GHOST IS THE GIFT OF GOD, and is so styled by way of preeminence. He is a gift
1. Which virtually comprehends every other blessing.
2. Without it every other gift is unsatisfying.
3. Its attainment not only compensated for the loss of Christ, but made His departure expedient (Joh 16:7).
4. Without it even the unspeakable gift of the Saviour is vouchsafed in vain 1Pe 1:2).
II. The Holy Ghost is here represented as the GIFT OF CHRIST as well. He would have given thee.
1. From first to last the merits of Christ are the only procuring cause of our redemption.
2. As Mediator He has obtained the disposal of this gift (Col Act 2:33; Eph 4:7).
III. PRAYER IS THE APPOINTED MEANS FOR OBTAINING THIS GIFT. Thou wouldst have asked.
1. While Christ declares His readiness to bestow, He intimates the necessity of application. So does the Scripture throughout (Eze
36:37). This at once consults the honour of God and the infirmity of man; leaving to God the glory of supplying our necessities, but constituting a test of our humility, faith, and obedience.
2. The efficacy as well as the necessity of prayer is pointed out. He would have given (Luk 11:13).
IV. ONE CAUSE WHY MEN NEGLECT THIS GIFT IS THEIR IGNORANCE RESPECTING IT. They know not its nature and value; nor their own need of it; nor the manner of obtaining it; nor Christs power and willingness to impart it; therefore they make no inquiries about it. If thou knewest.
1. Whence does this ignorance arise? not from want of opportunity, instruction, or capacity, but want of attention to revealed truth. Whatever excuse may be urged for the woman there is none for you.
2. This ignorance will not extenuate guilt (Isa 5:12-13; Isa 27:11; Luk 19:44).
Ignorance and instruction
I. THE WOMANS IGNORANCE. Knowledge is acquired by few; ignorance is inherited by all.
1. She was ignorant of the Messiah with whom she was conversing. She saw the Jew, but not the Son of God; the weary man, but not the rest for weary souls; the thirsty, pilgrim, but not one who could quench the worlds thirst; one who sent for provisions, not one whose meat and drink was His Fathers will; a lonely person, but not one who had myriads of angels at His command.
2. She was ignorant of spiritual things. She mistook living water for running water. She asks for material and overlooks eternal things. Earth was all, and heaven nothing.
3. She was ignorant of the gift of God. She valued the well, but could only trace it to Jacob, not to God. God gives us all good gifts; some of them through our fathers, some through our own hands. All these must perish. One gift comes direct; that abides, even the Holy Spirit.
II. CHRISTS INSTRUCTIONS. They were
1. Progressive. The first impression was that He was a Jew; next she wanted to compare Him with Jacob; next He is a prophet; lastly the Messiah. Such was Christs gradual unfolding of Himself to her.
2. Effective. They had their desired effect in spite of her efforts to thwart them. He touched her conscience, awakened her thirst for God, and gave Himself for its satisfaction, after continuous evasions.
3. Practical.
III. GODS BLESSING.
1. Christ was so blessed that He forgot His thirst.
2. The woman was so blessed that she forgot her pitcher. As heaven becomes clear we lose sight of earth. (W. Griffith.)
Saving knowledge
One difficulty lay in the way of this womans salvation–ignorance of Christ. She was not an uninstructed woman. She was acquainted with portions of Bible history. She was versed in sectarian peculiarities. She shared the hopes of the Jewish and Samaritan people. In this age there are hundreds who know something about everything save Christ. Our text speaks
I. OF A GIFT, AND OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF IT.
1. It informs that the gift is Christ Himself.
(1) In the eternal purpose;
(2) in promise;
(3) in history;
(4)in experience;
(5) the faith that receives Christ is a gift; and
(6) the eternal life in which it issues is a gift.
2. The definite article shows this to be Gods gift beyond all others; the gift which comprehends and sanctifies all others.
(1) It is an unrivalled gift.
(2) It sweetens other gifts, and makes them effective.
(3) A most precious gift, because he who has it has, as the richest without it has not, the favour of God.
(4) If thou hast it, thou must prize it, because it is a token of thine everlasting salvation.
3. Knowledge is put with the gift.
(1) Till her eyes were opened Hagar could not see the well, nor can you see this gift of God.
(2) This knowledge is the gift of God. No man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost.
(3) This knowledge is personal, not second-hand, of a personal
Christ.
II. IF thou knowest the gift of God, WHAT THEN?
1. It supposes that many have not this knowledge.
2. It suggests that all may know it, and that a great change will come over them.
(1) The unconverted would be much happier.
(2) The scoffer would become a sympathizer.
(3) The trifler would make the present moment his convenient season.
(4) Darling sins would be renounced for the greater sweetness of Christ.
(5) The very worst would hope, believe, and find mercy.
3. Every point in Christs character, if known, would work good for us.
4. If we take a walk abroad, to how many could we apply the text, and its suggestions. If they knew the gift of God
(1) The working classes would spend their sabbaths differently.
(2) The formal worshippers in churches and chapels would worship the Father in spirit and in truth.
(3) The Christless preacher would abandon his eloquent flights, and declare the preciousness of Christs salvation.
(4) The ritualist would lay aside his robes, and confess the sinfulness of his priestly assumptions.
(5) The sinner, dying without hope, would depart in joy and peace.
III. HOW DOES THE IF CONCERN BELIEVERS? There are tens of thousands who know now, this gift. Is this your fault?
1. How shall they hear without a preacher?
2. Have you spoken so as to be understood?
3. If not, resolve that for the future no man shall perish for lack of knowledge through your fault. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The preaching of Christ
Our Lord found many a topic of discourse in the scenes around Him. Even the humblest objects shine in His hands as I have seen a fragment of broken glass or earthenware, as it caught the sunbeam, light up, flashing like a diamond. With the stone of Jacobs well for a pulpit, and its water for a text, He preached salvation to the Samaritan woman. A little child, which He takes from its mothers side, and holds up blushing in His arms before the astonished audience, is the text for a sermon on humility. A husbandman on a neighbouring height, between Him and the sky, who strides with long and measured steps over the field he sows, supplies a text from which He discourses on the Gospel and its effects on different classes of hearers. In a woman baking; in two women who sit by some cottage door grinding at the mill; in an old, strong fortalice, perched on a rock, whence it looks across the brawling torrent to the ruined and roofless gable of a house swept away by mountain floods–Jesus found texts. From the birds that sung above His head, and the lilies that blossomed at His feet, He discoursed on the care of God–these His text, and providence His theme. (T. Guthrie, D. D.)
Salvation must be accepted as a free gift
A Christian lady was visiting a poor, sickly woman, and after conversing with her for a little she asked her if she had found salvation yet. No, she replied, but I am working hard for it. Ah, you will never get it that way, the lady said. Christ did all the working when He suffered and died for us, and made complete atonement for our sins. You must take salvation solely as a gift of free unmerited grace, else you can never have it at all. The poor woman was at first amazed beyond measure, and felt for the moment as if all hope had been taken from her; but very soon the enlightenment came, and she was enabled to rest joyously on Jesus alone.
Christ, a priceless blessing
Charles, Duke of Burgundy, being slain in battle by the Switzers at Nantz, anno 1476, had a jewel of very great value, which, being found about him, was sold by a soldier to a priest for a crown in money; the priest sold it for two crowns; afterwards it was sold for seven hundred florins, then for twelve thousand ducats, and last of all, for twenty thousand ducats, and set into the Popes triple crown, where it is to be seen at this day. But Christ Jesus is of far more value, better than rubies, saith Solomon; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to Him. He is that pearl of great price which the merchant purchased with all that ever he had. No man can buy such gold too dear. Joseph, then a precious jewel of the world, was far more precious, had the Ishmaelitish merchants known so much, than all the balms and myrrhs that they transported; and so is Christ, as all will yield that know Him. (J. Spencer.)
Salvation is a free gift
Mr. Miller spoke of dealing with a very intelligent young man, an engineer, at one of the meetings in the Temperance Institute. The sermon had been on the grace of God, and one of the illustrations that Mr. Moody used was very helpful to the young man. It was that of a teacher who offered his watch to various members of his class, who one after another declined to receive it, thinking that the teacher was only joking with them. Presently, however, a very little boy reached out his hand and took it. This anecdote threw light into the mans mind; he had no idea that salvation was so free, or that, in fact, it was open to every man to receive or refuse it.
