John 4

John 4:1

J. The Conversion of a Woman of Samaria (4:1-30) 4:1, 2 The Pharisees had heard that Jesus was baptizing more disciples than John and that John’s popularity was evidently declining. Perhaps they had attempted to use this fact to stir up jealousy and contention between the disciples of John and those of the Lord Jesus. Actually, Jesus Himself did not perform the act of baptism. This was done by His disciples. However, the people were baptized as followers or disciples of the Lord. 4:3 By leaving Judea and journeying to Galilee, Jesus would prevent the Pharisees from being successful in their efforts to cause divisions. But there is something else of significance in this verse. Judea was the headquarters of the Jewish religious establishment, whereas Galilee was known as a heavily Gentile region. The Lord Jesus realized that the Jewish leaders were already rejecting Him and His testimony, and so here He turns to the Gentile people with the message of salvation. 4:4 Samaria was on the direct route from Judea to Galilee. But few Jews ever took this direct route. The region of Samaria was so despised by the Jewish people that they often took a very roundabout route through Perea to get north into Galilee. Thus, when it says that Jesus needed to go through Samaria, the thought is not so much that He was compelled to do so by geographical considerations, but rather by the fact that there was a needy soul in Samaria He could help. 4:5 Traveling into Samaria, the Lord Jesus came to a little village called Sychar. Not far from that village was a plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph (Gen_48:22). As Jesus journeyed over this territory, all the scenes of its past history were constantly before His mind. 4:6 A spring known as Jacob’s well was there. This ancient well can still be seen by visitors, being one of the few Biblical sites which can be identified quite positively today. It was about noon (Jewish time) or 6 p.m. (Roman time) when Jesus reached the well. He was weary as a result of the long walk He had had, and so He sat down by the well. Although Jesus is God the Son, He is also a Man. As God, He could never become weary, but as Man, He did. We find difficulty in understanding these things. But the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ can never be fully understood by any mortal mind. The truth that God could come down into the world and live as a Man among men is a mystery which passes our understanding. 4:7 As the Lord Jesus was sitting by the well, a woman came out from the village to draw water. If, as some scholars say, it was noon, it was a very unusual time for women to go to the well for water; it was the hottest part of the day. But this woman was an immoral sinner, and she may have chosen this time out of a sense of shame because she knew that there would be no other women there to see her. Of course, the Lord Jesus knew all along that she would be at the well at this time. He knew that she was a soul in need, and so He determined to meet her and rescue her from her sinful life. In this passage, we find the master Soul Winner at work, and we do well to study the methods He used to bring this woman to a sense of her need and to offer her the solution to her problem. Our Lord spoke to the woman just seven times. The woman spoke seven times alsosix times to the Lord and once to the men of the city. Perhaps if we spoke to the Lord as much as she did, we might have the success in testimony that she had when she spoke to the men of the city. Jesus opened the conversation by asking a favor. Wearied with His journey, He said to her, Give me a drink.4:8 Verse 8 explains why, from a human standpoint, the Lord should ask her for a drink.

