Woman at the Well, part 5 - John 4:24-43

The woman at the well recognizes that the Savior is “a prophet” but I think that she’s frustrated because he’s telling her that there’s more in life and she has no idea where to find it. He tells her that she can worship where she is there because “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” This statement doesn’t make a lot of sense unless you consider the IM’s explanation saying, “The Greek test of John 4:24 contains no article before the word spirit. Thus, the Greek phrase can also be understood to mean ‘God is spirit,’ or ‘God is spiritual.’ The apostle John also wrote that ‘God is light’ and ‘God is love,’ but these statements do not mean that God is only light, or that God is love and nothing else. Neither do we understand the statement that ‘man is spirit’ to mean that man is only spirit and nothing else. In the same sense, John 4:24 does not mean that God is only spirit… The Joseph Smith Translation gives a clearer understanding of what the Savior was teaching: ‘For unto such hath God promised his Spirit. And they who worship him, must worship in spirit and in truth.’… Elder Bruce R. McConkie quoted this passage and then taught: ‘There is no salvation in worshiping a false god. It does not matter one particle how sincerely someone may believe that God is a golden calf, or that he is an immaterial, uncreated power that is in all things; the worship of such a being or concept has no saving power. Men may believe with all their souls that images or powers or laws are God, but no amount of devotion to these concepts will ever give the power that leads to immortality and eternal life…   But if he worships the true and living God, in spirit and in truth, then God Almighty will pour out His Spirit upon him, and he will have power to raise the dead, move mountains, entertain angels, and walk in celestial streets.” I look back at human history and it seems like the vast majority of people are naturally drawn to the religion dominant in their societies, people want to believe, it’s natural to believe in a higher power, but unfortunately most people haven’t had access to the true gospel in their mortal lifetimes. This explanation makes more sense when considered that God is spirit and we must worship him in spirit and in truth.

I don’t really follow this conversation, it seems to jump from topic to topic because the woman states, “I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.” It doesn’t seem to flow well in the conversation but we can tell that they are also looking forward to the Messiah coming, regardless of how flawed their religion is. JTC suggests that this is her way of ending the conversation with Jesus because she’s uncomfortable. Jesus responds, “I that speak unto thee am he.” The IM says, “Jesus testified to the Samaritan woman that He was the Messiah- the first recorded instance in the Gospels of Jesus announcing who He was. ‘T that speak unto thee am he,’ Jesus declared. The pronoun ‘he’ was absent in the original text; Jesus simply said, ‘I Am.’ By using the expression ‘I Am,’ Jesus was declaring that He is Jehovah.” He’s using the scriptures that the woman is familiar with to illustrate the importance of His message. She clearly is open to this information because she asks no more questions but ‘left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” She left her waterpot so she’s clearly coming back.

Just as she’s leaving, Jesus’ disciples return from buying meat and wonder what he’s doing talking to this woman. She leaves and they offer Jesus some meat but he answers “I have meat to eat that ye know not of.” They are confused, but he is again referencing something physical to demonstrate a spiritual point, he says, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” This puts his ability to fast for 40 days in some perspective. Over the next few verses the Savior teaches a few different aspects of missionary work

1. The fields “are white already to harvest.” There are many people who are ready for the gospel, it just needs to be brought to them.
2. Those who engage in the work “receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal.” Missionary work brings joy and happiness and increased testimony.
3. “One soweth, and another reapeth.” This is the concept of planting seeds of the gospel that grow and blossom when the person is ready, not when we are.

Many Samaritans were ready to accept the gospel because they “believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.” The people came out of the city to meet Jesus and “they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.” And the people believed on him, believed what he was saying, these rejects of the Jews, those who were hated, accepted Jesus. And they believed, not because of what she said, but because “we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.”

Lessons from the woman at the well:

• Only true happiness and satisfaction comes from the gospel that the Savior provides.
• Jesus teaches with ordinary objects as metaphors to illustrate deeper significance for those ready to hear it.
• The concept of planting the seeds and reaping later is legit.
• True healing can come regardless of our background and what has happened to us and what we’ve done.
• Healing comes by fully embracing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Fully embracing the gospel is a commitment akin to marriage.