John Chrysostom, On the Samaritan Woman

where they might know the fish lie in wait? For there are many places in the sea that nourish fish more than others. So indeed also our Lord Jesus Christ, the great God according to the prophecy, knew as God, that from there He was able to take the prey, that is, the Samaritan woman. Therefore, as I said, the fishermen lie in wait in those places from which they also hope to catch the fish; so also Christ came to the place from which he could catch the Samaritan woman, and through her accomplish a great catch of men. Behold, I have revealed the reason for the place. But why did he also mention the hour? For he says: Jesus, being wearied from the journey, was sitting thus at the well. It was about the sixth hour. Hear, then, beloved, also concerning the hour. The Samaritan woman was a certain poor woman, always nourished by her own hands, poor both in body and in means, but not in the piety of her soul. So, then, rising to her loom, she hurried through her work, from which she also procured her food. But at the sixth hour, when all were occupied with rest, then she, taking her water jar, filled it with water. Therefore the Lord who knows all things knew that at the hour which all had for rest, she was occupied with drawing water. And for this reason the Lord went at the sixth hour, when he knew that she was going to draw water, and he could catch this spiritual prey. And for what reason did the Lord send his disciples away? For his disciples, says the Gospel, had gone away into the city to buy food. The woman was a certain poor, pitiful person, as we have already stated, not being strong enough to look upon a large retinue. And if she had seen the dignity of a teacher, and the company of disciples, the teacher, the ones being taught, the crowd, the order, the dignity, the appearance, the distinction, she would have immediately fled, and the prey would have been lost; she would not have dared to approach, and the fish would have escaped from the nets, and would not have been caught in the dragnet, but would have leaped away; for this reason he sent the disciples into the city. For having gone, he says, buy food; you go and buy, I have another meal.

For my food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to finish his work; you the things of the flesh, I the things of the spirit; you buy, for I have redeemed. Christ has redeemed us from the 59.537 curse of the law, having become a curse for us, says the chosen vessel, Paul; by means of waters I wish to catch this spiritual catch of fish. You have learned why both the place, and the hour, and the absence of the disciples. Therefore it is necessary now to begin with what follows. A woman comes from Samaria to draw water. The Samaritan woman comes to draw water at the sixth hour, having ceased from the loom, to draw water at the hour of rest, and, as has often been said, at the sixth hour; since also when Eve in paradise transgressed the commandment, it was about the sixth hour; and for this reason the Samaritan woman was saved at the well at the same sixth hour. Then, therefore, the Samaritan woman came to draw water, and sees Jesus as some stranger, and only as a traveler wishing to rest from the heat, and sitting by the well. She saw a despised man, and did not even take notice of him. But God himself, who knows all things before their creation, seeing the treasure of her faith, says to her: Give me to drink. The fount of life, sitting by the fount, demands a drink, not wishing to drink, but to give. Give me to drink, that I may give you water of incorruption to drink. For I thirst for the salvation of men; not that I may drink, but that I may give drink. I have imitated my own Father; for God says to Abraham: Give me your son; offer up to me Isaac your beloved son, your only-begotten, for a whole burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will show you. But he said this not wishing to take his son, but wishing to grant his own Son to the world.

