CHAPTER 4

1 When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,
2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)
3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.

As Jesus' ministry gained impetus, the leaders (Pharisees) became more upset with Him.
If you'll recall the discussion on John 1:24-26, they had also been upset with John the Baptist.
He was baptizing, and yet his actions had not been "approved" by the leaders!
Actually, the Bible is very specific about the fact that Jesus did NOT baptize.
His disciples did the baptizing.
They still do today!!

Somehow, Jesus KNEW they were upset with Him.
I believe it was through His omniscience.

Nevertheless, Jesus decided to MOVE.
He left Judaea and started toward Galilee.

4 And he must needs go through Samaria.
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.
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.
7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
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.
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.
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?
12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
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.
15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
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.
22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?
28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.

Just as Jesus "knew" the Pharisees were upset with Him, He also "knew" this woman would be at that particular well!

He had a specific purpose for going through "Samaria."
Most Jews would bypass Samaria, taking a longer route through the Eastern side of the Jordan River. They held the Samaritans in contempt, and didn't want to deal with them at all.

Partially, the prejudice had begun when some Jewish people had migrated back to the old kingdom of Israel after their captivity. They worshipped Jehovah, but also worshipped other gods. They were a genetical mixture of Jewish descent and other nationalities.

These Samaritans had asked permission to aid in building the temple under Zerubbabel, but were refused (See Ezra 4:1-5).
And, since that time, they had been considered "outcasts."

WHY then, would Jesus "need" to go through Samaria?
For this ONE "woman!"

We see often in the Gospels how Jesus chose SPECIFIC people: Matthew (a tax collector), Zacchaeus (also a tax collector), the Gadarene demoniac (Mark 5), to mention only a few.
And Jesus chose this Samaritan woman.

This visit Jesus made to the well in Sychar of Samaria was a WORK OF GRACE!
He came to call a woman to salvation.
He came to CHANGE her life!
She would never be the same again; and she would never be forgotten!

Jesus ALWAYS initiates the call to salvation "by grace!" (See Ephesians 2:8-9)
Here, Jesus did something other Jewish men would NOT do.
He initiated a conversation with this Samaritan woman.
He specifically asked her for a drink of water.

She thought this incredible, that this Jewish man would even speak to a woman, let alone a Samaritan woman (See vs 9 above).
The disciples (when they returned) also thought this was incredible (see vs 27)

But the specific request led to a discussion about "the water of life!"
(See vs 10 above)

Again, there is a demonstration of Jesus' omniscience.
He told the woman to go and "call thy husband."
When she answered she had no husband, He told her she before had FIVE husbands, and now was just "shacking up"! (See vss 17-18 above)

This SHOCKED the woman!
Immediately she began to work on the prejudicial animosity that separated Jews and Samaritans.
She referred to the fact that both their forefathers had worshipped in THIS mountain; but, now the Jews insisted Jerusalem was the place to worship God.

Jesus simply dismissed the animosity, and told her the real worship of God is in "Spirit and truth" without design of WHERE (Vss 23-24 above).

The air of animosity now dismissed and whisked away, the woman turned to the prophecy of Messiah. She stated her belief that Messiah would tell "all things." This indicated that she was already DESIROUS to believe.

Jesus immediately told her HE was the Messiah Whom she sought! (vs 26)

Upon this statement, the disciples returned, breaking the conversation.
However, the woman left her waterpot and went into the nearby town excitedly proclaiming what she had experienced!!

She had come for physical water.
But she had found LIVING WATER!!

Because of her witness, the people of the town came out to the well so they could also see Jesus.

The purpose of grace is to be a channel through which faith can be delivered.
Faith, having been received, results in ACTION: the action of witnessing to others of our experience with Jesus.

God can take ANYBODY, no matter what they HAVE BEEN, and change their lives dramatically!

A man was traveling out of his State. He came to a small community where he was supposed to find Fairview St., which ran paralleal with I-40. But he couldn't find the street.
He noticed a young boy, and asked, "Son, do you know where Fairview St. is?"
The boy responded, "No, sir."
The man asked, "Do you know where the intersection of Willow Creek Rd. and Bear Hollow is?"
Again, the boy replied, "No, sir."
The man asked, "Son, do you know how to get to I-40 from here?"
Again, the boy replied, "No, sir."
The man said, "Son, you don't know much do you?"
The boy said, "Well, sir,I know I ain't LOST!"

We may not know all about how, or even why, God saves us; but I hope you know
you aren't LOST!

Many of the Samaritans of Sychar believed Jesus because of the witness of the Samaritan woman (See vs 39).

31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

The disciples had brought food.
They asked Jesus to eat.
Jesus took the opportunity to teach them a valuable lesson.
Deut 8:3 says, "...that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only , but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live."

I love to eat!
But I don't LIVE to eat!
I eat to LIVE, so I can have the physical energy to tell about Jesus!

Satisfaction in the soul is greater than satisfaction in the stomach (See vs 34 above).

When Jesus told the disciples "lift up your eyes," they could see the people whom the woman had brought from the town!!

Indeed, the fields of humanity are "ripe unto harvest" for JESUS!
The Word of God, Jesus, has been "sown" all over the world.
Yet, statistics tell us fewer than 25% of the world believe in Jesus!
The fields are "white," but where are the "reapers?"

Let us find greater satisfaction in bringing others to know Jesus than in eating!

39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
41 And many more believed because of his own word;
42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

Many people of the town believed Jesus because of the woman's witness.
Many MORE believed Jesus when they went out to see Him.

People can see Him today in the Bible and in the church!
Bring them to the "well!!"

43 Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee.
44 For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.
45 Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast.

Jesus stayed in Sychar 2 days, and many were saved.
Bring Jesus to a town and many will be saved!

Jesus left Sychar going to Galilee ("his own country" - Nazareth).
When He came there, the people "received" Him.
They had attended the feast in Jerusalem, and saw Jesus cleanse the temple of the sellers and moneychangers.

When people see lives changed through faith in Christ, they will believe Him!

46 So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.
47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.
48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.
50 Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.
51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.
52 Then inquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.
53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.
54 This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.

Again, let me speak about this word "believe."
The Greek word from which it is translated is pisteuo, which means to commit trust to, or have faith in.

Jesus told the "nobleman" that unless he (and others) saw miracles, they would not "believe" -- commit to, or have trust in Jesus.

But the "nobleman" pleaded for his son's life a second time.
Then, Jesus put it to him simply: "GO! Your son is alive!"

Though Jesus would not come to the man's home, the man believed that Jesus' spoken word was enough!!
He left, BELIEVING!
On the way home, he was met by his servants who told him the son was alive and well.

My friend, when people commit to Jesus and place their faith in Him MIRACLES HAPPEN in their lives!!
The addict can become healed!
The alcoholic can become healed!
The homosexual can become healed!

The key is simply to repent from who I am, and turned to Jesus comitting trust in Him as Lord and Savior!

What a GREAT GOD!
No wonder they call Him "SAVIOR!"

PLEASE CONTINUE WITH US IN BIBLE STUDY TOMORROW.