Living water
I. WHAT ARE WE TO UNDERSTAND BY THE GIFT REPRESENTED BY LIVING WATER.
1. Christ, in an especial manner, is the gift of God (Joh 3:16; Rom 8:32; 2Co 9:15).
(1) He is the chief fountain of salvation, both as the gift of God and living water.
(2) An application to Him for this water arises from a knowledge of Him in order to which we must receive the spirit of wisdom and revelation Eph 1:17).
2. But the Holy Spirit is rather intended because He
(1) Cleanses the soul from the guilt and pollution of sin (Eze 36:25).
(2) Refreshes the thirsty (verse 14; Joh 7:37).
(3) Is the only source of life to the dead in sins, and having quickened He makes them fruitful in righteousness (Isa 32:15-18; Isa 44:3-4; Isa 51:3;Eph 2:9).
II. THE NECESSITY OF THIS WATER.
1. We are filthy, and need to be cleansed.
2. We are unhappy, and need to be refreshed.
3. We are dead, and need to be made alive.
4. We are barren, and need to be made fruitful.
III. THE EXCELLENCY OF THIS WATER (verse 14).
IV. WHERE THIS WATER IS TO BE HAD, BY WHOM, AND ON WHAT TERMS.
1. It is to be had in Christ, not only as our God, but as our Brother.
(1) It is procured for us by His death (Joh 16:7), and received on our behalf, in consequence of His resurrection and ascension (Psa 68:18; Act 2:33).
(2) Hence He waits to bestow it on those who apply to Him (John Rev 21:6); and from this consideration we have great encouragement to ask Christ for it.
2. It may be had
(1) by all that are poor, and need it (Isa 41:17);
(2) by all who thirst for it (Joh 7:37; Rev 21:6; Rev 22:17);
(3) by all who come to Christ, If any man thirst, said He, let him come unto Me;
(4) and by all who ask, Thou wouldest have asked of Me.
3. Though it was purchased dear by Christ, He gave a great price that He might have a right to impart it to sinners, and that He might render them capable of receiving it, yet we may have it as a free gift, without money and without price.
V. THE REASON WHY MEN ARE INDIFFERENT ABOUT IT, AND EITHER APPLY NOT TO CHRIST FOR IT, OR APPLY WITHOUT SUCCESS.
1. They know it not (Joh 14:17); neither its nature, value, nor necessity.
2. They know not Christ in the dignity of His person–in His great condescension and love–in the sufferings He endured that we might have this water–and as the fountain of it.
3. They do not apply, confess their need, nor ask its communication, or, if they ask, they do not ask aright, sincerely, earnestly, importunately, perseveringly, believingly, consistently.
Application:
1. Ignorance, arising from an aversion to saving knowledge, and the love of sin, is no excuse (Isa 5:12-13; Luk 19:44).
2. The state and danger of those who remain destitute of the sacred influence of the Spirit.
3. The duty and advantage of immediate and fervent supplication for it Pro 1:22-28; Pro 1:32). (J. Benson.)
The living water
Water is the emblem of the Holy Ghost. All that is necessary to our life, and which has not died for us, is the emblem of the Holy Ghost. Breath, Light, Fire, Water: these are the figures which set Him forth. We need not dwell at any length upon the meaning of the words. Within us are great needs and deep thirsts which God only can satisfy: a thirst which grows within us by all else with which we seek to quench it. To know God; to rest in His love; to be led by His wisdom; to seek to please Him; to have His presence; to journey towards His house as our home–this is our rest, our peace, our satisfaction. (Mark Guy Pearse.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 10. If thou knewest the gift of God] signifies a free gift. A gift is any thing that is given, for which no equivalent has been or is to be returned: a free gift is that which has been given without asking or entreaty. Such a gift of kindness was Jesus Christ to the world, Joh 3:16; and through him comes the gift of the Spirit, which those who believe on his name were to receive. Christ was not an object of desire to the world-no man asked for him; and God, moved thereto by his own eternal mercy, freely gave him. Through this great gift comes the Holy Spirit, and all other gifts which are necessary to the salvation of a lost world.
Living water.] By this expression, which was common to the inhabitants both of the east and of the west, is always meant spring water, in opposition to dead, stagnant water contained in ponds, pools, tanks, or cisterns; and what our Lord means by it is evidently the Holy Spirit, as may be seen, Joh 7:38-39.
As water quenches the thirst, refreshes and invigorates the body, purifies things defiled, and renders the earth fruitful, so it is an apt emblem of the gift of the Holy Ghost, which so satisfies the souls that receive it that they thirst no more for earthly good: it purifies also from all spiritual defilement, on which account it is emphatically styled the Holy Spirit; and it makes those who receive it fruitful in every good word and work.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Many by the gift of God here understand Christ, whom God gave to the world, Joh 3:16; and who is the greatest gift that God ever gave to the world; so as the latter words, who it is, &c., expound the former.
Thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee, either a true knowledge of the doctrine or the grace tendered in the gospel; or the Holy Spirit, called water, because it washes and cleanses the soul; and
living water, because it is always running and flowing.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
10. If thou knewest, &c.thatis, “In Me thou seest only a petitioner to thee but if thouknewest who that Petitioner is, and the Gift that God is giving tomen, thou wouldst have changed places with Him, gladly suing of Himliving waternor shouldst thou have sued in vain” (gentlyreflecting on her for not immediately meeting His request).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Jesus answered and said unto her,…. In a very serious manner, in a different way from hers:
if thou knewest the gift of God; meaning, not the Holy Spirit with his gifts and graces, as some think, but himself; for the following clause is explanatory of it;
and who it is that saith to thee, give me to drink; and Christ is also spoken of in the Old Testament, as the gift of God, Isa 9:6 and he had lately spoken of himself as such, Joh 3:16 and he is, by way of eminency, “the gift of God”; which is comprehensive of all others, is exceeding large, and very suitable to the wants and cases of men; and is irrevocable, unchangeable, and unspeakable: for he is God’s gift, as he is his own and only begotten Son; and he is given for a covenant to the people, with all the promises and blessings of it; and as an head, both of eminence and influence; and to be a Saviour of them, and a sacrifice for their sins; and as the bread of life, for them to feed and live upon; of which gift, men are naturally ignorant, as this woman was: they know not the dignity of his person; nor the nature and usefulness of his offices; nor the way of peace, righteousness, and salvation by him; nor do they see any amiableness, or loveliness in him; and whatever notional knowledge some natural men may have of him, they know him not spiritually and experimentally, or as the gift of God to them:
thou wouldst have asked of him; a favour and benefit; for such who truly know Christ, the worth and value of him, and their need of him, will apply to him for grace, as they have encouragement to do; since all grace is treasured up in him, and he gives it freely, and upbraideth not; and souls are invited to ask it of him, and take it freely; nor is it to be had anywhere else: but knowledge of Christ, is absolutely necessary, to asking anything of him; for till he is known, he will not be applied to; but when he is made known to any, in his fulness and suitableness, they will have recourse to him, and ask grace and mercy of him; and which is freely had: the Vulgate Latin very wrongly adds, “perhaps”; reading it, “perhaps thou wouldst have asked”; whereas our Lord’s meaning is, that she would certainly have asked:
and he would have given thee living water; pardoning and justifying grace, every branch of sanctifying grace, and all the supplies of it; so called, because his grace quickens sinners dead in sin, and dead in law, and in, their own apprehensions; and causes them to live in themselves, and before God; and because it refreshes and comforts, revives and cheers, and is like rivers of water in a dry land; and because it maintains and supports spiritual life in their souls; and it ever abides, and continues, and springs up unto everlasting life: for the allusion is to spring water, that bubbles up in a fountain, and is ever running; for such water the Jews call “living water”; see Ge 26:19; where in the Hebrew text it is “living water”; which we, and also the Chaldee paraphrase, render “springing water”. So living waters with them, are said to be always flowing, and never cease t.
t Bartenora in Misn. Negaim, c. 14. sect. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Answered and said ( ). As often (redundant) in John. The first aorist passive () is deponent, no longer passive in sense.
If thou knewest ( ). Condition of second class, determined as unfulfilled, and past perfect (used as imperfect) in condition and and aorist active indicative in conclusion ( , note repetition of , not always done).
The gift of God ( ). Naturally the gift mentioned in 3:16 (Westcott), the inexpressible gift (2Co 9:15). Some take it to refer to the living water below, but that is another allusion (metaphor) to 3:16. See Eph 4:7 for Paul’s use of both and (from , to give).
