De locutione cum Samaritana
The Weary Lord Rests at the Well
Christ, wearied from the long journey to Samaria, sits alone at a well to rest while his disciples go into the city for food, and a Samaritan woman approaches to draw water.
When the Lord Jesus was traveling back from Judea to Galilee — a journey of seventeen miles and more, as I've told you many times — and was passing through Samaria, he was worn out from the road.✦ Look, for God's sake, at how exhausted he is here. Clearly, he walked about, was often exhausted, and his whole life was filled with hardship. He therefore sat down beside a certain well and was resting.✦ The disciples, however, went into the city to buy food.✦ A woman then came — a certain woman whose name was Lucia, also called Lufuit Nocia — to that well to draw water.✦ The Lord — [text breaks off]. .
The Humility of Christ in Speaking with the Samaritan Woman
The author draws out the profound humility of Christ, who remained behind alone and spoke as an equal with one lowly woman, in contrast to the proud who would deem such a person unworthy of their words.
But she began to speak with him, and to discuss great matters, and to reveal herself to him. But I don't intend to report the things he discussed with her, or how the disciples returned, or how the city came out to meet him because of the woman's word, or how he went with them, stayed, and departed: the Gospel narrative is clear—read it for yourself, and observe the Lord Jesus in all his actions. But note certain beautiful and useful things in that very narrative. And first, the humility of the Lord Jesus: in that he alone remained behind. For as the disciples went into the city, they confidently made their way to him; in that he was speaking with that lone woman about such great matters. In his dealings with her he was humble, and they spoke together as equals. For he did not disdain her; rather, he spoke with her in such a way that if he had answered many very wise people about such matters, it would have been remarkable. The proud don't act this way: if they poured out their high-flown words among a few people, let alone with just one, they'd consider it wasted, and they wouldn't deem those people worthy of receiving their words.
Christ's Poverty and Humble Sustenance
The author reflects on Christ's poverty and bodily affliction, noting that he customarily ate simple food—bread and spring water—sitting humbly on the ground away from cities, as a lover of poverty.
Second, consider his poverty and the affliction of his body—but humility is mixed in with these as well. For here you have the proof: the disciples went into the city to find food, and once they'd found it they brought it back, and they wanted him to eat. But where had he eaten? Surely at that place by the well, or at some stream or spring.1 See, then, how he was refreshed when he was weary and hungry. Don't think this happened by chance, just this one time—it was according to his custom. So you can gather plainly from this that the humble Lord, a lover of poverty, when he traveled through the world often ate outside the city and away from where people lived—at some stream or spring, no matter how weary or afflicted he might be.2 He didn't have refined food, or fancy vessels, or delicate wines. He had pure water straight from the spring or stream that watered the vineyards and had created the springs, and all that moves through the waters; and he had bread, and like a poor man, sitting on the ground, he ate humbly.3
Spiritual Zeal Over Bodily Need
The author meditates on Christ's spiritual zeal: though hungry, he told his disciples he had food they did not know—to do the will of the Father—and chose to preach rather than eat, calling the reader to imitate his virtues.
Third, consider how intent he was on spiritual zeal. For when the disciples invited him to eat, he said: I have food to eat that you don't know about.✦ My food is to do the will of the one who sent me.✦ He didn't want to eat, but was waiting for those who were coming from the city, so that he might first preach to them, willing rather to work at what belongs to the spirit than to the body, no matter how much he needed food at that moment. So look at him in all this, and strive to imitate his virtues.
Read the original Latin
Cum Dominus Jesusde Judasam GalHceam rediret *, quae via est decem et septem milliarium, et amplius, ut pluries tibi dixi, et transiret per Samariam, fatigatus est ex itinere. Conspice pro Deo eum, hic quo modo fatigatur. Plane incedit, saepe fatigatus est, et tota vita ipsius laboriosa fuit. Posuit ergo se ad sedendum super quemdam puteum, et quiescebat. Discipuli autem iverunt ad civitatem ad quasrendos cibos. Lucia Venit ergo mulier quaedam, quae vocabatur Lufuit no- cia,, pro aqua ad ipsura puteum. Dominus aumen Sa- ^. .