His disciples had gone away into Sychar to buy some food. They ordinarily carried buckets with which to draw water, but they had taken these with them. Thus to all outward appearance, the Lord had no means for getting water from the well. 4:9 The woman recognized Jesus as a Jew and was amazed that He would speak to her, a Samaritan. The Samaritans claimed descent from Jacob, and looked on themselves as true Israelites. Actually, they were of mixed Jewish and heathen descent. Mount Gerizim had been adopted as their official place of worship. This was a mountain in Samaria, clearly visible to the Lord and to this woman as they talked together. The Jews had a deep dislike for the Samaritans. They considered them half-breeds. That is why this woman said to the Lord Jesus, How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman? Little did she realize that she was speaking with her own Creator, and that His love rose above all the petty distinctions of men. 4:10, 11 By asking a favor, the Lord had stirred her interest and curiosity. He now arouses them still further by speaking of Himself as being both God and Man. He was first of all the gift of Godthe One God gave to be the Savior of the world, His only begotten Son. But He was also a Manthe One who, wearied with His journey, asked her for a drink. In other words, if she had realized that the One to whom she was talking was God manifest in the flesh, she would have asked Him for a blessing, and He would have given her living water. The woman could only think of literal water and of the impossibility of His getting it without the necessary equipment. She completely failed to recognize the Lord, or to understand His words. 4:12 Her confusion deepened when she thought of the patriarch Jacob, who had given this well. He had used it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock. Now here was a weary traveler, centuries later, who asked for a drink from Jacob’s well and yet who claimed to be able to give something better than the water which Jacob had given. If He had something better, why should He ask for water from Jacob’s well? 4:13 So the Lord began to explain the difference between the literal water of Jacob’s well and the water which He would give. Whoever drank of this water would thirst again. Surely the Samaritan woman could understand this. She had been coming out day after day to draw from the well; yet the need was never completely met. And so it is with all the wells of this world. Men seek their pleasure and satisfaction in earthly things, but these things are not able to quench the thirst of the heart of man.

As Augustine said in his Confessions, O Lord, You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless till they rest in You.4:14 The water which Jesus gives truly satisfies. Whoever drinks of Christ’s blessings and mercies will never thirst again. Not only do His benefits fill the heart, but they overflow it as well. They are like a bubbling fountain, constantly overflowing, not only in this life but in eternity as well. The expression springing up into everlasting life means that the benefits of the water which Christ gives are not limited to earth, but will go on forever. The contrast is very vivid.

All that earth can provide is not sufficient to fill the human heart. But the blessings which Christ provides not only fill the heart, but they are too great for any heart to contain. The whole wide world is not enough To fill the heart’s three corners, But yet it craveth still; Only the Trinity that made it can Suffice the vast, triangled heart of man. George Herbert The pleasures of this world are for a few short years, but the pleasures which Christ provides go on into everlasting life.4:15 When the woman heard of this marvelous water, she immediately wanted to have it. But she was still thinking of literal water. She did not want to have to come out to the well every day to draw the water and to carry it home on her head in a heavy waterpot. She did not realize that the water of which the Lord Jesus had been speaking was spiritual, that He was referring to all the blessings which come to a human soul through faith in Him. 4:16 There is an abrupt change in the conversation here. She had just asked for the water, and the Lord Jesus told here to go and call her husband. Why? Before this woman could be saved, she must acknowledge herself a sinner. She must come to Christ in true repentance, confessing her guilt and shame. The Lord Jesus knew all about the sinful life she had lived, and He was going to lead her, step by step, to see it for herself. Only those who know themselves to be lost can be saved. All men are lost, but