John 4 - Life Application Bible Commentary (NT)

The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John.NIV Somehow Jesus realized that his popularity had come to the attention of the Pharisees. They had scrutinized the activities of John the Baptist and sent emissaries to question him about his identity (1:19-28). John always pointed his followers to a greater one, the coming Messiah. Because the greater one had come and was in fact drawing the crowds away from John, the Pharisees began to watch Jesus closely.

Jesus had gained many more disciples than just the Twelve. We know that he had at least seventy-two committed disciples (Luke 10:1-17). We are also told that various disciples came and went, especially when times were difficult or when Jesus predicted troubles ahead (Luke 9:57-62; John 6:66).

Part of the information received by the Pharisees was incorrect because it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples.NIV This parenthetical remark helps to explain John the Baptist’s statement in 1:33 that the Messiah would baptize in the Holy Spirit —in contrast to John who baptized in water. Thus, Jesus never personally performed water baptism; his disciples continued to perform that task during the early years of the church. These baptisms, still following the pattern set by John the Baptist, indicated repentance and confession of sin (see Matthew 3:6). The other Gospels summarize John’s and Jesus’ messages as being almost identical, requiring the same personal application: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 3:2 NIV). Later, in Acts, we find the disciples carrying out Jesus’ command to make disciples of those who believed in him by baptizing them in his name (see Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:37-41; 8:12, 36-38).

THE MEMBER GAME

Competition can be created when none is intended. John and Jesus were not competing. But as others compared their ministries, their analysis gave the impression of competition. Similarly, two churches in a city that both have effective programs in reaching their community for Christ may begin to be compared to each other and described as if they were competing for converts. This not only distorts the purpose of the church, it also trivializes the importance of the eternal destiny of persons. The real issue is not which church wins the “member game” but whether the gospel is being communicated and people are responding. If Christ is not becoming “greater,” then whoever or whatever else is growing doesn’t really matter. Don’t foster the false impression of competition by artificial comparisons.

JESUS AND THE WOMAN AT THE WELL / 4:1-26 / 27

Jesus had to pass through Samaria on his way to Galilee. In Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman and with the Samaritans in Sychar, he revealed that he is “the gift of God” (4:10), who gives “a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (4:14 NKJV) to each believer. He also revealed that he is the expected Messiah (4:25-26). Furthermore, Jesus pointed the Samaritans to the truth about salvation, God’s nature, and the worship of God: Salvation comes from among the Jews (the Messiah is a Jew), God is spirit, and God must be worshiped in spirit and in truth.

EAR WITNESS

To our knowledge, no one was present during the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman. The details of the exchange must have come to John, therefore, from one of the two. Given the woman’s eagerness to proclaim to everyone that Jesus was “a man who told me everything I ever did” (4:29 NIV), we can assume that she shared with the disciples the details of that conversation.

Hearing the experiences of other believers significantly affects our spiritual growth. The Bible itself is a collection of the firsthand experiences with God that people like us had in the past. As Christians we have the privilege of passing on to others what we have learned from God. Insights, lessons, and corrections that we receive from God can help and encourage other believers. We must be eager to tell others about the most important person in our lives!

4:1-2

4:3 He left Judea and started back to Galilee.NRSV Knowing that the Pharisees (in Jerusalem) had heard about his popularity and that they would begin watching him closely, and at the same time knowing that his “hour” had not yet come (see also 2:4), Jesus wisely decided to withdraw from possible conflict by leaving Judea and returning to Galilee. Thus, Jesus’ first Judean visit had come to an end —a visit begun by his coming to Jerusalem for the Passover (see 2:13). The other Gospels do not record this visit.

4:4 He needed to go through Samaria.NKJV Literally, “and it was necessary for him to pass through Samaria.” Since the Samaritans were hated by the Jews, many of the strict Jews traveling from Judea to Galilee took a route around Samaria (through Perea, east of the Jordan River, see the map on this page), even though that route took more time. But for those who were trying to make the best time, it was faster to go through Samaria to Galilee. The context does not indicate that Jesus was in a hurry to get to Galilee (see 4:40, 43). Thus, the necessity must be understood in a different way: Jesus went to Samaria to give the Samaritans what he had given to Nicodemus —the offer of eternal life by being born again. And, furthermore, by going to Samaria and bringing the gospel to the despised Samaritans, he showed that he was above the Jewish prejudices.