ἔνθα ἂν γινώσκωσι τοὺς ἰχθύας ἐνεδρεύοντας; Εἰσὶ γὰρ πολ λοὶ τόποι κατὰ θάλασσαν μᾶλλον τῶν ἄλλων τοὺς ἰχθύας διατρέφοντες. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χρι στὸς, ὁ μέγας Θεὸς κατὰ τὴν προφητείαν, ᾔδει ὡς Θεὸς, ὅτι ἐκεῖθεν ἠδύνατο λαβεῖν τὴν θήραν, τουτέστι τὴν γυναῖκα τὴν Σαμαρεῖτιν. Ὥσπερ οὖν εἶπον, οἱ ἁλιεῖς τοῖς τόποις ἐκείνοις ἐνεδρεύουσιν, ὅθεν καὶ τὸν ἰχθὺν ἐλπίζουσι θηρεῦσαι· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἦλθεν εἰς τὸν τόπον, ὅθεν τὴν Σαμαρεῖτιν εἶχε θηρεῦσαι, καὶ δι' αὐτῆς μεγάλην ζωγρείαν ἀνθρώπων ἀπεργάσασθαι. Ἰδοὺ, τοῦ τόπου τὴν αἰτίαν ἐμήνυσα. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ καὶ τὴν ὥραν εἶπε; Φησὶ γάρ· Ὁ Ἰησοῦς κεκοπιακὼς ἐκ τῆς ὁδοιπορίας ἐκαθέζετο οὕτως ἐπὶ τῇ πηγῇ. Ὥρα ἦν ὡσεὶ ἕκτη. Ἄκουε τοίνυν, ἀγαπητὲ, καὶ περὶ τῆς ὥρας. Πτωχή τις ἦν ἡ Σαμαρεῖτις διὰ παντὸς ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῆς τρεφομένη, πτωχὴ δὲ καὶ τῷ σώματι καὶ τοῖς χρήμασιν, ἀλλ' οὐ τῇ τῆς ψυχῆς εὐσεβείᾳ. Οὕτως οὖν ἐγειρομένη ἐπὶ τὸν ἱστὸν διέτρεχε διὰ τὴν ἐργασίαν, ὅθεν καὶ τὴν τροφὴν ἐπραγματεύετο. Ἀλλ' ἐν ὥρᾳ ἕκτῃ, ὅταν πάντες πρὸς ἀνάπαυσιν ἠσχολοῦντο, τότε ἐκείνη τὴν ὑδρίαν λαμβάνουσα, τὸ ὕδωρ ἐγέμιζεν. Ἤδει οὖν ὁ τὰ πάντα ἐπιστάμενος Κύριος, ὅτι τὴν ὥραν, ἣν πάντες πρὸς ἀνάπαυσιν εἶχον, ἐκείνη πρὸς τὸ κομίζειν τὸ ὕδωρ ἑαυτὴν ἀπησχόλει. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὥραν ἕκτην ἀπῆλθεν ὁ Κύριος, ὅτε ἐγίνωσκεν, ὅτι ἀπέρχεται κομίσαι τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ δύναται θηρεῦσαι τὴν πνευματικὴν ταύτην θήραν. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ ὁ Κύριος ἀπεπέμψατο; Οἱ γὰρ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, φησὶ τὸ Εὐαγγέ λιον, ἀπεληλύθεισαν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, ἵνα τροφὰς ἀγο ράσωσι. Ἡ γυνὴ πτωχή τις ἦν ἐλεεινὴ, ὡς ἤδη φθά σαντες ἐδηλώσαμεν, μὴ ἰσχύουσα πρὸς δορυφορίαν πολ λῶν ἀντιβλέψαι. Καὶ εἰ ἐθεάσατο ἀξίωμα διδασκάλου, καὶ μαθητῶν περιβολὴν, τὸν διδάσκαλον, τοὺς διδασκο μένους, τὸν ὄχλον, τὴν τάξιν, τὸ ἀξίωμα, τὸ σχῆμα, τὸ ἐπίσημον, εἶχεν ἂν εὐθὺς ἀποφυγεῖν, καὶ ἀπώλετο ἡ θήρα· οὐκ ἐτόλμα προσελθεῖν, καὶ ὁ ἰχθὺς ἀπὸ τῶν δικτύων ἐξέφυγε, καὶ οὐκ ἐσαγηνεύετο, ἀλλ' ἀπεπήδα· διὰ τοῦτο ἀπεπέμψατο τοὺς μαθητὰς εἰς τὴν πόλιν. Ἀπελθόντες γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀγοράσατε βρώματα· ὑμεῖς ἀπελθόντες ἀγοράσατε, ἐγὼ ἕτερον ἄριστον ἔχω.

