Matthew Poole and continuators on John 4:26

26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he .

That same Messiah, of whom thou declarest thy self to have some expectation, and from whom thou expectest to hear all things necessary to Salvation. Some here enquire, why our Saviour maketh to this Woman such a plain Discovery of himself, when as we find him in the Gospel so cautious, and so often charging his Disciples not to make him known. Some think our Saviour thus gratified the Honesty and Simplicity which he discerned in this Woman, not coming to catch him, but to be Instructed from him; but possibly if we wistly consider those Texts wherein he charged his Disciples not to make him known, we shall find that the thing which he cautioned them against, was their publishing of him as the Son of God, which our Saviour desired should be concealed, till he should be so declared with power by his Resurrection from the Dead, Rom. 1.4. that his Enemies by a charge of Blasphemy against him, might not cut him off before his hour was come. Now, we shall observe that the Iews, tho' they expected a Messiah, yet had no such Notion of him.

Marginal references: Chap. 9.3[illegible: 1 letter].