Bible Society of South Africa

Back at the well – Day 16

Se(di)ngolwa (t)sa Bibele

JOHANNE 4

Jesu le mosadi wa Samaria

1Jesu a tseba hore Bafarisi ba utlwile hore o a hapa, mme o kolobetsa barutuwa ba bangata ho feta Johanne. 2Feela Jesu ka sebele sa hae o ne a sa kolobetse, empa ho kolobetsa barutuwa ba hae. 3Jesu a tloha Judea, a boela a ya Galelea.

4O ne a tshwanetse ho haola ka la Samaria. 5A fihla motseng wa Samaria o bitswang Sikare, haufi le tshimo eo Jakobo a neng a e nee mora wa hae Josefa. 6Sediba sa Jakobo se ne se le hona moo. Kaha Jesu a ne a kgathetse ke leeto, a dula sedibeng; e ne e ka ba hara mpa ya motsheare.

7Mosadi wa Mosamaria a tla ho kga metsi. Jesu a re ho yena: “Ako mphe, ke nwe.” 8Barutuwa ba hae ba ne ba ile motseng ho reka dijo.

9Mosadi wa Mosamaria a re ho yena: “O ka nkopa ho nwa jwang o le Mojuda, nna ke le mosadi wa Mosamaria?” Bajuda ha ba na taba le Basamaria.

10Jesu a mo araba, a re: “Hoja o tsebile mpho ya Modimo, le hore na ke mang ya reng ho wena: ‘Ako mphe, ke nwe,’ wena, o ka be o mo kopile, mme a ka be a o file metsi a kollang.”

11Mosadi a re ho yena: “Monghadi, ha o na sekgello, le sediba se tebile; jwale metsi a kollang o a nka kae? 12Na o moholo ho feta ntata rona Jakobo ya re neileng sediba see, le yena a nwa ho sona, le bara ba hae, le diphoofolo tsa hae?”

13Jesu a mo araba, a re: “E mong le e mong ya nwang metsi ana, o tla nyorwa hape; 14athe mang le mang ya nwang metsi ao ke tla mo fa wona, a ke ke a hlola a nyorwa le ka mohla, empa metsi ao ke tla mo fa wona a tla fetoha ka ho yena sediba sa metsi a kopoletsang bophelong bo sa feleng.”

15Mosadi a re ho yena: “Monghadi, ako mphe metsi ao, hore ke se ke ka hlola ke nyorwa, leha e le ho tla kga mona.”

16Jesu a re ho yena: “Eya, o bitse monna wa hao, le tle kwano.”

17Mosadi a mo araba, a re: “Ha ke na monna.”

Jesu a re ho yena: “O nepile ha o re: ‘Ha ke na monna,’ 18hobane o bile le banna ba bahlano, mme eo o nang le yena hona jwale hase monna wa hao; moo o buile nnete.”

19Mosadi a re ho yena: “Monghadi, ke lemoha hore o moporofeta. 20Bo-ntata rona ba ile ba kgumamela Modimo thabeng ena, empa lona le re Jerusalema ke sona sebaka seo eka kgonang ho khumamellwe ho sona.”

21Jesu a re ho yena: “Mosadi, ntumele hore nako e a tla eo ka yona le sa tlo kgumamella Ntate thabeng ena, leha e le Jerusalema. 22Lona le kgumamela seo le sa se tsebeng; rona re kgumamela seo re se tsebang, hobane pholoho e tswa ho Bajuda. 23Empa nako e a tla, mme e se e fihlile, eo ka yona bakgumamedi ba nnete ba tla kgumamela Ntate ka moya le ka nnete, hobane Ntate o fela a batla ba jwalo ho mo khumamela. 24Modimo ke moya, mme ba mo kgumamelang eka kgona ba mo kgumamele ka moya le ka nnete.”

25Mosadi a re ho yena: “Ke a tseba hore Mesia, ya bitswang Kreste, o a tla; mohla a tlang, o tla re bolella dintho tsohle.”

26Jesu a re ho yena: “Ke nna ya buang le wena.”

27Ka nako eo barutuwa ba hae ba fihla, mme ba makala ha a bua le mosadi, leha empa ho ne ho se ya reng: “O batla eng, kapa o buelang le yena?”

28Yaba mosadi o siya nkgo ya hae, o ya motseng, o re ho batho: 29“Tloong, le bone motho ya mpoleletseng tsohle tseo ke di entseng; na ekaba hase yena Kreste?” 30Ba tswa motseng, ba tla ho yena.

