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John 4:5-42 - Lent 3A

Don't miss the extended discussion of this story: "What's Wrong With This Picture? John 4, Cultural Stereotypes of Women, and Public and Private Space." Jerome H. Neyrey, Biblical Theology Bulletin 24 (1994):77-91.

"For some, much is "wrong with this picture" of the Samaritan woman. Certain critics focus on the marriage or sexual aspects of the story (Carmichael 1980:336-40). Eslinger (170-71), for example, identifies many double entendres regarding wells, living waters and springs as metaphors for sexual intercourse. These double entendres suggest that something is "wrong with this picture" in that the woman and Jesus appear to be engaged in a sexual game in violation of the cultural conventions for shame-guarding females in antiquity.

Others attend to "what is right with this picture" (Schüssler-Fiorenza 327-28; Seim 69-70; Schneiders 1991:186-94). Sometimes they focus on the role the woman plays in bringing the word about Jesus to her village, thus suggesting that she assumes the role of a "missionary" or "apostolic witness." Conversely, they often argue that nothing is "wrong with this picture": the Samaritan woman should not be construed as a whore nor should females be reduced to their sexuality; her "five husbands" need not be males in the village, but false gods worshipped by the Samaritans.

Are the different readings of John 4 merely a reflection of the gender of the commentator? It is easily verified that male critics tend to accentuate the sexual and marriage allusions in the story, while feminist readers focus on aspects of the story with potential for liberating Christian women. Nevertheless, if the aim of biblical criticism is the recovery of the communication of the sacred author, the conversation about John 4 must continue. As we become aware of the gender perspectives of authors ancient and modern, we should likewise take into account the cultural background of the ancient writer. Admittedly this ancient Mediterranean, pre-industrial cultural background might well clash with our modern Western, post-industrial world. And this will raise difficulties for contemporary males and females in their appropriation of biblical materials. But a full and honest reading of John 4 must take into account the ancient cultural expectations concerning males and females. Such cultural matters may even be part of the "good news" of the story."

John J. Pilch, Historical Cultural Context, Commentary and Spiritual Perspectives, Lent 3. Commentary, historical background, poems and readings. Center for Liturgy, St Louis University.

“Clearly, a cultural subversion is taking place. Modern social scientists would call this a cultural innovation. John seems to be confirming new roles for women in his community.

Jesus not only talks with the woman, but in a carefully orchestrated, seven-part dialogue (each speaks seven times) he guides her progressively from ignorance to enlightenment, from misunderstanding to clearer understanding. She is the most carefully and intensely catechized person in this entire Gospel!”

Reginald H. Fuller, Scripture in Depth, Commentary and Spiritual Perspectives, Lent 3. Commentary, historical background, poems and readings. Center for Liturgy, St Louis University.

“A multiplicity of themes jostle one another in this dialogue between Jesus and the Samaritan woman. Among them are: (1) Jesus' request for water, leading to the declaration that he is the giver of life; (2) Jesus' suggestion that the woman call her husband, leading to an exposure of her matrimonial past (which some take as an allegorical reference to the Samaritan Bible, which has only the first five books of the Old Testament); (3) the woman's shift of the conversation to the basic dispute between the Jews and the Samaritans—the proper place to worship YHWH—leading to Jesus' pronouncement that the old Jewish-Samaritan debate is about to be transcended by worship in spirit and truth; (4) the woman's assurance that the dispute will be cleared up in the messianic age, leading to Jesus' declaration that he is the Messiah; (5) the woman's departure to fetch her friends to see Jesus, interrupted by the sixth theme and resumed later in the conversion of many Samaritans; and finally, sandwiched between the two parts of the fifth theme, (6) the disciples' return to Jesus and their perplexity over his refusal to eat, leading to the declaration that his food is to do his Father's will, followed by sayings about the harvest, the latter preparing the way for the Samaritan conversions. The short form of the gospel simplifies the discourse by omitting (2) and (6).”

"Jesus Hustles an Invitation to the City," Proclaiming Gospel Justice: Reflections on the Scriptures and Progressive Spirituality, The Witness, 2005.

“To ask a simple thing of the enemy is to become vulnerable. It is to change the dynamic between the conflicting parties and for a moment it opens out the possibility of a larger exchange. Jesus and the Samaritan woman have deeper and deeper conversation and neither is put off by the challenges of the other. What was enmity was replace by wonder -- the woman wonders, the disciples wonder, the Samaritans wonder. What was hostility becomes invitation: "they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days" (John 4:40).

The urban centers of the world -- large, sprawling, centers of great commerce and wealth as well as of violence and terrible poverty -- are often seen by Christians as hostile territory. Churches are often seen as isolated islands of faith in the sea of mammon.

