John 4

Chapter 4 Introduction:

As we continue in John, we begin to see the earthly ministry of Jesus take shape. Everything is done with purpose and timing.

The empty vessels of ritual purification were filled with the best wine at the wedding in Cana.
The empty religion of the temple was brought under review and filled with Jesus.
The empty Nicodemus was told he must be born again.
The humbled John yielded all his ministry to Jesus

The manmade religions are being challenged. The traditions of men are being tested. Old things are passing away. Jesus was beginning to shake the world. This shaking would send shock waves through the culture that would continue till he comes again.

Jesus knew what was in a man. He knew the darkness. He knew the most successful, educated, rich, powerful man in the world was nothing more than a sinner, lost in the darkness, scared and lonely. When they closed their eyes at night their guilt and shame weighed heavily upon them. Inside every sinful man is a scared little boy, inside every sinful woman is a frightened little girl. Both desire the love and guidance of a Father who will show them the way out of their darkness. That darkness is the same in all men and women, without regard to race, creed, color, social status, education, financial standing, looks, age or sex. Jesus came as the light to shine into that darkness.

John 4:1-4

From verse one we see the text flows right from chapter three. The Pharisees heard that the Judean ministry of Jesus was increasing beyond that of John the Baptist. The time was not yet right for that level of agitation and attention by the Pharisees. Jesus left Judea and returned to Galilee.

The area of Samaria was between Judea and Galilee. It had been the heart of the northern kingdom until the Assyrians deported many Israelites in 722_BC. As such, they became a mixed race, part Jew and part gentile.

Those traveling between these places would often pass through Samaria because it was the shorter route, though this wasn’t even an option for some who preferred to go many miles out of their way to avoid Samaria. The Samarians and the Jews despised each other. They worshiped the same God, but in different places. Though Jewish in culture and belief, they could not prove their genealogy. They rejected by the Jews of Judea and Jerusalem. In response to this rejection, the Samaritans established their own temple and religious services on Mount Gerizim. This only made matters worse making them appear blasphemous to the Judean Jew. This dislike of the Samaritans became so intense that it wasn't uncommon for some of the Pharisees to pray that no Samaritan would be raised in the resurrection.

Samaria was the other side of the tracks as far as the Jews were concerned. Both sides held fast to the deep division. This was a perfect place to preach the kingdom of God. The saving message of Jesus crosses all boundaries and divisions.

See healing of ten lepers Luke 17:11-19.

It's an interesting parenthetical statement there that Jesus didn't baptize but His disciples did. We don't really know why this was added, however, it would be easy to imagine folks focusing on the ritual of baptism and falling to pride of being baptized by Jesus. This could easily become a stumbling block for others. They might say, "I was baptized by Jesus", as if that made a person more spiritual. When in fact, it didn't even make them saved! There was no conflict between John and Jesus, those following had created a conflict.

John 4:5-6

The identity and location of Sychar are not known. Knowing it was near Jacob’s well gives us the hint it is near Shechem or associated with Shechem in some way. Note that Jesus was wearied. He was subject to wearing down and being tired from travel. He came near this well.

The sixth hour was around noon. The Jews started their clock at sunrise, so 6 hours later would be midday.

Samaria - Samaritans

This is a region between Galilee and Judea with a capital city of Samaria. This was the area and people that had been the northern kingdom. When Assyria conquered the area in 722B.C. it was repopulated with a mixture of Jews and gentiles from other areas Assyria had conquered. They subsequently intermarried and some of the lineage and heritage of their Jewish background was lost. They claimed to be Jews and kept Torah, but were not recognized by the Judean Jews as legitimate. In New Testament times, they saw the temple and priesthood in Jerusalem as illegitimate.

John 4:7-9

Jesus broke several cultural rules of Jewish piety.

Jewish teachers warned against efforts to talk to women in general. Their warnings were doubly important for a Samaritan woman.
A Samaritan woman was unclean from birth. A Samaritan was lower than a gentile.
Asking for a water from this woman, particularly with her history, could be seen as flirting or forward.
He was alone with a woman.