Where did these prejudices come from? Samaria was a region between Judea and Galilee where Jews of “mixed blood” lived. In Old Testament days, when the northern kingdom of Israel, with its capital at Samaria, fell to the Assyrians, many Jews were deported to Assyria. King Sargon of Assyria repopulated the northern kingdom with captives from other lands to settle the territory and keep the peace (2 Kings 17:24). These captives eventually intermarried with the few Jews who remained in the land to form a mixed race of people who became known as Samaritans. The Jews hated the Samaritans because they were no longer “pure” Jews. The Jews who lived in the southern kingdom felt these Jews had betrayed their people and nation through intermarriage with foreigners. And the hatred continued down through the years. For example, when a remnant of Jews returned from captivity in Babylon, they refused the Samaritans living in the land any participation in rebuilding the temple or the city of Jerusalem, even though the Samaritans claimed to have the same God as the Jews (see Ezra 4:1-6, where the Samaritans are called “enemies”). The Samaritans had adopted the Pentateuch as their Scriptures and set up a place for worship on Mount Gerizim using for their guidelines Deuteronomy 11:26-29; 27:1-8. Although they knew about a coming Messiah, they were far from having an accurate knowledge of the truth.

4:5-6 He came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.NIV According to Genesis 33:19, Jacob purchased a piece of land in this vicinity and then later gave Joseph some land in Shechem (Genesis 48:22). Joshua 24:32 says that Joseph was buried on that land (the Jews had brought Joseph’s bones with them when they made their exodus from Egypt). Jacob’s well was thereNIV indicates that the land must have included the parcel on which Jacob’s well was dug. Thus, this well was highly valued by the Samaritans who claimed Jacob (also called Israel) as their father (4:12), just as the Jews do.

Jesus, tired as he was from the journey.NIV The trip was laborious and made Jesus tired. He had walked from Judea to Sychar —a trip that probably took two days. Jesus’ weariness shows his true humanity. He waited while his disciples, more rested, or hungrier, than he, went to find food. He never seemed to worry that the limitations he took in becoming human might somehow undermine his claims to be the Son of God. Such expressions about Jesus’ humanity help us identify with him.

It was about the sixth hour.NIV It was noontime, the hottest part of the day.

4:7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water.NRSV Two facts are unusual about the woman’s actions: (1) she could have gone to a closer well (scholars have identified wells that were closer to Sychar at Ain Asker —Sychar or Ain Defne at Balata); (2) women generally drew water later in the day, when the temperature was cooler. This woman, whose reputation seems to have been well known in the small town (4:18), probably chose the well farther away from home and came to that well at an unusual hour in order to avoid contact with other women.

A VALUED GIFT

The woman came to the well with shame on her mind. She was avoiding human contact, but the stranger at the well was probably little more than an inconvenience. How often at the supermarket, gas station, or even in church do we pass by people loaded down with guilt. They find themselves having to pursue life’s necessities, hoping to avoid anyone who knows their real needs. Dreading judgment and rejection, they live in fear. And yet, when shown real concern, when gently confronted, these same people find great relief in unburdening themselves. When you greet someone with “How are you?” do you stop long enough to show him or her that you really want to know? Simple caring is a gift valued infinitely more than it costs to give.

Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”NIV Again, this statement reveals Jesus’ true humanity; he was really thirsty. And since Jesus did not have any container, he asked the woman for a drink. Even though such a request startled her (4:9), it drew her into a conversation with Jesus.

4:8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)NIV This parenthetical statement serves to inform the reader that Jesus was alone with this woman. Jesus could not ask his disciples to help him get water, for they had gone into Sychar to buy food. Their intention, of course, was to share this food with Jesus (4:31). Thus, we see Jesus, weary from his journey, depending on others for food and drink.

4:9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?”NRSV The Samaritan woman was very surprised —first, that a Jew would even speak to a Samaritan; second, that a Jewish male would speak to a Samaritan woman (she also had a bad reputation and this was a public place); third, that a Jew would drink from a Samaritan’s cup. The surprise is explained by the Gospel writer who clues us in on the relationship between Jews and Samaritans: (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.)NRSV This explanatory sentence is also rendered “For Jews do not associate with Samaritans” (NIV). The Greek word translated “associate” literally means “to share the use of.” Some commentators, therefore, think John was saying that Jews and Samaritans would not share the same utensils or facilities. This interpretation is reflected in the TEV: “Jews will not use the same dishes that Samaritans use.” The Jewish ceremonial laws described not only certain people as ceremonially unclean, but also anything they touched. In strict religious terms, many Jews of Jesus’ time considered the Samaritans to be permanently unclean.

NO PREJUDICES ALLOWED

This woman (1) was a Samaritan, a member of the hated mixed race, (2) was known to be living in sin, and (3) was in a public place. No respectable Jewish man would talk to a woman under such circumstances. But Jesus did. The attitude of the Jews toward the Samaritans in Jesus’ day is not unlike that which has been frequently displayed in America by whites toward blacks. In the past, whites have not allowed blacks to share the same public facilities with them. For Jesus to ask for a drink of water from a utensil belonging to a Samaritan woman was to go against the accepted prejudices of the time.

The gospel is for every person, no matter what his or her race, social position, religious orientation, or past sins. We must be prepared to share this gospel at any time and in any place. We must also be prepared to deal with those who may be accustomed to being ill-treated and who are not sure of our motives. Jesus crossed all barriers to share the gospel, and we who follow him must do no less —even if misunderstood.