So signs are put out, "The Episcopal Church Welcomes You," and when people come we offer them food and drink, prayer and fellowship, but on our terms. People are welcome to be like us. The sign is clear: this is a place of godliness in the midst of ungodliness. It is not a place of vulnerability. Some will come, but many will stay away.

But here in the Gospel we have a hint about another way. When the church seeks to be invited into the lives of those in the city new ways of being reconciled arise. How do we work to see that the metaphorical sign is in place in the shops and apartments and houses, "Episcopalians welcome here"? We begin by being vulnerable, by asking in small and personal ways to be let into the city and its life, rather than staying in the church.”

"He Stayed Two Days," The Journey with Jesus: Notes to Myself, Daniel B. Clendenin, Journey with Jesus Foundation.

“The kingdom that Jesus announced is not one of a privatized faith whose purpose is to guarantee personal peace and affluence. Contrary to so many popular Christian counterfeits, His kingdom does not peddle what the distinguished sociologist Christian Smith of the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) aptly laments as "the god of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism" who like a Divine Butler is tasked to make us feel good. Rather, Jesus proclaimed that God longs to assuage the deepest needs, spiritual and material, of the morally, spiritually, religiously, and economically least and lost. He invites us to join Him in that service.”

"The Witness at the Well," commentary by Fred B. Craddock from The Christian Century, 1990. At Religion Online.

“If any wish to be fascinated by this woman, let them be so now. She is a witness, but not a likely witness and not even a thorough witness. "A man who told me all that I ever did" is not exactly a recitation of the Apostles Creed. She is not even a convinced witness: "Can this be the Christ?" is literally "This cannot he the Christ, can it?" Even so, her witness is enough: it is invitational (come and see) , not judgmental; it is within the range permitted by her experience; it is honest with its own uncertainty; it is for everyone who will hear. How refreshing. Her witness avoids triumphalism, hawking someone else’s conclusions, packaged answers to unasked questions, thinly veiled ultimatums and threats of hell, and assumptions of certainty on theological matters. She does convey, however, her willingness to let her hearers arrive at their own affirmations about Jesus, and they do: "This is indeed the Savior of the world." John immortalizes her by giving to her witness a name which is the very term with which he began the Gospel. The Samaritan woman, the Greek text reads, spoke "the Word."”

"Unlikely Messenger," Patricia Farris, The Christian Century, 2002. Religion Online.

“The gospel witnesses to the gift of God for all God’s children. In the vulnerability of an interdependent community, in the insistence upon relationship, in the breaking down of barriers. Jesus shows us a new way to learn about one another, learn the truth of one another, and learn that we need one another. True worship takes place not at a sacred mountain or even a shared ancestral well, but in a relationship with the person of Christ, who is the wellspring and mountaintop of hope and peace.

On another day, also about noon , Jesus will face death and again confess his thirst. On that day, only vinegar will be offered -- in mockery. The gift of his living water will not be apparent to the one holding that sour sponge. But today, when Jesus and the Samaritan woman meet, they conspire to bring life out of death. The water they offer each other, water that quenches the thirst of body and soul, holds the gift of life for all.”

John 3:1-17 - Lent 2

Girardian Reflections on the Lectionary, Lent 2, by Paul Nuechterlein & Friends.

“The key pun in this passage (see, for example, Raymond Brown's Anchor Bible commentary, vol. 1, pp. 130ff.) is the Greek word anothen, which can be translated as either "again" or "from above" -- hence, Nicodemus' misunderstanding. He is thinking in terms of being born again, and Jesus is trying to get him thinking in terms of being born from above -- or both, being born again from above. The key, it seems to me, is that the source of rebirth comes from outside this world. Things of this world are flesh; the source of true life and power comes from above by the Spirit.”

Readings, Analysis of Text and Preaching Paths, Lent 2, Christian Resource Institute. (Church of the Nazarene.)

“The Greek word anõthen can mean either "from above" or "again." Nicodemus takes it to mean "again," whereas Jesus has the first meaning in mind as is evident from the ensuing conversation. Nicodemus asks how anyone can be born again after having grown old. "Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?" John is fond of having Jesus say something, only to be misunderstood by the hearers, which then provides an opportunity for Jesus (or John) to explain the true meaning of what was said. Nicodemus grossly misunderstands what Jesus has said. Yet what Nicodemus says is utterly true on another level. One cannot start all over again. In a crassly literal sense, it is unthinkable to reenter the mother’s womb and be born again. But even when understood metaphorically, a new beginning is not too likely in human terms. Can there be newness of life? Can hereditary characteristics be changed? Can old habits be broken? As long as one thinks in human terms as Nicodemus does, the possibilities are slim. But Jesus offers another possibility: one can be born from above, or as v. 5 states it, one can be born of "water and Spirit."