not all are willing to admit it. In seeking to win people for Christ, we must never avoid the sin question. They must be brought face to face with the fact that they are dead in trespasses and sins, need a Savior, cannot save themselves, that Jesus is the Savior they need, and, He will save them if they repent of their sin and trust in Him. 4:17 At first the woman tried to withhold the truth without telling a lie. She said, I have no husband. Perhaps in a strictly legal sense, her statement was true. But it was designed to hide the hideous fact that she was then living in sin with a man who was not her husband: She chats about religion, discusses theology, uses a little irony, pretends to be shockedanything to keep Christ from seeing the fugitive soul in full flight from itself (Daily Notes of the Scripture Union). The Lord Jesus, as God, knew all about this. And so He said to her, You have well said, I have no husband. Although she might be able to fool her fellow men, she was not able to fool this Man. He knew all about her. 4:18 The Lord never used His complete knowledge of all things to needlessly expose or shame a person. But He did use it, as here, in order to deliver a person from the bondage of sin. How startled she must have been when He recited her past history! She had had five husbands, and the man with whom she was now living was not her husband. There is some difference of opinion about this verse. Some teach that the woman’s five previous husbands had either died or deserted her, and that there was nothing sinful in her relationships with them. Whether or not this is so, it is clear from the latter part of this verse that this woman was an adulteress. The one whom you now have is not your husband. This is the important point. The woman was a sinner, and until she was willing to acknowledge this, the Lord could not bless her with living water. 4:19 When her life was thus laid open before her, the woman realized that the One speaking to her was not an ordinary person. However, she did not yet realize that He was God. The highest estimation she could form of Him was that He was a prophet, that is, a spokesman for God. 4:20 It seems now that the woman had become convicted of her sins, and so she tried to change the subject by introducing a question concerning the proper place of worship. Doubtless as she said, Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, she pointed to Mount Gerizim nearby. Then she reminded the Lord (unnecessarily) that Jews claimed Jerusalem as the proper place where one ought to worship. 4:21 Jesus did not avoid her comment but used it to impart further spiritual truth. He told her that the time was coming when neither on Mt. Gerizim nor in Jerusalem would be the place of worship. In the OT, Jerusalem was appointed by God as the city where worship should be offered to Him. The temple in Jerusalem was the dwelling place of God, and devout Jews came to Jerusalem with their sacrifices and offerings. Of course, in the gospel age, this is no longer so. God does not have any certain place on earth where men must go to worship. The Lord explained this more fully in the verses to follow. 4:22 When the Lord said, You worship what you do not know, He condemned the Samaritan mode of worship. This is in marked contrast to those religious teachers today who say that all religions are good and that they all lead to heaven at last. The Lord Jesus informed this woman that the worship of the Samaritans was not authorized by God, neither was it approved by Him. It had been invented by man and carried on without the sanction of the Word of God. This was not so with the worship of the Jews. God had set apart the Jewish people as His chosen earthly people. He had given them complete instructions on the way to worship Him. In saying that salvation is of the Jews, the Lord was teaching that the Jewish people were appointed by God to be His messengers, and it was to them that the Scriptures had been given. Also, it was through the Jewish nation that the Messiah was given. He was born of a Jewish mother. 4:23 Next Jesus informed the woman that, with His coming, God no longer had a certain place on earth for worship. Now those who believe on the Lord Jesus can worship God at any time and in any place. True worship means that a believer enters the presence of God by faith and there praises and worships Him. His body may be in a den, prison, or field, but his spirit can draw near to God in the heavenly sanctuary by faith. Jesus announced to the woman that from now on worship of the Father would be in spirit and truth. The Jewish people had reduced worship to outward forms and ceremonies.