Even though Isaac and Jacob both met their wives at wells, this would have still been seen as a social failure, particularly for a rabbi.

This woman's life was that of an outcast finding comfort only in the company of other outcasts. The normal time to draw water was in the morning or evening when it was cool. For her to come to the well when she did, by herself, shows that she had been rejected by the other women of Sychar. She seemed to be used to going there by herself, it was finding a Jew there that surprised her. For this Jew to speak to her was even more of surprise. She had no experience in conversing with a man like this.

If Jesus touched the cup handled by the Samaritan woman, it made Him ceremonially unclean according to the Jewish law. Jesus wasn’t subject to ceremonial uncleanness. He was the One who brought cleanliness, purity and forgiveness of sins. In fact, His touch would not defile Him, but it would begin the process of cleansing.

Jesus didn't spend a lot of time worrying about what was proper in the eyes of others. We see this also in the disciples going to buy food. The food of the Samaritan was considered unclean by most Jews.

John 4:10

If she had known, she would have asked. But how can she know, unless someone tells her? Upon asking, Jesus would give her living water. This was an idiom for fresh water or spring water. This meant flowing water versus stagnant or well water. Jesus uses the water as a metaphor for eternal life. Like water was life, living water was eternal life. This living water only came from God.

But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. ¹⁶And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.

NKJV; Romans 5:15-16; 1982, Thomas Nelson

John 4:11-12

The woman misunderstood Jesus. John often shows the misunderstanding that comes before spiritual insight and change. (Remember Nicodemus remark about entering again into his mother’s womb.) Jesus had no jar to draw water and there was no living water in the well.

Her attitude toward Jews is revealed in her question to Jesus. She claimed Jacob as the father of the Samaritans. This would be an incredible offense to Jews. They saw themselves as the true descendants of Jacob. Jesus doesn’t respond to this provocation. It has no bearing on his purpose that day.

The water she drew came from Jacob's well. The history of this land goes back to Genesis 33:19 where Jacob purchased it from the sons of Hamar. Then in Genesis 48:22 he left the land and well to Joseph. After the Exodus, Jacob was buried on this land. The well was a part of Jewish heritage. She drew some comfort from that. She saw her water as sufficient.

Jeremiah prophesied to the tribes of Israel:

“For My people have committed two evils:

They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters,

And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.

NKJV; Jeremiah 2:13; 1982, Thomas Nelson

This idea of the Lord being the fountain of living waters was nothing new. The prophets looked forward to the time when the living waters would flow through the land from Jerusalem.

And in that day it shall be—

That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem,

Half of them toward the eastern sea

And half of them toward the western sea;

In both summer and winter it shall occur.

NKJV; Zechariah 14:8; 1982, Thomas Nelson

See also Ezekiel 47:9 for the living water that heals the land and water.

John 4:13-14

While her water temporarily satisfied a physical thirst, it did nothing for her spirit. The water Jesus offered quenched the spiritual thirst for all time. It became a spring of water, a fountain that never stopped bringing forth everlasting life.

This brings to mind the picture of the river of water flowing from the Holy of Holies in the Millennial Temple that Ezekiel wrote about in chapter 47.

John 4:15

The still seems to misunderstand Jesus, thinking He speaks of some literal water. Yet, she asked. She was tired and seeking answers or purpose for life. She was probably tired of being an outcast. Life in a fallen world had worn her down. She said, ‘I'll take it, I need it.’

John 4:16-18

Jesus seems to abruptly change the subject. She isn’t thrown off by it though. Her statement that she had no husband is somewhat ambiguous and could mean that she was available for marriage. Jesus brings some clarity to her statement by reminding her of her history. We still can’t know if these five were husbands or just men she lived with, like the one with which she was currently with.

The Samaritans were just as strict about marriage as the Jews. Within the Jewish law was a limit of three husbands. If she had actually been married to the five, she had exceeded that, which would draw the attention of many.