Who it is ( ). She only knew that he was a Jew. This Messianic self-consciousness of Jesus is plain in John, but it is early in the Synoptics also.
Living water ( ). Running water like a spring or well supplied by springs. This Jacob’s Well was filled by water from rains percolating through, a sort of cistern, good water, but not equal to a real spring which was always preferred (Gen 26:19; Lev 14:5; Num 19:17). Jesus, of course, is symbolically referring to himself as the Living Water though he does not say it in plain words as he does about the Living Bread (6:51). The phrase “the fountain of life” occurs in Pr 13:14. Jesus supplies the water of life (Joh 7:39). Cf. Rev 7:17; Rev 22:1.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
If thou knewest, etc. Answering rather something latent in the question than the question itself, as in Jesus ‘ first answer to Nicodemus. The gift [] . Only here in the Gospels, though Luke uses it in Acts four times, and the kindred adverb, dwrhma, freely, is found once in Matthew. The word carries the sense of a bountiful, free, honorable gift. Compare dwrhma, gift, and see on Jas 1:17.
Asked [] . Jesus uses the same word for ask which the woman had employed of his asking her, the word expressing the asking of the inferior from the superior. Here it is the appropriate word.
Living water [ ] . Fresh, perennial. A familiar figure to the Jews. See Jer 2:13; Jer 17:13; Zec 14:8. Not necessarily the same as water of life (udwr zwhv, Rev 21:6; Rev 22:1, 17).
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “Jesus answered and said unto her,” (apekrithe lesous kai eipen aute) “Jesus responded and said to her,” that inquiring, responding, Samaritan, water-drawing woman, of a kind that Jews generally refused even to communicate with.
2) “If thou knewest the gift of God,” (ei edeis ten dorean tou theou) “If you perceived the gift of God,” that is available to you, something so much greater than I have asked of you; If your eyes and understanding were opened concerning yourself, your need, and God’s gift to satisfy your need, 2Co 4:3-4; Eph 4:18; Joh 3:16; Eph 2:8.
3) “And who it is that saith to thee,” (kai tis estin ho legon soi) “And who the one is (now) saying to you,” now communicating with you, one who is more than a prejudiced, self-righteous, ceremonially clean Jew, one who is the Lamb of God Himself, the water of life Himself.
4) “Give me to drink;”- (dos moi pein) “Give me to drink,” though He Himself was the water of life, that Rock from which, and from whom Israel drank in the wilderness, 1Co 10:4.
5) “Thou wouldest have asked of him,” (su an etesas auton) “You would have asked of him,” appealed to Him, requested of Him drink to satisfy your thirsty soul, your wicked, unsatisfied, longing soul, which you have tried to satisfy chasing, living with many men, Joh 4:16-18; Psa 42:1-2.
6) “And he would have given thee living water.” (kai edoken an soi hudor zon) “And he would have given, (doled out) to you, living water,” that unspeakable gift, by which one should never die, 2Co 9:15. He is that water of life, free, available to all, satisfying, plentiful in supply, for the source never dies, ever flows, Isa 12:3; Isa 41:17-18; Jer 2:13; Jer 17:13; Zec 13:1. The fountain is open, flowing, continuously today, inviting weary, life thirsty souls to drink, Rev 22:17.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
10. Jesus answered. Christ now, availing himself of the opportunity, begins to preach about the grace and power of his Spirit, and that to a woman who did not at all deserve that he should speak a word to her. This is certainly an astonishing instance of his goodness. For what was there in this wretched woman, that, from being a prostitute, she suddenly became a disciple of the Son of God? Though in all of us he has displayed a similar instance of his compassion. All the women, indeed, are not prostitutes, nor are all the men stained by some heinous crime; but what excellence can any of us plead as a reason why he deigned to bestow on us the heavenly doctrine, and the honor of being admitted into his family? Nor was it by accident that the conversation with such a person occurred; for the Lord showed us, as in a model, that those to whom he imparts the doctrine of salvation are not selected on the ground of merit. And it appears at first sight a wonderful arrangement, that he passed by so many great men in Judea, and yet held familiar discourse with this woman. But it was necessary that, in his person, it should be explained how true is that saying of the Prophet,
I was found by them that sought me not; I was made manifest to them that asked not after me. I said to those who sought me not, Behold, here I am, (Isa 65:1.)
If thou knewest the gift of God. These two clauses, If thou knewest the gift of God, and, who it is that talketh with thee, I read separately, viewing the latter as an interpretation of the former. For it was a wonderful kindness of God to have Christ present, who brought with him eternal life. The meaning will be more plain if, instead of and, we put namely, or some other word of that kind, (75) thus: If thou knewest the gift of God, namely, who it is that talketh with thee By these words we are taught that then only do we know what Christ is, when we understand what the Father hath given to us in him, and what benefits he brings to us. Now that knowledge begins with a conviction of our poverty; for, before any one desires a remedy, he must be previously affected with the view of his distresses. Thus the Lord invites not those who have drunk enough, but the thirsty, not those who are satiated, but the hungry, to eat and drink. And why would Christ be sent with the fullness of the Spirit, if we were not empty?
Again, as he has made great progress, who, feeling his deficiency, already acknowledges how much he needs the aid of another; so it would not be enough for him to groan under his distresses, if he had not also hope of aid ready and prepared. In this way we might do no more than waste ourselves with grief, or at least we might, like the Papists, run about in every direction, and oppress ourselves with useless and unprofitable weariness. But when Christ appears, we no longer wander in vain, seeking a remedy where none can be obtained, but we go straight to him. The only true and profitable knowledge of the grace of God is, when we know that it is exhibited to us in Christ, and that it is held out to us by his hand. In like manner does Christ remind us how efficacious is a knowledge of his blessings, since it excites us to seek them and kindles our hearts. If thou knewest, says he, thou wouldst have asked. The design of these words is not difficult to be perceived; for he intended to whet the desire of this woman, that she might not despise and reject the life which was offered to her.
He would have given thee. By these words Christ testifies that, if our prayers be addressed to him, they will not be fruitless; and, indeed, without this confidence, the earnestness of prayer would be entirely cooled. But when Christ meets those who come to him, and is ready to satisfy their desires, there is no more room for sluggishness or delay. And there is no man who would not feel that this is said to all of us, if he were not prevented by his unbelief.
Living water. Though the name Water is borrowed from the present occurrence, and applied to the Spirit, yet this metaphor is very frequent in Scripture, and rests on the best grounds. For we are like a dry and barren soil; there is no sap and no rigour in us, until the Lord water us by his Spirit. In another passage, the Spirit is likewise called clean water, (Heb 10:22,) but in a different sense; namely, because he washes and cleanses us from the pollutions with which we are entirely covered. But in this and similar passages, the subject treated of is the secret energy by which he restores life in us, and maintains and brings it to perfection. There are some who explain this as referring to the doctrine of the Gospel, to which I own that this appellation is fully applicable; but I think that Christ includes here the whole grace of our renewal; for we know that he was sent for the purpose of bringing to us a new life. In my opinion, therefore, he intended to contrast water with that destitution of all blessings under which mankind groan and labor. Again, living water is not so called from its effect, as life-giving, but the allusion is to different kinds of waters. It is called living, because it flows from a living fountain.
(75) “ Si en lieu de Et, nous mettons A scavoir, ou quelque autre mot semblable.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(10) If thou knewest the gift of God.Expositors differ very widely as to the meaning to be given to the gift of God and living water. See, e.g., the summaries of views in the notes of Meyer and Godet, both of which are now translated into English. Yet there can be little doubt of the true meaning if we observe the turn given to her question by the emphatic pronouns, Thou wouldest have asked of Him. You stand by this deep well that for centuries has been Gods gift of refreshment to man and beast; you have the means of drawing the water, and are thus the apparent benefactor to Him who asks for your aid. It is not really so. There is a deep well of spiritual truth in communion with God, as necessary for mans true life as water is for the natural life. I stand here with the means to draw, with the power to enter the depths hidden from man, and reveal to your spirit the Being of God. It is really you that are the traveller in the journey of life, weary with the burning heat of its trials, and travel-stained by the sins through which you have passed, thirsting in the hopes and fears of that spirit that cannot rest apart from God, helpless at the very side of the well, for the Eternal is ever near you, and you know Him not. If you knew this gift of God, and knew Who it is that is now here to reveal it to you, you would have asked, and He would have given you that Spirit, which would have been in you as a fountain of living water.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
10. If thou knewest Lange unworthily makes our Lord say this as a sort of contest or issue with her. On the contrary, here commences a train of suggestion and query by which the Lord directly leads her mind to the perception that he is not merely a soothsayer or clairvoyant, but a holy prophet of the true Jehovah. Joh 4:19. He does this, first, by (10-15) raising her thoughts from the material to the supernatural; and, second, by leading her, through a route which discloses to herself her sin, to himself as the prophetic searcher of guilt, 16-19.
