John 4:11-12. 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? Art Thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
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It is the property of natural men to take up spiritual things in a carnal way, and they are not able to discern grace till they have it; for so doth this woman understand Christ as if He were speaking of natural water. “Sir, (she says, in civil courtesy) whence hast Thou that . . . water?”
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We are also naturally enemies to our own good and prone to dispute against our own happiness, and we deceive ourselves – so far are we from preparations in ourselves to conversion – for she reasons against this living water, as in her judgement impossible to be had or given.
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We are also naturally so addicted to our own carnal ideas that we will believe nothing revealed by Christ further than we can see a reason or outward appearance for it; for she judged it impossible He could have living water, seeing He could not draw it out of that well, nor could He show a better well.
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A chief deceiving principle, making men enemies unto, and careless of, truth and grace, is their pretence of antiquity and succession unto it, and their descent from religious ancestors; for she boasted Jacob was their father, who gave the well, and thus she slighted the offer of better water, as being well enough in her own conceit.
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None are so ready to boast of antiquity, and of interest in pious ancestors, as they who have least cause so to do; for she says, “Our father Jacob gave us the well, and drank thereof himself . . .”. And yet they were but heathens, who had come in the place of Jacob’s children, who had forfeited their right. However, they were far from Jacob’s spirit, who would satisfy their soul with what only supplied his bodily necessity and served his cattle as well as him.
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It is a notable injury done unto Christ to plead any antiquity or succession to it, in prejudice of Him or His truth, or to cry up any above Him; for it was her fault to cry up Jacob, and her interest in him, that she might slight Christ and His offer: “Art thou greater than our father Jacob . . . ?”
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Sobriety and a simple way of living may be found among pagans, yet they are a notable ornament to grace in the godly. Jacob’s practice teaches us as much, for he contented himself to drink of this well, with “his children and his cattle”.
1These are the “Doctrines”, or lessons, as edited, that Hutcheson (1626-74) draws from these verses, in his Exposition of the Gospel of John.