Verse 25. I know that Messias cometh] Instead of oda, I know, several excellent MSS. and Versions read adaμm, we know; as if she had said, that all the Samaritans expected the advent of the Messiah. Though they did not receive the prophetic writings, yet the tradition of the advent of the Messiah, which was common among the Jews, and founded on promises contained even in the books of Moses, was generally received among the Samaritans also. Which is called Christ] This appears to be the Evangelist's explanation of the Hebrew word, according to his custom; chap. i. 38, 41, 42. ix. 7, &c. for we cannot suppose that the woman understood Greek, so as to translate the Hebrew word to our Lord; or that she should suppose, that a person who was a Jew, ver. 9. and a prophet, ver. 19. could stand in need of this interpretation. He will tell us all things.] Relative to the nature of God, the nature of his worship, and the proper place to adore him in. In a word, he will settle the great national question between Gerizim and Ebal; and we shall then know certainly, where we ought to worship. world knows nothing. They might wonder how a Samaritan in whom they could expect no spirituality, could listen to the conversation of their Master, who never spake but about heavenly things. Yet no man said, &c.] They were awed by his majesty, and knew that he must have sufficient reasons to induce him to act a part to which he was not at all accustomed. A great man has said, "Converse sparingly, if at all, with women; and never alone." Every minister of the gospel will do well to attend to this advice. Verse 28. Left her waterpot] She was so penetrated with the great truths which Jesus had announced, that she forgot her errand to the well; and returned to the city, without the water for which she came out! Verse 29. All things that ever I did] The Jews believed that one essential characteristic of the Messiah would be, that he should be able to tell the secrets of all hearts. This they believed, was predicted Isa. xi. 2, 3. When the famous impostor Barchochab, who rose up under the empire of Adrian, about a hundred years after the incar nation, professed himself to be the Messiah; after having been deceived by him for two years, they at last thought of putting his divinity to proof on this ground: they brought Verse 26. Jesus saith unto her, I—am he.] Our Lord never spoke in such direct terms concerning himself to his own countrymen; nor even to his own disciples, till a little before his death. The reason given by Bishop Pearce is the follow-before him persons whom he did not know, some of whom ing: The woman being alone when Jesus said it, and being a Samaritan, he had no reason to apprehend, that the Samaritans, if they knew his claim, would disturb his ministry before the time of his suffering came; which seems to have been the reason, why he concealed it so long from his own countrymen. Verse 27. Came his disciples] From the town, whither they went to buy food, ver. 8. were very vicious, and others of a different character; they desired him to point out who were the righteous, and who were the wicked? which, when he could not do, they rose up and put him to death. La Bible de Martin. Verse 30. They went out of the city] Such effect had the simple testimony of the woman on their minds. And came unto him.] Or, Were coming to him; for they did not reach him immediately; all that discourse between him and his disciples, mentioned ver. 31. to 39. inclusive, having taken place before the people of Sychar got to the well. See ver, 40. Marvelled that he talked with the woman] Because it was contrary to the custom of the Eastern countries; and there are many canons, among the Rabbins, against it. To the present time, if a man meet even his own wife in the street, he Verse 31. Master, eat.] They knew that he was greatly does not speak to her; and this is done to keep up the ap-spent both with hunger and fatigue. pearance of a chastity and temperance, of which the Eastern Verse 32. I have meat to eat that ye know not of.] Our matters. blessed Lord seizes every opportunity to raise the minds of his apostles to heavenly things, through the medium of earthly Nor does he force these things into such service. Properly understood, earthly substances are the types, representatives, and shadows of heavenly things. Verse 33. Hath any man brought him ought to eat?] Has he got food in any preternatural way? They could not help remembering the miraculous interventions of divine providence in feeding Elijah by the ravens, at the brook Cherith, I Kings xvii. 4-6. and by the ministry of an angel, chap. xix. 5-8. and our Lord's