The gift of God The divine gift of the draught of eternal life through the Messiah.
Living water By a suggestive double sense, living water may mean pure running water, or it may mean the water of divine life, thus forming a transition from the physical to the spiritual.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you ‘Give me a drink’, you would have asked of him and he would have given you living water”.’
Jesus’ reply was significant. “If you knew the gift of God —”. In the light of Joh 3:16 this must mean Himself as God’s gift to men, and stresses immediately that He is given to all men, Jew and non-Jew alike. God’s love reaches out to the world in His giving of His Son, not only to Jews.
‘And Who it is Who says –’. This confirms that it was He Who was the gift of God. God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. Certainly it would indicate to the woman, even at this stage, something of His huge religious significance.
“You would have asked of Him, and He would have given you living water”. He was saying that if only she knew who He was, and how extensive and all embracing was God’s gift in giving Him, she would have asked and she would have received the water of eternal life springing up within her.
This picture of living water as a source of spiritual blessing is a familiar one in the prophets (Jer 2:13; Jer 17:13; Zec 14:8 cf. Isa 44:3-4). So is the thought of a well or fountain giving life and deliverance (Psa 36:9; Isa 12:3; Zec 13:1). Indeed the one who meditates on God’s word day and night will be like a tree planted by rivers of water, producing abundant fruit (Psa 1:2-3). The idea of spring water in a hot and dry land reminds us of its thirst quenching and reinvigorating power, something very true of the work of the Spirit in people’s lives.
‘You would have asked of Him and He would have –’. So the same ‘eternal life’ offered to Nicodemus, the highly respected Jewish councillor, is also available to the despised, lowly Samaritan woman on the same terms. ‘Ask and you will receive.’
Even more interesting is the thought that Jesus was saying that He was the One Who could give the Spirit (Joh 4:10; Joh 4:14), the One who works where He wills, to whoever came to Him. This was an indirect claim to deity (see Isa 40:13). He was confirming that He was the Baptiser in the Holy Spirit, and that the Spirit acted under His direction.
‘Living water’ could also mean running water from, say, a spring, so the woman, confused, asked in puzzlement where He would get this running water from.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Joh 4:10. Jesus answered,if thou knewest the gift of God, If thou knewest what an opportunity God hath put into thine hand, of receiving the greatest blessing that ever was bestowed, as well as who, and how great a person, he is that speaks to thee; instead of scrupling to grant him so small a favour, thou wouldst surely have asked him: (for such is the force of the original) and he, without objecting to thee on account of the people to whom thou belongest, would readily have given thee living water; far better than what thou art now drawing: by which our Lord intimated his ability and readiness to communicate those influences of God’s holy Spirit, which afford the noblest refreshment to the soul, and are therefore often described by water. It is certain, that the phrase living water, signifies in many good authors spring water, or running water, in opposition to that which stagnates; yet as our Lord elsewhere, in a remarkable passage recorded by this evangelist, Ch. Joh 6:51 calls himself living bread, because by feeding upon him lifeis to be obtained,it is proper to adhere literally to the original in the version; though there is no doubt that the woman understood our Lord, not of living spiritual water, but of some fine spring water, which flowed so easily as not to need the pains of drawing, and was, on this account, at least, preferable to that of Jacob’s well: and our Lord’s reply, Joh 4:13-14 shews that the simile would hold in that respect. Our Lord, on this occasion, demonstrated the greatness of his condescension and benevolence; for though this woman was a person of an infamous character, and though he himself was pressed with thirst, he delayed refreshing himself that he might bring her who was spiritually dead, to the water of life. Comp. Lev 14:6. Jer 2:13.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Joh 4:10 . Jesus certainly recognised at once the susceptibility of the woman; allowing, therefore, His own need to stand in abeyance, He began the conversation, which was sufficiently striking to excite at once the full interest of her sanguine temperament, though at the outset this interest was nothing but feminine curiosity.
. . ] the gift of God , which you may now partake of by conversation with me. Not certainly the person of Jesus Himself (the Greek Fathers, Erasmus, Beza, and most others, even Hengstenberg and Godet), to which he refers only as the discourse advances with the of closer definition.
] thou wouldest have prayed Him ( i.e . to give you to drink), and He would have , etc. Observe the emphatic (the request would have come from you ).
] The woman takes this to mean spring-water , , Gen 26:19 , Lev 14:5 , Jer 2:13 , as opposed to water in a cistern. Comp. vivi fontes and the like among the Romans; see Wetstein. Christ does indeed mean spring-water, but, as in Joh 7:38 , in a spiritual sense (comp. Joh 4:14 ), namely, God’s grace and truth (Joh 1:14 ), which He, who is the possessor of them, communicates by His word out of His fulness, and which in its living, regenerating, and, for the satisfying of spiritual need, ever freshly efficacious power, is typified by water from the spring. Comp. analogous passages, Sir 15:3 ; Sir 24:21 ; Bar 3:12 ; Buxtorf, Lex. Talm. p. 2298. He does not mean Himself, His own life (Olshausen, Godet, following Epiphanius and most others), in the same manner as He speaks of Himself as the bread of life, Joh 6:35 , for this is not indicated in any part of the present colloquy; nor does He mean faith (Joh 3:15 ), as Lcke thinks, nor the Spirit (Calovius, Baumgarten Crusius, Luthardt, Hofmann), the gift of which follows the communication of the living water. Any reference to baptism (Justin, Cyprian, Ambrose, and most others) is quite remote from the text. Calvin is substantially right when he sees typified totam renovationis gratiam.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
DISCOURSE: 1615
CHRIST A FOUNTAIN OF LIVING WATER
Joh 4:10. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
OUR blessed Saviour, though Lord of all, was a man like unto us in all things, sin only excepted: he hungered, he thirsted, he was weary. He put forth his Almighty power to heal the maladies of others; but would not exercise it for the exempting of himself from human infirmities. In journeying from Juda to Galilee, he was overcome with weariness; and was necessitated to ask, from a woman of Samaria, who was come to the well by which he was sitting, a draught of water to quench his thirst. I conceive that, from the beginning, his object in addressing her was more to impart good to her, than to obtain relief to himself: for, instead of noticing, as he might well have done, her backwardness to comply with his request, he lost not a moment in revealing himself to her, as the Messiah, the Saviour of the world.
From his address to her, we shall take occasion to consider,
I.
The characters under which our Lord here presents himself to our view:
1.
He first speaks of himself as the great Gift of God to mankind
[Such indeed he was. In comparison of Him, all other gifts are as nothing; nothing, in respect of internal worth; and nothing, in respect of the benefits accruing from them. He is no other than Jehovahs Fellow. Yet to such a degree did God love the world, that he gave Him, even his only-begotten Son, to become a man for us. Nor was it to instruct us only that God sent his Son, but to save us; to save us by bearing our iniquities in his own body on the cross; and by working out a righteousness, whereby we might be justified, and find acceptance with him. No other gift that God was able to bestow was of equal value with this, or could have effected this great end. Well, therefore, may all other gifts vanish from our sight before him, as the stars are eclipsed by the noon-day sun: and well may He, by way of eminence, be called The gift of God.]
2.
The Fountain of all good
[Little did this woman think who it was that thus addressed her. He appeared to be a mere man, needing a little water to quench his thirst: but he was indeed the fountain of living waters [Note: Jer 1:13.], the one only source of good to a ruined world. By living water we understand all the blessings of salvation; all fulness of which is treasured up in him at this moment: and out of his fulness may every sinner in the universe receive.]
Our Saviours address to her yet further shews us,
II.
The benefits which will accrue to us from the knowledge of him
If once we get a just view of his character,
1.
We shall surely apply to him for his benefits
[If temporal blessings, however great in value, were spread before us, we might conceive of their being beheld with indifference: a conviction of their emptiness might well raise our minds above them, so that we would not condescend even to ask for a participation of them. But can all the blessings of grace and glory be contemplated with indifference? Can we behold an inexhaustible treasure of them laid up expressly for us, and not desire them? No: it would be impossible.; especially if we knew that they were all to be obtained by asking. To every creature under heaven may our Lord justly say, If thou knewest what I have to bestow, thou wouldest ask of me. We may as well suppose hell to be opened to our view, without calling forth a desire to escape it; and heaven, without creating a desire to obtain it; as imagine a view of Christ, under the foregoing characters, to be disclosed to the soul, and no desire to be excited there for the enjoyment of his blessings.]