4:10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”NIV The woman was ignorant of God’s gift —the gift of life, represented by “living water” —and she did not know the giver, Jesus the Messiah. Jesus makes an extraordinary offer to this stranger —living water that would quench her thirst forever.

4:11 “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?”NRSV Jesus’ remark concerning “living water” produced several practical questions in the mind of the Samaritan woman. Like Nicodemus, she did not immediately sense the depth of Jesus’ words. Obviously, she thought, if this “living water” was in some way the water at the bottom of this spring-fed well, Jesus was in no position to offer it because he had no container for drawing it. The woman assumed that Jesus would not want to use her jar because of the strong prejudice (see 4:9). She began to wonder if Jesus had access to some source of water other than Jacob’s well. Yet she could clearly see that he had no container with which to get or store this “living water.” So she began to probe the identity of the stranger.

4:12 “Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?”NRSV What caused this response? Perhaps the woman sensed in Jesus’ words a possible dishonoring of the well provided by their great ancestor, Jacob. Or perhaps the woman was beginning to have some inkling of who Jesus was claiming to be. He certainly accepted her in a way that must have challenged her thinking.

4:13

“Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again.”NRSV People need water daily because thirst will always return. The water from Jacob’s well would indeed satisfy the woman’s thirst, but only temporarily. She would always need to return for more water. So also are all the other “drinks” of life —they never satisfy. Some of them even create more thirst. The human needs for love, food, sex, security, and approval, even when met, do not give complete satisfaction. Attempts to find full satisfaction will lead only to disappointment and despair. The Samaritan woman would have to admit that she was not satisfied, for she had had five husbands, and the man she now lived with was not her husband.

ARE YOU SATISFIED?

Spiritual functions often parallel physical functions. Our bodies hunger and thirst; so do our souls. But our souls need spiritual food and water. The woman confused the two kinds of water, perhaps because no one had ever told her about her spiritual hunger and thirst before. We would not think of depriving our bodies of food and water when they hunger or thirst. Why then should we deprive our souls? The living Word, Jesus Christ, and the written Word, the Bible, can satisfy our hungry and thirsty souls.

4:14 “Those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty.”NRSV The water Jesus offers quenches spiritual thirst so completely that those who drink will never be thirsty again. Jesus’ “water” continually satisfies the desire for God’s presence because “the water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.”NRSV The gift that Jesus gives —a spring gushing up to eternal life —suggests the availability, accessibility, and abundance of the divine life for believers. The expression to eternal life probably means “resulting in eternal life.”

TROUBLED WATERS

Many people who claim to be Christians admit they feel unhappy and dissatisfied over the same problems mentioned by nonbelievers. Feelings of low self-esteem, lack of love, loneliness, and struggles over sex, money, work, and position in life are often as severe with believers as with unbelievers. Are differences between Christians and non-Christians merely on the surface or even imaginary? Did Jesus overstate his claim? Questions like these come from interpreting Jesus’ words as the Samaritan woman did —expecting that physical thirst and all other life-related needs will be satisfied by Jesus’ “living water.” But that is not what Jesus promised. He offered freedom within life, not freedom from life! Later he told his disciples in no uncertain terms: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (16:33 NIV). Believers will experience many of the same difficulties encountered by unbelievers, but the presence of Jesus in our lives should make a significant difference in the way we respond. Living water gives us spiritual power to face the challenges of living, not escape from them.

4:15 “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”NIV The woman’s response reveals that she took Jesus’ words literally. The woman must have been thrilled to think that this man could give her water that really quenches thirst and would not have to be drawn from a well. Obtaining water was hard work —requiring trips to the well twice a day and carrying heavy jars full of water home.

LIFE AFTER LIVING WATERS

The woman mistakenly believed that if she received the water Jesus offered, she would not have to return to the well each day. She was interested in Jesus’ message because she thought it could make her life easier. But if that were always the case, people would accept Christ’s message for the wrong reasons. Jesus did not come to take away challenges, but to change us on the inside and to empower us to deal with problems from God’s perspective. Indications that living water is flowing within us come from the reality of our new life in Jesus, our awareness of the Spirit within, a sense of direction to life, the specific guidance we receive from God’s Word, opportunities to love and serve others, and the comforting knowledge that we are surrounded by other believers also on the way to heaven.

4:16-18 “Go, call your husband, and come back.”NRSV In response to Jesus’ offer of living water, the woman expressed her desire. She still did not understand the nature of the water, but she was open to something that promised to change her life. Jesus abruptly shifted the subject from his living water to her style of living. The woman perceived her need for living water at one level; Jesus knew that her need was far deeper, so he turned the conversation to reveal his knowledge of her personal life —and her sin of adultery. Jesus wanted to make this woman see her sin and her need for forgiveness and then offer her the living water —salvation. She must have realized that this was not a man who could be fooled, for she answered transparently, “I have no husband.” The woman spoke the truth without any explanation.

Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband.”NRSV Although he confronted the woman’s sinful life, Jesus managed to affirm her truthfulness. He did not accuse or excuse; he simply described her life so that she could draw some clear conclusions about the mess in which she was living. The conclusions we reach without knowing the facts will usually err in one of two directions: We will accuse others and raise their defenses, or we will excuse others and enable their denial. We see in Jesus’ communication with this woman that faced with an accepting confrontation, people will often respond positively. When we speak to others about themselves, we must limit our words to what we know.

4:19 “I can see that you are a prophet.”NIV In saying this, the woman acknowledged the truthfulness of Jesus’ remarks about her life. At the same time, she recognized that he must be a prophet who had the power to “see” the hidden past as well as the future. The theme of people “seeing” Jesus appears several times in John (especially in chapter 9). The persons Jesus encountered saw him many different ways, but he consistently directed their attention to recognize him for who he really was —their Savior.

Many commentators have pointed out that the woman may have been purposely attempting to avert any further disclosure of her personal, sinful life by shifting the conversation to religion. Notice how Jesus responded to her change of direction. He was not presenting a system or a gospel outline; he was having a conversation with someone who needed the living water. Jesus made no attempt to turn the discussion back to her lifestyle; rather, he entered into a dialogue about the true place of worship. Jesus kept the woman’s interest by demonstrating his willingness to let her direct the discussion.

4:20 “Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.”NRSV The unspoken question is, If you are a prophet, who’s right? The Samaritans had set up a place for worship on Mount Gerizim, basing their authority to do so on Deuteronomy 11:26-29; 27:1-8; the Jews had followed David in making Jerusalem the center of Jewish worship. The split had come in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah (Ezra 4:1-2; Nehemiah 4:1-2) when the Samaritans had offered to help rebuild the temple in Jerusalem but had been rebuffed. So there was an ongoing debate between the two groups as to who was correct. The Scriptures authenticated Jerusalem as the place of worship (Deuteronomy 12:5; 2 Chronicles 6:6; 7:12; Psalm 78:67-68); thus, the Jews were correct and the Samaritans in error. The Samaritan woman wanted to hear what a Jewish prophet had to say about this.

4:21 “A time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.”NIV Both the Jews and the Samaritans were convinced the correct way to worship God depended on a particular geographical location. But Jesus pointed to a new realm —not at Mount Gerizim or in Jerusalem, but in the Spirit of God. He also knew that the temple in Jerusalem soon would be destroyed. The first readers of John would have known this as a historical fact because it would have already happened!

WORSHIP-FULL

Do you depend on a physical building or a specific setting for the proper worship environment? God is Spirit and cannot be confined to a building. The location of worship is not nearly as important as the attitude of the worshipers. The specific conditions that enhance worship tend to be quite individual and should not be legislated. By emphasizing where we worship, we may neglect the substance of our worship where we are.

4:22 “You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.”NIV The Samaritans worshiped, but their system of worship was incomplete and flawed because it had no clear object. Because the Samaritans only used the Pentateuch (Genesis through Deuteronomy) as their Scriptures, they did not know what the rest of the Old Testament taught about worship. The Jews, with whom Jesus explicitly identified himself here, did know whom they worshiped, for they had the full revelation in the Old Testament Scriptures. These Scriptures revealed that salvation is from the Jews, for the Messiah would come from the Jewish race (Genesis 12:3).

Jesus’ answer to the woman’s religious problem is strikingly similar to Paul’s approach with the Athenians (Acts 17:16-34). In both cases, the gospel was explained, not as a criticism of the desire and need to worship, but as the revelation of the nature of true worship. It’s as if, in both cases, the message is: “You are demonstrating a good quality in desiring to worship, but your worship is misdirected; the perfect object to be worshiped, the Messiah, has come.” The living water that comes from Christ and is ever present in the believer makes the idea of continual worship a possibility. Worship becomes, at least in part, the enjoyment of our relationship with Christ wherever we are at any moment.

4:23 “But the hour is coming, and is now here.”NRSV The new worship is now here among Jesus’ followers (including both Jews and Samaritans who are united in Christ), although the end of worship in the temple or on Mount Gerizim is still future —is coming. Jesus announced that a new time had come, a time in which “the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.”NRSV True worshipers are to be recognized by the way they worship. After making the place of worship and order of worship secondary to our spiritual relationship with God, Jesus defined real worship. According to him, worship would take on two new aspects: It would be in spirit and in truth (see also 4:24).

The expression in spirit refers to the human spirit —the immaterial, inner being in each person, the God-breathed entity that corresponds to the nature of God himself, who is Spirit. Using the terms of Jesus’ conversation, worship involves the person’s awareness of that personal “spring of living water” that God has planted in him or her. God indwells believers —that is where true worship takes place. Our body can be anywhere, yet worship occurs as our attention and praise are turned toward God. We need to consciously focus on God when we are in a house of worship because we easily assume that our presence in church is all that we need in order to worship. We can usually remember how long the worship service lasted, but can we remember exactly when we actually worshiped the Lord?