Ἐμὸν γὰρ βρῶμά ἐστιν, ἵνα ποιῶ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμ ψαντός με, καὶ τελειώσω αὐτοῦ τὸ ἔργον· ὑμεῖς τὰ σαρκικὰ, ἐγὼ τὰ πνευματικά· ὑμεῖς ἀγοράσατε, ἐγὼ γὰρ ἐξηγόρασα. Χριστὸς ἡμᾶς ἐξηγόρασεν ἐκ τῆς 59.537 κατάρας τοῦ νόμου, γενόμενος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατάρα, φησὶ τὸ σκεῦος τῆς ἐκλογῆς, Παῦλος· δι' ὑδάτων βούλο μαι θηρεῦσαι τὴν πνευματικὴν ταύτην ἁλείαν. Ἔμαθες διὰ τί καὶ ὁ τόπος, καὶ ἡ ὥρα, καὶ ἡ τῶν μαθητῶν ἀπό λειψις. Οὐκοῦν ἀναγκαῖον λοιπὸν ἄρξασθαι τῶν ἑξῆς. Ἔρχεται γυνὴ ἐκ τῆς Σαμαρείας ἀντλῆσαι ὕδωρ. Ἔρχεται ἡ Σαμαρεῖτις ἀντλῆσαι ὕδωρ ὥραν ἕκτην, παυσαμένη τοῦ ἱστοῦ, ἐπὶ τὸ ὑδρεύσασθαι ὕδωρ τῇ ὥρᾳ τῆς ἀναπαύσεως, καὶ, ὡς πολλάκις εἴρηται, ὥρᾳ ἕκτῃ· ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἡ Εὔα ὅταν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ παρέβη τὴν ἐντολὴν, ὥρα ἦν ὡσεὶ ἕκτη· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἡ Σαμα ρεῖτις διεσώθῃ ἐν τῇ πηγῇ τῇ αὐτῇ ὥρᾳ ἕκτῃ. Εἶτα λοι πὸν ἦλθεν ἡ Σαμαρεῖτις ἀντλῆσαι ὕδωρ, καὶ βλέπει τὸν Ἰησοῦν ὥς τινα ξένον, καὶ μόνον ὡς ὁδοιπόρον ἀποκαυ ματῆσαι βουλόμενον, καὶ παρὰ τῇ πηγῇ καθεζόμενον. Εἶδεν ἄνδρα καταπεφρονημένον, καὶ οὐδὲ λόγον αὐτοῦ ἐποιήσατο. Ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ὁ τὰ πάντα ἐπιστάμενος Θεὸς, πρὶν γενέσεως αὐτῶν, θεασάμενος τὸν θησαυρὸν τῆς πίστεως, λέγει αὐτῇ· ∆ός μοι πιεῖν. Ἡ πηγὴ τῆς ζωῆς παρὰ τὴν πηγὴν καθεζόμενος πιεῖν ἀπαιτεῖ, οὐ πιεῖν, ἀλλὰ δοῦναι βουλόμενος. ∆ός μοι πιεῖν, ἵνα σοι δώσω ὕδωρ ἀφθαρσίας πιεῖν. Ἐγὼ γὰρ τὴν σωτηρίαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων διψῶ· οὐχ ἵνα πίω, ἀλλ' ἵνα ποτίσω. Ἐμι μησάμην τὸν οἰκεῖον Πατέρα· λέγει γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς Ἀβραάμ· ∆ός μοι τὸν υἱόν σου· ἀνένεγκέ μοι Ἰσαὰκ τὸν υἱόν σου τὸν ἀγαπητὸν, τὸν μονογενῆ, εἰς ὁλοκάρ πωσιν ἐπὶ ἓν τῶν ὀρέων, ὧν ἄν σοι δείξω. Ἀλλ' οὐ τὸν υἱὸν θέλων λαβεῖν, τοῦτο εἴρηκεν, ἀλλὰ βουλόμενος τὸν ἴδιον Υἱὸν τῇ οἰκουμένῃ χαρίσασθαι.