2.
We shall infallibly be made partakers of them
[Not even the Samaritan woman, stranger as she was, and profligate, should have solicited his favour without obtaining it: much less shall any person now be suffered to seek his face in vain. He says to all, Ask, and ye shall have; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Nor would he have us straitened in our requests: his promise to the trembling suppliant is, Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. Nothing would be too great for him to give, if only we sought him in humility and faith. Pardon, peace, holiness, and glory, should all be poured into our souls in rich abundance; yea, his Spirit, which he would give us, should be within us a well of water, springing up unto everlasting life.]
Know then, all of you,
1.
That the Lord Jesus Christ is here present with you
[We see him not corporeally, as the Samaritan woman did: nevertheless, he is spiritually present with us, as he has said, Lo, I am with you alway, even to the end of the world; and, if you will seek communion with him, you shall not be disappointed of your hope. He is, in reality, the same as ever he was. Still is he the great gift of God to man. Still is he the fountain of all spiritual good. Still does he complain of our forgetfulness of him, and declare he will impart out of his fulness to every inquiring soul. He put the Samaritan woman upon asking of him; saying, in fact, Ask of me. So says he now to every one of us, Ask of me, and I will give you living water.]
2.
That you, no less than the poor Samaritan, need the blessings which he offers
[Which of you needs them not? Which of you can find any other fountain from whence to quench your thirst? Which of you will not one day bitterly lament that you lost the present opportunity? I pray you, then, avail yourselves of your Lords present condescension and grace; and let your souls take of him, and live for ever.]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Ver. 10. The gift of God ] That is, Christ himself, called by St Paul the benefit, , 1Ti 6:2 . Let him not be to us as Jether’s sword to him, which he drew not, used not; but as Goliath’s sword to David, none to that. None but Christ, none but Christ, said that martyr.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
10. ] The important words the gift of God have been misunderstood by many Commentators. Some suppose them to mean ‘ our Lord himself ,’ and to be in apposition with the next clause, . . . Others, ‘ this opportunity of speaking with me .’ Doubtless both these meanings are involved , especially the former: but neither of them is the primary one , as addressed to the woman. The WATER is, in this first part of the discourse, the subject , and serves as a point of connexion, whereby the woman’s thoughts may be elevated, and her desire aroused. The process of the discourse in this particular is similar to that in Act 14:17 . From recognizing this water as the gift of God, in its limitation , Joh 4:13 , and its parabolic import , Joh 4:14 , her view is directed to Him who was speaking with her, and the Gift which He should bestow, THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: see ch. Joh 7:37-39 .
] These pregnant words form the second step in our Lord’s declaration. He who speaks with thee is no ordinary , nor any ordinary man, but One who can give thee the gift of God; One sent from God, and God Himself. All this lies in the words, which however only serve to arouse in the woman’s mind the question of Joh 4:12 (see below).
] Designedly used in a double sense by our Lord, that the woman may lay hold of the material meaning, and by it be awakened to the higher one (see reff.). The words bring with them, and in our Lord’s inner meaning involved, the performance of all such prophetic promises as Eze 36:25 ; Zec 13:1 (see also Jer 2:13 ); but, as regarded the woman, the ordinary sense was that intended for her to fasten on, which she does accordingly. On the question, how this living water could be now given, before Jesus was glorified, see on ch. Joh 7:38-39 .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Joh 4:10 . . “If thou knewest;” the pathos of the situation strikes Jesus. The woman stands on the brink of the greatest possibilities, but is utterly unconscious of them. Two things she did not know: (1) , the free gift of God. This is explained in the last words of the verse to be “living water”; but in its first occurrence it is indefinite: “If thou knewest the freeness of God’s giving, and that to each of His children He has a purpose of good”. But in God’s direction the woman cherished no hope. (2) She did not know , . So long as she thought Him an ordinary Jew she could expect nothing from Him. Had she known that Jesus was the bearer of God’s free gift to men, she would have asked of Him. , is emphatic. You would have anticipated my request by a request on your own behalf. And instead of creating difficulties I would have given thee living water. , by which the woman understood that He meant spring water. What He did mean appears immediately. Joh 4:11 . ; She addresses Him with , perhaps fancying from His saying, “If you had known who it is that says to you,” that He was some great person in disguise. But her answer breathes incredulity: . She began her sentence meaning to say, “You neither have a bucket, nor is the well shallow enough for you to reach the water without one,” but she alters its construction and puts the second statement in a positive form. The depth of the well is variously given. Conder found it 75 feet. She is mystified, . Jesus had spoken as if independently of the well He could procure living water: but even Jacob (claimed by the Samaritans as their father, and whose bones lay in their midst), great as he was, used this well. . “What is nourished.” Kypke adduces several instances in which it is used of “domestics”. Plato, Laws , 953 E, uses it of “nurslings of the Nile,” the Egyptians. But Wetstein adduces many instances of its use in the sense of “cattle”. Theophylact thinks this points to the abundant supply of water.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
John
THE GIFT AND THE GIVER
Joh 4:10
This Gospel has two characteristics seldom found together: deep thought and vivid character-drawing. Nothing can be more clear-cut and dramatic than the scene in the chapter before us. There is not a word of description of this Samaritan woman. She paints herself, and it is not a beautiful picture. She is apparently of the peasant class, from a little village nestling on the hill above the plain, come down in the broiling sunshine to Jacob’s well. She is of mature age, and has had a not altogether reputable past. She is frivolous, ready to talk with strangers, with a tongue quick to turn grave things into jests; and yet she possesses, hidden beneath masses of unclean vanities, a conscience and a yearning for something better than she has, which Christ’s words awoke, and which was finally so enkindled as to make her fit to receive the full declaration of His Messiahship, which Pharisees and priests could not be trusted with.
I need scarcely do more than remind you of the way in which the conversation between this strangely assorted pair began. The solitary Jew, sitting spent with travel on the well, asks for a draught of water; not in order to get an opening for preaching, but because He needs it. She replies with an exclamation of light wonder, half a jest and half a sarcasm, and challenging a response in the same tone.
But Christ lifts her to a higher level by the words of my text, which awed levity, and prepared for a fuller revelation. ‘Thou dost wonder that I, being a Jew, ask drink of thee, a Samaritan. If thou knewest who I am, thy wonder at My asking would be more. If thou knewest what I have to give, we should change places, and thou wouldest ask, and I should bestow.’
So then, we have here gift, Giver, way of getting, and ignorance that hinders asking. Let us look at these.
I. First, the gift of God. Now it is quite clear that our Lord means the same thing, whatever it may be, by the two expressions, the ‘gift of God’ and the ‘living water.’
We may remember how, all through Scripture, we hear the tinkle of these waters as they run. The force of the expression is to be gathered largely from the Old Testament and the uses of the metaphor there. It has been supposed that by the ‘living water’ which God gives is here meant some one specific gift, such as that of the Holy Spirit, which sometimes is expressed by the metaphor. Rather I should be disposed to say the ‘living water’ is eternal life. ‘With Thee is the fountain of life.’ And so, in the last resort, the gift of God is God Himself. Nothing else will suffice for us, brethren. We need Him, and we need none but Him.
Our Lord, in the subsequent part of this conversation, again touches upon this great metaphor, and suggests one or two characteristics, blessings, and excellences of it. ‘It shall be in him,’ it is something that we may carry about with us in our hearts, inseparable from our being, free from all possibility of being filched away by violence, being rent from us by sorrows, or even being parted from us by death. What a man has outside of him he only seems to have. Our only real possessions are those which have passed into the substance of our souls. All else we shall leave behind. The only good is inward good; and this water of life slakes our thirst because it flows into the deepest place of our being, and abides there for ever.
Oh! you that are seeking your satisfaction from fountains that remain outside of you after all your efforts, learn that all of them, by reason of their externality, will sooner or later be ‘broken cisterns that can hold no water.’ And I beseech you, if you want rest for your souls and stilling for their yearnings, look for it there, where only it can be found, in Him, who not only dwells in the heavens to rule and to shower down blessings, but enters into the waiting heart and abides there, the inward, and therefore the only real, possession and riches. ‘It shall be in him a fountain of water.’
