Johnchapter 4

Jesus and the Woman of Samaria — Gustave Doré (engraving), public domain

A.A Weary Traveler and Living Water at Jacob's Wellvv. 1-15

1 When Jesus realized that the Pharisees were aware He was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although it was not Jesus who baptized, but His disciples), 3 He left Judea and returned to Galilee. 4 Now He had to pass through Samaria. 5 So He came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Since Jacob’s well was there, Jesus, weary from His journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9 “You are a Jew,” said the woman. “How can You ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God and who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” 11 “Sir,” the woman replied, “You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where then will You get this living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. 14 But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water so that I will not get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

B.Worship in Spirit and Truth: I That Speak Am Hevv. 16-26

16 Jesus told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” 17 “I have no husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said to her, “You are correct to say that you have no husband. 18 In fact, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. You have spoken truthfully.” 19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I see that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place where one must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 “Believe Me, woman,” Jesus replied, “a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” 25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.” 26 Jesus answered, “I who speak to you am He.”

C.Lift Up Your Eyes: The Fields Are White Alreadyvv. 27-38

27 Just then His disciples returned and were surprised that He was speaking with a woman. But no one asked Him, “What do You want from her?” or “Why are You talking with her?” 28 Then the woman left her water jar, went back into the town, and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 30 So they left the town and made their way toward Jesus. 31 Meanwhile the disciples urged Him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But He told them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” 33 So the disciples asked one another, “Could someone have brought Him food?” 34 Jesus explained, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months until the harvest’? I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ripe for harvest. 36 Already the reaper draws his wages and gathers a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may rejoice together. 37 For in this case the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; others have done the hard work, and now you have taken up their labor.”

D.A Samaritan Town Believes for Itselfvv. 39-42

39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him to stay with them, and He stayed two days. 41 And many more believed because of His message. 42 They said to the woman, “We now believe not only because of your words; we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man truly is the Savior of the world.”

E.The Nobleman's Son Healed From Twenty Miles Awayvv. 43-54

43 After two days, Jesus left for Galilee. 44 Now He Himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown. 45 Yet when He arrived, the Galileans welcomed Him. They had seen all the great things He had done in Jerusalem at the feast, for they had gone there as well. 46 So once again He came to Cana in Galilee, where He had turned the water into wine. And there was a royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Him to come down and heal his son, who was about to die. 48 Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.” 49 “Sir,” the official said, “come down before my child dies.” 50 “Go,” said Jesus. “Your son will live.” The man took Jesus at His word and departed. 51 And while he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was alive. 52 So he inquired as to the hour when his son had recovered, and they told him, “The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.” 53 Then the father realized that this was the very hour in which Jesus had told him, “Your son will live.” And he and all his household believed. 54 This was now the second sign that Jesus performed after coming from Judea into Galilee.

Commentary on this chapter: read the Exposition

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Chapter summary

Samaritan woman at the well: 'God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.' The fields white unto harvest.

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Samaritan woman at the well: 'God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.' The fields white unto harvest. Nobleman's son healed at Cana, the second sign in Galilee.

Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary, John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament and John Calvin, Commentaries.

Context

Gospel · John — John overview

A. 1–15 A Weary Traveler and Living Water at Jacob's Well
B. 16–26 Worship in Spirit and Truth: I That Speak Am He
C. 27–38 Lift Up Your Eyes: The Fields Are White Already
D. 39–42 A Samaritan Town Believes for Itself
E. 43–54 The Nobleman's Son Healed From Twenty Miles Away

Top cross-references8 chapters ▾

John 48 verses
- John 4:5So He came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
- John 4:7When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”
- John 4:8(His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
- John 4:14But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”
- John 4:29“Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”
- John 4:34Jesus explained, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.
- Read John 4: 2 more there →
John 65 verses
- John 6:14When the people saw the sign that Jesus had performed, they began to say, “Truly this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
- John 6:27Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.”
- John 6:34“Sir,” they said, “give us this bread at all times.”
- John 6:35Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst.
- John 6:38For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.
- Read John 6 →
John 34 verses
- John 3:2He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.”
- John 3:4“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time to be born?”
- John 3:22After this, Jesus and His disciples went into the Judean countryside, where He spent some time with them and baptized.
- John 3:26So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Look, Rabbi, the One who was with you beyond the Jordan, the One you testified about—He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.”
- Read John 3 →
Acts 104 verses
- Acts 10:28He said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with a foreigner or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.
- Acts 10:33So I sent for you immediately, and you were kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has instructed you to tell us.”
- Acts 10:42And He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the One appointed by God to judge the living and the dead.
- Acts 10:48So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for a few days.
- Read Acts 10 →

4 more chapters this one speaks with

Matthew 154 verses
- Matthew 15:7You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you:
- Matthew 15:8‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.
- Matthew 15:21Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.
- Matthew 15:22And a Canaanite woman from that region came to Him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.”
- Read Matthew 15 →
John 83 verses
- John 8:24That is why I told you that you would die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
- John 8:48The Jews answered Him, “Are we not right to say that You are a Samaritan and You have a demon?”
- John 8:53Are You greater than our father Abraham? He died, as did the prophets. Who do You claim to be?”
- Read John 8 →
John 13 verses
- John 1:7He came as a witness to testify about the Light, so that through him everyone might believe.
- John 1:41He first found his brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated as Christ).
- John 1:49“Rabbi,” Nathanael answered, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
- Read John 1 →
John 23 verses
- John 2:1On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there,
- John 2:13When the Jewish Passover was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
- John 2:23While He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the signs He was doing and believed in His name.
- Read John 2 →

Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.