31Barutuwa ba sala ba mo kopa, ba re: “Rabbi, ako je.”

32Empa a re ho bona: “Ke na le sejo seo ke se jang, seo le sa se tsebeng.”

33Barutuwa ba botsana, ba re: “Na ebe e mong o mo tliseditse dijo?”

34Jesu a re ho bona: “Sejo sa ka ke ho etsa thato ya ya nthomileng, le ho phetha mosebetsi wa hae. 35Ha ke re le ye le re: ‘Kgwedi di sa le nne, mme e nto ba kotulo?’ Bonang, ke a le bolella, phahamisang mahlo, le bone hore masimo a sweufaletse kotulo. 36Mokotudi o se a amohela moputso, mme dijo o di bokellela bophelo bo sa feleng, hore mojadi a thabe hammoho le mokotudi. 37Ke moo polelo ena e tla netefala: E mong o a jala, e mong o a kotula. 38Ke le romile ho kotula seo le sa kang la se sebetsa; ba bang ba sebeditse, mme lona le ja mofufutso wa bona.”

39Ba bangata ba Basamaria ba motse oo ba dumela ho yena ka baka la polelo ya mosadi ya ileng a paka, a re: “O mpoleletse tsohle tseo ke di entseng.” 40Ha Basamaria ba fihla ho yena, ba mo kopa hore a hlole le bona; a hlola teng matsatsi a mabedi. 41Ba bangata ho feta ba dumela ka baka la polelo ya hae.

42Ba re ho mosadi: “Ha e sa le ka baka la puo ya hao feela re dumelang; re ikutlwetse ka borona, mme re a tseba hore ruri monna enwa ke Mopholosi wa lefatshe.”

JOHANNE 4:1-42SSO89SOBula ka mmadi wa Bibele

This is the longest conversation Jesus has had with anyone – with a woman at the well in Samaria. It becomes clear, from the text, that there was much dispute between Samaritans and Jews. The woman raises a number of religious and theological issues during her very long conversation with Jesus. One could say that she is the spokesperson for the Samaritan people. In verses 16-19, we hear that the woman has had five husbands but it appears that Jesus is not particularly interested in the details of why she was not married or what happened in her relationships with the husbands she has had.

1. What preconceived ideas did you have about the Samaritan woman?

2. Do you know why there was animosity between Jews and Samaritans?

3. The gossip stories we pick up about someone, especially why a woman is not married or why she is divorced, can paint a blurred, tainted picture of who she really is. Has that ever happened to someone in your context?

4. What are your thoughts about the reciprocity in the story as Jesus asks the woman for water, and that he has water to offer?

5. Water is a central image in John’s Gospel. Water is essential for life and living – the development and growth of new life as well as the birthing process. Jesus asks a drink of water from a woman, a Samaritan woman, a Samaritan woman with no husband.

Jesus always seems to risk being ridiculed and have his reputation tarnished when it comes to women. BUT Jesus continues to interrupt patterns, attitudes and practices that put women at a disadvantage; that exclude them; that dismiss their contributions; that make them invisible; that alienate them from community AND Jesus offers living water to nurture healthy relationships where all can flourish.

Let us go to the Source of our faith, drink from the well and be united in activism for no violence against women. Go, tell …

Psalm 139:13-24

You created every part of me;
you put me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because you are to be feared;
all you do is strange and wonderful.
I know it with all my heart.
When my bones were being formed,
carefully put together in my mother’s womb,
when I was growing there in secret,
you knew that I was there —
you saw me before I was born.
The days allotted to me
had all been recorded in your book,
before any of them ever began.
O God, how difficult I find your thoughts;
how many of them there are!
If I counted them, they would be more than the grains of sand.
When I awake, I am still with you.
O God, how I wish you would kill the wicked!
How I wish violent people would leave me alone!
They say wicked things about you;
they speak evil things against your name.
O God, how I wish you would kill the wicked!
How I wish violent people would leave me alone!
They say wicked things about you;
they speak evil things against your name.
O LORD, how I hate those who hate you!
How I despise those who rebel against you!
I hate them with a total hatred;
I regard them as my enemies.
Examine me, O God, and know my mind;
test me, and discover my thoughts.
Find out if there is any evil in me
and guide me in the everlasting way.
Amen

Bible Society of South Africav.4.26.9
RE FUMANE HO