From Sermons on John (1540)
The Jews and Samaritans were hostile to each other. They damned each other. The Samaritans insisted that they were in the right, and the people of Jerusalem did the same thing…
The Samaritans were mistaken because they merely cited the example of the fathers and patriarchs but not the commandment of God. Mount Gerizim had been selected at the time of Israel’s migration from Egypt for the pronouncement of the blessing on the people, as the other mountain had been chosen for the curse (Deut. 11:29). From the time on, this mountain was revered, and people streamed to it… There they slaughtered and sacrificed, ignoring the Temple in Jerusalem. They always glorified this mountain, referring to the fathers, for example, to Joshua and others, who worshipped God and blessed the people there (Josh. 8:33). This led them to believe that this mountain was as sacred as Jerusalem itself…
The quarrel between the Samaritans and the people of Jerusalem revolved about this mountain. The people of Jerusalem fared better in this than the Samaritans. They might have adduced the fact that God founded the church in Jerusalem, that he had spoken but once from Mount Gerizim, and that later on he transferred the divine worship to Jerusalem…
Look how gently the Lord deals with her. He does not break off talking to her, but continues, “Dear daughter, it is true that I want you to give me a drink, for I am physically fatigued. However, I am not merely interested in a drink for my body. I am looking for something else. I am seeking you Samaritans that you may hear me.”…
Our God wishes to impress this on us all, not only on this young woman. Christ wishes to say, “I am not so much concerned that you give me a drink as that I supply you with living water.” It is a disgrace that Christ should go begging on the earth, even among his own followers… Truly, Christ does not stand in need of heaven or earth. He could eat and also satisfy his own with food. He wants to say, “I am begging that you may obtain food and drink…
This is what Christ wishes to do for us. First, we must learn to know the gift and the teacher. Then we should be ready not only to give all, but also to say, “O dear Lord, give me some of the eternal water too! Without it I must die of eternal thirst and hunger!” Christ says, “I am asking you to give me bread for the sake of God because I want to give you the everlasting bread.”
Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a German priest and theologian, a seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation. His teaching about justification by faith, revealed in his study of the Pauline Epistles, became the core of Protestant teaching about salvation, and inspired a wide-reaching series of reform in Christian ministry, worship, and spiritual practice. His Sermons on John were preached to the congregation at Wittenberg during his mature ministry. Martin Luther is commemorated on February 18 on the calendars of several Lutheran and Anglican Churches. This translation of the text is from Luther’s Works, Vol. 22, edited by Jaroslav Pelikan, (St. Louis:Concordia, 1957).