preternatural repast in the wilderness, after his victory over Satan, Matt. iv. 11. Verse 34. My meat is to do the will of him that sent me] In these words, our blessed Lord teaches a lesson of zeal and earnestness to his apostles, and to all their successors in the Christian ministry. Let the salvation of souls lie nearer your heart, than life itself. Let eating and drinking, labour and rest, reading, thinking, study, prayer, and all things, be directed to the accomplishment of this great work. Ministers of Jesus! imitate your Lord! Souls are perishing for lack of knowledge-God has given you the key of the kingdom, the knowledge of his word-O open unto them the gate of life! They are dropping by thousands into hell! O pluck the brands out of the burning! Verse 35. There are yet four months, and then cometh harzest ?] In Palestine, the harvest did not begin till after the pass-over, which was fixed on the 14th of the month Nisan, which answers to our March, and sometimes extends into April. The barley harvest was the first; after that the wheat; and both were finished by Pentecost. For, in the feast of Pentecost, the first fruits of all the harvest were carried to the temple, and waved before the Lord. See Lev. xxiii. 11. The four months, of which our Lord speaks here, must be computed, according to M. Toynard, from Sebat, which was the eleventh month of the sacred year, and which commenced that year on the 13th of January: from that, till the beginning of the wheat harvest, which began about a month after the pass-over, there were exactly four months. The passover was that year on the 15th of Nisan, or March 28; and Pentecost took place on the 17th of May. We may therefore suppose, that it was about the 13th of January, or beginning of the month Sebat, that John the Baptist was cast into prison, and that Christ retired into Galilee. The fixing of this epoch is of considerable importance. See Calmet's Com. on this place. Half The following method of dividing the seasons among the Jews, is thus stated in Bara Metsia, fol. 106. "Half Tisri, all Marheshvan, and half Cisleu, is zerâ, SEED-TIME. Cislen, whole Tebeth, and half Shebat, is choreph, wis TER. Half Shebat, whole Adar, and half Nisan, is p kor, the WINTER SOLSTICE. Half Nisan, all Ijar, and half Sivan, is p katsir, HARVEST. Half Sivan, all Tammuz, and half Ab, is pp kyits, SUMMER. Half Ab, all Elul, and half Tisri, is chum, the great HEAT." The Jews sowed wheat and spelt in Tisri and Marheshvan; and barley in Shebat and Adar. Now let us reckon Tergunvor, the four months, backwards, from the beginning of the barley harvest, or the middle of the month Nisan, and we shall go back to the middle of the month Cisleu, which will fall in with the beginning of our December, whence it will be easy to conjecture, what feast that was, mentioned chap. v. I. viz. the pass-over. Ste Lightfoot; and see the note on chap. v. 1. After all that learned men have said on this passage, it does not appear that our Lord meant any thing by it, more than an illustration of his present subject. Though there were ordinarily four months from seed time to harvest, and that a man, after he had sowed his seed, must wait patiently till the regular and natural harvest came; yet it was not the case now-the seed of life which he had sown but a few hours ago, had already brought forth much fruit; therefore he says, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, over which it is likely the Samaritans were then coming in troops, guided by the woman who had already received the light of the gospel of peace. The fields-are white already to harvest.] Multitudes of Samaritans are coming to believe on me, and to be saved unto eternal life. Probably they had a kind of white raiment. Verse 36. And he that reapeth receiveth wages] Or, And already the reaper receiveth wages. By making the word ", already, the beginning of this verse, on the authority of some excellent MSS. and Versions, a more consistent gense is obtained, than from the common arrangement, where ndŋ termiuates the preceding verse. Already the heavenly sower, Jesus Christ, becomes the reaper of the produce of the seed which he had so lately sown; and receives the wages which he desired, the high gra An. Olymp. both he that soweth, and he that reapCCI. S. eth, may rejoice together. Christ, on the woman's testimony. entered into their labours. 39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the 37 And herein is that saying true, One sow- saying of the woman, which testified, He told eth, and another reapeth. 38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and a Ch. 15. 16. Amos 9. 