John 4:1-26
Title: Jesus Witnesses
to the Samaritan Women
Analysis:
As
Jesus continues His ministry on this earth, He begins to travel from Judea to
Galilee. Most Jews, because of their hatred for the Samaritans as ‘Half-Jews’
would never travel through Samaria but rather take the longer route north along
the seacoast. Jesus though chose to pass through Samaria. In His sovereign
knowledge he knew he had a divine appointment with the women at the well.
While
travelling Jesus and His disciples came to Jacob’s well in the evening time and
it is here that we see a glimpse of our Lord’s humanity. Only a little while
ago, we heard John the Baptist proclaim in 3:36, -“He who believes in the Son
has eternal life…” Here John claims that Jesus is the only way to God which
affirms His complete deity. But now we see in 4:6, “So Jesus, being wearied from
His journey, was sitting thus by the well…” Even the Lord has physical
limitations while on this earth; they were necessary as he had to be fully God
and fully man to be the right substitute.
It
was now 6:00 in the evening and the disciples had gone into the town to
purchase food. As Jesus waits by the well side a Samaritan women comes to draw
water from the well (vs. 7) Our Lord then speaks to her, asking her for a drink
of water, something that any Jewish man would never have done as it resulted in
a breach of the social animosity the two people groups held for each other. The
women then answers Jesus according to the culture wondering why he would even
speak to her, as she was a Samaritan women (vs. 9). Jesus replies and tells the
lady that if she knew who He was, she would have asked Him for life giving
water (vs. 10). The women, not understanding that Jesus spoke of spiritual life
says in verse 15, “Sir Give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come
all the way here to draw.” Because of her misunderstanding Jesus asked the women to,
“go call her husband” pointing to the direct spiritual need that she had.
As
we know the lady responds saying, I have no husband , to which Jesus
acknowledges is right, because she has been married five times before (vs.
17-18). The Lord in this moment exposes his supernatural knowledge of this
women’s life and she immediately recognizes it. Jesus then explains to her that
it does not matter what location you worship God at, for both places would soon
be destroyed. Instead the Lord reveals to her that you must worship the Father
both in spirit and in truth (vs.24-25).
In
verse 25 the Samaritan lady now understands that the Lord was speaking about
spiritual life and she acknowledges that the Messiah is coming, and he will
make all things known to them. And to answer her claim that the Messiah will
come, Jesus, in an amazing revelation of who He was says to her plainly, “I am
He!” Declaring that the Messiah they were waiting for had come and was the one
who was speaking with her face to face.
Response:
This
passage shows to me the pleasure that our Lord has in making Himself known to
all mankind. Jesus had come to this earth to seek and save the lost, and He was
prepared to declare who he was so that mankind would believe in His name. Our
Lord even travelled to places where the religious men would never go and speak
to people who would never have the opportunity to hear the gospel. I am
convicted by His readiness to share with this women about who He is. I know
that I need to have this same sort of love that reaches out to everyone,
sharing with them the blessed truth that Jesus was and is the Messiah.
Blessings,
Lucas C.
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