Jesus meets the woman of Samaria by a well in John 4 video discussion

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The gospel lectionary reading for Lent 3 is John 4.5-42, probably the longest reading in the lectionary!

The story is well-known—but common interpretations of the story are worth examining carefully. The woman is in some sense an ambiguous figure, but perhaps not in the ways we might expect.

Join James and Ian and they explore this fascinating text. And for a challenge to conventional assumptions about the text, see this article by Chris Knight.

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5 thoughts on “Jesus meets the woman of Samaria by a well in John 4 video discussion”

  2. If the woman became a genuine believer, then she was converted by faith in Jesus being the Christ (or Messiah).

    I think James is right to allude the profound significance of the Greek ‘ego eimi’ in John 4:26, because it may well provide the interpretative key to the other Johannine, absolute uses of ‘ego eimi’ – at John 8:24, 28 , 58.

    ‘Ego eimi’ in John 4:4 clearly means ‘ I am the Messiah’ ( = ‘the One who is to come’, Luke 7:20).

    In similar fashion, ‘ego eimi’ in John 8:24 and John 8:28, are also probably (Johannine) references to ‘the Messiah’ :

    “…if ye believe not that I am the Messiah, ye shall die in your sins.’ (John 8:24; Worsley N.T.);

    “When you lift the Son of Man (on the cross), you will know that I am the Christ…” (John 8:28; C.B. Williams N.T.)

    In John 10:24 ‘the Jews’ asked Jesus to explicitly tell them if he was the Messiah. In John 10:25. Jesus replies that he had already done so – but where? The only answer seems to be in John 8:58, where again, ‘ego eimi’ may well mean “I am the Messiah”. The disbelieving Jews in John 8:59 attempted to stone Jesus because they saw him as a false prophet (cf. John 8:48; Deut. 13:1-5).

    Finally, the original conclusion of John’s Gospel at John 20:31, states that the author’s whole purpose is that :

    ” these things are written that, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life in his name.”

    Reply

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