They thought that by religiously adhering to the letter of the law, and going through certain rituals, they were worshiping the Father. But theirs was not a worship of the spirit. It was outward, not inward. Their bodies might be bowed down on the ground but their hearts were not right before God. Perhaps they were oppressing the poor, or using deceitful business methods. The Samaritans, on the other hand, had a form of worship, but it was false. It had no scriptural authority. They had started their own religion and were carrying out ordinances of their own invention. Thus, when the Lord said that worship must be in spirit and truth, He was rebuking both Jews and Samaritans. But He was also informing them that, now that He had come, it was possible for men to draw near to God through Him in true and sincere worship. Ponder this! The Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is interested in the adoration of His people. Does He receive this from me? 4:24 God is Spirit is a definition of God’s being. He is not a mere man, subject to all the errors and limitations of humanity. Neither is He confined to any one place at any time. He is an invisible Person who is present in all places at one and the same time, who is all-knowing, and who is all-powerful. He is perfect in all His ways. Therefore, those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

There must be no sham or hypocrisy. There must be no pretense to being religious, when inwardly one’s life is corrupt. There must be no idea that in going through a series of rituals, God is thereby pleased. Even if God instituted those rituals Himself, He still insists that man approach Him with a broken and a contrite heart. Two more musts are found in this chaptermust for the winner of souls (4:4) and must for the worshiper (4:24). 4:25 As the woman of Samaria had listened to the Lord, she had been made to think of the coming Messiah. The Holy Spirit of God had stirred up within her a desire that the Messiah should come. She expressed the confidence that when He did come, He would teach all things. In this statement, she showed a very clear understanding of one of the great purposes of Christ’s coming. The expression Messiah … who is called Christ is simply an explanation of the fact that these two words mean the same. Messiah is the Hebrew word for God’s Anointed One; Christ is the Greek equivalent. 4:26 What Jesus said to her was literally, I who speak to you am. The word He is not a part of the original text. Although the sentence is clearer with the word He included, yet there is a deep significance to the actual words of the Lord Jesus. In using the words I am He used one of the names which God applied to Himself in the OT. He said, I AM is speaking to you, or, in other words, Jehovah is the one who is speaking to you. He was announcing to her the startling truth that the One who was speaking to her was the Messiah for whom she had been looking and that He was also God Himself. The Jehovah of the OT is the Jesus of the NT. 4:27 When the disciples returned from Sychar they found Jesus talking with this woman. They were surprised that He would speak with her, for she was a Samaritan. Also, they could possibly discern that she was a sinful woman. Yet no one asked the Lord what he was seeking from the woman or why He was talking with her. It has been well said, The disciples marvel that He talks with the woman; they would have been better employed wondering that He talked with them!4:28 The woman then left her waterpot! It symbolized the various things in life which she had used in an effort to satisfy her deepest longings. They had all failed. Now that she had found the Lord Jesus, she had no more need for the things which had formerly been so prominent in her life. I tried the broken cisterns, Lord, But ah! the waters failed! E’en as I stooped to drink, they fled, And mocked me as I wailed. Now none but Christ can satisfy, None other name for me; There’s love, and life, and lasting joy, Lord Jesus, found in Thee. B. E. She not only left her waterpot but she went her way into the city. Whenever a person is saved, he or she immediately begins to think of others who are in need of the water of life. J. Hudson Taylor said, Some are jealous to be successors of the Apostles; I would rather be a successor of the Samaritan woman, who, while they went for food, forgot her waterpot in her zeal for souls.4:29, 30 Her witness was simple but effective. She invited all the townspeople to come and see a Man who told her all things that she ever did. Also, she aroused within their hearts the possibility that this Man might indeed be the Messiah.

In her own mind, there could be little doubt because He had already announced Himself to her as the Christ. But she raised the question in their minds so that they might go to Jesus and find out for themselves. Doubtless this woman was well known in the village for her sin and shame. How startling it must have been for the people to see her standing in the public places now, bearing public witness to the Lord Jesus Christ! The testimony of the woman was effective. The people of the village left their homes and their work and began to go out to find Jesus.

John 4:31

K. The Son’s Delight in Doing His Father’s Will (4:31-38) 4:31 Now that the disciples were back with the food, they encouraged the Lord to eat. Apparently they were not aware of the momentous events that were taking place. At this historic moment when a Samaritan city was being introduced to the Lord of Glory, their thoughts could rise no higher than food for their bodies. 4:32 The Lord Jesus had found food and support in winning worshipers to His Father. Compared to this joy, physical nourishment was of little importance to Him. We get what we go after in life. The disciples were interested in food. They went into the village to get food. They came back with it. The Lord was interested in souls. He was interested in saving men and women from sin, and giving them the water of everlasting life. He, too, found what He went after. What are we interested in? 4:33 Because of their earthly outlook, the disciples failed to understand the meaning of the Lord’s words. They did not appreciate the fact that the joy and happiness of spiritual success can for the time lift men above all bodily wants, and supply the place of material meat and drink. And so they concluded that someone must have come along and brought food to the Lord Jesus. 4:34 Again Jesus tried to turn their attention from the material to the spiritual. His food was to do the will of God, and to finish the work which God had given Him to do. This does not mean that the Lord Jesus refrained from eating actual food, but rather it means that the great aim and object of His life was not to cater to the body, but rather to do the will of God. 4:35 Perhaps the disciples had been talking together about the coming harvest. Or perhaps it was a common proverb among the Jews, Four months between seed time and harvest. At any rate, the Lord Jesus again used the physical fact of harvest to teach a spiritual lesson. The disciples should not think that harvest time was still in the distance. They could not afford to spend their lives in quest of food and clothing, with the thought that God’s work could be done later on. They must realize that the fields were already white for harvest.

