John 4:1-26
John 4:1-3 (Judea) Jesus Leaves for Galilee
John 4:4-26 (Sychar) Woman At The WellIntro Questions
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Keeping God's Commandments John 4 https://virtualbiblestudy.com/john/4/
In Samaria (Woman at well), 4:1-42
Synopsis: On the way to Galilee, Jesus went through Samaria. He stopped at Jacob's well in Sychar while his disciples went into town to purchase food. While Jesus was resting at the well, a Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus asked her for a drink. The Samaritan woman was astonished that a Jew would ask a Samaritan for a drink. Jesus told her if she knew who he was, she would ask for living water. The woman did not understand that Jesus was talking about spiritual water until Jesus explained it to her. Jesus told the Samaritan woman the man she was living with was not her husband. Again, she was astonished and said, "Jesus must be a prophet." She stated their fathers worshipped in these mountains; however, Jesus would say Jerusalem is the place to worship. Jesus pointed out that God is a Spirit. The time is almost near when people will worship God in spirit and in truth. The woman said she knew when the Messiah came he would tell them everything. Jesus said, "I am He."
When the disciples returned, they were astonished that Jesus was talking with a woman. The woman went back to town and told the people that Jesus had told her everything she had ever done. Surely, Jesus was the Messiah. The people from Sychar went to see Jesus.
Meanwhile, the apostles urged Jesus to eat. Jesus replied he had food of which they did not know. The apostles were puzzled by his saying. Jesus pointed out that the fields were white unto harvest. The people from Sychar invited Jesus to stay with them. Jesus and the apostles spent two days with them and many of them believed in him. They told the woman they believed in Jesus because they had heard him.
1 When therefore the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John
This verse makes the transition from Jesus' ministry in Judaea to his ministry in Galilee. The Pharisees had been interested in the ministry of John the Baptist. They were also interested in the ministry of Jesus. The Pharisees had observed that Jesus was even more successful than John the Baptist. John had been imprisoned; however, Jesus presented even more of a problem to the Pharisees.
2 (although Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples),
Jesus preached the kingdom of heaven was near and commanded disciples to be baptized. It was probably the same baptism of repentance that John taught. However, Jesus did not do the actual baptizing himself; he let his disciples do the baptizing.
3 he left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.
After Jesus had performed his first miracle in Cana of Galilee, he went to Judaea to preach and teach. After several months of successful preaching, the Jewish leaders were beginning to resent Jesus. It was now time for Jesus to leave Judaea and return to Galilee because Jesus did not want a premature crisis. When the time is ready according to God's plan, Jesus will willingly lay down his life for mankind; however, the time is not ready. Judaea is the southern part of Palestine. Samaria is the middle part of Palestine. Galilee is the northern part of Palestine. The shortest distance to Galilee was through Samaria although one could go around Samaria. Jesus wanted to go through Samaria on his way to Galilee.
4 And he must needs pass through Samaria.
Jesus chose the road through Samaria because he had work to do there.
5 So he cometh to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph:
Jesus and his disciples enter Samaria and come to Sychar, which is near Shechem. Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal are nearby. Sychar was about half a mile from the parcel of ground that Jacob gave Joseph (Genesis 48:22). Joseph had requested his body be taken back to Canaan when the Israelites returned there (Genesis 50:25, 26). When the Israelites conquered Canaan, they buried Joseph here (Joshua 24:32). Sychar means "the town of the sepulcher."
6 and Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
Jacob's well is in this spot although there is no Old Testament reference to Jacob digging this well. The well is still there today. The well was around one hundred feet deep in Jesus' day. The word for well indicates it was spring fed.
Jesus was tired from traveling. Since it seems John uses Roman time instead of Jewish time, the sixth hour would be 6 p. m. This would mean they had been traveling all day. The evening was the usual time for women to draw water.
7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
As Jesus is sitting by the well, a Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus is thirsty and asks her for a drink of water.
8 For his disciples were gone away into the city to buy food.
Jesus was alone because his disciples had gone into Sychar to purchase food.
9 The Samaritan woman therefore saith unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, who am a Samaritan woman? (Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)
The Samaritan woman was astonished that a Jewish man would ask her for a drink. The reason being there was great animosity between the Jews and Samaritans. The Samaritans were Jews who had intermarried with Gentiles beginning with the Assyrian captivity in 722 B.C. They lost their bloodline as Jews. The Jews would not allow the Samaritans to worship with them. Jews and Samaritans did not mix socially. It was unthinkable for a Jew to drink out of the same vessel as a Samaritan. To drink out of the same vessel which the Samaritan used would make the Jew unclean. The Jews did business with Samaritans when it was necessary. The sentence For Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans could best be translated, "For Jews do not use vessels together with Samaritans."
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
The Samaritan woman knew Jesus was a Jew; however, she did not realize that he was the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus told her that if she knew who he really was, it was she who would be asking for living water. The Gift of God is the living water. Jesus used a term she was familiar with to teach her a great spiritual truth. The common meaning of living water was running water. In the case of a well, it would be the water at the bottom that bubbled up out of the spring that fed the well. However, in the spiritual sense, Jesus uses the term living water to mean eternal life, salvation and all of the needs that the spirit of man has.
11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: whence then hast thou that living water?
The Samaritan woman took the term living water in a literal sense. She thought Jesus was referring to the fresh water coming out the spring which fed the well at the bottom of the well; therefore, she asked, "How can you give living water?" You have nothing with which to draw water out of the well." The well was over a hundred feet deep. The well was not like the cisterns of Palestine where one could walk downstairs to where the water was. One had to have a rope and a bucket to get to the water in the well, much less the living water at the bottom of the well. Just as Nicodemus misunderstood the new birth, the Samaritan woman misunderstood the living water.
