John 4
Summary for John 4:1-42: 4:1-42 a At a historic well in Samaria, Jesus offered himself as living water. Jesus engaged and confronted people with the revelation of God, and they either followed or fell away.• The Samaritan woman contrasted with Nicodemus at every turn: a woman (not a man), a Samaritan (not a Jew), a sinner (not righteous), and an outcast (not one of Israel’s rabbis). While Nicodemus fell silent and never responded to Jesus’ challenges (3:1-21 b), this woman acknowledged Jesus as Lord, remained in the light, and exhibited signs of discipleship (see 1:35-51 c).
4:2 d Jesus himself didn’t baptize anyone but left water baptism to his disciples. After his glorification on the cross (7:37-39 e), Jesus baptized people in the Holy Spirit (1:33 f; Acts 2:4 g).
4:3 h After John the Baptist had been imprisoned (see Mark 6:14-29 i), Jesus left Judea (cp. Mark 1:14 j).
Summary for John 4:4-6: 4:4-6 k In going north to Galilee, Jesus took the less-preferred route through Samaria. Samaria had a long history of tension with Judea (see 2 Kgs 17:24-41 l; Ezra 4:1-5 m; Neh 4 n; 6:1-19 o). In Jesus’ day, harsh racial and cultural conflict existed between Jews and Samaritans. Jews normally avoided Samaria by first going east to Jericho, then following the Jordan Valley north.
• Sychar was probably in the region of Shechem. Jesus had come to Jacob’s well; Jacob had owned land near Shechem (Gen 33:18-19 p).
4:7 q Due to the heat, it was customary for the women to draw water in early morning or evening. However, this woman lived in isolation, separated from her community. Jesus was compassionate toward outcasts.
4:9 r The woman was surprised because social taboos would keep a Jewish teacher like Jesus from speaking to her (4:18 s). However, Jesus did not let social taboos constrain him from giving her what she truly needed.
4:10 t Shechem had no rivers and thus no living water (see thematic note for Living Water at end of chapter). However, Jesus was speaking symbolically: This gift from God was the Holy Spirit (7:37-39 u).
4:11 v Jacob’s well was more than 100 feet (30 meters) deep and required a long rope for drawing water. The woman misunderstood Jesus’ words because she was still in darkness.
4:12 w our ancestor Jacob: The Samaritan woman appealed with reverence to the sacred traditions attached to the well rather than to the presence of God before her.
4:14 x The notion of a fresh, bubbling spring was a powerful image in the dry climate of Israel. Those who come to God will neither hunger nor thirst (see Isa 49:10 y; 55:1-3 z; Jer 2:13 aa).
4:15 ab The woman asked Jesus for this water, but she did not grasp the spiritual implications of his words. To overcome the spiritual barrier, Jesus addressed her sin (4:16-18 ac).
Summary for John 4:16-18: 4:16-18 ad Immorality blocked the woman’s understanding. Her marital affairs, including having five husbands, underscored her sinful life.
Summary for John 4:19-20: 4:19-20 ae The woman dodged Jesus’ moral probing and brought up the historical ethnic division between Jews and Samaritans. 4:19 af a prophet: Jesus revealed knowledge about the woman (4:16-18 ag) that was inaccessible to the average person (cp. 1:48 ah).
• As the woman’s understanding of Jesus unfolded, her names for him became increasingly well informed. Earlier she recognized him as a Jew (4:9 ai) and called him sir (4:11 aj, 15 ak, 19 al). Later she thought he might be the Messiah (4:29 am). Finally, the people of the village recognized him as Savior of the world (4:42 an). Her growing understanding of Jesus’ identity is a testimony to John’s readers (see 20:31 ao).
4:20 ap The Samaritans worshiped at Mount Gerizim, which towered above Shechem. Both were important Old Testament locations (see Gen 12:6-7 aq; 33:19 ar; Deut 11:29 as; Josh 8:33 at; 24:1 au, 25 av, 32 aw).
Summary for John 4:21-22: 4:21-22 ax Jesus affirmed that the Jews had preserved the right understanding of the one you worship.
• salvation comes through the Jews: God gave the Jews a special relationship with him, and the Messiah was to be a Jew (see also Rom 9:4-5 ay).
