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John 4

World English Bible

WEB

1Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2(although Jesus himself didn’t baptize, but his disciples), 3he left Judea and departed into Galilee. 4He needed to pass through Samaria. 5So he came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being tired from his journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9The Samaritan woman therefore said to him, “How is it that you, being a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10Jesus answered 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.” 11The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. So where do you get that living water? 12Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his children and his livestock?” 13Jesus answered her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, 14but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” 15The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I don’t get thirsty, neither come all the way here to draw.” 16Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17The woman answered, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You said well, ‘I have no husband,’ 18for you have had five husbands; and he whom you now have is not your husband. This you have said truly.” 19The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22You worship that which you don’t know. We worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews. 23But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshipers. 24God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming, he who is called Christ. When he has come, he will declare to us all things.” 26Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who speaks to you.” 27Just then, his disciples came. They marveled that he was speaking with a woman; yet no one said, “What are you looking for?” or, “Why do you speak with her?” 28So the woman left her water pot, went away into the city, and said to the people, 29“Come, see a man who told me everything that I have done. Can this be the Christ?” 30They went out of the city, and were coming to him. 31In the meanwhile, the disciples urged him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.” 33The disciples therefore said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” 34Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. 35Don’t you say, ‘There are yet four months until the harvest’? Behold, I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, that they are white for harvest already. 36He who reaps receives wages and gathers fruit to eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37For in this the saying is true, ‘One sows, and another reaps.’ 38I sent you to reap that for which you haven’t labored. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” 39From that city many of the Samaritans believed in him because of the word of the woman, who testified, “He told me everything that I have done.” 40So when the Samaritans came to him, they begged him to stay with them. He stayed there two days. 41Many more believed because of his word. 42They said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of your speaking; for we have heard for ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.” 43After the two days he went out from there and went into Galilee. 44For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45So when he came into Galilee, the Galileans received him, having seen all the things that he did in Jerusalem at the feast, for they also went to the feast. 46Jesus came therefore again to Cana of Galilee, where he made the water into wine. There was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to him and begged him that he would come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48Jesus therefore said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will in no way believe.” 49The nobleman said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50Jesus said to him, “Go your way. Your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. 51As he was going down, his servants met him and reported, saying “Your child lives!” 52So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. They said therefore to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour, the fever left him.” 53So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” He believed, as did his whole house. 54This is again the second sign that Jesus did, having come out of Judea into Galilee.

World English Bible, 2020 stable text edition. Public domain; “World English Bible” is a trademark of eBible.org. eBible.org

Overview

John Chapter 4 presents a profound encounter between Jesus and a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, illustrating the breaking of social and cultural barriers. As Jesus asks the woman for a drink, it becomes clear that He is crossing the boundaries of Jewish customs, as Jews typically avoided interactions with Samaritans. This conversation reveals Jesus' mission to offer living water, symbolizing eternal life and spiritual fulfillment. The woman, initially confused, engages in a dialogue that leads to her realization of Jesus' true identity as the Messiah. This moment emphasizes the theme of #evangelism, as Jesus reveals that true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, transcending geographical and cultural limitations (John 4:24).

The chapter also highlights the transformative power of Jesus' message. After her encounter with Him, the Samaritan woman becomes an evangelist herself, returning to her town to share her experience and invite others to meet Jesus. Her testimony leads many Samaritans to believe in Christ, demonstrating that the Gospel is for all people, regardless of their background. This chapter culminates in Jesus' teaching about the harvest, where He encourages His disciples to recognize the urgency of spreading the Good News, as the fields are ripe for harvest (John 4:35). Through this narrative, we see the heart of Jesus' ministry: reaching out to the marginalized and offering salvation to everyone who believes.

Study

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Referenced by

  1. Psalms 40:8v34Psalm 40:8 expresses delight in doing God's will, which is echoed by Jesus in John 4:34 as He speaks of His mission to fulfill the Father's will.
  2. Psalms 126:6v36Psalm 126:6 describes those who go out weeping, bearing seed for sowing, will return with shouts of joy, bringing in the sheaves. This is echoed in John 4:36, where Jesus speaks of the sower and reaper rejoicing together.
  3. Isaiah 12:3v14Isaiah 12:3 speaks of drawing water from the wells of salvation, which is metaphorically connected to Jesus' promise of living water in John 4:14, symbolizing eternal life through Him.
  4. Isaiah 41:17v14Isaiah 41:17 speaks of God providing water for the thirsty, which is mirrored in John 4:14 where Jesus offers living water that quenches spiritual thirst.
  5. Isaiah 58:11v14Isaiah 58:11 promises that the Lord will guide continually and satisfy needs in a sun-scorched land, making one like a well-watered garden. Jesus speaks of giving living water in John 4:14, which will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
  6. Jeremiah 2:13v10Jeremiah 2:13 speaks of Israel forsaking God, the 'fountain of living waters,' which is echoed in John 4:10-14 where Jesus offers 'living water' to the Samaritan woman, symbolizing eternal life and spiritual satisfaction.
  7. Mark 6:4v44In Mark 6:4, Jesus states that a prophet is not without honor except in his hometown, which is echoed in John 4:44, highlighting the theme of rejection by one's own people.
  8. Luke 4:24v44Both passages reflect the theme of a prophet not being accepted in his hometown, highlighting the rejection Jesus faced.
  9. John 2:1-11v46John 2:1-11 describes Jesus' first miracle of turning water into wine at Cana, demonstrating His divine authority. In John 4:46-54, Jesus performs another miracle in Cana, healing the official's son, further establishing His power and the importance of faith.
  10. John 6:35v14In John 6:35, Jesus declares Himself as the 'bread of life,' promising that whoever comes to Him will never hunger. This is similar to John 4:14, where Jesus speaks of giving 'living water' that will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life, emphasizing His role as the source of spiritual sustenance.
  11. Revelation 21:6v14Revelation 21:6 refers to the water of life, freely given, which connects to John 4:14 where Jesus offers living water, symbolizing eternal life and spiritual satisfaction.

Topics in this chapter

  • John 7Spiritual FulfillmentLiving WaterScripture Reading
  • Revelation 22Water of LifeLiving WaterLife
  • Matthew 9HarvestGreat CommissionJesus' Ministry
  • Luke 10HarvestTeacherDisciples
  • John 6Zoe (Life)Living WaterJesus' Ministry
  • John 3PneumaJesus' MinistrySavior
  • Acts 8PneumaGreat CommissionSamaria
  • Acts 1Great CommissionGalileeDisciples
  • John 2BeliefGalileeDisciples
  • Luke 4Divine MissionAcceptanceScripture Reading
  • Isaiah 55SatisfactionLiving Water
  • Revelation 21Water of LifeSpiritual FulfillmentLiving Water

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