It is ‘springing up’-with an immortal energy, with ever fresh fulness, by its own inherent power, needing no pumps nor machinery, but ever welling forth its refreshment, an emblem of the joyous energy and continual freshness of vitality, which is granted to those who carry God in their hearts, and therefore can never be depressed beyond measure, nor ever feel that the burden of life is too heavy to bear, or its sorrows too sharp to endure.
It springs up ‘into eternal life,’ for water must seek its source, and rise to the level of its origin, and this fountain within a man, that reaches up ever towards the eternal life from which it came, and which it gives to its possessor, will bear him up, as some strong spring will lift the clods that choked its mouth, will bear him up towards the eternal life which is native to it, and therefore native to him.
Brethren, no man is so poor, so low, so narrow in capacity, so limited in heart and head, but that he needs a whole God to make him restful. Nothing else will. To seek for satisfaction elsewhere is like sailors who in their desperation, when the water-tanks are empty, slake their thirst with the treacherous blue that washes cruelly along the battered sides of their ship. A moment’s alleviation is followed by the recurrence, in tenfold intensity, of the pangs of thirst, and by madness, and death. Do not drink the salt water that flashes and rolls by your side when you can have recourse to the fountain of life that is with God.
‘Oh!’ you say, ‘commonplace, threadbare pulpit rhetoric.’ Yes! Do you live as if it were true? It will never be too threadbare to be dinned into your head until it has passed into your lives and regulated them.
II. Now, in the next place, notice the Giver.
Jesus Christ claims to give God’s gifts. He is able to give to that poor, frivolous, impure-hearted and impure-lifed woman, at her request, the eternal life which shall still all the thirst of her soul, that had often in the past been satiated and disgusted, but had never been satisfied by any of its draughts.
And He claims that in this giving He is something more than a channel, because, says He, ‘If thou hadst asked of Me I would give thee.’ We sometimes think of the relation between God and Christ as being typified by that of some land-locked sea amidst remote mountains, and the affluent that brings its sparkling treasures to the thirsting valley. But Jesus Christ is no mere vehicle for the conveyance of a divine gift, but His own heart, His own power, His own love are in it; and it is His gift just as much as it is God’s.
Now I do not do more than pause for one moment to ask you to think of what inference is necessarily involved in such a claim as this. If we know anything about Jesus Christ at all, we know that He spoke in this tone, not occasionally, but habitually. It will not do to pick out other bits of His character or actions and admire these and ignore the characteristic of His teachings-His claims for Himself. And I have only this one word to say, if Jesus Christ ever said anything the least like the words of my text, and if they were not true, what was He but a fanatic who had lost His head in the fancy of His inspiration? And if He said these words and they were true, what is He then? What but that which this Gospel insists from its beginning to its end that He was-the Eternal Word of God, by whom all divine revelation from the beginning has been made, and who at last ‘became flesh’ that we might ‘receive of His fulness,’ and therein ‘be filled with all the fulness of God.’ Other alternative I, for my part, see none.
But I would have you notice, too, the connection between these human needs of the Saviour and His power to give the divine gift. Why did He not simply say to this woman, ‘If thou knewest who I am?’ Why did He use this periphrasis of my text, ‘Who it is that saith unto thee, “Give Me to drink”‘? Why but because He wanted to fix her attention on the startling contradiction between His appearance and His claims-on the one hand asserting divine prerogative, on the other forcing into prominence human weakness and necessity, because these two things, the human weakness and the divine prerogative, are inseparably braided together and intertwined. Some of you will remember the great scene in Shakespeare where the weakness of Caesar is urged as a reason for rejecting his imperial authority:-
‘Ay! and that tongue of his, that bade the Romans Mark him, and write his speeches in their books, Alas! it cried, “Give me some drink, . . . Like a sick girl.”‘
And the inference that is drawn is, how can he be fit to be a ruler of men? But we listen to our Caesar and Emperor, when He asks this woman for water, and when He says on the Cross, ‘I thirst,’ and we feel that these are not the least of His titles to be crowned with many crowns. They bring Him nearer to us, and they are the means by which His love reaches its end, of bestowing upon us all, if we will have it, the cup of salvation. Unless He had said the one of these two things, He never could have said the other. Unless the dry lips had petitioned, ‘Give Me to drink,’ the gracious lips could never have said, ‘I will give thee living water.’ Unless, like Jacob of old, this Shepherd could say, ‘In the day the drought consumed Me,’ it would have been impossible that the flock ‘shall hunger no more, neither shall they thirst any more, . . . for the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall lead them to living fountains of water.’
III. Again, notice how to get the gift.
But it is not enough that there should be the desire. It must be turned to Him. In fact the asking of my text, so far as you and I are concerned, is but another way of speaking the great keyword of personal religion, faith in Jesus Christ. For they who ask, know their necessity, are convinced of the power of Him to whom they appeal to grant their requests, and rely upon His love to do so. And these three things, the sense of need, the conviction of Christ’s ability to save and to satisfy, and of His infinite love that desires to make us blessed-these three things fused together make the faith which receives the gift of God.
Remember, brethren, that another of the scriptural expressions for the act of trusting in Him, is taking, not asking. You do not need to ask, as if for something that is not provided. What we all need to do is to open our eyes to see what is there. If we like to put out our hands and take it. Why should we be saying, ‘Give me to drink,’ when a pierced hand reaches out to us the cup of salvation, and says, ‘Drink ye all of it’? ‘Ho, every one that thirsteth, come . . . and drink . . . without money and without price.’
There is no other condition but desire turned to Christ, and that is the necessary condition. God cannot give men salvation, as veterinary surgeons drench unwilling horses-forcing the medicine down their throats through clenched teeth. There must be the opened mouth, and wherever there is, there will be the full supply. ‘Ask, and ye shall receive’; take, and ye shall possess.
IV. Lastly, mark the ignorance that prevents asking.
But, brethren, there is a worse case than ignorance; there is the case of people that know and refuse, not by reason of imperfect knowledge, but by reason of averted will. And I beseech you to ponder whether that may not be your condition. ‘Whosoever will, let him come.’ ‘Ye will not come unto Me that ye might have life.’ I do not think I venture much when I say that I am sure there are people hearing me now, not Christians, who are as certain, deep down in their hearts, that the only rest of the soul is in God, and the only way to get it is through Christ, as any saint of God’s ever was. But the knowledge does not touch their will because they like the poison and they do not want the life.
Oh! dear friends, the instantaneousness of Christ’s answer, and the certainty of it, are as true for each of us as they were for this woman. The offer is made to us all, just as it was to her. We can gather round that Rock like the Israelites in the wilderness, and slake every thirst of our souls from its outgushing streams. Jesus Christ says to each of us, as He did to her, tenderly, warningly, invitingly, and yet rebukingly, ‘If thou knewest . . . thou wouldst ask, . . . and I would give.’
Take care lest, by continual neglect, you force Him at last to change His words, and to lament over you, as He did over the city that He loved so well, and yet destroyed. ‘If thou hadst known in thy day the things that belong to thy peace. But now they are hid from thine eyes.’
Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren
answered and said. A Hebraism. See Deu 1:41 and App-122.
If thou, &c. Assuming the hypothesis as a fact. App-118.
knewest = hadst known. Greek. oida. App-132. See note on Joh 1:26.
the gift. See note on “How”, Joh 3:4. Greek. dorea. Occurs only here in the Gospels, elsewhere only in Act 2:38; Act 8:20; Act 10:45; Act 11:17. Rom 5:15, Rom 5:17. 2Co 9:15. Eph 3:7; Eph 4:7. Heb 6:4. Note the eight gifts in this Gospel (Joh 4:10; Joh 10:11; Joh 13:15; Joh 14:16, Joh 14:27; Joh 17:8, Joh 17:14, Joh 17:22).
living: i.e. perennial, unfailing. Understood by all Jews, from Jer 2:13; Jer 17:13. Zec 14:8. Greek. zao, a word characteristic of this Gospel. See note on p. 1511.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
10.] The important words the gift of God have been misunderstood by many Commentators. Some suppose them to mean our Lord himself, and to be in apposition with the next clause, … Others, this opportunity of speaking with me. Doubtless both these meanings are involved,-especially the former: but neither of them is the primary one, as addressed to the woman. The WATER is, in this first part of the discourse, the subject, and serves as a point of connexion, whereby the womans thoughts may be elevated, and her desire aroused. The process of the discourse in this particular is similar to that in Act 14:17. From recognizing this water as the gift of God, in its limitation, Joh 4:13, and its parabolic import, Joh 4:14, her view is directed to Him who was speaking with her, and the Gift which He should bestow,-THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: see ch. Joh 7:37-39.