13. Heb. 9. 40. me all that ever I did. 40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry Ver. 29. tification of saving immortal souls; and gathers in his fruit unto eternal life. So the sower and the reaper, who are here one and the same person, rejoiced together, having seen the seed time and the harvest take place on the same day. The sower had not time to leave the field which he had sown, till it was full time to gather in the harvest ! Verse 37. Herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.] Or, One is the sower, and another is the reaper. In what respects you of this business, this proverb is true-One is the sower, &c. for I have sent you to reap, to preach my gospel, and gain converts, where ye have not laboured-have not sown the first seeds of eternal life. Others have laboured -the patriarchs and prophets, and ye are entered into the fruits of their labours. They announced the Messiah who was to come, and the expectation of the people was excited, and they longed for his appearance: but they were gathered to their fathers before they could see the fruit of their labour. You are come to tell the people, that the kingdom of God is among them, and that God has visited his people. The proverb which our Lord mentions above, was taken from what ordinarily happens in the course of the divine providence, where one takes a great deal of pains to procure that, of which another reaps the benefit. See instances of this proverb, Lev. xxvi. 16. Ye shall sow your seed in vain,|| for your enemies shall eat it. Micah vi. 15. Thou shalt sow,|| but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but not anoint thee with the oil. See also Hos. vii. 9. The Greeks had the same proverb: Άλλοι μεν σπερουσι, αλλοι δ' αν αμησονται. So had the Latins: Aliis, leporem excitasti. You have beat the bush, and another has found the hare. See the famous verse of Virgil beginning with, Sic vos non vobis, in which the fowls, the sheep, the bees, and the oren, are elegantly brought in as illustrations of the propriety of the proverb. Sic vos non vobis nidificatis aves. So you, ye birds, of wondrous skill possest, So you, ye bees, who ev'ry flow'r explore, T. GREEN. Bishop Pearce gives this text a remarkable turn. The verse he translates thus: I sent you away, that ye might reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour; i. e. I did not send you to the city, (ver. 8.) for this purpose only, that ye might buy meat but I sent you away chiefly with this intent, that there might be a harvest for you to reap, upon your return; though you sowed no seed, and bestowed no labour for that purpose. While you were gone, I sowed spiritual seed in the heart of a Samaritan woman; and she is gone, and is about to return with many of her city, whom she has brought to believe. (ver. 39–42.) These, and the many more which will believe upon hearing my doctrine, (ver. 41.) will all be a harvest arising out of the seed, which I sowed in your absence, and on which therefore ye bestowed no labour. He farther adds, that the Greek Srgiev, stands for rou Deg.Cev, and such expressions are often used to signify, not the end and design, but the event only. Pearce's Comment.. Verse 39. Many of the Samaritans--believed on him for the saying of the woman] This woman was the first apostle of Christ in Samaria! She went and told her fellow citizens, that the Messiah was come; and gave for proof, that he had told her the most secret things she had ever done: see on ver. 29. This word, which is twice repeated, in ver. 29. and here, strongly intimates, that a more particular conversation had taken place between our Lord and the Samaritan woman, than what is here related. Verse 40. He abode there two days.] We are not told that he wrought any miracles among them; this does not appear to have been necessary: they were a simple-hearted teachable people, and they credited him on the evidence of his own eternal truth. Why are not miracles wrought now? Miracles were only for the establishment of the doctrines of Christianity, where they were first preached: we profess to believe these doctrines; therefore, to us, miracles would be useless. Where the doctrine is credited, no miracle is necessary the Samaritans believed, and no miracle was wrouglit among them; for the simple reason, it was not necessary. A nobleman intreats ST. JOHN. Christ to cure his son. A. M. 4031. with them: and he abode there two things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast for they also went unto the A. D. 27. An. Olymp. CCI. 3. days. 41 And many more believed because feast. of his own word; 46 So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, 42 And said unto the woman, Now we be-where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. lieve, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. 