(a) How did Jesus describe himself to the Samaritan woman in St. John's Gospel? (b) In what two ways does the teaching apply to Christians?

Answer Details

(a) How Jesus described Himself to the Samaritan woman (John 4:1-26)

At Jacob's well in Sychar, Jesus met a Samaritan woman who had come to draw water and asked her for a drink. In the conversation He revealed Himself to her in two ways:

• As the giver of living water: Jesus said, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, Give me a drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." He explained, "Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
• As the Messiah (Christ): When the woman said, "I know that Messiah is coming... when he comes, he will show us all things," Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he." He also revealed Himself as one who knew all about her life, and taught that God is spirit and true worshippers must worship the Father in spirit and in truth.

(b) Two ways the teaching applies to Christians

1. Christ is the source of eternal, spiritual satisfaction: Just as ordinary water only relieves thirst temporarily, only Jesus, the living water, can satisfy the deepest needs of the soul and give eternal life; Christians must therefore come to Him to be spiritually satisfied.
2. True worship must be in spirit and in truth: Worship is not tied to a particular place or race; Christians are to worship God sincerely from the heart, guided by the Spirit and the truth, rather than relying on outward forms and locations.