In this study we see Jesus gently leading the Samaritan woman toward salvation. But along the way she keeps on coming up with religious arguments as to why she shouldn’t be listening to him. As we examine this portion of scripture, we will see how Jesus does not argue with her. He gently keeps coming back to the need in her heart. This can serve as an important pattern for us when we are trying to share the gospel of Christ with others. As you study these verses, notice how often Jesus simply ignores her theological objections. He never gets into an argument with her. As we try to reach others for Christ, we would do well to follow his example.

1 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John

2 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples),

3 He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.

4 But He needed to go through Samaria.

1. (verse 4) Why do you think Jesus needed to go through Samaria?

The Samaritans were originally the Northern tribes of Israel, but they had inter-married with the heathen nations around them and had combined many of the pagan religions to their beliefs thus polluting the true worship of God. They were considered unclean by devout Jews. A Jew traveling from Galilee to Judah would travel along the Eastern edge of Samaria to avoid coming in contact with these people, but this route would take much longer. So there were times that Jews would have to take the direct route so they could arrive at their destination on time. This barrier between the Jews and Samaritans was about to fall as Jesus was about to break the walls between all peoples of all nations.

5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink."

8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

2. (verses 6-7) Do you think Jesus was really weary and thirsty?

Everything that Jesus did was ordained by God. But I think he probably was genuinely tired and thirsty. While he was here on earth, he was subject to the same physical limitations we are. There would be times when he was weary and tired. Because Jesus suffered what we have to suffer, we can know that he understands exactly what we are going through. He is sympathetic to our human plight, as he was to this woman’s spiritual plight.

9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

3. (verse 9) Do you think that the woman said these words simply because she was surprised that a Jew would speak to a Samaritan, or do you sense a tinge of sarcasm or bitterness from the woman? What social or ethnic barriers do you have difficulty overcoming?

This is the woman’s Objection # 1 to listening to Jesus – he was of a different religion. I am not sure this wasn’t a little bit of sarcasm on the woman’s part. Perhaps she had been shunned by Jews before and held hostility and resentment toward all of them. Because Jews had despised her, she may have felt hatred toward them. It is sometimes difficult for us to get beyond our preconceptions of people. Too often we judge people by surface considerations such as social stature, economic station, appearance, or even nationality and race. This may have been what the Samaritan woman was doing. Let us strive to ignore those prejudices we may have. Let us follow Jesus’ example. He reached out to the despised, the sinners, the prostitutes, and even the Samaritans.

10 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, `Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."

4. (verse 10) Does Jesus answer the woman’s question? What do you think Jesus’ statement means about living water? What does our society seek after to quench their emotional thirst?

Notice that Jesus does not answer the woman’s question. Instead of getting in an intellectual discussion of Jews and Samaritans, he reaches to her real need – spiritual thirst. Accepting Christ as your Savior is done from the heart. No one yet has been won to the Lord with intellectual arguments. People accept Christ because they have a need in their life and sense God’s love reaching to them.

Our society is seeking to quench their spiritual thirst. But too often they look in the wrong places – in drugs, alcohol, sex, money, possessions. Christ offered the woman living water. If we want to see people led to the Lord, we must tell them about the living water that will quench the emptiness in their soul.

11 The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?

12 "Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?"

5. (verses 11-12) At this point, what do you think the woman thinks of Jesus?

Here is Objection # 2 – Who do you think you are? Are you greater than our father Jacob? We see this attitude often displayed by non-believers. They think that Christians are holier-than-thou, that Christians are always trying to tell them what to do, that Christians think that they are so goody-goody. Jesus has just asked her to draw water for him. He probably appears tired and thirsty. He probably doesn’t strike her as one who could help her very much with drawing of the water. So she thinks, who does he think he is anyway?

13 Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,

14 "but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

15 The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."

6. (verses 13-15) Do you think the woman understood at this time that Jesus was speaking to her about spiritual living water?

Once again Jesus does not answer her question. He doesn’t mention anything about his qualifications or about Jacob. He continues to appeal to her heart needs. Now, not only does he mention the physical properties of water (she will never thirst again) but he adds the spiritual properties (it springs up into eternal life). She hears the first part, but doesn’t quite understand the second part yet. In verse 5 she is clearly referring to physical water as she says, "give me this water that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."

16 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."

17 The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, `I have no husband,'

18 "for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."

19 The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.

7. (verse 16) Why did Jesus ask the woman this question? How do you feel when God points out to you your sin?

Before we can be saved, we must confess our sins to Christ. We must admit that we are a sinner in need of a Savior. No one likes to have their sins pointed out to them, but when Christ does it, it draws us closer to him because we realize how weak and helpless we really are in ourselves.

20 "Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."

8. (verse 20) Why do you think the woman brought up this religious controversy?

In verse 19 the woman said, "I perceive that you are a prophet." She sensed that she was in the presence of someone sent from God. So what does she do? She changes the subject by bringing up Objection # 3 – a religious controversy between the Jews and Samaritans. Sometimes when people are getting close to making a commitment to Christ, they become uncomfortable. They know they need to change, but they don’t want to give up their sinful ways, so they find things to argue about. If they can start an argument, then they won’t have to face the decision that is looming in their heart – to commit their life to Christ.

21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.

22 "You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.

23 "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

24 "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

9. (verses 21-24) How are we to worship God? Do we need to be in church to worship God?

Once again, Jesus does not directly answer her question. He points to a time when these differences won’t matter. Then he zeroes in on worshipping the Father. This is something she can understand. This is not foreign theology to her. He simply says that the Father is seeking those who will worship him in spirit and in truth. Notice how Jesus has taken every one of her arguments and brought it back to the important and simple things of the spirit. In verse 24 Jesus is making a profound theological statement, "God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." And yet this concept is so simple a child can understand it. I think the woman was ready to accept Christ’s teachings, but she had one last-ditch effort to avoid making a commitment to God.

Some people may say that if we worship God in spirit, we don’t really need to attend church. It is important that we worship God at home, but we also need the encouragement, love, prayers, and support of fellow Christians. All the early Christians met together. We don’t find any believers in the New Testament going it alone.

25 The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When He comes, He will tell us all things."

26 Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

10. (verses 25) Why do you think the woman mentions the Messiah?

Her final argument is Objection # 4 – we’ll wait for the Messiah to explain all these things. In other words, she was saying, I think what you are saying is true but I’ll put it off to another time. This has to be one of the most common objections that non-believers use – I’ll wait for a better time. But there never will come a better time. Unknowingly she uses the one objection that will transform her life forever. She will wait for the Messiah to come, and Jesus said, "I who speak to you am he." As she beheld him looking at her speaking those gracious words, she could feel in her heart that it was true. Her life would be changed. She would never be the same as we will see in the verses ahead.

How was this woman won to Christ? Jesus ignored the words she was speaking and the excuses she was giving, and he ministered to the need in her heart. When we are sharing Christ with others, let us not get bogged down in intellectual arguments, but let us share the simple gospel message from the heart and allow the Holy Spirit to do the rest.

Footnotes:

This study on John 4:1-26 © 1997 by David Humpal. All Rights Reserved.