12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his sons, and his cattle?
The woman does not understand how Jesus can give her better water than is in the well. She asks, "Are you greater than our father Jacob who gave us this well?" The Samaritan woman understands the implication of what Jesus says; however, she is not yet ready to accept him as greater than Jacob. Her question implies a "no" answer.
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Everyone that drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
Jesus now compares water from the well with the spiritual living water, which he is offering. Jesus makes an obvious comment concerning the water in Jacob's well. Anyone drinking water out of Jacob's well will soon be thirsty again.
14 but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up unto eternal life.
Jesus now shows the Samaritan woman he is speaking in a spiritual sense. The living water is spiritual. It is not only salvation, it is eternal life. Eternal life means more than existence; it means satisfying all the deep needs of the soul of man. Only God can do this. God's Spirit dwelling in man gives him the abundant life.
15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come all the way hither to draw.
The Samaritan woman now wants the water Jesus can give; however, her conception of living water is still incomplete. She still thinks living water is physical water.
16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
The Samaritan woman wanted the living water. However, she needed to have a thirst for this water. The command of Jesus was addressed to her conscience. His command reminded her of the immoral life she was living. Only when there is a sense of guilt and consciousness of sin will one realize he is lost and want to be saved.
17 The woman answered and said unto him, I have no husband: Jesus saith unto her, Thou saidst well, I have no husband:
The woman denied having a husband. Jesus told her she had spoken the truth as far as it went.
18 for thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: this hast thou said truly.
Jesus then reminds her of her sinful condition. He relates her five husbands and the fact the man she is living with is not her husband. It cannot be ascertained if her five husbands had died or were divorced. However, she is living with a man to whom she is not married, a sinful condition. Jesus tells her about her past life.
19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
Since Jesus knew about her past life, the Samaritan woman concluded that Jesus was a prophet. She is growing in her perception of who Jesus is. She did not deny the remarks of Jesus concerning her immoral life. By calling him a prophet, she admits her guilt. However, she wanted to change the subject from her personal life.
20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
The Samaritan woman now raised the question where men ought to worship. Whenever Jews and Samaritans talked about spiritual things, this question came up. This mountain refers to Mt. Gerizim, which they could see from Jacob's well. The Samaritans had worshipped on this mountain since the time of Nehemiah. They believed it was the only place to worship. Ye is plural, meaning the Jews. The Jews worshipped in the temple which was built on Mt. Moriah in Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 12:50-11; I Kings 9:3; II Chronicles 3:12). The Samaritans were in the wrong. Jesus had a sensitive question to answer.
21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall ye worship the Father.
The woman acknowledged that Jesus is a prophet. Jesus now asks her to believe what he says. The hour cometh refers to the new covenant and the establishment of the church. This necessarily includes the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, as this is when the old covenant ended and the new covenant began. Jesus tells the woman that in the near future, it will not matter where you worship; it will matter how you worship. God can be worshipped anywhere.
22 Ye worship that which ye know not: we worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews.
The Samaritans had an imperfect knowledge of God and worship. They accepted only the first five books of the Old Testament. They rejected the other thirty-four books of the Old Testament; therefore, their knowledge of God and how to worship him were limited. They were in ignorance, not only of where to worship God, but also how to worship him.
The promise was for the Messiah to come from the seed of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah and David. Therefore, the Messiah was to be a Jew. In this sense, salvation is of the Jews.
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for such doth the Father seek to be his worshippers.
However, the hour cometh, and now is refers to the new age, the Christian Age. The Christian Age will become a reality in just a few months. It will mark a change. True worshippers refers to people who believe in God, live in accordance with his will and worship God, their Creator. In the Christian Age, refers to those who have believed in Jesus Christ and have obeyed the gospel by being baptized for the remission of their sins. Moreover, they are continuing to live the Christian life.
In spirit refers to the spirit of man in this context, not the Holy Spirit. It means true worshippers worship God sincerely motivated by their love for God. In truth means they worship according to the way that God has instructed them to worship. True worship does not depend upon the place. True worship depends on having the right attitude and worshipping God's way. God has never said, "Worship me any way you please." God has always dictated to man how God is to be worshipped. The important thing in worship is to worship God in such a way that God is pleased. This can only be done in spirit and in truth; otherwise, the worship will be unacceptable. Many people worship God the way they want to worship him instead of in spirit and truth. Their worship is unacceptable to God (Matthew 15:8-9).
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth.
God is Spirit. He is not confined to one place. He can be worshipped anywhere on earth. The criteria for worshipping God is not the place, but worshipping him in spirit and truth (see verse 23 for discussion of these words). God must be worshipped this way. There is no other way to worship God (Matthew 4:10).
25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah cometh (he that is called Christ): when he is come, he will declare unto us all things,
The Samaritan conception of the Messiah was limited because they accepted only the first five books of the Old Testament. They thought of him as being a prophet who would teach them all things, not a king upon the throne of David (Deuteronomy 18:18). What Jesus said reminded the Samaritan woman there was to be a Messiah. The Messiah would explain all things when he came.
26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
The answer Jesus gave astonished her. Jesus declared to the Samaritan woman he was the Messiah. This is remarkable in as much as he had not told the Jews this; however, this woman did not have the preconceived ideas which the Jews had, nor was she a threat to Jesus. That she believed Jesus can be seen in verses 28 to 30 and 39 to 42.
You're Invited: "Drink Living Water" by Kent Risley
https://youtu.be/suLjLanGpTA
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