John 4 - The Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible

4:1–4 Jesus travels northward from Judaea to Galilee, intentionally passing through Samaria, a region inhabited by people despised by strict Jews (v. 9) as being of mixed race and religion since the exile of the northern tribes (2 Kings 17:22–41).

4:5 parcel. Piece, portion. Jacob gave to . . . Joseph. See note at Gen. 48:22. sixth hour. Likely noon, the heat of the day.

4:8 meat. Food of any kind.

4:9 thou, being a Jew. Jesus’ actions were culturally and religiously unacceptable to the mindset of His day, but He is not bound by men’s conventions or prejudices.

4:10 gift of God. Jesus identified Himself as the One who gives God’s spiritual blessing. living water. Jesus used “fresh, running water” to symbolize the overflowing life of joy found only by union with God through Christ in the Holy Spirit (7:37–39; Ps. 42:1–2; Jer. 2:13; Zech. 14:8; Rev. 21:6; 22:17; cf. Ezek. 47:1–12).

4:14 never thirst. Physical desires require repeated satisfaction and never fully satiate us, but Christ becomes an internal source of vitality that satisfies the heart (in him a well of water ; Isa. 12:3) and leads to complete happiness forever (springing up into everlasting life; Rev. 7:15–17).

4:15 hither. Here (v. 16).

4:16–18 Go, call thy husband. Having caught her attention, He now put His finger on her conscience to reveal her sins and need of salvation.

4:19 prophet. She realized that He had a supernatural knowledge of her life (v. 29). Her conscience was roused, and she moved on to the level of religious conversation.

4:20 this mountain. Mt. Gerizim, long the site of the Samaritan temple.

4:21 hour cometh. Christ’s coming brought about the fullness of time (Gal. 4:4), and through Him God was beginning to implement His plan to draw the nations into true worship. nor yet at Jerusalem. The temple and ceremonial law were passing away because the true temple had come in Christ (1:14; 2:21).

4:22 worship ye know not what. While the Samaritans accepted the five books of Moses, their rejection of the rest of the Old Testament caused them to worship in a manner unacceptable to God.

4:23 worship the Father in spirit and truth. True worship takes place when the Holy Spirit engages the human spirit with God’s Word. The outward worship that largely characterized the temple of the old covenant was being replaced by the simplicity and privilege of access to the Father in the Spirit through faith in the Son (Eph. 2:18,21–22).

4:24 God is a Spirit. Or “God is spirit” (cf. 1 John 1:5; 4:8,16). God’s being is not material or bound by physical location but is infinite, eternal, and personal life (Isa. 31:3).

4:25–26 Messias. Messiah, or Christ (1:41). I . . . am he. Jesus openly confessed to the Samaritans that He is the promised Christ.

4:27 marvelled. It was a rule that a rabbi not speak with any woman in the street.

4:28 left her waterpot. She had found the true well.

4:29–30 As when the disciples of John discovered Jesus (1:41-42,45–46), the Samaritan woman quickly told her neighbors and friends about Him.

4:31 prayed. Asked.

4:34 His spiritual food (meat) was to complete His great mission on earth, which was to gather in God’s elect people into His kingdom. Evangelism satisfies God’s servants.

4:35–36 There is a harvest of souls ripe for ingathering. Those who sow gospel truth and those who gather in precious souls for God will rejoice together on the great day.

4:37–38 One soweth. Jesus sowed the Word among the Samaritans (vv. 41–42), and the apostles would one day reap a harvest of churches in Samaria (Acts 1:8; 8:5,14,25).

4:39–42 Saviour of the world. Not just of the Jews but of sinners from all nations (Rev. 5:9).

4:43–45 Jesus continued His journey northward to Galilee (v. 3).

4:46 came again into Cana of Galilee. This marks the starting point of Christ’s great Galilean ministry, which was to last for about sixteen months, a period extensively recorded in the other three gospels but largely assumed in this gospel, except for the healing of the nobleman’s son (vv. 46–53) and the feeding of the five thousand (6:5–14). nobleman. Royal officer.

4:47 besought. Asked.

4:48 ye. Plural of “you”; Christ’s rebuke was not aimed specifically at the man but at the people in general, warning against faith based merely on miracles (2:23–25).

4:49 ere. Before.

4:50 thy son liveth. Christ’s mere word was powerful to heal at a distance (v. 51; Matt. 8:8–10). Cana and Capernaum were sixteen miles apart.

4:52–53 amend. Change for the better. seventh hour. 1:00 p.m. the same hour. The healing of the child at the same time Jesus spoke confirmed that the healing was done at His word, which confirmed the faith of the father; his family and servants were also saved (his whole house; Acts 16:31–34).

4:54 second miracle. See note at 2:11.

Thoughts for Personal/Family Worship: Chapter 4

1. The Christian should learn to turn conversations with unconverted persons to the subject of salvation, as Christ does so kindly here. Christ wisely began with physical, visible things but used them as a lead-in to God’s gift and our spiritual need. In our preaching and evangelism we must strive to convince hearers that they have sinned against God. The sinner’s conscience is the preacher’s friend. However, a sense of sin helps no one without the knowledge of the Savior of the world. Where do you see yourself most in this chapter? The woman confronted, convicted, or converted?
2. Worship is unacceptable to God unless it is “in spirit and in truth” (v. 23). That means that the worshiper must be spiritually reborn and be walking in the Spirit and that the content and form of worship offered must be according to God’s Word. What are some examples of worship that are not done “in spirit”? What are examples of worship not offered “in truth”?