John's Gospel

Jesus and The Woman At The Well (John 4:1-26)

In John 4:3, we read that Jesus decides to return to Galilee from Judea. However, instead of choosing the normal route back for the Jews (through the Bethshan gap) he instead opts to travel back through Samaria. Whilst resting for a moment in the midday heat at Jacob's Well, a Samaritan woman comes to draw water (John 4:7). This was an odd time to engage in such strenuous activity - normally such chores would take place in cooler times of the day. We immediately have a sense that this lady is avoiding the rest of the community at Sychar.

Jesus asks the woman for a drink. On this surface of things, this may appear to be a perfectly normal request. However, Jesus was a Jew, and the woman was a Samaritan (John 4:9). The Jews were very hostile to the Samaritan people, and would not normally look at or touch one, never mind drink from their cup, for fear of being contaminated by their sins (Samaritans were of mixed Jewish and Gentile descent). In John 4:26 Jesus explicitly reveals to her that he is the Messiah. In the book of John, this is the first occasion that Jesus has revealed his true identity as the Messiah - a fact that he did not declare earlier to his other Jewish disciples or Nicodemus - but firstly to a Gentile, outcast woman.

There are three important parallels with this story and that of Christ's encounter with Nicodemus. In both accounts, Jesus goes straight to the point of spiritual need (with Nicodemus in John 3:3, it was his need to be "born again", with the woman it was her need for spiritual water). In both incidents, Jesus is initially misunderstood. (cp John 4:4 and John 4:9). And in both accounts, Jesus then clarifies his message. With Nicodemus, Jesus explains that he (Nicodemus) is in need of a spiritual birth (John 3:5-6), with the woman the well, she is invited to drink from the everlasting waters (John 4:13).

However, unlike with Nicodemus, Jesus confronts the lady with the dark reality of her life (John 4:16-18). In order to respond to Christ, we must first recognise our need of Him, and the wrong that is in our own life - something that the woman appears to have done, by her confession in front of the whole community (John 4:28-29).

For further analysis and study on John Chapter 4, please refer to the links down the left-hand side of this page. Here you'll find insights on John 4 from John Calvin, Matthew Henry, Charles Spurgeon and some bible notes by John Wesley.

Calvin divides his work on John 4 up into eight sections. There are four sections on Jesus and the Samarian Woman (with commentary on John 4:1-9, 4:10-15, exposition on John 4:16-21 and a good analysis of John 4:22-26) There then follows four more sections - with exegesis on John 4:27-34, 4:35-38, John 4:39-45 and commentary about John 4:46-54. Matthew Henry gives an explanation of the first three verses of the chapter (John 4:1-3) followed by commentary on Jesus at the Well (John 4:4-42) and concluding with an interpretation of John 4:43-54. There are also three sermons reproduced here by Charles Spurgeon. The first one is a sermon based on John 4:23-24 and is about the nature of true worship. The second is a preach entitled "Jesus About His Father's Business" (John 4:34) and the final one is a sermon on faith.

There's also a number of different versions of John 4, ranging from the traditional King James to a simplified english version (suitable for older children or second language english students). John 4 is also translated in Latin (from the Vulgate), Spanish, German and the original Greek.