The fields here, of course, refer to the world. At the very moment when the Lord spoke these words, He was in the midst of a harvest field containing the souls of Samaritan men and women. He was telling the disciples that a great work of in-gathering lay before them, and that they should give themselves to it immediately and diligently. So today, the Lord says to those of us who are believers, Lift up your eyes, and look at the fields. As we spend time contemplating the great needs of the world, the Lord will lay on our hearts a burden for the lost souls around us. Then it will be up to us to go forth for Him, seeking to bring in the sheaves of ripened grain. 4:36 The Lord Jesus was now instructing the disciples concerning the work to which they were called. He had chosen them to be reapers. They would not only earn wages in this life, but they would gather fruit for eternity as well. Service for Christ has many rewards at the present time. But in a coming day, reapers will have the additional joy of seeing souls in heaven because of their faithfulness in proclaiming the gospel message. Verse 36 does not teach that a person earns life eternal through faithful reaping, but rather that the fruit of that work continues on into eternal life. In heaven, both the sower and the reaper will rejoice together. In natural life, the field must first be prepared for the seed, and then the seed must be sown in it. Later on, the grain is harvested. Thus it is in the spiritual life also. First of all, the message must be preached, then it must be watered with prayer. But when the harvest season comes, all who have had a part in the work rejoice together. 4:37 In this, the Lord saw a fulfillment of the saying that was common in that day, One sows, and another reaps. Some Christians are called on to preach the gospel for many years without seeing very much fruit for their labor. Others step in at the end of those years, and many souls turn to the Lord. 4:38 Jesus was sending His disciples into areas that had already been prepared by others. Throughout the OT period, the prophets had foretold the coming of the gospel era and of the Messiah. Then, too, John the Baptist came as a forerunner of the Lord, seeking to prepare the hearts of the people to receive Him. The Lord Himself had sown the seed in Samaria, and prepared a harvest for the reapers. Now the disciples were about to step into the harvest field, and the Lord wanted them to know that, although they would have the joy of seeing many turning to Christ, they should understand that they were entering into other men’s labors. Very few souls are ever saved through the ministry of a single person. Most people have heard the gospel many times before they ever accept the Savior. Therefore, the one who finally leads a person to Christ should not exalt himself as if he were the only instrument God used in this marvelous work.

John 4:39

L. Many Samaritans Believe in Jesus (4:39-42) 4:39 As a result of the simple and forthright testimony of the woman of Samaria, many of her people believed on the Lord Jesus. All she said was, He told me all that I ever did, and yet that was sufficient to bring others to the Savior. This should be an encouragement to each of us to be simple, courageous, and direct in our witness for Christ. 4:40 The reception given to the Lord Jesus by the Samaritans was in marked contrast to that of the Jews. The Samaritans seemed to have some real appreciation of this wonderful Person, and they urged Him to stay with them. As a result of their invitation, the Lord stayed there two days. Just think how privileged this city of Sychar was, that it should entertain the Lord of life and glory during this period of time! 4:41, 42 No two conversions are exactly alike. Some believed because of the testimony of the woman. Many more believed because of the words of the Lord Jesus Himself. God uses various means in bringing sinners to Himself. The great essential is that there should be faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is wonderful to hear these Samaritans bearing such clear testimony to the Savior.

There was no doubt in their minds at all. They had complete assurance of salvation based not on the word of a woman, but on the words of the Lord Jesus Himself. Having heard Him and believed His words, the Samaritans had come to know that this was indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world. Only the Holy Spirit could have given them this insight. The Jewish people apparently thought that the Messiah would be for them alone. But the Samaritans realized that the benefits of Christ’s mission would extend to all the world.

