Homilies on the Gospel of John 33

Jesus answered and said to her:

Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again;

but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst forever;

rather, the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water, welling up unto eternal life.

The grace of the Spirit the Scripture sometimes calls fire, and sometimes water, showing that these names are not indicative of substance, but of operation.

For the Spirit is not composed of different substances, being invisible and of one single form.

Now the one John declares, speaking thus:

He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire;

and the other Christ declares: Rivers of living water shall flow out of his belly.

But this He said concerning the Spirit, it says, whom they were about to receive.

So also, in conversing with the woman, He calls the Spirit water:

For whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst forever.

And He thus calls the Spirit, hinting under the appellation of fire at what is stirred up and fervent in grace, and consuming of sins;

and by that of water, to make plain the cleansing that comes from Him, and the great refreshment given to the minds that receive Him.

For just as some paradise flourishing with all manner of trees, both fruit-bearing and evergreen, so does He prepare the willing soul, permitting it to feel neither despondency nor the plotting of Satan, since He easily quenches all the fiery darts of the Evil One.

But consider with me the wisdom of Christ, how gently He leads the poor woman upward.

If you knew who it is that says to you, Give me to drink;

but when she gave Him occasion to call Him a Jew, and brought Him under accusation, then, in repelling the charge, He says this.

And having said, If you knew who it is that says to you, Give me to drink, you would have asked Him;

and having compelled her, by the greatness of His promise, to call the patriarch to mind, He thus gives the woman clearer sight.

Then, when she countered, Are you greater than our father Jacob? He did not say, Yes, I am greater;

for He would have seemed merely to be boasting, since the proof was not yet apparent;

but by what He says, He establishes this very thing.

For indeed He did not simply say, I will give you water;

but first, having done away with the water of Jacob, He then exalts His own, wishing to set forth, from the nature of the things given, the difference between the persons—as great as the difference between the givers—and His superiority over the patriarch.

For if you marvel at Jacob, He says, because he gave this water, what will you say if I give you water far better than this? By anticipation you confessed that I am greater than Jacob, when you objected and said, Are you greater than Jacob, that you promise to give better water? If you receive that water, you will certainly confess that I am greater.

Do you see the impartial judgment of the woman, who from the facts renders her verdict both concerning the patriarch and concerning Christ? But the Jews were not so;

but even when they saw Him casting out demons,

casting them out, they not only did not call Him greater than the patriarch, but even called Him one possessed by a demon.

But the woman was not so; rather, from the very source whence Christ wills, from the proof of works, she brings forth her verdict.

For indeed He too is judged from this very source, saying thus:

If I do not the works of My Father, do not believe Me;

but if I do, even though you believe not Me, believe the works.

In this way too the woman is led on to faith.

For this reason too He, on hearing, Are you greater than our father Jacob? left Jacob aside and discourses concerning the water, saying:

Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again;

and He makes the comparison not from disparagement, but from superiority.

For He does not say that this water is nothing, nor that it is cheap and contemptible;

but that which nature itself testifies, this He states:

Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again;

but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst forever.

The woman had heard of living water before this, but she did not understand.

For since water that is ever-flowing and perpetually welling up is also called living water, the springs not being cut off, the woman supposed that this was what was meant.

For this reason, then, making clearer to her what He had said, and drawing His superiority from the comparison, He added, saying:

But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst forever;

by this, as I said, showing His superiority, and also by the words that follow;

for the perceptible water has none of these things.

And what are the things that follow? It will become in him a spring of water welling up unto eternal life.

For just as one who has a spring stored up within would never be overcome by thirst,

so neither would he who has this water.

And the woman believed at once, showing herself far more intelligent than Nicodemus;

and not only more intelligent, but also more courageous.

For he, though hearing countless such things, neither called anyone else to this, nor spoke out boldly himself;

but she displays apostolic deeds, bringing the good news to all and calling them to Jesus, and drawing a whole city out to Him.

And he, when he heard, said:

How can these things be? And though Christ set before him the clear example of the wind, not even so did he accept the word;

but the woman was not so; rather, at first she was perplexed, but afterward, receiving the word not with argument but in the manner of assent, she straightway presses on to the receiving.

For when Christ said:

It will become in him a spring of water welling up unto eternal life;

Give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.

Do you see how little by little she is led up to the height of the doctrines? At first she supposed Him to be some lawless Jew;

then, when He had repelled this charge (for the person who was about to instruct her in such things had to be free from suspicion), on hearing living water, she supposed this to be said concerning perceptible water.

But afterward, having learned that the things spoken were spiritual, she believed indeed that the water was able to remove the need arising from thirst, yet she did not yet know what this could possibly be; rather she was still perplexed, supposing it to be something above the things perceived by the senses, but not clearly understanding it.