The effect of all this was that she was shunned from the Jews because she was a Samaritan. She was shunned among the Samaritans because of her immorality. Her reputation kept her imprisoned in that life. This is what had kept her from God.

She had a heart problem. Jesus could see into her heart. Women love darkness also, because their deeds are evil.

John 4:19-20

The woman changes the subject from her morality, back to the tensions that existed between Jew and Gentile. The Samaritans were looking for a prophet like Moses. They believed the Messiah would be a prophet. She acknowledged His prophetic knowledge of her life and it made her nervous, as it would any of us to think someone could see into our life, all our past and dark deeds.

The mountain she is referring to is Mount Gerizim. Their tradition said that this Mt Gerizim is where Abraham went to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. In their mind it was this place where Abraham declared God to be Jehovah Jireh and worshiped Him. The Samarians had previously set up their own place of worship there around 400_B.C. The Jews later destroyed the temple in Samaria and it was never rebuilt. The mountain and the ruins of the temple would have been in sight of Jesus and the woman as they stood at the well.

The Samaritans mocked the temple in Jerusalem. At one time, they attempted to sneak in and defile it.

Jewish history and the bible say this happened on Mt Moriah.

John 4:21-24

For this woman, as well as the Jews, worship was a matter of geography. We already saw what He thought about what was going on at the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus doesn’t enter the debate on the legitimacy of Samaritan’s worship at Mount Gerizim, and He doesn’t defend Jerusalem. He does however, note that salvation is of the Jews. Jesus came as Messiah as the next part of God’s redemptive plan, a fulfillment of the law and the prophets. This is the promise of God from Genesis three. The Samaritans only worshiped in part. They worshiped Yahweh as revealed in the law, but rejected the rest of the Old Testament scriptures. Jesus was looking forward to a time when ‘how’ a person worshiped would become prominent rather than where.

The hour had come as Jesus begins to show the world that He is the Messiah. He is the redemptive hope of mankind. The hour was also yet to come. Jesus had come, but He would also die for the sins of man and then be resurrected. In the future, then, was a day that would be the culmination of redemption.

Worship isn't a matter of some specific action or performing some work. For us, this means that just because you were at church and the music was playing doesn't mean you worshiped. It may have appeared like you worshiped. Worship happens by the Spirit. Worship is an attitude of the heart. This is a heart that acknowledges God as our sovereign creator and as the supreme and absolute authority over our lives. This is done in truth, biblically and honestly before God.

We can look back and see the redemptive work of the cross and the resurrection. This allows us to look forward in excitement to the culmination of our redemption. We know the truth of Christ. We know the truth of man. All we have is a deep need of forgiveness. All we brought is sin, need, drama and the issues of life. The solution was found in Christ alone. In trusting His work, we get a new heart. We’ll be filled with the Holy Spirit. We offer ourselves, bought and paid for – and with that, our worship because He alone is worthy.

John 4:25

The Samaritans only held to the Pentateuch, the first 5 books of our bible. They disregarded all the other writings of the prophets and Psalms. Yet, this woman knew of the coming Messiah. Their understanding of the messiah was very different from the Jews. The Samaritans called him Taheb, or restorer or returning one. They believed he would be a prophet like Moses (Deut 18:15-18).

This restorer would then tell them all they needed to know.

John 4:26

It may not be readily apparent by the way the text is translated, but this is an "I AM" statement. Jesus links Himself to the God of the burning bush that identified Himself as "I AM THAT I AM", the self-sufficient God. This is like saying, "Oh, you're waiting on the Messiah? That's me!"

John 4:27

The disciples were initially stunned to see Jesus talking to this woman. Jewish piety made no allowance for such things for two reasons. The thought was spending time with a woman brought temptation but also the image of impropriety.

The disciples trust their teacher and don’t pry into His purposes. Some later Jewish traditions report rabbis that disintegrated disrespectful disciples into an ash heap with their eyes. These were lessons to teach one ought not question the teacher

by Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary:

New Testament (Jn 4:27). InterVarsity Press

The Mishna (first written words of Jewish oral tradition) said that spending too much time with a woman instead of Torah brought condemnation.

