Commentary by John Calvin
John 4:39-45
39. And many Samaritans out of that city believed in him on account of
the saying of the woman, who testified, I told you all things that ever
I did. 40. When the Samaritans, therefore, came to him, they entreated
him to remain with them; and he remained two days. 41. And many more
believed on account of his word; 42. And said to the woman, We no
longer believe on account of thy speech; for we ourselves have heard,
and know, that this is actually the Christ, the Savior of the world.
43. And after two days he departed, and went away into Galilee. 44. For
Jesus himself testified, [85] that a Prophet hath no honor in his own
country. 45. And when he came into Galilee, the Galileans received him,
who had seen [86] all that he did in Jerusalem on the feast-day; for
they had also come to the feast-day.
39. And many Samaritans out of that city believed. The Evangelist here
relates what was the success of the woman's announcement to her
citizens, from which it is evident that the expectation and desire of
the promised Messiah had no small vigor among them. Now, the word
believe is here used inaccurately, and means that they were induced by
the woman's statement to acknowledge Christ to be a Prophet. It is, in
some respects, a commencement of faith, when minds are prepared to
receive the doctrine. Such an entrance to faith receives here the
honorable appellation of faith, in order to inform us how highly God
esteems reverence for his word, when he confers so great honor on the
docility of those who have not yet been taught. Now, their faith
manifests itself in this respect, that they are seized with a desire to
profit, and, for that reason, desire that Christ should remain with
them
41. And many more believed. From what followed it is evident that
Christ's compliance with their wish was highly proper; for we see how
much fruit was reaped from the two days which he granted to their
request. By this example we are taught that we ought never to refrain
from working, when we have it in our power to advance the kingdom of
God; and if we are afraid that our readiness in complying may be liable
to unfavorable reports, or may often prove to be useless, let us ask
from Christ the Spirit of counsel to direct us. The word believe is now
used in a different sense; for it means not only that they were
prepared for faith, but that they actually had a proper faith
42. On account of thy speech. Though I have followed Erasmus in
rendering this word by oratio, (speech,) because loquela, which the
ancient interpreter uses, is a barbarous term; yet I wish to warn my
readers that the Greek word lalia has the same meaning with the Latin
word loquentia, that is, talk, or talkativeness; and the Samaritans
appear to boast that they have now a stronger foundation than a woman's
tongue, which is, for the most part, light and trivial.
We believe. This expresses more fully the nature of their faith, that
it has been drawn from the word of God itself, so that they can boast
of having the Son of God as their Teacher; as, indeed, it is on his
authority alone that we can safely rely. True, indeed, he is not now
visibly present, so as to speak to us mouth to mouth; but, by
whomsoever we happen to hear him, our faith cannot rest on any other
than on himself. And from no other source proceeds that knowledge which
is likewise mentioned; for the speech which comes from the mouth of a
mortal man may indeed fill and satisfy the ears, but will never confirm
the soul in calm confidence of salvation, so that he who has heard may
be entitled to boast that he knows In faith, therefore, the first thing
necessary is, to know that it is Christ who speaks by his ministers;
and the next is, to give him the honor which is due; that is, not to
doubt that he is true and faithful, so that, relying on so undoubted a
guarantee, we may rely safely on his doctrine.
Again, when they affirm that Jesus is the Christ and the Savior of the
world, they undoubtedly have learned this from hearing him. Hence we
infer that, within two days, the sum of the Gospel was more plainly
taught by Christ than he had hitherto taught it in Jerusalem. And
Christ testified that the salvation, which he had brought, was common
to the whole world, that they might understand more fully that it
belonged to them also; for he did not call them on the ground of their
being lawful heirs, as the Jews were, [87] but taught that he had come
to admit strangers into the family of God, and to bring peace to those
who were far off, (Ephesians 2:17.)
44. For Jesus himself testified. The apparent contradiction which
strikes us here at first sight, has given rise to various
interpretations. There is an excess of subtlety in the explanation
given by Augustine, that Christ was without honor among his own
countrymen, because he had done more good among the Samaritans in two
days only than he had done, in a long time, among the Galileans; and
because, without miracles, he gained more disciples in Samaria than a
great number of miracles had gained him in Galilee. Nor am I satisfied
with the view of Chrysostom, who understands Christ's country to be
Capernaum, because he dwelt there more frequently than in any other
place. I rather agree with Cyril, who says that he left the city of
Nazareth, and departed into a different part of Galilee; for the other
three Evangelists mention Nazareth, when they relate this testimony of
Christ. The meaning might indeed be that, while the time of full
manifestation was not yet come, he chose to remain concealed in his
native country, as in a more obscure retreat. Some, too, explain it to
mean, that he remained two days in Samaria, because there was no reason
why he should hasten to go to a place where contempt awaited him.
Others think that he went straight to Nazareth, and immediately left
it; but, as John relates nothing of this sort, I do not venture to
yield to that conjecture. A more correct view of it is, that when he
saw himself despised in his native city Nazareth, he rather withdrew to
another place. And, therefore, it immediately follows (verse 46) that
he came into the town of Cana. What is next added -- that the Galileans
received him -- was a token of reverence, not of contempt.
A Prophet hath no honour in his own country. I have no doubt that this
saying was common, and had passed into a proverb; [88] and we know that
proverbs are intended to be a graceful expression of what commonly and
most frequently (epi to poli) happens. In such cases, therefore, it is
not necessary that we should rigidly demand uniform accuracy, as if
what is stated in a proverb were always true. It is certain that
prophets are usually more admired elsewhere than in their own country.
Sometimes, too, it may happen, and in reality does happen, that a
prophet is not less honored by his countrymen than by strangers; but
the proverb states what is common and ordinary, that prophets receive
honor more readily in any other place than among their own countrymen.
Now this proverb, and the meaning of it, may have a twofold origin; for
it is a universal fault, that those whom we have heard crying in the
cradle, and whom we have seen acting foolishly in their boyhood, are
despised by us throughout their whole life, as if they had made no
progress, since they were boys. To this is added another evil -- envy,
which prevails more among acquaintances. But I think it probable that
the proverb arose from this circumstance, that Prophets were so
ill-treated by their own nation; for good and holy men, when they
perceived that there was in Judea so great ingratitude towards God, so
great contempt of his word, so great obstinacy, might justly utter this
complaint, that nowhere are the Prophets of God less honored than in
their own country. If the former meaning be preferred, the name Prophet
must be understood generally to denote any teacher, as Paul calls
Epimenides a prophet of the Cretians, (Titus 1:12.)
45. The Galileans received him. Whether or not this honor was of long
duration we have not the means of determining; for there is nothing to
which men are more prone than forgetfulness of the gifts of God. Nor
does John relate this with any other design than to inform us that
Christ performed miracles in presence of many witnesses, so that the
report of them was spread far and wide. Again, this points out one
advantage of miracles, that they prepare the way for doctrine; for they
cause reverence to be paid to Christ.
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Footnotes
[85] "Ou, Jesus avoit rendu tesmoignage;" -- "or, Jesus had testified."
[86] "Apres qu'ils eussent veu;" -- "after that they had seen."
[87] "Ainsi qu'estoyent les, Juifs."
[88] "Commune, et qui etoit passee en proverbe." |