We have arrived at the third Sunday of Lent with beautiful readings that kind of capture everything we've been building up to through the readings of this week's masses, where we are speaking about the Old Testament Israel becoming the new spiritual Israel, the chosen people of God from every nation, from every tongue, from every creed, anyone who has received Jesus, the gift of the Father who so loved the world that he sends his only Son into the world. And by so doing, one has not only received eternal—or the possibility of eternal—life, but affiliation to the Church, God's kingdom on earth, the new chosen people of God.
And no better Gospel captures this than today's story about Jesus who encounters the Samaritan woman at the well. Because this Gospel is actually one of the clearest moments in the entire New Testament where the transition from the Israel of the Old Covenant to the universal spiritual Israel of the New Covenant becomes visible when read in light of the broader biblical theme, especially in the readings often paired during Lent. Throughout this week, the passage becomes even more a living demonstration of how the people of God are expanding beyond ethnic Israel into a new covenant people gathered by faith in Christ.
So here are several key ways this transition appears in this Gospel—from ethnic Israel to universal salvation.
In the Old Covenant, the people of God were defined primarily by descent from the patriarchs, especially Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Notice how the Samaritan woman appeals to this identity: “Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern?” (John 4:12). This reflects the old covenant understanding that belonging to the people of God is tied to ancestry and land. But Jesus subtly shifts the focus away from ancestry and toward the gift of divine life. “Whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst” (John 4:14), he says to the woman. The decisive factor is no longer who your ancestors are, but whether you receive the living water Christ offers. Thus, the new Israel becomes a people defined by grace, not genealogy.
The Old Covenant had one central place of worship, the Temple in Jerusalem, and the Samaritans contested this by worshiping on Mount Gerizim. So the woman asks about the fundamental dispute between Jews and Samaritans: where should we worship? Jesus' answer marks a revolution in salvation history. “The hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem” (John 4:21). This means that the people of God will no longer be defined by location. Instead, as Jesus says, “true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” (John 4:23). The new Israel will therefore be not geographically centered, not limited to one nation, but united by the Spirit and truth revealed in Christ. This is the theological foundation for the universal Church.
The Samaritans occupied a strange position in Jewish thought. They were ethnically related to Israel but religiously considered corrupt or schismatic, and they were often seen as outsiders to the covenant. Yet in this passage something remarkable happens: “Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him” (John 4:39), and eventually they proclaim, “We know that this is truly the Savior of the world” (John 4:42). This title is extremely important. They do not say Savior of Israel or Savior of the Jews; they say Savior of the world.
Many scholars see the Samaritan woman as representing the peoples outside Israel who will be drawn into the covenant. Several symbolic clues point in this direction when Jesus says: “You have had five husbands” (John 4:18). Historically, the region of Samaria had been populated by five foreign nations after the Assyrian conquest, and these nations brought their own gods. Thus the woman may symbolize a people spiritually unfaithful yet still sought by God. Christ's encounter with her shows that God is now reclaiming those outside the covenant.
Jesus then turns to the disciples and says: “Look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest” (John 4:35). This likely refers to the Samaritans approaching Jesus from the town, and the meaning is striking. The disciples expected the mission to be primarily
within Israel, but Jesus reveals something larger. The harvest is already including those beyond Israel.
In the Old Testament, Israel was sustained by water from the rock in the desert during the time of Moses. Water sustained the Old Covenant people physically. Now Christ offers living water which sustains the New Covenant people spiritually. This water becomes “a spring welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14), and it is given to anyone who believes that Jesus has been sent by the Father for our good and for our salvation. Thus the new Israel is formed by those who receive divine life through Christ.
My brothers and sisters, have we totally embraced the gift that is the Son of the Eternal Father in our hearts? Have we drawn close to the cross upon which he has suffered? Have we agonized with him to see that God's kingdom comes and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven? This is our Lenten journey.
May Almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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