v.1 The Pharisees were envious
of the Baptist's large following, and were obviously even more jealous of Jesus' larger following [1].
v.2 John adds this to clarify that Jesus did not Himself baptise
but deputised His disciples to do so. Jesus did not baptise personally Himself probably because He did not want
anyone to feel superior because they had been personally baptised by Him [2] . He also wanted to impress upon His disciples that preaching was far more important than baptising [3].
v.4 Jesus must needs go through Samaria, because the way through Samaria was the shortest route from Judea to Galilee [4]. Strict Jews, however, often took a circuitous way around Samaria to avoid
"contamination" from the Samaritans and their taunts. Jesus and the Woman of Samaria [5]
v.6 Jesus was wearied
[6] with his journey, and rested by a well [7], because though He was 100% God, He was also 100% man. Jesus
is the perfect Mediator, who is able to bear all our burdens as God, but who also felt our frailties and sufferings
as man [8].
v.7 Jesus did not wait for the woman to say anything, because
He knew that she would be afraid to do so for fear of being snubbed by a "superior" Jew. Therefore, He
made the first move with a "humble" request for help [9] :"Give me to drink." He had made a point of contact with this suspicious woman. The ability to establish a point of contact is very useful in personal evangelism.
v.9 The woman of Samaria is shocked that Jesus requests a drink
from her because Jews would not drink from the same vessels as Samaritans (ie, for the
Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans). Furthermore, she had expected Jesus, who
was a Jew, to snub her. Instead he humbled himself by requesting a favour from her. This method of humbling ourselves
is very important in evangelism, because unsaved people do not like to listen to a lecture from a proud religionist.
v.10 Jesus takes advantage of her surprised feeling, and adds
another even more surprising statement. This arouses her curiosity. By her statement in verse 9, she had implied
that "You Jews think you are so great, how come you need a drink from me?" Therefore, Jesus replies,
"I'm far greater than those proud Jews. If only you knew how great I am... "
Jesus uses "water" to symbolise the blessings of salvation (eg. pardon, peace, mercy, grace, justification,
sanctification) because these blessings, like water, cleanses, refreshes, softens the ground, and causes lives
to bring forth fruit. Furthermore, "spring water" is never-ending, and symbolises everlasting life [10] . If Jesus had said unto her "he would have given
unto her grace and pardon" she might have been provoked to reject these high-sounding terms that made her
feel inferior.
v.11 As expected, she interpreted Jesus literally and is puzzled
because Jesus had nothing with which to draw water from the bottom of the well (which was the place where the "living
spring water" flowed into the well).
v.12 Though this question
anticipates a negative answer, it reveals that she is beginning to wonder if Jesus is as great as He claims. By
saying that Jacob's children, and cattle drank from the well,
she was saying that the well provided abundant, continuous supplies of water.
v.13 Jesus confirms that He is indeed greater than Jacob because
His gift is greater than Jacob's. Like all of earth's gifts, water satisfies the thirst for only a short period
of time.
v.14 Jesus says 'whosoever" ie, His offer is open to all,
including this adulterous Samaritan. "Shall never thirst [11]" does not mean that Christians who have received the blessings of Jesus' salvation shall never desire
any more spiritual blessings, but that they will never completely lose the cleansing, purifying, and soul-refreshing
effects which it produces. Christ, and none else, can only satisfy the soul of an unsaved man.
v.15 The distance from Sychar to the well was about one mile,
and she was looking forward to the day when she could be spared from taking this long journey to draw water. Though
she still understood Jesus' offer as an offer of physical water, her interest in His offer is growing.
v.16 An entirely new phase in this woman's conversion begins
at this point. Because her interest was sufficiently aroused, Jesus ceases to use figurative language, but uses
only direct, personal, plain language. Before she could receive the "living water" she needed to be convicted
of her sin. Jesus exposes her adultery in a most inoffensive, but effective manner.
v.17 This reply suggests that she is trying to hide her sin.
Jesus commends her for her truthful reply.
v.18 Jesus continues to convict her of her sin. It is unlikely
that this woman's five husbands had died, or that they had all divorced her for no good reason. The fact that she
was presently living in adultery suggests that she had been an unfaithful wife. Nonetheless, Jesus still commends
her for her truthful confession (ie, that saidst thou truly).
v.19 She admits her sin of living adulterously in an indirect
way (ie, I perceive that thou art a prophet and know about my
sin).
v.20 Because her conscience is pricked, she attempts to change
the subject. Or maybe because she has been awakened to her guilt and sensing that Jesus is indeed a prophet, she
sincerely asks a relevant question regarding where to worship. The first refuge of an awakened soul is to perform
some outward religious ritual. The Samaritans claimed that their temple at mount Gerizim (ie, this mountain) was
the place to worship God, but the Jews claimed that Jerusalem was the place.
