JOHN LESSON 10
We will begin this lesson in John 4:1.
V-1, "When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard
that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, "
V-2, "(Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)"
V-3, "He left Judea, and departed again into Galilee."
These Pharisees opposed John the Baptist, but they were even more
opposed to Jesus Himself. By this time word had filtered out to them
that Jesus was baptizing even more than John. This angered the
Pharisees. We see here in parentheses that it was actually Jesus'
disciples who were doing the actual baptizing. Jesus was preaching,
and His men were baptizing. Jesus left these religious people of that
day and went out to where His message would be more readily accepted.
Jesus would go to the people themselves over the leaders of the
temple.
V-4, "And he must needs go through Samaria."
Samaria means watch mountain. This had been an evil city. Ahab
built a temple to Baal. Elisha and Elijah had ministered in Samaria,
also. This became a city that Philip preached in. We see here that
Jesus passes through Samaria. This Samaria is probably the country of
which the capital is the city of Samaria.
V-5, "Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called
Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son
Joseph."
This word Sychar means town of drunkards or town of liars. There
is no record of a town by this name, so many believe it was John's way
of telling of the sins of the city Shechem. It really doesn't matter
about which city it is. The point that is being made here is that it
is an evil city of drunkards and liars. In Genesis 33:19 and in
numerous other Scriptures, it appears it is the land of Shechem.
V-6, "Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied
with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth
hour."
We see this then is about noon time (6th hour). In the flesh,
Jesus would get tired just as we do. He was weary from all this
walking. He sat down on the well to rest. We read about Jacob having
this well dug in Genesis.
V-7, "There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith
unto her, Give me to drink."
Jesus here is speaking to a woman of not very high estate,
because she is drawing water. Jesus is a Jew and she is drawing
water. Jesus is a Jew and she is a Samaritan. It is forbidden for a
Jew to have anything to do with a Samaritan. Jesus asks her for a
drink, so that He might bless her.
V-8, "(For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy
meat.)"
This tells us a few things about the disciples. They had money
to buy with. They were not totally without funds. Jesus does not
just make food appear every time they get hungry. When they can
provide for themselves, He lets them. Had they been with Jesus, this
conversation with Jesus would have been harder. The disciples would
not have wanted her speaking to Jesus. Notice, also, here that Jesus
is where we are so that we might receive Him.
V-9, "Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that
thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria?
for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans."
This woman was aware that the Jews thought themselves better than
the Samaritans. She knew that many of the men of Samaria thought of
women not too highly either, so she brought that in, also. Jesus had
a great deal to do with women. This was no barrier to Him. Just as
the churches in most of the cities of the U.S. today are about 75%
women, a large part of Jesus' followers were women then including all
of the Marys, Martha, Dorcas, Joanna, Susanna, and many others. Luke
8:2-3 mentions some of these women who helped Jesus.
V-10, "Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift
of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou
wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living
water."
The gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ. We see from
this that it is necessary to know who Jesus is before we can receive
eternal life from Him. This living water is the gift of the Holy
Ghost. This water that springs inside of us never stops flowing.
Jesus is telling her to ask and she will receive, if she believes.
V-11, "The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw
with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living
water."
This woman, like so many of our modern day church members, can
only see the physical. She rationalizes that the well is deep, and He
has nothing to draw with.
V-12, "Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the
well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?"
She is claiming to be a descendent of Jacob. Jacob through
Joseph, through Ephraim, would have been the chain. What she doesn't
realize is that Jesus was before Jacob and, in fact, is Jacob's God.
V-13, "Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of
this water shall thirst again:"
V-14, "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him
shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in
him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."
This is the water of the Holy Spirit of God. I sing a song
called "There Is A River". It says in this song that this river flows
from deep within. Water spoken of in many places in the Bible means
the Word. We see here then that Jesus is offering to her the water of
life. She had been looking at the well of Jacob which brings water to
quench the fleshly thirst. The water Jesus has is water of the
Spirit.
V-15, "The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I
thirst not, neither come hither to draw."
Jesus had told her in verse 10, if she asked, He would give her
this water. Here she asked. She is like many Christians who believe
Jesus' gifts are to make our flesh feel better. Jesus' gifts are of
the Spirit.
V-16, "Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come
hither."
This does not mean that her husband would have to come for her to
receive salvation from God. It just shows us that Jesus knows she
doesn't have a husband, and He says this to her to get her to repent
of her sins. If you will, He is activating her conscience.
V-17, "The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus
said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:"
V-18, "For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast
is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly."
Jesus knew all of this about her, before He ever began speaking
to her. The wonderful thing to me in all of this is that even though
her sins were scarlet, Jesus offered salvation to her. He accepts her
penitent heart when she says, "I have no husband".
V-19, "The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a
prophet."
V-20, "Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that
in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship."
We see in this that this woman's people only believe the
Pentateuch, or the first five books of Moses. For her to see that
Jesus is a prophet, is more than her people will accept. They (the
Samaritans) did not accept the prophetic books of the Bible as truth.
Abraham and Jacob had built altars in this area, but they had been off
and on with true worship. We see that she is aware that the Jews
thought mount Moriah should be where God's temple should be. For
special celebrations, Jews from all over Israel came to Jerusalem to
worship. Passover was one of those occasions.
V-21, "Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh,
when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship
the Father."
In a very few short years (about forty) the temple in Jerusalem
will be destroyed. Jesus is perhaps speaking of this prophetically.
Jesus brings the name of the Father God here.
Notes
JOHN 10 QUESTIONS
1. When Jesus heard that the Pharisees had heard He was baptizing
more than John, what did He do?
2. Who really was doing the actual baptizing?
3. What country did Jesus go through?
4. What does Samaria mean?
5. Who were two prominent prophets who had ministered here?
6. What was the name of the city where He came?
7. Who had Jacob given land to here?
8. What does Sychar mean?
9. What was John probably doing calling Shechem by this name?
10. Where did Jesus stop to rest His body?
11. What time of day was it when Jesus stopped to rest?
12. Who came to the well?
13. What did Jesus ask her for?
14. Where were the disciples when this happened?
15. What does this Scripture tell us about the needs of the disciples?
16. Who did she say the Jews had no dealings with?
17. Was the fact that she was a woman a barrier for Jesus?
18. "If thou knewest the __________________________ of ________
and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest
have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water."
19. What is the gift of God?
20. Living water symbolizes what?
21. What two reasons did she give Jesus why He could not get water?
22. She asks Jesus, "Art thou greater than our father _____________."
23. Jesus told her, if she drank of this well water she would
__________________ ______________."
24. If she drinks of the water He gives her, what will happen?
25. In verse 15, she asks Jesus for what?
26. Who did Jesus tell her to call?
27. What is her answer?
28. How many husbands had she had?
29. What did she perceive Jesus was?
30. Where did the Jews say was the place to worship?
31. What did Jesus tell her would happen soon?
Notes
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