The Skeptics Annotated Bible (843 page)

4
When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,

2 (Though
Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples
,)

(4.2) “Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples.”
438 Did Jesus baptize anyone?

3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.

4 And he must needs go through Samaria.

5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.

(4.7-18) Jesus magically perceived that a Samaritan woman had been married and divorced five times previously. (He could spot a divorced woman a mile away.) Since women weren’t allowed to get a divorce, it was always the woman’s fault and divorced women were considered outcasts. This was a great opportunity for Jesus to explain why the Mosaic marriage laws were unjust and correct them —if he thought they were wrong, that is, which apparently he didn’t.

7
There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water
: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

(4.7)
“There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water.”

8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)

9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

16
Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.

(4.16)
“Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.”

17
The woman
answered and
said, I have no husband. Jesus said
unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:

18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

(4.17-18)
“The woman … said, I have no husband. Jesus said … thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband.”

19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.

20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

24
God is a Spirit
: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

(4.24) “God is a spirit.”
17 Does God have a body?

25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.

26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?

28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,

29
Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did
: is not this the Christ?

(4.29)
“Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did.”
Jesus didn’t tell the Samaritan woman everything that had ever happened to her. He just used the same trick that successful palm readers, astrologers, and fortune tellers use to make gullible people say to themselves, “How could he have known
that
about me?”

30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.

31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.

32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.

33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?

34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.

38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

39 And
many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him
for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.

(4.39)
“Many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him.”
432 Did the Samaritans receive Jesus?

40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.

41 And many more believed because of his own word;

42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, 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.

44 For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.

45 Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast.

(4.46-51) Jesus heals a nobleman’s son.