v.21The hour cometh is better translated "the hour is coming." Jesus tells her that very soon (ie, after He dies
and resurrects) there will be no need to go to any particular place to worship God, because all men will be able
to approach God wherever they are, through Christ.
v.22 Because the Samaritans rejected all the books of the O.T.
except the first five books of the Bible (ie, the Pentateuch) they did not have the right concept of God nor of
His way of worship. During O.T. times, the way to worship God was given to the Jews, therefore, salvation is of the Jews during those times.
v.23 At this time, much of Jewish and Samaritan worship was
in meaningless outward forms. However, Jesus tells them that the outward forms would soon be obsolete, and replaced
with worship in spirit (ie, with the mind and heart, as opposed to merely performing a ritual without understanding).
To worship in truth means to worship God through Christ (JOH
14:6) and not through the types and rituals of the O.T.
v.24God is a Spirit, and therefore, He sees man's hearts. Therefore, mere outward forms of worship cannot please Him, only
true worship in spirit (in mind and heart) pleases such a God. Similarly, God loves truth, and therefore will not accept false methods of worshipping Him. Because God is Spirit and loves truth
we must worship Him in spirit and in truth.
v.25 Since this woman
had always worshipped God through the outward forms of the Samaritan religion, she is unsure how to worship God
in spirit and truth. Therefore, she says that she will wait for the soon-coming Messiah to teach her how to worship.
The Samaritans, like the Jews, were also expecting the Messiah to come soon. Jesus' prophetic abilities and authoritative
teaching reminded her about the Messiah.
v.26 Jesus reveals, for the first time, that He is the Messiah.
He reveals this great truth to a despised immoral sinner, and not to the great religious leaders in Jerusalem [12].
v.27 They [13] marvelled that he had talked with the woman because,
firstly, she was a Samaritan, and secondly, she was a woman. Jewish rabbis never talked with a woman in the street,
not even with their own wives! However, because of their reverence for Him (because of His miracles and teaching)
they feared to question Him.
v.29 The beginnings of God's grace in a heart produces remarkable
changes in a person's life [14]. This immoral woman
who was at the well to get water is filled with other objectives now. The adulterer became an evangelist.
v.30 Though the woman did not know much about Jesus, the zeal
and sincerity of her testimony was a powerful evangelistic tool. Her zeal was a far more effective evangelistic
tool than Nicodemus' knowledge [15]. The Fields are White unto Harvest
v.31 The disciples begged
(prayed) Jesus to eat because He had been without food for some
time.
v.32 The joy of leading this poor sinner to salvation was so
great that it had displaced the feelings of hunger that Jesus had.
v.33 The disciples had never experienced the joy of leading
anyone to salvation. Therefore, they wondered if Jesus had already eaten.
v.34 Jesus' greatest satisfaction was to finish God's work of
salvation (which He did - JOH 19:30
"It is finished"). Just as our belly needs physical meat to satisfy it, a Christian's soul needs to do
God's will to be satisfied. Nothing else can satisfy a Christian's soul. The will of God is that we glorify Him
through the salvation of souls.
v.35 It was now December and the harvest in Israel, being in
April, was four months away[16]. Since grain takes about four months from planting to harvest, Jesus tells them not to say that there are yet four months because right now there was a harvest, namely,
of Samaritan souls. He tells them to lift up their eyes because
the Samaritans were in the distance and were coming to the well. Their souls were white
already to harvest to eternal life. When grain was ready for harvesting, the fields appear
white.
v.36 Because of the hardness of man's hearts, evangelising is
usually very discouraging work. Therefore, Jesus tells His disciples of the eternal rewards of evangelising (ie,
receiveth wages). The souls that are saved are fruit unto life eternal. Generally there is a gap between "sowing" and "reaping" (v.37), however in this
case Jesus had just sowed the seed, and the disciples were about to reap the Gospel harvest. Therefore, both sower
and reaper could rejoice together. Also, though sower and reaper
are often different people who may have never met each other, they will rejoice together in heaven.
v.37 Because of the time-gap between sowing and reaping, the
sower and the reaper are often different people. This is also true of sowing and reaping of agricultural crops.
v.38 The other men who labored were Moses who wrote the Pentateuch (which the Samaritans believe), some men who may have
told them about Jesus' miracles, the woman of Samaria, and most importantly Jesus who had witnessed to her. The
disciples would simply enjoy the harvest as they led these Samaritans to trust in Christ (ie, reap
whereon they bestowed no labour).
v.39 Though she was an immoral person, the zeal of her testimony
convinced the Samaritans that Jesus was indeed a prophet who could tell the secrets of men. Personal witness is
God's ordained method of leading one to listen to the Gospel.
v.40 Jesus spent only
two days in Samaria and ministered in Sychar only, because His
ministry was primarily to the Jews.
v.41 Personal testimony leads many to listen to the Gospel,
but true faith comes when people believe on His Word (ie, the
bible promise). So far, Jesus had saved fishermen, a Pharisee, an immoral woman and a town full of Samaritans!
v.42 They learned from Jesus that God's salvation was not for
the Jews only but He was the Saviour of the world. Jesus had
first revealed Himself as a Jew, then as a prophet, then as the Messiah and finally as the Saviour of the world.