The phrase in truth means “in a true way” or “with genuineness.” This would speak to all people —Jews, Samaritans, and even Gentiles; all need to worship God by recognizing God’s character and nature as well as our common need for him. We worship in truth because we worship what is true.

WORSHIPING IN TRUTH

If we are not worshiping “in spirit,” our worship will be dry and lifeless. Worship not done “in truth” becomes deceitful or irrelevant. “In spirit” reminds us who we are worshiping. “In truth” exposes the required genuineness of those doing the worshiping. To paraphrase Jesus, “True worshipers worship truthfully.” By contrast, fleshly or false worship would be: pretending to be someone or something we are not; displaying prejudice toward others who are also made in God’s image; practicing self-righteousness by denying our constant need for God’s mercy and grace; worshiping in ignorance or superstition without knowing the reality for ourselves; blindly worshiping out of habit with no heartfelt devotion.

4:24 “God is spirit.”NRSV In the Greek text, the word spirit comes first for emphasis: “Spirit is what God is.” Here is a simple yet sublime definition of the nature of God. He is spirit. God is not a physical being limited to place and time as we are. He is present everywhere, and he can be worshiped anywhere, anytime.

WHAT GOD ISN’T

As spirit, God relates to us without the limitations that we possess:

• He is never tired.
• He is never distant.
• He is never distracted.
• He is not limited by time and space.
• He can be present in all people.
• He cannot be destroyed or overpowered.

In Christ, God experienced all our weaknesses firsthand. He knows them, but they do not control him. Someday we will leave our present limitations behind and be fully in God’s spiritual presence. Worship includes saying to God, “Thank you for understanding where I am; I can hardly wait to be where you are!”

Anyone who wants to worship God must worship in spirit.NRSV There is no other way to truly worship God. Of course, a person cannot do this if his or her spirit has not been reborn by God’s Spirit (3:6, 8). Worship is to spiritual rebirth what growing up is to physical birth. Our life of worship begins when we are born by God’s Spirit.

ON HIS TERMS

When Jesus taught that worship must be “in spirit,” he was emphasizing the proper relationship with God. We approach him on his terms, not ours. But his terms are for our benefit. If God were to invade our world openly with his glory and holiness, we would be overwhelmed. Instead, God has chosen to reveal himself generally through his creation, specifically through the prophets and writers of the Bible, and fully (though humanly) in his Son, Jesus. We worship in submission to what God has revealed of himself. Worship includes our praise to God for the ways that he has revealed himself, our confession for the sins he has allowed us to see, our thanksgiving for all he has done for us, and our requests to learn more. True spiritual worship must have God at its center.

4:25 “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.”NRSV Talk of a new kind of worship must have reminded the Samaritan woman about the coming of the Messiah. Her comment was only loosely related to what Jesus had just said. She probably uttered it with a sigh, revealing her uncertainty about an unknown future. The Samaritans believed in the coming of “the Prophet” predicted by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-18), whom they called “the Restorer.” The Samaritans may have also heard of the coming Messiah from John the Baptist who had been baptizing in northern Samaria (3:23). They, as with the Jews, probably did not consider “the Prophet” and “the Messiah” to be the same person. Either way, both groups were expecting someone who would be a political liberator. They could not accept the idea that the long-awaited one would be a suffering servant before he would become the conquering king.

The woman had already perceived that Jesus was a prophet (4:19); his comments made her wish for the coming Prophet who would explain everything.

ANSWER MAN

The discussion had reached a point at which the Samaritan voiced her hope that someone would eventually be able to settle all her questions and problems. Sooner or later, in a conversation on life, people will reveal their hope. They will tell us what they rely on when worldly answers fail. At those times, we certainly should reveal our hope. Peter reminds us to “worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it” (1 Peter 3:15 NLT). Unlike Jesus, we cannot claim to be the Answer, but if we believe in Jesus, we can claim to know the Answer. When someone says, “Someday I’ll figure it all out,” we ought to respond, “I know someone who has the answers today!”

4:26 “I who speak to you am He.”NKJV Literally, “I am [he], the one speaking to you.” Although Jesus avoided telling the Jews directly that he was the Christ (see 10:24ff.), he told this Samaritan woman that he, the one who sat there with her on the well, was the promised Messiah.

JESUS TELLS ABOUT THE SPIRITUAL HARVEST / 4:27-38 / 28

The sudden arrival of the disciples interrupted the conversation. Jesus seems to have made no effort to continue the exchange. He had placed himself before the woman as the one she was expecting. What the woman would have said in response to Jesus’ revelation is unknown. But what she did is clear. She immediately went and told her neighbors that she had just encountered a unique and wonderful person whom they should also meet. She knew little about Jesus, but she knew him. The news she shared about the stranger at the well raised great curiosity among the townspeople.

