The Mission – Confronting Sin With An Aim To Elevate (Jn. 4:16-18)
The stage is set for further revelation of
Christ’s identity and mission. Keep in mind the betrothal theme, the reader
will notice a shift in the story. With the awareness of “Jesus’ identity
as the covenantal husband of Israel and the biblical typology
of the well as the meeting place for a betrothal, we can understand the
statement by Jesus, “Go call your husband?” (4:16) as the primary purpose of
this encounter.”[1] Jesus’
aim here “is not so much to discuss ethics or the woman’s lifestyle as it is to
show his revelatory knowledge, so that the woman would begin to recognize his
identity.”[2]
The strategy here is “by asking her to invite her husband, Christ leads the Samaritan woman to confront herself, and makes her begin to understand her inner world,” and in so doing, he “assists the woman to realize her form of existential failure, to know her fall, in order to move towards recovery.”[3] This is fully in line with the Johannine author’s intent to show the mercy of God revealed in Messiah. Jesus, not perturbed by her sin, moves her along slowly down the path of repentance that leads to godliness without explicitly judging her (Jn. 12:47).
Notice as well, that Jesus issues her a challenge to her to
participate in his world. Bailey notes that he gives her three commands – “Go,
call, bring” (4:16); these commands require that she, a woman, become a witness
to a man. As he creates a spring in her, Jesus challenges her to allow its
waters to flow to those around her.[4] This
sets the stage for her post-conversion work as an evangelist (4:28-9).
Christ’s aim is two-fold: progressive
self-revelation, plus a greater self-awareness. Indeed the woman becomes more
self-aware, leading to her hiding behind an excuse – “I have no husband”
(4:17). A touch of the living water now exposes her (sin) – “”You have correctly
said, “I have no husband; for you have had five husbands; and the one whom you
now have is not your husband” (4:17-18). No doubt she is embarrassed ashamed
and exposed; leading her to deflect – she changes the conversation to matters
pertaining to religion. Rather than condemn her, the Good Shepherd affirms her
truthful admission and indulges her deflection as he is fully aware that this
woman represents the people he came to save (not to condemn; cf. Jn. 10:3,
7,9,11).
No comments:
Post a Comment