John 4:1-10
The Water and the Well
The Well in the title is not Jacob’s Well and the water is not what
came out of the ground. Jesus is the Well and the water is
salvation.
In the last chapter, John recorded some of the most straightforward
salvation verses in the Bible. In this chapter, John shows us how
salvation can change the life a sinner.
Jesus was determined to win the Samaritans to Himself. This passage
is extremely important for it demonstrates that Jesus did not just
come to seek and to save His own, the Jews, but that He came to the
Gentiles as well.
I. \\#4\\ Jesus initiated a journey to Samaria.
A. \\#1-3\\ Jesus now leaves Aenon \\#John 1:23\\ along the
Jordan River, still in Judaea, to move north into Galilee.
1. The reference to the Pharisees having heard that Jesus’
disciples baptized more than John’s would indicate that
the Jewish religious leaders were starting to eye Jesus
with envy and suspicion.
2. I mentioned last week that by following the locations the
gospel writers give, we can better understand what is
taking place. You can see that in this chapter.
B. If you know much of the geography of the Bible, you know that
the Jews did not have much to do with the Samaritans.
1. The Samaritans were a mixed people. The ungodly Jews
that were left after the Assyrian and Babylonian
captivities intermarried with the Gentiles brought
into that region.
2. When the Jews from the captivity were allowed to return
to the land, the mixed people were counted as unclean.
3. By Jesus’ time, the rift between the Jews and Samaritans
was so great that the Jews would not even travel through
their land, even though their land was located between
their north and south boundaries.
4. Instead, the Jews would go east, cross over the River
Jordan, then travel north or south around Samaria and
finally cross the river again into Jewish land.
C. Last week, we saw that Jesus was baptizing in Aenon
\\#John 1:23\\.
1. Aenon was along the Jordan River, about half way between
the northern and southern boundaries of Israel.
2. \\#John 4:3\\ Jesus wanted to go to Galilee but
\\#John 4:4\\ says He HAD to go though Samaria.
a. Jesus was compelled or determined to do so.
b. From where Jesus was, Galilee was an easy journey
along the Jordan Valley due north, but the city of
Samaria is west, through the mountains.
c. The way Jesus went, through Sychar, is southwest from
Aenon.
d. Jesus was going to Galilee but He is going way out of
the way and making His journey more difficult than
He has to do.
D. Why would Jesus take a more difficult route and travel through
a region that Jews do not normally travel?
1. The Bible does not tell us.
2. I think it is because Sychar and Samaria needed Jesus too!
II. \\#7\\ Jesus initiated a conversation with a Samaritan woman.
A. This conversation was pretty strange from a Jewish man’s
perspective.
1. Jesus, a man, spoke to a woman. Most men would not
initiate a conversation with a woman.
2. Jesus was alone.
a. The disciples had gone and Jesus was there alone.
b. That in itself sounds a little strange, doesn’t it?
It took 12 men to go to buy something to eat \\#8\\?
Wouldn’t it have been more natural for two or three
men to go get the food and the rest to stay there
and rest?
c. Is it possible that Jesus wanted to be alone?
3. Jesus was going to drink water from an unclean woman.
a. Jesus was at the well but He obviously did not have
a bucket \\#11\\.
b. In asking for water, He was going to drink from her
bucket.
c. That means He would be drinking water from one the
Jews called unclean and so He would be unclean.
B. The conversation was also strange from the Samaritan woman’s
prospective.
1. As it was unusual for a man to speak to a woman so it was
uncommon for a woman to speak to a man.
2. At the most, the woman might have given a stranger a drink
of water, but she certainly would not have asked this
Jewish Man a question that would engage a conversation.
C. It may have been that these were the only Jewish Man and
Samaritan woman that would have spoken together in that
region!
1. Some would say that is a coincidence.
2. John apparently did not think so.
3. The phrase, "He must needs go through Samaria" indicates
that John thought this conversation was designed by
Jesus.
D. Isn’t it amazing how God works?
1. He works in the big things.
2. But He also works in the small things.
III. \\#10\\ Jesus initiated an offer of living water.
A. Here God gives us a powerful illustration of what salvation
is.
1. Salvation is compared to water.
2. The symbol tells us so much more than a statement could.
3. As water is essential for the body to live, so salvation
is essential for the soul to live.
4. As water satisfies the most basic longing of the body, so
salvation satisfies the longing of the soul.