Meanwhile, Jesus spoke to his disciples about the importance of being able to look at the world from God’s perspective, seeing people as a spiritual harvest to be reaped for God. Jesus reminded his disciples of his mission to do the will of God and accomplish his work; in so doing he encouraged their participation.

4:27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman.NIV Jesus had broken two cultural taboos: (1) Jews did not speak with Samaritans, and (2) a male did not normally speak with a female stranger. Jesus’ behavior amazed his disciples; yet they did not query him concerning his motives, for they must have come to realize that all of his motives were good. Anyone else would have been called to account.

4:28

Leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town.NIV Beyond displaying the woman’s excited state of mind, this action has several significant explanations: On the one hand, it speaks of the woman leaving behind her water jar representing her thirst for true life and satisfaction; on the other hand, it also reveals her intention to return. The water jar was a valuable and practical household object. But as useful as it was to get water from the well, it was useless for obtaining the water of life. However, she had just met someone who promised living water and who had displayed intimate knowledge of her life and profound understanding of spiritual truths. We can’t be sure how much she understood of what Jesus had told her, but she was convinced that everyone in town ought to hear what he had to say.

4:29-30

“Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done!”NRSV In essence, the Samaritan woman was saying that Jesus could have told her everything about her life, for in telling her about her relationships with various men, he revealed his knowledge about her history. She made no promises about what Jesus might know about everyone else, but she appealed to their curiosity. What was it about this stranger that could make a woman who had every reason to be ashamed of her life now speak publicly about her experience of transparency before him? Her invitation proved irresistible.

WHAT TO LEAVE BEHIND

When we return to the world of family and friends after encountering Jesus, there are two kinds of “water jars” we must leave behind:

1. We must leave behind our shame about the past. Because Jesus knows all about us, we can repent and receive his forgiveness. God may use the emptiness of our past life to help us convey to others the wonder of forgiveness. But we must not dwell on or carry guilt about the past.
2. We must leave behind former friends and activities. Certain pleasures and relationships (not bad in themselves) may hinder our telling others about Christ. The water jar would have slowed the woman down. She probably retrieved it later, but was not concerned about it in the light of her discovery.

Are there possessions that threaten to own us rather than the other way around? These we must leave with Christ. We must lay down our useless former pursuits of pleasure and personal fulfillment. Even though we know that our old way of living never truly satisfies, the tempter deceives us into believing that there still may be an instant, easy source of happiness in the old empty ways. Have you turned your back on old habits, old treasures, old pleasures in order to seek what only God can give? Leave them behind and satisfy your thirst in Christ.

“He cannot be the Messiah, can he?”NRSV In Greek speech, this is a tentative question: “Perhaps this may be the Christ?” She probably knew that her reputation preceded her, and any assertion on her part regarding her belief in this man would go unheeded. At this stage, she may also not have been fully convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. But her question did serve to stir up curiosity and had the desired effect —the people came out of the town and made their way toward him.NIV

4:31-33 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”NIV After the woman left for the town, the disciples urged their master to eat. His response was baffling: “I have food to eat that you do not know about.”NRSV The disciples thought he was talking about physical food; instead, Jesus was saying that he was spiritually satisfied by having shared the Good News with the Samaritan woman.

4:34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”NIV This statement shows that Jesus lived to please his Father and in so doing found spiritual satisfaction (17:4). To do God’s will meant that Jesus submitted himself to the Father’s plan and enjoyed carrying out his Father’s desires. Satisfying the Father gave Jesus true satisfaction. To finish God’s work speaks of completing the task —all the way from sowing the seed to reaping the harvest (see following verses). According to 17:4, Jesus accomplished all that the Father wanted him to do before leaving this earth. Preeminently, Jesus had revealed the Father to the world.

All Christian service and acts of compassion must be done by those who submit to God’s will. It must be God’s work, not ours, and the motivation to do it will come as we are rightly related to the Father.

HUNGRY?

Jesus spoke about the “food” that provided his spiritual nourishment. We are nourished by Bible study, prayer, and attending church. Spiritual nourishment also comes from doing God’s will in order to be his kind of people in the world. We are nourished not only by what we take in but also by what we give out for God.

Recognize the spiritual hunger to which Jesus referred in statements like, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6 NIV); and “Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ . . . But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:31, 33 NIV). Don’t you hunger to do God’s will?

4:35 “Four months more, then comes the harvest.”NRSV For farmers, approximately four months elapsed between the end of sowing and the beginning of reaping.

“Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!”NKJV From Jesus’ spiritual perspective, the time for harvesting had already arrived. The Samaritans, who were coming from town, were ready to be harvested. In telling the disciples to lift up their eyes and look at the fields, Jesus may well have been directing them to look at the approaching Samaritans. This may help explain Jesus’ use of the word white to describe a harvest. Harvests in Palestine do not look white, but Samaritans often dressed in white. They were ready to be harvested.