----------------------------- Footnotes [1] This was about December of year 27, after Jesus had spent about eight months
in Judea. The Baptist was already imprisoned at this time because of his attack on Herod's adultery (MAR
6:17-20). [2] The benefit of baptism does not depend on the person baptising because
even Judas was deputised to baptise. [3] As Christianity becomes deader, preaching is de-emphasised and the ordinances
are emphasised. Modes of baptism have been the cause of great divisions in the church, causing far more unnecessary
divisions than differences in fundamental doctrines. Jesus' attitude towards baptism should teach all Christians
that baptism is less important than the fundamental doctrines of salvation. [4] v.3 Jesus left Judaea, not because He was afraid, but because it was not
yet the time for Him to be persecuted and crucified.
v.5 Sychar (or Shechem or Sychem) was bought by Jacob (GEN 33:19),
and given to Joseph's descendants (JOS 24:32). It is situated in the valley
between Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim (DEU 11:29). [5] After Israel fell to the Assyrians in 722 BC, the Jews were sent into captivity
(except for the very poor who were left behind). The Assyrians populated Israel with other nationalities, who intermarried
with the remaining Jews. These half-breeds were called Samaritans. Shortly after, God sent wild beasts
among them. Hoping to appease Jehovah they begged the Assyrian king to send them an Israelite priest to teach them
the "right" way to worship Jehovah. This resulted in an adulterated Judaism grafted on to their pagan
practices. Later on the idolatrous practices were purged out, and at the time of Jesus they adhered more closely
to the O.T. than the Jews (who were buried under the traditions of the elders). When the children of Judah returned
from Babylonian captivity to rebuild the Temple, the Samaritans offered to help them but were rejected because
they were half-breeds (EZR 3 and 4). From hence they hated the Jews, and built
their own temple at Mt.Gerizim. This temple was destroyed in 128 BC, but the Samaritans continue to worship at
the site. [6] Jesus was never carried in a carriage, and only once do we read of Him
on a mule. There is no shame to be poor, but a great shame to be boastful. [7] Jacob's well still exists today. Jews. Christians, Muslims and Samaritans
agree that it is Jacob's well. It is a deep well, fed by an underground spring.
The sixth hour according to the Jewish way of reckoning was noon-time, but according to the Roman way was
6pm. The usual time for ladies to draw water from the well is at 6 pm because it is cool (GEN
24:11). However, the fact that the Samaritans could be seen coming to Jesus (v.35) suggests that it was noon-time.
Furthermore, it would not be good for Jesus to talk to this immoral woman at twilight. [8] Romanists teach that it is better to go to Mary because she will be more
sympathetic to our frailties than Jesus! [9] Jesus never performed a miracle to supply His own needs, or to serve His
own convenience.
v.8 Though the Jews and Samaritans avoided each other, there were still commercial transactions between
them. [10] To further arouse her curiosity, Jesus uses a mashal promising that "he
would have given thee living water." "Living water" could also mean "spring water" (which
bubbled into the bottom of Jacob's well). [11] In Greek, the phrase "never thirst" is "never thirst
unto eternity." These blessings of salvation not only refresh the believer eternally but are also a blessing
to others (ie, in him a well of water springing up to be a blessing to others). Though water will satisfy the thirst
of the body, it will never be able to satisfy the soul. [12] Jesus did not reveal Himself to the Jews because they had seen His miracles
and they would have got a wrong idea of the Messiah, believing Him to be one that had come to make their lives
easy through His miracles. Also, such a claim would bring on immediate persecution from the Jewish religious leaders. [13] It was God's providence that they did not come earlier to disrupt Jesus'
evangelising. [14] v.28 She left her waterpot because it would hinder her from rushing
back to her city. Maybe she left it for Jesus to drink from. She tells the men (not the women) because they were
the ones who were out in the streets.
She says that Jesus had told her all the (major immoral) things that she ever did. [15] The aorist tense of the word "went" suggests that they rushed
off to see Jesus. [16] This saying "there are yet four months, and then cometh harvest"'
was also a common proverbial saying.