Text: John 4:5-42
(emphasis on verses 27-30)
Date: March 3, 2002
CJM
Step I - (Initial) Acquaintance
A. Comparison of English or other
published translations
·
“come
and see” (NRSV, New Jerusalem) vs. ”come, see” (NIV, KJV, NAS) vs. “come see”
(Message)
·
“Messiah”
(NRSV, Message, NLT) vs. “Christ” (KJV, NIV, NAS, New Jerusalem, ASV)
·
Wording
of the question
·
“Could
this be the Christ?” (NIV)
·
She
sounds as though she thinks it is a possibility
·
“He
cannot be the Messiah, can he?” (NRSV)
·
She
sounds unsure; more of a sense of unbelievability with added phrase, “can he?”
·
“Is
not this the Christ?” (KJV)
·
She
sounds more sure; attempt to convince others
B. Greek/Hebrew Textual Criticism
·
Negative
particle meti
·
Verse
29 question begins with negative particle, which anticipates contradictory
response
·
“Can
he?”
·
“come
and see” important invitational phrase in John’s gospel
·
usually
invites one to experience of Jesus
·
“And
on this came the disciples and marveled at with a woman he spoke; no one said:
What do you seek or Why do you speak with her?
Left the waterpot the woman did and went away to the city and said to
the men: Come and see a man who told me all things which I did; not this is the
Christ, is he?”
Step II -
Disposition
A. Genre - How the text says what
it says
·
4:29
- Invitational genre
·
“come
and see”
·
John
1:39; 1:46
·
What
draws this reluctant woman into conversation with someone of completely
different race, religion, gender?
·
Initially,
the water
·
Where
can I get this water?
·
Later,
prophesy
·
Go
call your husband
·
You
have had five, and the one you are with now is not your husband
·
She
is drawn to prophetic word
·
Prophetic
knowledge – “mystical” insight a hook
·
What
is so attractive about this knowledge?
·
Fascination
with fortune telling, knowing the future
·
Does
she believe?
·
Her
report to the others indicates a portion of doubt
·
Yet
she still reports
·
Can
authentic witness contain an element of doubt?
C.
Organization
- Where the elements of "B" are located
Step
III - Composition
A. Immediate Context -
preceding/following pericope
·
This
text stands in between two sets of shocked observers
·
Disciples
·
Shocked
that Jesus was talking to this woman
·
Woman
herself
·
Shocked
that Jesus is talking to her
·
Precedes
Jesus’ healing of the official’s son
·
Another
who, after an encounter with Jesus, “believed”
B.
Organization
of the Compositional Whole
·
More
of John’s focus on incarnational/Messianic issues
·
“I
am he”
C.
Issues
of Authorship
Step IV - Context
A. Primitive Christianity
·
Other
characters in John’s gospel seem to insist on being certain
·
Nicodemus
last week, crowds, Pharisees
·
Woman
seems to be willing to witness to “possible Messiahship” in absence of
certainty
B.
Old
Testament and Judaism
·
Conventional
Messianic expectations not met
·
Source
of her tentativeness?
·
Legitimacy
of temple as Jewish worship center questioned?
·
2
Samuel 7:5
C.
Hellenistic
World
·
God
as spirit
·
Worshippers
must do so in spirit (v. 24)
·
Compare
Philippians 3:3
Step V - Distillation
A. Summary of Salient Features
·
Inequity
of social, religious, gender differences
·
Jesus
overcomes these differences
·
Power
of Jesus’ prophesy
·
Compelling
to her
·
Why
is it so compelling?
·
Is
it also compelling to us?
·
Power
of knowledge
·
Knowing
(completely) the future
·
“You
have had 5 husbands”
·
Knowing
future events
·
Power
of control
B.
Smooth
Translation
C.
Hermeneutical
Bridge
·
Miss
Cleo
·
“Call
me now” has taken place of “Come and see?”
·
fascination
with mystical, quasi-spiritual knowledge
·
shamans,
etc
·
even
when they’re proved to be fake, people keep calling them
·
what
is so compelling?
·
Power
of control
·
Jesus’
reason for prophesy is not to give people power of control (which compels us)
·
Jesus
prophesies for redemptive purposes
Step VI - Contemporary Address
A. Description of Audience
·
UM
congregation in Lenten season
·
Lift
us fascination with (complete) knowledge of present/future
·
Miss
Cleo syndrome
·
Lift
up alternative to us knowing (and therefore controlling)
·
Jesus
redeeming
·
Lift
up strange-sounding combination of authentic doubt and authentic witness
·
Her
witness works not because of her (and her doubt) but because of Jesus’
authenticity
·
It’s
OK to say come and see, even if you’re not sure