4:36-37 “The reaper draws his wages . . . he harvests the crop for eternal life.”NIV The reaper of this spiritual harvest derives satisfaction from bringing others to experience eternal life. This parallels Jesus’ experience with the Samaritan woman; he was satisfied by offering her the gift of life.

“The sower and the reaper may be glad together.”NIV Jesus here mentions the sower in addition to the reaper. Jesus, as both sower and reaper, sowed the seed through a single Samaritan woman and reaped a harvest from many in a Samaritan city. This sowing and reaping transpired so quickly that the sower and reaper could rejoice together. Normally, the sower’s joy is hopeful, for it is based on a future harvest. The reaper’s later joy is complete, for it is based on the stored harvest. But in the context of eternity, the sower and reaper will be together and can rejoice over the harvest they both accomplished.

HARVESTTIME

Sometimes Christians excuse themselves from witnessing by saying that their family or friends aren’t ready to believe. But our excuses don’t stand up very well before the example of the Samaritan woman, who spoke to the very people most likely to reject anything she had to say. Her message was attractive because she described how Jesus had met her needs; she did not attempt to expose their needs.

Jesus made it clear that a continual harvest awaits reaping. Don’t make excuses. If you are watchful and available, you will find people ready to hear God’s Word.

The sower and the reaper do not have the same role —the point of the next verse: “Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true.”NIV This saying may have come from verses like Deuteronomy 20:6; 28:30; Micah 6:15; Job 31:8, but it is not a direct quotation of any known biblical passage.

SEEDS AND SHEAVES

God oversees the continual work of planting the seeds of the gospel (Luke 8:4-15) and then reaping the crop. That the fields are ripe for harvest reminds us that many are ready to receive salvation because others have sown the seed. Can you identify the process of sowing and reaping that occurred in your life? Perhaps your mother or father, a Sunday school teacher, a pastor, a camp director, or a youth group leader sowed or nourished the gospel seed in you. Then a “reaper” came along whose gospel message found you ripe to respond, and you accepted eternal life. At the moment of being “harvested,” we became sowers and reapers ourselves. Our lives ought to be an effort to sow wherever and reap whenever. As was done for us, we ought to seek to do for others. In the end, the sowers, reapers, and the harvest will all rejoice!

4:38 “I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”NIV This probably refers to the coming harvest of Samaritan believers reaped by Jesus and his disciples, as well as to the harvest that would come after Pentecost (see Acts 1:8; 2:41; 9:31; 15:3). The others who labored may have been some of the Old Testament prophets or, more likely, John the Baptist and his followers (see 3:23).

TAKING CREDIT

Think of all that farmers do —plowing, fertilizing, sowing, weeding, watering, harvesting. For the most part, however, farmers are a humble group when it comes to taking credit for the results. So much is out of their hands, yet what they do is vital. In spreading the gospel, God gives us a significant role, yet he deserves the credit. In fact, we can only claim to have done a small part of the job. Often we have only a slight idea of how others have contributed to what God accomplished in a person. But our testimony, kindness, encouragement, patience, or teaching of the gospel may be the turning point in someone’s life. Let us make the most of all our opportunities.

MANY SAMARITANS BELIEVE IN JESUS / 4:39-42 / 29

As he has done before (1:12; 2:23; 3:18), John points out that to “believe in him” is the required response when a person encounters Jesus. As a result of Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman, her bold witness in town, and the people’s curiosity, many became believers. The choice is a significant challenge to the whole person —mind, will, emotions, experience. The response is profound, but not complicated. At some point a person’s mind must stop asking how, his will must stop asking why, his emotions must set fear aside, and his experience must not be allowed to say “Jesus can’t be trusted either.” Jesus’ proof was compelling. John was convinced and believed; the Samaritans were convinced and believed; so have millions of others. The unavoidable question each person must ask is, “Have I believed in Jesus?”

4:39-42 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony.NIV Many of the Samaritans who believed in Jesus were first drawn by the testimony of the woman about the mysterious man who told her everything she had ever done. They invited Jesus to stay longer, and because of that, others believed when they heard Jesus for themselves (4:41).

They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”NIV Many Samaritans had come to know absolutely and positively that Jesus was the Savior of the world. This last statement is the climax of this passage (4:1-42), for it speaks of how Jesus had come to be, not just the Jews’ Messiah, but the world’s Savior as well.

ON OUR OWN

When people become new Christians, they often depend on the individual who invited them to believe in Christ. That dependence helps in the beginning, but it can cause harm if it becomes central to their understanding of Christ. Spiritual maturity grows from one’s own direct relationship with God. At the human level, the giving should go both ways, not just one way. We will always be grateful to those who shared the gospel with us. But as we grow in Christ, God will help us minister to those who first ministered to us.