43 ¶ Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee. 47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judea into Galilee, he went down unto him, and besought him that he would come down, 44 For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet and heal his son: for he was at the point of hath no honour in his own country. 45 Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galileans received him, having seen all the C death. 48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. a Ch. 17. 8. 1 Jolin 4. 14.- - Matt. 13. 57. Mark 6. 4. Luke 4. 24. ch. 2. 23. & 3. 2. d Deut. 16. 16. ch. 2. 1, 11.-f Or, courtier, or, ruler.- 1 Cor. 1. 22. Verse 42. We have heard him ourselves] On seeing and hearing our Lord, the faith of those who had already believed on the woman's testimony, was abundantly confirmed: and besides those, many others believed who had not heard the woman speak. This is indeed the Christ] The promised Messiah. lace. Others think it was Chuza, mentioned Luke viii. 3. and others think it was Manuen, spoken of Acts xiii. 1. One of these opinions may be true, but all solid proof is wanting. This officer, whoever he was, appears to have had his ordinary abode at Capernaum, and hearing that Christ was at Cana, he came express from Capernaum thither, to entreat him to The Saviour of the world.] Not of the Jews only, but of heal his child. the Samaritans, and of the whole Gentile world. Verse 43. Went into Galilee.] Bishop Pearce thinks that some words have been lost from the end of this verse, which may be supplied thus: Went into Galilee, but not to Nazareth; for Jesus himself had declared, &c. In Matt. xiii. 57. Mark vi. 4. and Luke iv. 24. which are the only texts where Jesus is said to have declared this, he always spake of Nazareth only, and not of Galilee in general, a country where he lived for the most part, and wrought the greatest number of his miracles, and made the most converts. Verse 44. Jesus himself testified] He bore testimony to the general truth of the following proverb. See on Matt. xiii. 57. Verse 45. The Galileans received him] They received him as the promised Messiah, because of the miracles which they had seen him perform at Jerusalem, at the pass-over. See chap. ii. 23. Verse 46. Where he made the water wine.]. See the notes on chap. ii. 1, &c. Cana was on the road from Nazareth to Capernaum, and the sea of Tiberias, A certain nobleman] An officer of the king's court: for this is the meaning of the original word Baixos, which the Vulgate translates regulus, a little king. This officer belonged to Herod Antipas, who was then tetrarch of Galilee. Jerom calls him Palatinus, and says he was officer of the king's pa Verse 48. Except ye see signs and wonders, &c.] Our Lord does not tell this man that he had no faith, but that he had not enough. If he had had none, he would not have come from Capernaum to Cana, to beg him to heal his son. If he had had enough, he would have been contented with recommending his son to our Lord, without entreating him to go to Capernaum to heal him; which intimates that he did not believe our Lord could do it at a distance. But the words are not addressed to the nobleman alone, but to all the Galilean Jews in general; for our Lord uses the plural number, which he never does when addressing an individual. These people differed widely from the people of Sychar: they had neither a love of the truth, nor simplicity of heart; and would not believe any thing from heaven, unless forced on their minds by the most striking miracles. They were favoured with the ministry of John Baptist; but as that was not accompanied with miracles, it was not generally credited. They require the miracles of Christ, in order that they may credit the advent of the Messiah. There are many like these Galileans still in the world: they deny that God can have any influence among men; and as to the operations of the Holy Spirit, they, in the genuine Galilean spirit, boldly assert, that they will not credit any man who professes to be made a partaker of them, unless he work a miracle in proof of his pretensions!. These persons should know, that the grace of working mira He cures him, and the nobleman A. M. 4031. A. D. 27. 49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, he began to amend. And they said An. Olymp. come down ere my child die. CCI. S. 50 Jesus saith unto him, "Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. A.M. 4031. An. Olymp. A. D. 27. CCI. S. 