1. What stories from the Old Testament does the reference to Jacob’s well evoke?
2. What were the relations between Jews and Samaritans? Do other stories from the Gospels or Acts tell you anything about the subject?
3. How does the ironic disconnect between Jesus and the woman work? How are they each understanding “living water”?
4. What does “worship in spirit and truth” suggest?
5. Does the presence or absence of the disciples of Jesus contribute anything to the story?
1. What is the relationship between Jesus and the Samaritan Woman?
2. Does the character of the woman develop in the course of the story?
3. In the light of the negative comments in the Gospel about “the Jews” as enemies of Jesus, what do you make of the remark that “salvation is from the Jews.”
4. Does the prominence accorded to the Samaritan woman, as woman, reflect a concern of the Gospel generally? What do you think of its treatment of women?
5. What do you make of the “erotic” dimensions of the scene and the “relationship” between Jesus and the woman?