JESUS PREACHES IN GALILEE / 4:43-45 / 30

After his wonderful experience in Samaria, Jesus went to Cana in Galilee, where he healed a royal official’s son. But along with the healing came Jesus’ rebuke that the people’s belief was based on seeing signs and wonders, not on trusting in Jesus himself. These events stand in contrast to Jesus’ experience in Sychar (4:1-42), where without miracles and through an unexpected witness, many placed their trust in him.

4:43-44 When the two days were over, he went from that place to Galilee.NRSV According to verse 3, Jesus left Judea and headed for Galilee. He passed through Samaria on the way and stayed there for two days (4:40).

(Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.)NIV Some commentators argue that Jesus’ native country was Judea; others have argued for Nazareth. Those who argue for Judea do so because the Galileans welcomed him. Those who argue for Nazareth do so on the strength of the synoptic Gospels (see Matthew 13:57; Mark 6:4; Luke 4:24, where the word patridi —“own country” —is used to describe Nazareth) and on the basis that Jesus did not leave Judea because he was unpopular. To the contrary, his popularity was increasing (see 4:2). Thus, Jesus went to the Galileans, knowing that they would welcome him as miracle-worker but not as a prophet, much less as the Messiah. In any case, the identity of the place Jesus might have thought of as his own country is secondary to the fact that he was rejected everywhere he went, eventually being given the highest dishonor of death on a cross. In Jesus’ case, the world was his own creation; and though “he came to that which was his own” (1:11 NIV), he was not received.

4:45 When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, for they also had been there.NIV This statement refers to 2:23, which says that the people assembling in Jerusalem (among whom were these Galileans) during the Passover believed in Jesus because of the signs they saw him perform.

JESUS HEALS A GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL’S SON / 4:46-54 / 31

The story of Jesus turning water into wine was still news in Cana when he returned. The local welcome was tinged with interest over what new wonders he might perform. The opportunity would soon come. A child in nearby Capernaum lay sick, and an anxious father came to Jesus, begging for help.

4:46-50 Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine.NRSV See 2:1-11.

There was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum.NRSV This man was very likely an official in Herod’s court, serving in some capacity in Capernaum, about twenty miles from Cana. Although this miracle bears similarities with the one recorded in Matthew 8:5-13 and Luke 7:2-10 (both deal with the healing of a centurion’s servant), they seem to be different incidents. All the Gospel writers imply that the miracles they recorded were nothing more than samples of Jesus’ work.

When the royal official requested that Jesus come and healNIV his son, who was at the point of death,NKJV Jesus responded, “Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders . . . you will never believe.”NIV Jesus took the opportunity to address all the Galileans (2:23; 4:45) and reprimand them for being sign-seekers. But this Galilean was not merely a sign-seeker. He had a need, and he truly believed Jesus could meet that need. As a result, his need was met.

“Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way.NRSV The official believed Jesus’ word, and the healing was performed. He was the type of man whom Jesus would later call “blessed,” for he had not seen and yet he believed (see 20:29). Jesus’ word is a life-giving word (see 5:24-25; 6:68).

4:51-53 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living.NIV The details given in these verses tell the reader that the healing occurred at exactly the time Jesus spoke the words, “Your son lives!”NKJV Jesus’ miracles were not mere illusions, the products of wishful thinking. Although the official’s son was twenty miles away, he was healed when Jesus spoke the word. Distance was no problem because Christ has mastery over space. This miracle produced faith throughout the household (including family members or servants): So he himself believed, along with his whole household.NRSV There are cultures where the word or belief of the head of the household represents what each member of the house believes. New Testament evidence points to these kinds of responses in more than one case (Acts 10:2; 16:15, 33). This strikes our individualistic culture as somewhat unusual. But, in fact, even in modern families, when one member of the family is profoundly and clearly changed by the gospel, the effects tend to spread throughout the rest of the family. How different would the state of the Christian church be today if heads of households provided real spiritual leadership in their homes?

CAN HE BE TRUSTED?

This government official not only believed that Jesus could heal, he also obeyed Jesus by returning home, thus truly demonstrating his faith. It isn’t enough for us to say we believe that Jesus can take care of our problems. We need to act as if he can. We also need to leave the means, ways, and timing up to him. When we pray about a need or problem, we should live as though we believe Jesus can do what he says.

4:54 Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee.NRSV The first sign was changing the water into wine at the wedding in Cana (2:1-11). The second was healing a dying child. According to the Gospel of John, Jesus’ miracles were “signs” —pointing the people who witnessed them to the one who performed the signs, Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God. If the miracle produced faith in Jesus only as a miracle worker and not as the Son of God, then the people missed the miracle as the sign it was intended to be.

EXERCISE YOUR FAITH

Notice how the official’s faith grew:

• He believed enough to ask Jesus to help his son.
• He believed to the point of insisting that Jesus come with him to heal his son.
• He trusted Jesus’ assurance that his son would live, and he acted on it.
• He and his whole household believed in Jesus.

Faith grows as we use it.