John 4:20

Being a woman of the world she had probably learned that many "religious people" enjoy discussing controversial theological issues. She took the opportunity to divert the conversation, which was becoming uncomfortably convicting, hoping that Jesus would follow her new subject. She must have thought that surely he could not resist the temptation to argue Jewish supremacy in the age-old Samaritan Jewish debate. Moreover since Jesus appeared to have supernatural insight perhaps she could get the true answer to this ancient dilemma from Him.

"There are some people who cannot engage in a religious conversation with a person of a different persuasion without bringing up the points on which they differ." [Note: Bruce, p. 108.]

Perhaps this woman was such a person.

Part of the old controversy involved the proper place of worship. In Deuteronomy 12:5 God had said that His people were to seek the place that He would choose among their tribes where He would dwell among them. The Jews, accepting all the Old Testament as authoritative, saw God doing this later when He commanded David to build the temple in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 7:13; 1 Kings 11:13; 1 Kings 14:21; 2 Chronicles 6:6; 2 Chronicles 12:13). The Samaritans, who acknowledged only the authority of the Pentateuch, believed that Mount Gerizim near Shechem was the place that God had appointed. They based this belief on the fact that God had told the Israelites to worship Him on Mt. Gerizim after they entered the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 11:29-30; Deuteronomy 27:2-7; Deuteronomy 27:12). Shechem had long associations as a place where God had met with His people. It was where God first revealed Himself to Abraham and where Abraham first built an altar after entering the Promised Land (Genesis 12:6-7). It was also where Jacob had chosen to live and had buried his idols after returning from Paddan-aram (Genesis 33:18-20; Genesis 35:4). [Note: For more information on Samaritan thought, see R. J. Coggins, Samaritans and Jews: The Origins of Samaritanism Reconsidered; and J. Macdonald, The Theology of the Samaritans.]

"They [the Samaritans] had a tradition that Abraham’s offering of Isaac took place on this mountain and they held that it was here that Abraham met Melchizedek. In fact, most of the blessed events in the time of the patriarchs seem to have been linked with Gerizim!" [Note: Morris, p. 237.]