John 4:43

M. The Second Sign: Healing of the Nobleman’s Son (4:43-54) 4:43, 44 After the two days which He spent among the Samaritans, the Lord turned His footsteps northward to Galilee. Verse 44 seems to present a difficulty. It states that the reason for the Savior’s moving from Samaria to Galilee was that a prophet has no honor in his own country. And yet Galilee was His own country, since Nazareth was a city located in that region. Perhaps what the verse means is that Jesus went into some part of Galilee other than Nazareth. In any case, the statement is certainly true that a person is not usually appreciated as much in his own home town as he is in other places. One’s relatives and friends think of him as a mere youngster and one of themselves. Certainly the Lord Jesus was not appreciated by His own people as He should have been. 4:45 When the Lord returned to Galilee, He was given a favorable reception because the people had seen all the things He had done in Jerusalem at the feast. Obviously the Galileans referred to here were Jews. They had gone down to Jerusalem to worship. There they had seen the Lord and had witnessed some of His mighty works. Now they were willing to have Him in their midst in Galilee, not because they acknowledged Him to be the Son of God, but because they were curiously interested in One who was arousing so much comment everywhere He went. 4:46 Again the village of Cana was honored by a visit from the Lord Himself. On the first visit, some of the people had seen Him turn water into wine. Now they were to witness another mighty miracle by Him, the effect of which would extend to Capernaum. The son of a certain nobleman … was sick at Capernaum. This man was undoubtedly a Jew employed by Herod, the king. 4:47 He had heard that Jesus had been in Judea and had now returned to Galilee. He must have had some faith in the ability of Christ to heal because he came directly to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his dying son. In this sense, he seems to have a greater trust in the Lord than most of his fellow countrymen. 4:48 Speaking not only to the nobleman, but to the Jewish people in general, the Lord reminded them of a national characteristic, that they desired to see miracles before they would believe. In general, we find that the Lord Jesus was not as pleased with a faith that was based on miracles as He was with that which was based on His Word alone. It is more honoring to Him to believe a thing simply because He said it than because He gives some visible proof. It is characteristic of man that he wants to see before he believes. But the Lord Jesus teaches us that we should first believe, and then we will see. Signs and wonders both refer to miracles. Signs are miracles that have a deep meaning or significance. Wonders are miracles that cause men to be amazed by their supernatural qualities. 4:49 The nobleman, with the persistence of true faith, believed that the Lord Jesus could do his son good, and he wanted a visit from the Lord more than anything else. In one sense, his faith was defective. He thought that Jesus would have to be at the boy’s bedside before He could heal him. However, the Savior did not rebuke him for this but rewarded him for the measure of faith which he did exhibit. 4:50 Here we see the man’s faith growing. He exercised what faith he had, and the Lord gave him more. Jesus sent him home with the promise, Your son lives. The son had been healed! Without any miracle or visible proof, the man believed the word of the Lord Jesus and started for home. That is faith in action! 4:51, 52 As he was now nearing home, his servants came out to meet him with the happy news that his son was well. The man was not at all shocked by this announcement. He had believed the promise of the Lord Jesus, and having believed, he would now see the evidence. The father inquired of the servants as to the time when his son got better. Their answer revealed that the healing was not gradual; it had taken place instantly. 4:53 There could now be not the slightest doubt about this wonderful miracle. At the seventh hour of the previous day, Jesus had said to the nobleman in Cana, Your son lives. At the very same hour in Capernaum, the son had been healed, and the fever had left him. From this the nobleman learned that it was not necessary for the Lord Jesus to be physically present to work a miracle or answer prayer. This should encourage all Christians in their prayer life. We have a mighty God who hears our requests and who is able to work out His purposes in any part of the world at any time. The nobleman himself believed, and his whole household. It is apparent from this and similar verses in the NT that God loves to see families united in Christ. It is not His will that there should be divided families in heaven. He takes care to record the fact that the whole household believed in His Son. 4:54 The healing of the nobleman’s son was not the second miracle in the Lord’s entire ministry up to this point. It was the second sign Jesus performed in Galilee after He had come from