John 4:28-30

This woman's life was changed. She left her waterpot and ran to town. At the start of the day, this was her purpose, carrying water. Her water, from Jacob’s well, was her source of comfort and heritage. It was a comfortable religious connection for her. Then this woman found Jesus. She heard of something greater, a hope that overcame her social standing (or lack thereof). We might say she left her old waterpot behind because she had received living water.

Our God is no respecter of persons. He knew what was in the heart of man. Men love darkness instead of light because their deeds are evil. Jesus counseled a moral Jewish man (John 3).

Nicodemus	The Woman at the Well
Sought by Jesus at night	Jesus sought her out in broad daylight
Named	Unnamed
Jewish	Samaritan
Well educated, reputation, respect	Bad reputation, disrespected
Valuable testimony & influence	Worthless testimony, no influence
Accepted in community	Outcast in community, Jews

Both thought they were spiritually secure. Both were very literal or materialistic in their reaction to Jesus’ spiritual teaching.

Nicodemus asking how one could be born again from the womb.
This woman asking about this living water and where it came from.

In fact, both were spiritually empty and sensed the need for God. Both had a heart problem. We can see that Jesus is the solution to both, including a broad range of others in between. The message of Jesus comes to all without boundaries.

What started as a mundane, lonely visit to the well for this outcast woman became a face-to-face encounter with the Lord Jesus. Her life was changed. She ran to the city to tell everyone who she met. This woman that was otherwise ignored was now shouting the good news to the city. They must’ve thought she was crazy. They went out to find Jesus and see for themselves.

I wonder where this woman was when she heard Jesus had been crucified? And then later, when she heard he was resurrected and had ascended to the Father? Jesus died to save this Samaritan woman.

What separates you from the love of Christ? What keeps you from the living water? It's not status, education, money, color, creed, social standing, or reputation.

John 4:31-33

The disciples urged Jesus to eat. Jesus used the physical food to move the disciples thought process to eternal things. He may have had Deuteronomy 8:3 in mind: “Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.”

This mission was important than food. Jesus was nourished by the spiritual. As the woman learned of living water, the disciples were learning of spiritual food. Like Nicodemus and the woman, the disciples take the words of Jesus very literal, missing the point. They wondered if He got food from somewhere else.

John 4:34-35

Jesus was driven by the will of the Father and obedience to complete the work for which He was sent. Jesus instructed them not to say this proverb that must have been widely known. The proverb expresses the lack of immediacy for the work of reaping, as if to say, “There’s plenty of time!” It may express the normal time of four months from sowing to reaping of wheat or barley.

Jesus rejects the proverb. There is urgency in the sowing of kingdom seeds. Jesus presents the imagery of a field white for harvest. The barley harvest which made fields ‘white’ was in March. The encounter with the woman was proof. Others from town came to see and were also ready for harvest.

Some imagine an image of Samaritans robed in white coming across a lush green field. They would look like a ripe fruit ready to be picked from the field. We can imagine Jesus looking towards them and saying, the field is white for harvest.

Either way, the message is clear. Jesus spoke to the disciples (and I think we can receive this also) - lift your eyes from the physical, from the mundane business of a food and drink. Lift your eyes to spiritual things. The time is short and the Lord will use people like this woman.

Jesus established an eternal priority. He was focused on larger things than stomach. How many times do we forget to eat food? How many times do we forget to drink? Yet we will go through a day without feeding on the word of God and acknowledging the presence of the Holy Spirit in our life. The physical will pass away some day and we will see that the spiritual things are reality, not the physical.

Christianity Today reported that 26 million people stopped reading their bible during COVID. In a time when the world was shaken, people put away the one stable thing in the world. They set it down and spiritually starved themselves.

John 4:36-38

Who are these reapers? Jesus sowed into the woman. She in turn sowed into the people of town. Both rejoice together as the disciples look on and receive this teaching. In the bigger picture, the prophets sowed. John the Baptists sowed. The prophecy of Moses sowed into the Samaritans.