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth and himself believed, and his whole 51 And as he was now going down, his ser-house. vants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. 54 This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judea into 52 Then enquired he of them the hour when Galilee. a Psal. 71. 20. Luke 7. 50. Acts 18. 8. & 16. 15, 3k. cles, was very different from that by which a man is saved; and that the former might exist even in the most astonishing measure, where the latter did not. See 1 Cor. xiii. 2. Verse 49. Sir, come down, &c.] He did not think our Lord could cure him without being present: and seems here to feel himself hurt, because our Lord did not come at his first entreaty. It is difficult for a proud man, or a man in office, to humble himself, or to treat even God Almighty with proper respect. The spirit of this man seems not much unlike to that of Naaman the Syrian, 2 Kings v. 11. Verse 50. Go thy way; thy son liveth.] Had our Lord gone with him as he wished, his unbelief could not have been fully removed; as he would have still thought, that our Lord's power could not reach from Cana to Capernaum: in order to destroy his unbelief at once, and bring him into the fulness of the faith of his supreme power, he cures him, being apparently absent, by that energy, through which he fills both the heavens and the earth. Here it may be observed, our blessed Lord did what this man requested him to do, but not in the way in which he wished it to be done. God will save all to the uttermost who call upon him, but not in the way in which they may desire. Eternal life is the free gift of God, and he has a right to give it as he pleases; and he always gives his gifts in that way, in which his glory is best promoted, and our eternal interest secured. The man believed the word] And yet it appears that he had suspended his faith upon a certain condition: " If I find one o'clock. Dr. Macknight thinks the Roman hour is intended; i. e. seven o'clock in the evening: and this he thinks is the reason why our Lord did not accompany the nobletnan: for as Cana was a day's journey from Capernaum, had our Lord gone at that hour, he must have travelled in the night, from which it might have been inferred, that he could not cure the child without being personally present. Harmony, vol. i. p. 52. Verse 53. So the father knew] He had the fullest proof that his son's cure was supernatural, and that it was wrought by the Lord Jesus. Himself believed, and his whole house.] He and his whole family became true converts to the doctrine of the manifested Messiah. The whole family impressed with the great kindness of God in sending health to the child, were the more easily led to believe in the Lord Jesus. The sickness of the child became the mean of salvation to all the household. They, no doubt, thought at first, that God was dealing hardly with them, when threatening to remove the child; but now they see that in very faithfulness God had afflicted them. Let us learn never to murmur against God, or think that he does not act kindly towards us. His wisdom cannot permit him to err; his goodness will not suffer him to do any thing to his creatures, but what may be subservient to their best interests. By providential occurrences, apparently the most adverse, he may be securing our eternal salvation. There is an account in Beracoth, fol. 34. very similar to this on my return that my son is healed, I will believe that Jesus of the Evangelist; and very possibly stolen from this holy is the Messiah." Verse 52. Then enquired he of them the hour] The servants overjoyed to find their master's son so suddenly restored, set off to meet him, that they might impart to him tidings which they knew would be so very agreeable: and he, intent on having his faith settled, began immediately to enquire what time it was when the fever left him, to see whether his cure was the effect of some natural cause, or whether it was done by the power of Christ. Yesterday at the seventh hour] At the time we would call source. "When the son of Rab. Gamaliel fell sick, he sent two of his disciples to R. Chanina, that he would pray to God for him. When he had seen them, he went on the roof of his house and prayed for him. He then came down and said to them, Ilis fever has departed from him. They said unto him, Art thou a prophet? He answered, I am neither a prophet, nor the son of a prophet; but when I can recite my prayers readily, I know I shall be heard. They then. wrote down the hour, and when they returned to R. Gamaliel, he said to them; Ye have fulfilled your ministry-in |