^ '^ marita- tcm cum ipsa mcoepit loqui, et de magnis fac°"- tis tractare, et seipsum eidem manifestare. De quibus autem cum ea loquebatur, et quaUter discipuli redierunt, et qualiter ad verbum mulieris civitas ei obviam venit, et qualiter ipse ivit cum eis, stetit, et discessit, non intendo referre: plana est enim evangelica historia: lege ipsam, et ipsum Dominum Jesum conspice in omnibus actibus. tx ipsa autem historia qucedam pulchra et utilia nota. Et primo humilitachrisii tem Domini Jesu: tum quia solus remaasit hu^"r"' ' "^^^'^ Dominu. s, discipuHs in civitatem euntibus, confidenter enim se habebant ad eum; tum etiam quia cum illa muliercula sola de tam marum mos. gnis factis sic tractabat humihter, ac de pari loquebantur ad invicem. Non enim dedignabatur eam; sed taha cum ea dicebat, quod si multis sapientissimis respondisset dc talibus, magnum fuisset. Non sic superbi faciunt: si enira am- superbopullosa verba sua funderent inter paucos, nedum cum uno, ea perdita reputarent, sed nec illos judicarent dignos suscipere verba sua.
Secundo paupertatem ipsius et corporis afflictionem considera; sed et humilitas est immixla cum eis. Habes enim hic, quod discipuli iverunt ad civitatem ad quaerendum cibos, et quaesitos portaverunt, et volebant quod manducaret. Sed ubi manducasset? certe ibiadputeum, vel ad aliquam rivum, sive fontem. Vide ergo qualiter fatigatus ac famelicus reficiebatur. Non credas quod hac sola vice casu sic factum fuerat, sed secundum consuetudinem suam. Unde aperte hic colligere potes, quod humihs Dominus ac paupertalis amator, cum ibat per mundum, saepe comedebat extra civitatem et hominum habitationes, ad aliquem rivum vel fontem, quantumcumque faligatus, vel afflictus foret. Non habebat etiam exquisita cibaria, non vasa curiosa, non delicata vina; sed habebat aquam puram ex ipso fonte vel rivo, qui vineas foBCundabat, et creaverat fontes, et omnia quee moventur in aquis; et paoem, tanquam pauper, sedens in terra humiliter comedebat.
Tertio considera quomodo intentus erat studio spirituaU. Nam cum discipuli eum, ut comederet, invitarent, dixit: Ego cibum habeo manducare, quem vos nescitis. Meus cibus est, ut faciam voluntatem ejus qui misit me. Nec voluit manducare; sed expectabat illos, qui veniebant de civitate, ut eis primo prsedicaret, prius operari volens ea quae spiritus erant, non corporis, quantumcumque tunc indigeret. Conspice ergo eum in praedictis, et ejus virtutes studeas imitari
Scripture echoes
- ↩John.4.4-John.4.6 — And it was necessary for him to pass through Samaria. John.4.5 — So he came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the piece of land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. John.4.6 — Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus, wearied from the journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
- ↩John.4.6 — Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus, wearied from the journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
- ↩John.4.8 — For his disciples had gone into the city to buy food.
- ↩John.4.7 — A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink."
- ↩John.4.32 — But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about."
- ↩John.4.34 — Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work.
Notes
- 1 ↩The form ibiadputeum is uncertain—possibly a scribal error. The translation assumes it refers to a location near a well (ad + puteum), consistent with the Samaritan well context.
- 2 ↩The forms humihs and faligatus are uncertain scribal variants; translated as 'humble' and 'weary' respectively, consistent with the context and parallel forms in the surrounding passage.
- 3 ↩The forms foBCundabat, quee, and paoem are uncertain scribal variants. FoBCundabat is rendered as 'watered/made fruitful' (cf. fecundabat); quee as 'that which' (cf. quae); paoem as 'bread' (cf. panem).
Meditationes Vitae Christi (Pseudo-Bonaventure), Castilian court context companion
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