The point is that those who sow don’t necessarily get to experience the reaping. Others sometimes come behind them and reap what was sown. We all have a responsibility to have this eternal priority, to lift our eyes and be mindful of the harvest.

This wasn't a competition as some thought when Jesus was baptizing more than John. Even a Samaritan woman can do this. Her life had just changed and already she was planting seeds in her community. We are all called to something, some sow, some reap. We all have a job to do and we should do it well for the Lord. All sowing and reaping is for the Lord’s glory.

Paul had a similar idea:

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. ⁷So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. ⁸Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

NKJV; 1 Corinthians 3:6; 1982, Thomas Nelson

Also,

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,

And he who wins souls is wise.

NKJV; Proverbs 11:30; 1982, Thomas Nelson

John 4:39-40

This woman gave her testimony and planted some seeds. Previously her testimony carried no weight, her reputation made it doubly worse. However, the city saw that something had changed. There was a joy they had not seen, an exuberance and zeal. Other Samaritans sought out Jesus because of what she said.

What if she would have just kept it to herself? What if she feared that she’d be perceived as imposing her religion on others? What if she decided she didn’t know enough about Jesus to evangelize. After all, what if someone asked her a question she couldn’t answer. She had no classes in evangelism. She had no method. She didn’t even have the Holy Spirit. But, she had new life and wanted to share it with others.

Barry Meguiar said that every day, we should move those around us a little closer to Jesus. Giving our testimony and witnesses to others is embracing the full relationship with Jesus. Without witnessing to others, we can never enjoy the full depth of our faith. We are not just disobedient, but we are leaving a lot on the table.

The woman wasn’t worried about her methods or words or what anyone thought about her presentation. She loved them enough to tell them.

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

NKJV; Romans 10:15; 1982, Thomas Nelson

If a sinful, messed up Samaritan woman can tell folks about Jesus, so can you. Quit making excuses.

John 4:42

The Samaritans declared Jesus the Savior of the world, revealing the universal nature of God’s redemptive plan. How shocking this must’ve been to the disciples who had grown up being taught to hate the Samaritans. The disciples would later be told to take the message to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the whole world (Acts 1:8).

These people of Samaria had their own personal encounter with Jesus. The woman gave her testimony, but they found out for themselves. No one believes by the faith of another. They must come to a faith in Christ on their own. They must meet Jesus and deal with who He is and what He has said.

They asked Jesus to stay with them – they didn’t designate a time. They wanted to stay, period! Jesus stayed a few days and many more believed. They declared Him to be The Christ, the savior of the world.

God can even save the outcasts among outcasts.
God used the Samaritan women in spite of cultural norms.
The woman became an evangelist, giving testimony.
Empowered by Jesus she overcame all the baggage of her life.
Unlike Nicodemus, we get a glimpse of the change of being born again and the subsequent joy.

John 4:43-45

His own country is Nazareth in Galilee. This is where Jesus grew up. This would be the hardest ground to plow. It would be hard for these folks who saw him grow up and knew Mary and Joseph to ever come to believe He was the messiah. Jesus' own brothers didn't believe initially. The saying that a prophet has no honor in his own country is to say that familiarity breeds contempt.

John seems to be showing us a contrast. The Samaritans, clearly not his own country, received him gladly, wanted him to stay and declared Him Savior of the world. They did this without any sign or miracle. He went to Galilee, his home country, and was received, but only because they had seen all the things He did in Jerusalem.

Some believe that Jesus passed through Nazareth on the way to Cana adding to the contrast.

Regarding Galilee, see Isaiah 9:1-2;

Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed,

As when at first He lightly esteemed

The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,

And afterward more heavily oppressed her,

By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,

In Galilee of the Gentiles.

The people who walked in darkness

Have seen a great light;

Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,

Upon them a light has shined.