5. Jesus packs a lot of truth in to these 42 words.
B. But this water is not ordinary or common.
1. \\#14\\ It is water that comes from Jesus. He is the
Well.
a. Jesus designates Himself as the Giver of this water.
b. Make no mistake about it. There is salvation in no
other name!
c. I notice that while Jesus was often cryptic with the
Jews in telling them who He was, He is not with this
woman. He will be very plain with her.
2. \\#10\\ It is LIVING water.
a. Living implies this salvation has the ability to
sense, to know, to comprehend what is needed and how
to aid those to whom it is given.
b. Salvation is not one size fits all.
c. God makes salvation to give us all forgiveness and to
take us all into His presence but He also tailors
salvation to give us the individual hope and help
that we need in our lives.
3. \\#13-14\\ It is thirst-quenching water.
a. The thirst that Jesus seeks to satisfy is not of the
body but of the soul.
b. Everyone at some point knows that there has to be
more to life than just work and die!
c. They are thirsty for meaning, purpose, a reason behind
their existence.
d. Come let Jesus quench your thirst.
4. \\#14\\ It is eternal thirst-quenching water.
a. Jesus told the woman that she would never thirst
again. That is a reference to eternal salvation.
b. He also told her that she would become a well
springing up into everlasting life.
c. Both of these demand an eternal salvation.
d. If all you want is a temporary salvation, look else
where. What Jesus offers lasts forever!
5. \\#14\\ This living water causes the one who drinks from
it to become a well of living water too!
a. Once you have drank of this water, you become a well
to distribute it to others.
(1) Some things cannot be hid.
(2) If something happens to you that satisfies beyond
your wildest dreams, you have to tell others
about it.
b. Like a geyser in a dessert, this living water cannot
be contained or hid.
(1) Someone is going to notice a geyser springing out
of your head, heart, or whatever.
(2) Salvation bursts forth from those who possess it
to meet the needs of others.
IV. \\#15-18\\ Jesus initiated a discussion about sin.
A. It seems obvious that Jesus came with the intent of winning
this woman to Himself—and it appears that He has won her!
1. She wanted what Jesus had to give her.
2. Then Jesus brought up a sore spot - her husbands.
3. As we read, it is obvious that Jesus knew she had had
give husbands and was now living with a man to whom she
was not married.
B. Why would Jesus bring that up now?
1. Because you cannot be saved FROM sin if you intent is to
continue living IN sin.
2. Immorality was not this woman’s ONLY sin, but like the
rich young ruler who loved his wealth, it was her
crowning sin.
3. Most of us have one. A sin that we just don’t want to
give up. I remember one of my pastors, Dennis Walker,
telling me about a night he went soul winning and met
the owner of a string of convenient stores. He shared
the gospel and it was obvious that the man was under
conviction, but when asked if he would accept Jesus as
his Savior, the owner asked my friend, "Jesus would want
me to quit selling alcohol, wouldn’t He? My friend
answered that Jesus probably would. To which the man
responded that he could not be saved then.
a. Some want their money.
b. Some what their fun.
c. This woman wanted her men.
C. What happened next?
1. It is interesting that at this point, it is the woman who
turns the conversation.
2. However, if this woman was going to accept the salvation
Jesus was offering, you can rest assured that she was
going to have to turn from her sin.
V. \\#25-26\\ Jesus identified Himself as the Messiah.
A. The conversation between this woman and Jesus takes several
turns.
B. However, Jesus did something with this woman that He
did not do even with His own disciples.
1. \\#25-26\\ Jesus made one of the most direct statements
about Himself.
2. Jesus plainly states that He is the Messiah, the Promised
One.
3. Why here? Why now? All we can do is guess.
(a) Maybe it was because Jesus’ time with these people
would be so short.
(1) (Only two days \\#John 4:40\\)
(2) The fact that Jesus stayed two whole days in
in that area indicates that Jesus wanted to see
the Samaritans saved just like He wanted to see
the Jews saved.
(3) The descendents of those Samaritans are still
living around Israel today.
(b) Maybe it was because these people did not have the
Bible to search it out on their own.
(c) Maybe it was because these people would not try to
hide behind their legal self-righteous. They did not
keep the law and would not pretend to.
So far, all of the things I have pointed out are about Jesus. Let’s
point out one important fact about the woman.
VI. \\#28-29\\ She found that everlasting Water!
A. How do I know?
1. \\#29\\ By her words. She called Jesus the Christ.
2. By her witness.
a. A well of living water sprang up in her.
b. She had a part in winning her whole town, and maybe
beyond, to Christ.
c. She had said that is what happens when you drink of
this Water. She drank.
B. Interestingly, while all of the details of this story are
important, the most important is the fact that this woman
and her community got saved.
I pray that will be the most important truth in your life.
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