Here, though she saw somewhat more clearly, she did not yet perceive the whole (for she says, 'Give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw'); yet for the present she preferred Him to Jacob.

'For I have no need of this spring,' she says, 'if I receive from Thee that water.'

Dost thou see how she sets Him before the patriarch? This belongs to a right-minded soul.

She showed how great an esteem she had held concerning Jacob;

she beheld the better One, and was not held fast by her prepossession.

The woman, then, was neither too facile (for she did not simply accept what was said;

for how could she be, who had inquired with such exactness?), nor was she disobedient and contentious.

This too she showed by her request.

And yet He once said to the Jews also:

'Whosoever shall eat of My flesh shall never hunger;

and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst at all.'

But they not only did not believe, but were even offended.

The woman, however, suffered nothing of the kind, but both remained and asked.

To the Jews, then, He said, 'He that believeth on Me';

but to the woman not so, but more grossly, 'He that drinketh of this water shall never thirst.'

For it was a promise of spiritual and not of visible things.

For this reason, having lifted up her mind by the promises, He still dwells upon words drawn from the senses, because she was not yet able to receive the exactness of spiritual things.

For had He said, 'If thou believe on Me, thou shalt never thirst,' she would not have understood the saying, not knowing who it was that conversed with her, nor concerning what manner of thirst He spoke.

Why then did He not do this in the case of the Jews also? Because they had seen many signs;

but she had seen no sign at all, and heard His words first of all.

Therefore now, through prophecy, He reveals His own power, and does not straightway bring the reproof;

but what does He say? 'Go, call thy husband, and come hither.'

'Thou hast well said that I have no husband;

for thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband.'

The woman saith unto Him, 'Lord, I perceive that Thou art a prophet.'

Wonderful! how great the wisdom of the woman!

how meekly she receives the reproof!

'For how should she not,' one says? Wherefore, tell me;

did He not reprove the Jews also many times, and with things greater than this? For it is not the same thing to bring into the open the secrets hidden in the mind, and to make manifest a deed done in secret.

For the one belongs to God alone, and none other knoweth it save he who holds it in his mind;

but the other, all who share in it are aware of.

Yet nevertheless, when reproved, they did not bear it meekly;

but when He said, 'Why seek ye to kill Me?' they not only did not marvel as the woman did, but even reviled and insulted Him.

And yet they had the proof from other signs as well, while she had heard this only;

yet nevertheless they not only did not marvel, but even reviled, saying, 'Thou hast a devil; who seeketh to kill Thee?' But she not only offers no insult, but marvels and is astonished, and supposes Him to be a prophet;

and yet this reproof would have touched the woman more nearly than that one touched them.

For this was the sin of her alone, whereas that was common.

And we are not so stung by common faults as by our own private ones.

And they thought they were accomplishing some great thing, if they should slay Christ;

but the woman's deed was acknowledged by all to be wicked;

yet nevertheless the woman was not vexed, but was astonished and marvelled.

And in the case of Nathanael too Christ did this very same thing.

For He did not bring in the prophecy in the first place, nor did He say, 'I saw thee under the fig tree';

but when that man said, 'Whence knowest Thou me?' then He added this.

For He wished to receive the occasions both of His predictions and of His miracles from those very persons who came to Him, so that they might both be the more won over by the things done, and He might escape the suspicion of vainglory.

This very thing, then, He does here also.

For to have reproved her in the first place, that 'Thou hast no husband,' would have seemed burdensome and superfluous;

but to receive the occasion from herself and then set all this right was both altogether fitting, and made her the more gentle in the hearing.

'And what fitness is there,' one says, 'in saying, Go, call thy husband?' The discourse was concerning a gift and a grace surpassing human nature.

The woman was pressing on, seeking to receive it, and He says this;

as though showing that her husband also must have a share in these things.

But she, hastening to receive it, and hiding the shame of the matter, and thinking she was conversing with a mere man, says, 'I have no husband.'

Having heard this, Christ then opportunely brings in the reproof, speaking both points with exactness.

For He both numbered all the former ones, and reproved the one now hidden.

What then did the woman do? She was not vexed, nor did she leave and flee, nor did she think the matter to be an insult;

but rather she marvels at Him and perseveres the more;

'For I perceive,' she says, 'that Thou art a prophet.'

And observe her understanding;

not even here did she at once rush forward, but still she considers around and marvels.

For the word 'I perceive' means this: 'Thou appearest to me to be a prophet.'

Then, since she suspected this, she asks Him nothing pertaining to this life, nothing

concerning bodily health, nor concerning money, nor concerning wealth, but straightway concerning doctrines.

For what does she say? 'Our fathers worshipped in this mountain';

speaking of those about Abraham;

for there too, they say, the son was offered up.