] These pregnant words form the second step in our Lords declaration. He who speaks with thee is no ordinary , nor any ordinary man, but One who can give thee the gift of God; One sent from God, and God Himself. All this lies in the words, which however only serve to arouse in the womans mind the question of Joh 4:12 (see below).
] Designedly used in a double sense by our Lord, that the woman may lay hold of the material meaning, and by it be awakened to the higher one (see reff.). The words bring with them, and in our Lords inner meaning involved, the performance of all such prophetic promises as Eze 36:25; Zec 13:1 (see also Jer 2:13); but, as regarded the woman, the ordinary sense was that intended for her to fasten on, which she does accordingly. On the question, how this living water could be now given, before Jesus was glorified, see on ch. Joh 7:38-39.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Joh 4:10. , if thou hadst known) Ignorance is a hindrance; but the disclosure of her ignorance shows the compassion of the Lord, and kindled a longing desire in the womans heart.- , the gift) The gift is the living water.- , who it is) He speaks in the third person, modestly. It is the prerogative of Him, who saith this, to give the living water. Subsequently He discloses, who it is; Joh 4:26.- – ) thou wouldest ask-and He would give: or rather, thou wouldest have asked, and He would have given, i.e., not only would you not wonder at my asking, but even you of your own accord would have asked of Me. The pronoun , thou, employed in this place in particular, rather than with the verb , hadst known, forms an emphatic opposition to that , dost thou ask? [Joh 4:9]. John is wont to put the imperfect tense with the particle , where the sentence requires that very time: , , , , , ch. Joh 5:46, Joh 8:42, Joh 9:41, Joh 15:19, Joh 18:36. But the Aorist has the same force as the Pluperfect, , , ch. Joh 11:21; Joh 11:32; though in Eph. 1Ch 2:19, he employs the Pluperfect itself, . The passages therefore may possibly seem doubtful in meaning ch. Joh 14:2; Joh 14:28, and here, ch. Joh 4:10 : : , I would say, or I would have said; , ye would rejoice, or ye would have rejoiced; , , thou wouldest seek, and He would give; or, thou wouldest have sought, and He would have given. But, however, since he might have written, and yet he does not write , , , ; we understand the Aorist as a Pluperfect, as also at ch, Joh 18:30, [ , ], we would not have delivered Him up: Gal 4:15; , ye would have given. The Lord then saith, Thou wouldest have asked from Me, before that I said to thee, Give Me to drink. And, He had said, Give Me to drink, that, conversely, the woman might learn to ask from Himself the living water.- ) This depends on the former particle being previously brought into action.-, water) In a similar way Jesus takes an allegory from bread, ch. Joh 6:27, etc. [Having fed 5000 with a few loaves, and being therefore followed by the crowd, He proceeds, Labour not for the meat that perisheth, but for that meat, which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you,] etc.: and from light, ch. Joh 8:12 I am the light of the world: [an image suggested perhaps by the sun then rising: comp. Joh 4:2], early in the morning: which things are in nature the first, the most elementary, necessary, common to all and salutary.-) which is living, and thence life-imparting; Joh 4:14; The water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life: ch. Joh 7:38; He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of water. The expression living water, is here used in a more exalted sense, than at Lev 14:5, , , [the priest commanding the bird to be killed over running water].
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Joh 4:10
Joh 4:10
Jesus answered and said unto her,-The answer Jesus made to her shows that his purpose was to introduce the question of her spiritual condition and to direct her mind to his mission to make known the will of God to the world.
If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, .Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him,-The gift of God spoken of here meant the offer of eternal life to the world and that he was their Messiah to bring salvation to the world.
and he would have given thee living water.-He meant the spiritual blessings he could give to the world. Jesus did not explain his course, or argue the matter with her, but at once laid before her the great end for which he came into the world-his gift to the nations. The water of life, or living water, represents the life-giving blessings to which the teaching of Jesus leads men.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
If: Joh 3:16, Isa 9:6, Isa 42:6, Isa 49:6-8, Luk 11:13, Rom 8:32, 1Co 1:30, 2Co 9:15, Eph 2:8
and who: Joh 4:25, Joh 4:26, Joh 9:35-38, Joh 16:3, Joh 17:3, 1Jo 5:20
thou wouldest: 2Ch 33:12, 2Ch 33:13, 2Ch 33:18, 2Ch 33:19, Psa 10:17, Isa 55:6-9, Luk 11:8-10, Luk 18:13, Luk 18:14, Luk 23:42, Luk 23:43, Act 9:11, Rev 3:17, Rev 3:18
living: Joh 4:14, Joh 6:35, Joh 6:51, Joh 7:37-39, Exo 17:6, Psa 36:8, Psa 36:9, Psa 46:4, Isa 12:3, Isa 35:6, Isa 41:17, Isa 41:18, Isa 43:20, Isa 44:3, Isa 49:10, Isa 55:1-3, Jer 2:13, Eze 47:1-9, Zec 13:1, Zec 14:8, 1Co 10:4, Rev 7:17, Rev 21:6, Rev 22:1, Rev 22:2, Rev 22:17
Reciprocal: Gen 26:19 – springing water Num 19:17 – running water shall be put thereto Num 20:8 – speak Num 21:16 – Gather 2Sa 23:15 – longed 1Ch 11:17 – of the water Neh 9:20 – gavest Psa 57:4 – whose Psa 86:5 – unto all Psa 87:7 – all my Son 4:15 – a well Jer 17:13 – forsaken Eze 16:35 – O harlot Mat 7:7 – and it Luk 6:21 – for ye shall be Luk 11:9 – Ask Luk 16:24 – in water Joh 4:7 – Give Joh 5:26 – so hath Joh 14:13 – will Act 3:15 – Prince Act 26:18 – faith Rom 5:15 – But not Rom 8:2 – Spirit 1Co 12:13 – to drink 1Co 15:45 – a quickening 2Co 13:14 – the communion Tit 3:6 – through Heb 6:4 – and have Jam 1:5 – let Jam 4:2 – because 1Jo 5:6 – by water and
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
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Jesus did not make any direct reply to the woman’s remarks, but continued his own line about water. He went a little farther into the subject, and suggested that she would have been the one to ask for water, had she realized who it was who was talking to her.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Joh 4:10. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. We may well believe that there was something in the manner of Jesus, when uttering His first words, that invited conversation, and was intended to lead the woman to inquiry. This point gained, His next words could but cause surprise and excite remark. Her answer had told of her recognition of Him as a Jew: His reply declares her ignorance of Him and of what He was able to give. The gift of God is probably not different from the living water afterwards mentioned. John himself gives an explanation of the latter in hap. Joh 7:39, and his interpretation must be applied here also. Living water, then, denotes the gift of the Holy Spirit. This was pre-eminently the promised gift of the Father (see especially Isaiah 44; Joel 2), beautifully and most aptly symbolized by the fresh springing water, which wherever it comes makes the desert rejoice, and everything live (Eze 47:9). This was also the especial gift of the Son (see chap. Joh 1:33), in whom the promises of the Father are fulfilled (2Co 1:20). Had the woman known Gods gift, known also that the Dispenser of this gift stood before her, she would have been the petitioner, and He, with no delay and without upbraiding, would have given her living water.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
The Samaritan woman had refused Christ a draught of water in the former verse, he offers her the water of life in this verse. O! how kindly doth Christ deal with those that dealt unkindly with him! If thou knowest the gift of God, &e.
Here observe, 1. The mercy which Christ had for, and was so desirous to bestow upon, this poor woman: it was the gift of God; that is, himself, his Holy Spirit, in the sanctifying gifts, and saving graces of it. All which are compared to water, in regard of their effects and operations, which are to purify the unclean , and to satisfy the thirsty.
Observe, 2. The way and course which this woman and every lost sinner ought to take, in order to the obtaining of this inestimable gift; and that it is by asking it, Thou wouldst have asked, and he would have given thee living water.
Learn hence, That Christ himself, his Holy Spirit; with all the sanctifying graces of it, must be earnestly sought of God, and such as do unfeignedly seek them, shall certainly obtain them.
Observe, 3. The true cause and reason assigned, why sinners ask not for, and seek not after, Jesus Christ, and the graces of the Holy Spirit; and that is ignorance of the worth of Christ, and insensibleness of the want of him, that makes persons so indifferent in their desires after him, and so remiss in their endeavours for the obtaining of him.
Oh sinners! did you but know who and what Christ is, that is offered to you, did you but see his beauty, fulness, and suitableness, and were you but sensible of the worth and want of him, all the world could not keep you from him; you would break through all difficulities and dangers through all sufferings and reproaches, to come unto the enjoyment of him!
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Joh 4:10-12. Jesus answered And in his answer shows her that he was not under the power of such common prejudices; If thou knewest the gift of God Which he is now bestowing on mankind by his Son; meaning the Holy Spirit and its fruits, styled, as here, , the gift of God, Act 8:20, and , the gift, Act 11:17; and who it is that saith unto thee, Give me to drink How great a person he is who is now conversing with thee. Instead of scrupling to grant him so small a favour, thou wouldest have asked , thou surely wouldest have asked; of him, and he Without objecting to thee on account of the people unto whom thou belongest; would readily have given thee living water Water incomparably better than that which thou art drawing. By this our Lord intended to signify his ability and readiness to communicate those influences and graces of the Holy Spirit, which refresh the soul that earnestly desires them, as water refreshes a thirsty person. The influences of the Holy Spirit are termed living water also, Joh 8:38; and water of life, Rev 21:6; and Rev 22:1; Rev 22:17; and clean water, Eze 36:26-27. The phrase, living water, frequently signifying, in the language of Judea, only springing water, or running water, in opposition to that which stagnates, the woman mistook his meaning and replied, Thou hast nothing to draw with , thou hast not a bucket, nor any other instrument wherewith thou canst draw the water; and this well The only spring hereabout; is deep: from whence then hast thou Whence canst thou obtain; that living water Of which thou speakest? Or, what is the extraordinary supply which thou declarest may be had from thee? Mr. Maundrell tells us, that the well, now shown as Jacobs, is thirty- five yards deep. Art thou greater Art thou a person of greater power, or more in favour with God; than our father Jacob That thou canst procure water by supernatural means? He was obliged to dig this well, in order to provide drink for himself and his family: canst thou create water? Although this woman speaks of Jacob as the father, or progenitor of the Samaritans, they were in truth not his progeny, but the descendants of those nations which the king of Assyria placed there in the room of the Israelites, whom he carried away captive, 2Ki 17:24; who gave us the well In Joseph their supposed father; and drank thereof himself So even he, great and holy as he was, had no better water than this. Observe here, reader, the reason why men are indifferent about the inestimable gift of God here spoken of, the Holy Spirit, and either do not sincerely and earnestly apply to God in prayer for it, or apply without success, is not their knowledge, and their preservation thereby from enthusiasm, but their ignorance, and their being destitute of all true religion through that ignorance. If, as Jesus says of this woman, they knew this gift of God, knew its nature, excellence, necessity, and attainableness, and together therewith the way of attaining it; and that Christ has received it for them, and how willing, as well as able, he is to bestow it, they surely would ask it of him, and he would not fail to give them this living water.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Ver. 10. Jesus answered and said unto her: If thou knewest the gift of God and who it is who says unto thee: Give me to drink, thou wouldst have asked of him thyself, and he would have given thee living water.
To this observation of the woman Jesus replies, not by renewing His request, but by making her an offer by means of which He reassumes His position of superiority. To this end, it is enough to raise this woman’s thoughts to the spiritual sphere, where there is no more anything for Him but to give, and for her but to receive. The expression: The gift of God, may be regarded as an abstract notion, whose concrete reality is indicated by the following words: who it is that says to thee (so in our first edition). The words of Jesus in Joh 3:16 : God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, favor this sense, according to which Jesus is Himself the gift of God. But as Jesus distinguishes Himself from the living water, in the following words, it is better to see in the words: He who says to thee, the agent through whom God makes this gift to the human soul. God gives Jesus to the world, and Jesus gives to it the living water. Living water, in the literal sense, denotes spring- water, in contrast with water of a cistern, or stagnant water. Gen 26:19 : Israel’s servants dug in the valley, and found there a well of living water, that is, a subterranean spring of which they made a well; comp. Lev 14:5. In the figurative sense, living water is, therefore, a blessing which has the property of incessantly reproducing itself, like a gushing spring, like life itself, and which consequently is never exhausted. What does Jesus mean by this?
According to Justin and Cyprian, baptism; according to Lucke, faith; according to Olshausen, Jesus Himself; according to Calvin, Luthardt, Keil, the Holy Spirit; according to Grotius, the evangelical doctrine; according to Meyer, truth; according to Tholuck, Weiss, the word of salvation; according to Westcott, eternal life, consisting in the knowledge of God and of His Son Jesus Christ (Joh 17:3); this scholar cites as analogous the Rabbinical proverb: When the prophets speak of water, they mean the law. Lange, according to Joh 4:14 : The interior life, especially with reference to peace in the heart. It seems to me that, according to Jesus Himself (Joh 4:13-14), it is, as Westcott thinks, eternal life, salvation, the full satisfaction of all the wants of the heart and the possession of all the holy energies of which the soul is susceptible. This state of soundness of the soul can only be the result of the dwelling of Jesus Himself in the heart, by means of His word made inwardly living by the Holy Spirit (chaps. 14-16). This explanation includes, therefore, all the others up to a certain point.
ADDITIONAL NOTES BY THE AMERICAN EDITOR.
6. The living water of which Jesus speaks in Joh 4:10 is supposed by Godet to be the eternal life, and he refers to Joh 4:13-14, as showing this to be the correct view. The words of those verses, however, speak of this water as being a well of water springing up into eternal life. We find also, in the sixth chapter, that the living bread and the bread of life are presented as that which is the means and support of life in the believer. It would seem more probable, therefore, that, in this expression, that which forms the basis and principle of the new life is referred to, than the new life itself. That which Jesus gives to the worldin one view, grace and truth, in another view, Himself as the source of lifemay be understood as that to which He refers.
Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)
Verse 10
The gift of God; which she was then receiving; that is, the favor bestowed upon her in granting her this interview.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest {d} the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee {e} living water.
(d) By this word “the” we are shown that Christ speaks of some excellent gift, that is to say, even about himself, whom his Father offered to this woman.
(e) This everlasting water, that is to say, the exceeding love of God, is called “living” or “of life”, to make a difference between it and the water that should be drawn out of a well: and these metaphors are frequently used by the Jews.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Jesus ignored the woman’s implied insult. She had drawn attention to the gift of water that Jesus was requesting and to the identity of Jesus as a Jew. Jesus picked up both subjects and used them to whet the woman’s curiosity. He implied that God had a greater gift (Gr. dorea) for her and that Jesus had the authority to give it to her. The word that Jesus used for "gift" occurs only here in the Gospels. It stressed the freeness of God’s gift. Here was another person who did not perceive Jesus’ true glory or identity (cf. Joh 1:14).
Most interpreters understand Jesus’ reference to God’s gift as a reference to eternal life, though some believe He was alluding to the Torah. [Note: E.g., Odeberg, p. 150.] If the latter interpretation is correct, Jesus meant that if the woman knew her Torah and who He was she would have asked Jesus for something (cf. Joh 3:10; Joh 5:39-40). This interpretation seems unlikely to me because her knowledge of the Torah would not have enabled her to ask Jesus for living water. She did not yet recognize Him as the Messiah.
The living water that Jesus promised has two meanings. Literally it refers to flowing water in contrast to stagnant water. Metaphorically it refers to the cleansing and refreshing grace that the Holy Spirit brings as a result of proper relationship with God (Joh 7:38-39; cf. Isa 1:16-18; Eze 36:25-27; Zec 14:8; Joh 3:5). The Old Testament used water to symbolize teaching or doctrine and living water as a metaphor for God (cf. Psa 36:9; Isa 55:1; Jer 2:13; Jer 17:13). [Note: See ibid., pp. 149-69.]
Jesus’ evangelistic method on this occasion was to start where the woman was with something material that they both had in common, namely, the desire for water. He then captured her curiosity by implying that He was not just whom He appeared to be and that He could give her something very valuable though free. She would have wondered, Who is this, what is this gift of God, and what is this living water?
"Whenever He witnessed to people, Jesus did not use a ’sales talk’ that He adapted to meet every situation. To Nicodemus, He spoke about new birth; but to this woman, He spoke about living water." [Note: Wiersbe, 1:300.]