It had now become evening, and all those who had come with Me from Judea and had slept through the entire afternoon because they were very tired awoke one after another, astonished at how quickly evening had come. And they asked Me what should happen now: whether they should look for lodging or whether I would travel on in the cooler hours of the night.
But I said, ‘Even when people sleep, the Lord keeps watch! And the Lord provides for everything, and those who are with Him need care for nothing except to remain with Him. Therefore rise now, so that we may go into this city of the Samaritans! There we shall find good lodging for us all. This woman here, who refused Me water at midday today, has a spacious house, and I think she will not refuse us lodging for two days!?’
Then the woman falls down before Me, sobbing with love and joy, and says, ‘Oh Lord, You my Savior! How, how does a poor sinner like me come to receive this grace?’
I say, ‘You received Me into your heart, which is far more precious than your house; so you will surely also receive Me into your house, which Jacob built for his son Joseph, just as he did this well. But there are many of us. You will therefore have much to do and provide for during two days, but it shall bring you a substantial gain!’
The woman says, ‘Lord, even if there were twice as many of you, you would all be given the best possible lodging with me, as far as my means allow! For my house, admittedly already very dilapidated here and there, has many clean rooms, is also fairly well furnished according to my means, and is inhabited only by me, my physician, and some of his servants. But I tell You, O Lord, the house is Yours. You alone are the rightful owner of my house, for You have the oldest claim to it. Therefore come, O Lord, and enter Your house! For from now on it is entirely Yours and shall remain Yours henceforth, together with everything in it!’
I say, ‘Oh woman! Your faith is great and your heart is lovely; therefore you too shall be and remain My disciple. And wherever this Gospel is proclaimed, mention shall be made of you for eternity.’
This astonished the Samaritans with some irritation, and several came up to Me and said, ‘Lord, we too have houses, and it would have been more fitting for You to lodge with us! For look, this woman’s house has a very bad reputation among us and is more a ruin than a house!’
I say, ‘You have already been with Me for three hours and have clearly recognized Me, and it has already become evening, but not one of you has offered Me and My disciples lodging, although I listened to your request and promised to remain in your city for two days!
‘But I looked into this woman’s heart, and it thirsted mightily for Me to be willing to lodge with it. Thus it was not I who sought lodging in her house; her heart sought it. And since it did not dare speak aloud before you, I met this heart halfway and asked of it what it wished to give Me with such ardent love, full of living longing and willingness!
‘For this most right reason I shall now lodge in this woman’s house for two full days. Blessed is the one who takes no offense at Me because of this.
‘But I tell you: as someone sows, so shall they also reap. Whoever sows sparingly will also reap scantily, but whoever sows abundantly will also reap abundantly. Of all of you, no one has yet offered anything either to Me or to My disciples; but this woman immediately gives Me all her possessions as My own property! Which of you has done this for Me? Is it then unjust for Me to give her her rightful honor before all of you? But I tell you: whoever disputes with this woman over this shall fare badly in this temporal life!’
Here the Samaritans look at one another in astonishment, for the matter is visibly getting up their noses. Nevertheless, they pull themselves together and ask Me to allow them to visit Me the following day.
But I answered them, ‘I do not invite you and impose no obligation on you. But whoever among you wishes to come to Me freely shall find no door closed, but shall have entirely free access to Me. So whoever wishes to come, let them come; but whoever wishes to remain at home, let them remain, for I compel and judge no one!’
The Samaritans then set off and went into the city, but I remained a little longer at the well, and with her pitcher the woman gave a drink to all the thirsty people who were with Me.