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Third Sunday of Lent (A)                                                                               John 4:5-42

My grandson told me one day, “Grampa, we finally got a home cooked meal at school so we all stopped complaining about our lunches.” I said, “oh, really, what did you get?” He said: “peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.” — Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is real homemade cuisine! But I was glad they stopped complaining.

In the story of the Exodus from Egypt the unenlightened Israelites began to complain to Moses and God from the very beginning of their journey into the desert. In the chapter today they find themselves in the middle of this wilderness without water. Now, these are the same people that saw the Lord God part the Red Sea and close it upon the Egyptians; then they complained to Moses about having no food; God sent them manna each morning; they complained about having no meat; God gave them quail, all they could eat. In today’s reading they are complaining because they will die of thirst without water. Where was their faith? Didn’t they recognize that God was taking care of them? So, God makes water flow from the driest and the hardest of substances in the desert — a rock. The Israelites have sinned because they have tested the Lord. Jesus himself told Satan “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” God does not have to prove to us that he is God. He is not obliged to do anything for his creatures, but in his divine love he mercifully forgives the Israelites as he does all of us. 

In the gospel Jesus is traveling from Judea to Galilee. Judea is at the southern end of Palestine and Galilee at the farthest northern end. Most Jews would make this a six day trip, going around Samaria, the land of their enemies, but Jesus decides to go through Samaria, which makes it a three day trip. In the middle of Samaria is Jacob’s well not far from the town of Sychar  Jesus, stops at this well because he is tired and thirsty, it is noon, the hottest part of the day. The apostles went to the town to get food. We see his truly human nature in his fatigue from these travels.

A Samaritan woman then comes to the well to draw water. “Give me a drink” Jesus says. The woman is shocked because a Jewish man, especially a rabbi, would never talk to a woman in public, no less a Samaritan woman. The gospel never tells us whether he gets the drink or not. But this is not about Jesus getting a drink, Jesus has come to save that which has been lost. The hostility between the Jews and the Samaritans was well known; but Jesus embraced everyone, he came to save all people and he wants to save this woman and her people. The Samaritan woman’s reply starts the dialogue and shows her readiness to talk to Christ.

As is his custom, Jesus uses common expressions, to get his teachings of much deeper meanings across to the woman. We all know that water is absolutely necessary for a human being to live. Similarly, the grace of God is just as necessary for our spiritual life. Water can give us life but Christ’s grace, ‘the living water’ provides eternal life and that water does not come from this well or any other well; it comes from the Messiah. Jesus uses her growing interest to reveal to her his divinity, little by little he shows that he knows all about her.

In a humorous moment, Jesus convinces the woman by stating that she should go get her husband. She replies, “I don’t have a husband.” He draws out a confession from her by way of his own divine knowledge of her history. Thus showing his concern for the true bond of marriage. This leaves her open to the word of the prophet. Jesus has convinced her that he is a prophet. He then turns the conversation to the worship of God. This is typical of Jesus’ conversations with others as he leads them step by step — the conversation goes from surprise to sarcasm to interior belief. Jesus accepted people where they were and treated them with serious concern. The questions he asks leads to an encounter with their spiritual heart. He gave each person the freedom to make their own decision. Like the rich young man who decided to walk away when Jesus asks if him to give up his possessions. Jesus doesn’t go after him to beg his return, he respects his free will, for the young man made his own decision. The Samaritan woman fares far better than that, because she realizes Jesus is the one who is to come, that he is the Messiah.

Jesus the Christ is telling us that he is the wellspring of living water, the grace of God that will pour forth through him and his Church, from the font of his sacraments. Thus, we come to his Church to refresh ourselves with that living water by confession and the Eucharist from which flows abundant grace; as well as the other five sacraments.

Jesus questions the concept that ‘all religions are equal.’ In fact he says, “You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is now coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and Truth.” that is, in his Church which he is now founding through his Apostles.    

Have we not learned a lesson from our Lord’s mercy and kindness, which broke through racial barriers that day in Samaria? This event demonstrates to us the whole evangelization process, beginning with the Samaritan women’s enthusiasm. Causing the people of her town believe in Jesus through her zeal. Then Jesus stays two days among them and many more believe, and believe more firmly, that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior of the world. 

He goes on to Caparnaum where he cures a man’s son of his illness at the begging of the man. From that place he says, “Your son will live.” at that very hour the boy is cured and all his family believe in Jesus. This is the second sign Jesus works on his trip to Galilee. This is Jesus the perfect evangelist. 

 © JOSEPH MEILINGER 2026