John 4:46-48

This certain nobleman isn’t named. His title indicates he was either a member of the royal family of Herod Antipas or he was a Roman official serving him. This means he is likely a wealthy aristocrat, not very religious and heavily influenced by Greek culture. He may be a gentile. However, this would seem significant enough to mention if he were. John doesn’t want the focus to be on the man, but on his faith and the long-distance work of Jesus.

Capernaum was 25 miles away from Cana. This man made this 25-mile journey to see Jesus when he found out the Lord came up from Judea. He likely came by this information because he was a nobleman, one of power and influence.

Note: Some believe this man is the Roman Centurion we read about in the synoptic gospels. However, there are differences.

This is a desperate man with a dying son and he was losing hope. This man made the trip to stand before Jesus and request that he come back with him to heal his son. He was obviously aware of the reputation of Jesus for performing miracles.

The man believed Jesus had to be present to heal. This was a common belief in the culture for all gods and religions. John wants us to see Jesus is beyond all beliefs of other gods. His power is not limited to His physical presence.
The faith of the man is displayed. He is convinced Jesus can heal his son. His faith may have been born in desperation – but it was real faith.

The call to ‘come down’ is a reference to the elevation change from Cana to Capernaum, which is at a significantly lower elevation.

It seems as though Jesus scolds this man. His faith was genuine, but he was only coming by it out of need. This seems to contrast the faith of the Samaritan woman and the Samaritans. They didn’t need a sign to believe. We might think of this as, ‘You believe I can heal but only if I come and you can see it with your eyes?’

This appears to be a connection to the idea John presented at the end of chapter two.

Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men,and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.

NKJV; John 2:23-25; 1982, Thomas Nelson

Jesus sees our heart. He sees the depth and motivation of our belief.

John 4:49-50

The man responds to Jesus’ comment with another plea for His child’s life. He didn’t want a sign for the sake of signs. He came to Jesus out of love for his son. He knew Jesus could heal him.

Jesus told him to go home, that his son was healed. How hard would this be for the man to believe? He could not verify it without making the 25-mile journey home. He may have come for no other reason than to save his son, but he came. He left with the belief that Jesus did what He said He did.

A day’s walk was considered 20 miles. It was a walk of faith and a lot of time to think. How difficult would it be to keep doubt from creeping in? How many times did he wonder if the words of Jesus were really true?

For we walk by faith, not by sight.

NKJV; 2 Corinthians 5:7; 1982, Thomas Nelson

John 4:51-53

Before the man arrived home, his servant met him to share the exciting news. His son was alive. The implication is that he was not just hanging onto life but that he was healthy. The confirmation that Jesus had healed him allowed him to give full credit to Jesus.

Was it a coincidence? Did he get healthy on his own? The devil would rob the Lord of the glory due.

The man asked when the change occurred. Surely he was looking to confirm it was the Lord’s work. The servant confirmed, it was at the exact time the Lord declared his son would live.

The shallow and immature belief born out of desperation was now grown. He believed on a deeper level. His faith was grown. Not only that, but his whole household believed. This family saw the miraculous recovery. They saw the man give glory and thanks to Jesus. They too believed.

It's not hard to imagine just a few days earlier this family wondering why this horrible thing happened to them. Why did their son have to get sick? Yet, after he is healed, they could see God's purpose in it. Even then, they were unaware of the greater purpose, that we would read of this man and his son and our faith could be grown.

The first miracle in Cana was turning water into wine. This is the 2^nd sign, also done in Cana. The numbering of signs presented by John are not the complete list, as he said that other signs were done in Jerusalem. This was the second in Galilee.

Closing

One miracle is done with touch, another with spit in the mud, and another from a distance. The will of God is done in many ways and forms. There is no recipe for a miracle. He is sovereign and will work in His way, on His time. Our job is to seek Him, be sensitive to the Spirit and come into that perfect will for our lives.

Jesus took His message from the Jewish official (Nicodemus); to Samaria (the woman at the well) and now to this official. If this man was Roman official, the Lord would have spoken into the three main political structures of his age, Rome, Samaria and the Jews

In what has happened just in the last couple chapters, we've seen Jesus go to Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

John