ness of resting on any formal membership of the Samaritan Church, and the necessity of spiritual and heart-worshiji of God. And now what can she say ? It is all trae, she feels, — she cannot gainsay it. But what can she do? To whom is she to go? Whose teaching can she follow? All she can do is to say that " she knows Messias is one day coming, and that He will make all things clear and plain." It is evident that she wishes for Him. She is uncomfortable and sees no relief for her newly- raised perplexiiles, unless Messias should appear.
The mention of Messias in this verse, makes it clear that the Samaritans were not altogether ignorant of the Old Testament, and that there was an expectation of a Kedeemer of some kind among them, as well as among the Jews. The existence of a general expectation of this sort throughout the East, at the time when our Lord appeared on earth, is a fact to which even heathen writers have testified.
When the woman says, '' He will tell us all things," we must probably not inquire too closely into what she meant. It is very likely that she had only a vague feeling that Messias would remove all doubts and show all things needful to salvation.
Chrysostom remarks on this verse, "The woman was made dizzy by Christ's discourse, and fainted at the sublimity of what He said, and in her trouble saith, I know that Messias cometh."
Wordswortli observes, that the Samaritan woman had a clearer knowledge of Messiah's office than the Jews generally showed. She looked for Him as a Teacher. They looked for Him as a conquering King.
Beza and A. Clark think, that the words, "which is called Christ," in this verse, are St. John's parenthetical explanation of the word Messias. It is certainly rather unlikely that the woman would have used them in addressing a Jew. Yet most commen- tators think that they were her words.
26. — [Jesus saith. ..I...spea7c...am He.] These words are the fullest declaration which our Lord ever made of His own Messiahship, which the Gospel writers have recorded. That such a full declaration should be made to such a person as the Samaritan woman is one of the most wonderful instances of our Lord's grace and condescension related in the New Testament! At last the woman obtained an answer to one of her first questions, "Art thou greater than our father Jacob ? " When the answer came it completely converted her soul.
Rollock remarks on this verse, how ready and willing Christ is to reveal Himself to a sinner's soul. The very moment that this woman expressed any desire for Messiah, He at once revealed H-mself tohe-— "lamHe."