4:24 az in spirit and in truth: One Greek preposition governs both words (literally in spirit and truth) and makes them a single concept. True worship occurs as God’s Spirit reveals God’s truth and reality to the worshiper. Jesus Christ is the Truth (14:6 ba; cp. 14:17 bb; 15:26 bc).
4:26 bd I Am the Messiah (Greek reads “I am, the one speaking to you”): Jesus’ phrase was unusual and emphatic, and it suggests identity with God (see 8:58 be; Exod 3:14 bf).
Summary for John 4:27-30: 4:27-30 bg The woman was tentative about Jesus’ identity (4:29 bh), yet she ran to the village and told everyone to come and see. Testifying to others is a mark of discipleship (see 1:39 bi, 46 bj).
Summary for John 4:32-34: 4:32-34 bk While Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman, the disciples were gone buying food (4:8 bl); now they urged Jesus to eat. Jesus continued to speak symbolically, but they did not understand him (4:33 bm). Later, when the disciples received the Spirit, they understood (2:22 bn). Jesus received his nourishment from doing what his Father told him to do (see 5:30 bo; 6:38 bp; 7:18 bq; 8:50 br; 9:4 bs; 10:37-38 bt; 12:49-50 bu).
4:35 bv Four months between planting and harvest: Jesus cited a local parable to contrast the natural harvest with his own. It was harvest time in Samaria, and the fields were ripe. Jesus, however, had planted seed at the well and now was already reaping the harvest of belief among the Samaritans (4:39-42 bw).
4:38 bx others: Jesus might have meant John the Baptist, or he might have been referring to the work he had just done with the Samaritan woman.
Summary for John 4:39-40: 4:39-40 by Many Samaritans: The religiously sophisticated “chosen people” in Jerusalem did not respond to Jesus with faith (ch 3 bz). By contrast, many Samaritans believed in Jesus because of the testimony of this outcast woman.
4:42 ca The Samaritans had experienced for themselves that Jesus was true. Their name for Jesus, Savior of the world (also used in 1 Jn 4:14 cb), demonstrated that the Samaritans were keenly aware of their distance from Judaism. Jesus’ ministry was not simply for Jews, but for all people (John 1:4-12 cc; cp. 12:20-26 cd).
Summary for John 4:44-45: 4:44-45 ce Unlike Jesus’ fellow Jews, the Galileans welcomed him, but their welcome was based on awe of Jesus’ miracles (cp. 2:23-25 cf), not true faith.
4:48 cg Jesus sharply criticized the Galileans who desired miraculous signs and wonders before they would believe (see 6:30 ch).
4:50 ci Your son will live! Jesus also healed the centurion’s slave (Matt 8:5-13 cj) and the Phoenician woman’s daughter (Matt 15:21-28 ck) from a distance.
4:53 cl Just like many others (2:23 cm; 4:39 cn), the official and his household believed in Jesus because of the miracle.
4:54 co second miraculous sign ... in Galilee: Two miracles at Cana (2:11 cp; 4:46 cq) frame this section of John’s Gospel.
Thematic note: Living Water
In Israel, a land that frequently experienced drought, people were keenly aware of water sources and water quality. Springs and rivers that ran all year were few, so the people relied on cisterns to catch and store the winter rains and wells to tap underground water tables. In Jewish culture, “dead water” referred to standing or stored water. “Living water” referred to moving water, as in rivers, springs, and rainfall. Such water was precious because it was fresh. And because it came directly from God, it was used for ritual washings (see Lev 14:5-6 cr, 50-51 cs; 15:13 ct; Num 19:17-19 cu).
The distinction between “dead” and “living” water helps explain why the woman of Samaria was so perplexed when Jesus offered her living water (John 4:12 cv). Samaria has no permanent river. If Jacob had to dig a well there, how could Jesus offer superior water?
Jesus mentioned living water again in Jerusalem at the autumn Festival of Shelters (7:37-39 cw). This festival, which fell during a dry time of year, included an emphasis on water. In this setting, Jesus stepped forward and made an extravagant claim: Anyone looking for living water should come to him and drink. Jesus is the source of living water; he came directly from God and brought divine renewal through the Spirit.
Passages for Further Study
Lev 14:5-6 cx, 50-51 cy; 15:13 cz; Num 19:17-19 da; Song 4:15 db; Jer 2:13 dc; 17:13 dd; John 4:10-14 de; 7:38-39 df; Jas 3:11-12 dg
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