“Nicodemus asks if it is possible to enter a second time into the mother’s womb. The reply of Jesus contains the same word "enter" that Nicodemus used, except that Jesus talks about entering the kingdom of God. It is not a matter of entering the mother’s womb but a matter of entering the kingdom of God, which is even less possible apart from the activity of the Spirit.”

Process and Faith Lectionary Commentary, Lent 2A, Rick Marshall,  "...bringing process-relational thought to people of faith."

“The Gospel of John takes us back to the image of birthing to understand how the power of God works. There Jesus says “Unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (3:3) And Nicodemus wants to literalize Jesus’ statement. But Jesus comes back with talk of the “wind blowing where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” This is not a biology problem.  Understanding egg and sperm and cell division does not explain how new life comes.

We get a foretaste of what God’s creating, transforming power does in life. It, well, it transforms. The Divine call then is to trust the creative, transforming power of God in our lives, the call that urges, entices us into an unknown future, a future that is filled with new possibilities.”

"How Can This Be?" Nedi Rivera, Proclaiming Gospel Justice: Reflections on the Scriptures and Progressive Spirituality, The Witness, 2005.

“There is nothing in our culture (nor was there in that of Nicodemus) driven by money, success, strength, power and knowledge that can help us understand this kind of love. . . We seem to prefer love that is doled out to the deserving and those whom we deem worthy, but Jesus is clear, it is for the whole world, and it isn't for judgment but for life and salvation.”

"Born of the Wind," the Rev. Dr. Laura Mendenhall, Day 1, 2000.

Turning away from Nicodemus' "How to" questions, Jesus told Nicodemus a story of a birth. Jesus told Nicodemus that to be born of the wind would mean allowing the Spirit to propel him along the way without any sense of his old securities. To be born of the wind would mean trusting God's love for him and for all people. Jesus never made the law easy, never lowered the passing grade, never invited permissiveness. However, all of those concerns regarding morality were not part of the birth story. Nicodemus asked how to be born anew, assuming he needed to do something in order to cause this to happen, and Jesus answered, "This is not about what you do. You do not give birth to yourself. You cannot give birth to yourself. God is the one who breathes life into you and gives you birth from above. At your birth, blood is shed but it is not your blood. The blood at your birth belongs to the one who gives birth to you, belongs to the God through whom you are born into life eternal. Nicodemus asked Jesus "How to" questions and Jesus told him about the God who gives birth to us. Jesus knew this would seem very shaky to Nicodemus except that as he trusted in the Spirit, Nicodemus would find himself living a life eternally in God's presence.

Exegetical Notes by Brian Stoffregen at CrossMarks.

“Being born from above is not something we do. It is something done to us (by God). In a similar way, being born the first time was not something we did. Our physical births were caused by powers far beyond our infantile abilities and understanding. Being born is something that happens to us from powers outside of ourselves.

“My complaint with some of the "born again" emphasis is that it often becomes something we do. They may have specific steps one takes to become born again. They may have a prayer one must pray to be born again. We need to take the text more seriously than they. Both the grammar and the imagery of birth indicate that it is something God (the one "from above") does to or for us. Just as we were passive recipients of our first births -- although it made a profound difference in our lives; so, I believe that we are passive recipients of this "birth from above" -- although it makes a profound difference in our lives.”

What “domestications of the Spirit” are we called to set out away from? In what ways? It seems to me that there is paradox between spirit and law – between familiar and unfamiliar – between self and others, in the passages for this week. I’m thinking about these things this week in relationship to my every day life away from religious language and religious domestications of “righteousness.” What does it mean to be born “of the wind?” In what ways do we live in relationship with others within these sorts of paradoxes and our refusal to domesticate God, while living in relationship with God? What does it mean to live our lives in relationship to the Kingdom of God from within all of our other options?

Moral Man and Immoral Society

At American Public Media, Speaking of Faith, "Moral Man and Immoral Society: The Public Theology of Reinhold Niebuhr."

We explore the ideas and present-day relevance of 20th century theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, an influential, boundary-crossing voice in American public life. Niebuhr created the term "Christian realism:" a middle path between religious idealism and arrogance. Exploring his wide appeal, host Krista Tippett and three guests describe Niebuhr's legacy and ask what insights he brings to the political and religious dynamics of the early 21st century.

Apologies

We have the flu at our house this week, so thinking about blogging for this week's texts is overwhelming. Hope to be back to it next week! Jenee

Religion, Fantasy, and Entertainment

At American Public Media's Speaking of Faith, "A Return to the Mystery: Religion, Fantasy and Entertainment."

"During the past decade, there has been an explosion of films and television programs containing religious and spiritual themes. Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ was only the tip of the iceberg. As new generations of Americans work out their spiritual and religious questions, they are increasingly turning to fantasy.

"We'll explore the deeper appeal of films like Harry Potter and The Matrix, and we'll ask how fantasy in media reflects a changing spiritual imagination, especially in younger Americans. "