'And how say ye that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship?' III.

Dost thou see how she has become loftier in mind? For she who was anxious about not being troubled by reason of thirst now inquires even concerning doctrines.

What then does Christ do? He did not resolve the question (for this was not His great concern, simply to answer to the things said;

for that would have been a digression), but He leads the woman again to a greater height;

And He does not speak to her about these matters before she had confessed that He is a prophet, so that she might thereafter hear what was said with full conviction.

For she who had been persuaded of this could no longer be in doubt concerning what was about to be said.

Let us therefore be ashamed, and blush at last.

A woman who had had five husbands, and who was moreover a Samaritan, shows so great an earnestness concerning doctrines; and neither the time of day, nor her having come out for another purpose, nor anything else drew her away from inquiry into such things;

but we not only make no inquiry concerning doctrines, but toward everything without exception we are carelessly and haphazardly disposed.

For this reason everything has been neglected.

For which of you, tell me, being in his house, has taken a Christian book into his hands, gone over its contents, and searched the Scripture? No one could say that he has done so;

but draughts-boards and dice we shall find in the houses of most, while books nowhere—or only in the houses of a few.

And even these are disposed just like those who have none, having bound them up and stowed them away forever in boxes;

and all their zeal is about the fineness of the parchments and the beauty of the letters, not about the reading of them.

For they have not made the possession of them for the sake of benefit and gain, but, making a display of wealth and vainglory, they have been zealous about these things;

so great is the excess of their vainglory.

For I hear no one taking pride that he knows the contents, but only that he possesses it written in golden letters.

And what is the gain? Tell me.

For the Scriptures were not given for this, that we should have them in books only, but that we should engrave them also upon our hearts.

For such a possession—to lay up the commandments in the letters only—belongs to Jewish vainglory;

but to us the law was not given so from the beginning, but on fleshly tablets of the heart.

And I say these things, not to forbid the acquiring of books, but rather I urge this and earnestly pray for it;

but I desire that from those books both the words and the meanings should be carried about in our understanding, so that it may thus be purified as it receives the sense of the letters.

For if in a house where a Gospel lies the devil will not dare to approach, much more will he never touch, nor will a demon or the nature of sin ever set foot upon, a soul that carries about such meanings.

Sanctify therefore your soul, sanctify your body, by always keeping these things upon your heart and upon your tongue.

For if foul speech defiles and summons demons, it is plain that spiritual reading sanctifies and draws down the grace of the Spirit.

The letters of Scripture are divine incantations.

Let us then chant them over ourselves, and prepare from them remedies for the passions that are in the soul.

For if we know what the things that are read mean, we shall hear them with much eagerness.

These things I always say, and in saying them I shall not cease.

For how is it not absurd, that those who sit in the marketplace can tell the names and families and cities of charioteers and dancers, and their modes of performance, and can report with exactness the excellence and the faults even of the horses themselves;

but that those who come here should know nothing of the things that take place here, but should even be ignorant of the number of the very books? For if it is for the sake of pleasure that you pursue those things, I will show you that this pleasure, which is here, is greater.

For what is more delightful, tell me, or what more wonderful, to see a man wrestling with a man, or a man boxing with the devil, and a body grappling with an incorporeal power, and

conquering it? These are the wrestling-matches let us behold;

for these it is both seemly and profitable to imitate, and by imitating them one may be crowned;

and not those others, the zeal for which brings shame to the one who imitates.

For that wrestling-match you behold in company with demons, if indeed you do behold it;

but this one in company with angels and with the Lord of the angels.

If it were permitted you to sit and behold in company with rulers or kings, and to enjoy the spectacle, would you not consider this to be the greatest honor? But here, beholding in company with the King of the angels, and seeing the devil held fast and pinned back by the loins, striving hard to prevail yet availing nothing, do you not run to such a spectacle? And how, he says, can this come to pass?

If you hold the book in your hands.

For in it you will see both the arenas, and the long courses, and that one's grips, and the righteous man's skill.

And beholding these things, you too will learn thus to wrestle, and will be delivered from demons.

For the things performed abroad are festivals of demons, not theatres of men.

For if it is not lawful to enter an idol's temple, much less into a satanic festival.

In saying these things and in troubling you I shall not cease, until I see the change.

For to say these things, he says, is to me indeed not irksome, but for you it is safe.

Do not then be burdened by the exhortation.

For if anyone ought to be burdened, it would be I who often speak and am not heeded, not you who are always hearing, yet always failing to heed.

But may it never be that you should be reproached with these things forever; rather, being delivered from this shame, may you be counted worthy of the spiritual spectacle, and may you enjoy the glory to come, by the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father be glory, together with the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages.