The Holy Spirit, The Samaritan Woman, And Doctrinal Development

Last updated on: May 15, 2022 at 2:47 am by Henry Karlson

The Holy Spirit, The Samaritan Woman, And Doctrinal Development 2022-05-15T02:47:49-05:00 Henry Karlson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Schuppi: St Photina And Christ / Wikimedia Commons

God’s grace is for everyone; everyone is called to drink from the spiritual well and have their thirst quenched. Christ wants to share the Holy Spirit, and all the gifts of the Spirit, with everyone; Jesus is the anointed one; we can and should be united with him, and through that unity, become anointed as well. Man, woman, Jew, Gentile, sinner, would-be saint, all can come to Christ and have their spiritual thirst quenched. All are called; we should not try to put barriers between the Holy Spirit and those who are in need of the Spirit’s gifts, because in doing so, we likely will be the ones to be cut off as the Spirit. For, in truth, the Spirit blows where it wills, and it will not be stopped by us.

What we should do is recognize and accept the work of the Spirit where it is found. We should strangle the Spirit, that is, we should not act against the work of God in the world. The Holy Spirit will not be constrained. Peter, as the chief of the apostles, was always learning from God, always finding his beliefs and understandings were being challenged and transcended by what God was doing in and through him. As he learned, Peter developed his understanding, and in doing so, he developed the church’s understanding as to the implications of what Christ has taught it Peter began the long process of doctrinal development, a development which continues to this day, development which should and will bring changes to the church. A great example of this can be found in the way he learned that God was calling the Gentiles, and not just the Jews, to his church:

As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, `John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?” When they heard this they were silenced. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance unto life” (Acts 11:15-18 RSV).

Peter came to understand a truth which had its foundation in Jesus’ ministry. but one which it took him time to understand and accept. The development of Christian doctrine is always like this. Once such development occurs, it becomes clear, though it can and will criticize elements which were once believed, it stands on tradition and is in continuity with it, as its basis is contained in tradition (even if it shows itself changing how tradition is interpreted and understood). Indeed, after such development, those elements will often be much more apparent than they were before, especially as, in many occasions, those elements were often as confusing and so were often not as engaged as they should have been until the development occurs. This is likely what happened with Peter and the rest of the apostles when they initially reflected upon Jesus’ encounter with St. Photina, the Samaritan woman near Jacob’s well:

There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, `Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?” Jesus said to her, “Every one who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (Jn. 4:7-14 RSV).

Jesus offered the Samaritan woman the gift of the Holy Spirit, and she was just as confused as everyone else as to why Jesus would talk to her like he did. Through her discussion with him, she came to realize he was the messiah. He showed how much he knew her, and yet, despite knowing all that he knew about her, knowing intimate details which no one else should have known, he still cared for her, indeed, he loved her, and was willing to give her what she thirsted for inside. And she was told that the messianic age would bring a transformation to the world, so that people from all walks of life, from different cultures and backgrounds, man and woman alike, would find themselves united, worshiping God together in spirit and in truth:

Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (Jn. 4:21-24 RSV).

Jesus, while affirming the special place of the Jews in salvation history, provided the foundation by which Peter and the other apostles would be able to understand how and why, in light of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, the Spirit would be offered to all, and not just to the Jews. The special place that the Jews had in salvation history would not be denied, for, as Jesus said, salvation came from the Jews, but the way to understand the significance of the Jews and their covenantal relationship changed. It was not to be diminished, but increased. The gifts given to the Jews were not meant to be theirs alone, but something which would be shared with all those who came together to worship God in spirit and in truth. Peter, therefore, would have what he needed to understand the working of the Spirit in and with the Gentiles through Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman, though of course, at the time, he and the other disciples did not see it that way, indeed, they only wondered what Jesus was doing when they saw him with Photina (cf. Jn. 4:27). This is how it is with doctrinal development; it is founded on a truth which was given and is already there but yet not properly understood until later. And then, when such changes happens, we find a new difficulty arises, for then what we learn must be put into action, something which is not easy as old habits are hard to break.

Stay in touch! Like A Little Bit of Nothing on Facebook.
If you liked what you read, please consider sharing it with your friends and family!

Holy Spirit

Doctrinal Development

Holy Spirit

Samaritan Woman

Previous Post

May 12, 2022

Republicans Attacking The Social Safety Net Promote Anti-Christian Principles

Next Post

May 16, 2022 Nicholas of Cusa And Our Apprehension Of The Transcendent Truth

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Abraham abuse Aesthetics AI Aliens Ambrose Ancestors and Everything Andrew Angels Animals Anne Anthony Antisemitism apologetics Apophatic Apostle John Aquinas Artificial Intelligence Asanga Ascension Asceticism Assumption Atheism Attachment Augustine Authority Avarice Balthasar Baptism Beauty Biden birthright citizenship Bishops Black History Books Buddhism Bulgakov Byzantine Calendar C.S. Lewis Calcidius Catholic Catholicism Catholicism Celibacy Charity Chastity children Chrismation Christ Christmas Christology Church Climate Change Common Good Communion Confession Confirmation Conscience Constantine conventions conversion councils Covid Creation Cross Dead Death Death Penalty Debate Deception Demagogues Demons Desert Monks Desert Mothers Desire destruction development Dialogue Dignity Dionsyius Dionysius Discipline Diversity Division Doctor Who doctrine dogma Dormition Dualism Easter Easter Series Ecumenical Councils Ecumenism Education Election Empathy Environment Error Eschatology eschaton Eternity Ethics Eucharist Evangelism Eve Evil evolution Faeries Faith Fear femininity Ficino Florence Florensky Folktale Fools Forgiveness Freedom Future gender Gentile Gentiles Glory Gnostic God gods Good Samaritan Goodness Gospel Government Grace Great Fast Guns Hate healing Health Heaven Hell Hellenism Heresy Hierarchy Hildegard Hinduism History Holiness Holy Spirit Holy Week Hope Horror Human rights humanity Humility hypocrisy ICE icon icons Identification Identity Idol II Nicea Immigration incarnation Individualism Informal Reflections Inklings Intention Inter-Religious Interfaith Internet Interpretation Intrinsic evil Irenaeus Islam Israel Jacob Jerome Jesus Jews John Chrysostom John of Damascus John the Baptist Joseph Judaism justice Justification kenosis Kindnesss Kingdom of God Kingdom of Heaven Law Law of Moses Lazarus Leaf by Niggle Lent Lenten Reflection Liberation Theology Lies Life Listen Literature Liturgy locutions Logic Logos Love Marriage Martyrs Mary Mass Maximos The Confessor Meanness Meditation Mercy Middle Path Migrants Mind Miracles Miriam Morals Moses Movies Music Muslims Myths Names Nationalism Native Americans New Year Nicea Nicholas Nothing Novatian Obedience Occam's Razor Ordination Origen Original Sin Orthodox orthopraxis Pagans Palamas Palm Sunday Paradise Paschaltide Paul Peace Pentecost person Peter piety PKD Plato pluralism Plurality Poem Poetry Poiltics Politics Poor Pope Pope Francis Pope Leo XIV Post Office Prayer Pride Pro-life Prodigal Son propaganda Prophecy Prophets Providence Putin Racism Reading Reason Reflection Refugees Relationships Religion Religion Series Religious Liberty Repent Republicans Rest Resurrection Rich Rites Russia Sacraments Saints Salvation Salvian Santa Science Scripture Self-Giving Sexuality Sibyl Sick Silence Sin Singlehood Social Justice Society Sodom Solovyov Speculations Spiritual Reflection St. Cyril of Alexandria St. Justin Martyr Suffering Sunday of the Paralytic Man Sunday of the Samaritan Woman Superhero Supreme Court Teaching Technology Thanksgiving The Father the Universe Theological Reflection Theology Theosis Theotokos Thomas Timaeus Time Tolerenace Tolkien Tradition Transfiguration Trinity Trump Truth Uncategorized Unity Universities USCCB Value Vatican II Vegetarian Vices Violence Virtue Vocations War Water Welcome Wisdom Womanhood Women Work World View Worship Writing Zacchaeus

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz