The One Year Bible Club with Teaching
Commentary by Nick Boork
May 5
John 4:4-42
Commentary by Nick Boork
May 5
John 4:4-42
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May 5 - John 4:4-42
But He needed to go through Samaria. 5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” 15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” 19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
27 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?” 28 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29 “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him. 31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” 33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “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 and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of His own word. 42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
OKAY, HERE'S MY TEACHING COMMENTARY
Let's look at one of the greatest conversations about eternal life that's recorded in the whole Bible. It happened between Jesus and a woman of Samaria. Jesus was taking the opportunity to use something natural to teach something spiritual. He was using natural water to teach about eternal life to a woman who desperately needed what Jesus had to offer. Jesus initiated the conversation with a woman by asking for a drink of water.
When he did this he was doing cross-cultural evangelism because the Jews lived separated from the Samaritans.
Jesus was a Jew.
This woman was a Samaritan.
Socially, it was unacceptable for them to even have a conversation!
Jesus broke this social trend when he initiated the conversation. Jesus introduced the gift of eternal life to the Samaritan woman by saying if you knew who I was you would be asking me for a drink of water and the water that I have to offer would be inside you, just like this well and you would never thirst again. Jesus revealed that the water he had to offer the woman was in fact the gift of eternal life. When the woman asked to receive this water Jesus used the opportunity to reveal Himself to her as the promised Messiah. Through the Holy Spirit Jesus discerned that the woman had five husbands and she was currently living in adultery. After the woman heard what Jesus had to say she realize quickly that he was a prophet. She began to ask him about spiritual worship and Jesus revealed that God was looking for those who would worship Him in spirit and in truth regardless of being a Jew or a Samaritan. After this Jesus revealed that He was in fact the Messiah, the Christ speaking to her. This is where every soul winning conversation needs to go. People hearing about Jesus need to understand that he is the Savior of the world.
Now what's amazing is the woman came to understand quickly that Jesus was the Messiah offering her eternal life. She dropped her water pot and returned back to the city and told everybody about Jesus! The whole city went out to hear Jesus because of this woman. Many came to faith in Jesus through the conversation that Jesus initiated with just one woman.
WHAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE?
1) Only Jesus offers the water of life, which is the gift of eternal life that can satisfy the spiritual hunger within every human being.
2) Someone has to start a conversation to initiate a dialogue about spiritual things and eternal life. Jesus did this for us as an example that we can follow today.
See my teaching on this at: http://www.inspirationaltestimonies.com/
3) The gift of eternal life is for every person. We need to be willing to break through social barriers to reach people for Jesus Christ.
4) You never know the impact of one person that you witness to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. Just like the woman of Samaria, one person you witness to can effect multitudes leading many to faith in Jesus Christ.
5) Look for the opportunities around you to start conversations with people to plant the seeds of eternal life leading people to Jesus who alone can give them the water of life and eternal salvation!
But He needed to go through Samaria. 5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” 15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” 19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
27 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?” 28 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29 “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him. 31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” 33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “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 and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of His own word. 42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
OKAY, HERE'S MY TEACHING COMMENTARY
Let's look at one of the greatest conversations about eternal life that's recorded in the whole Bible. It happened between Jesus and a woman of Samaria. Jesus was taking the opportunity to use something natural to teach something spiritual. He was using natural water to teach about eternal life to a woman who desperately needed what Jesus had to offer. Jesus initiated the conversation with a woman by asking for a drink of water.
When he did this he was doing cross-cultural evangelism because the Jews lived separated from the Samaritans.
Jesus was a Jew.
This woman was a Samaritan.
Socially, it was unacceptable for them to even have a conversation!
Jesus broke this social trend when he initiated the conversation. Jesus introduced the gift of eternal life to the Samaritan woman by saying if you knew who I was you would be asking me for a drink of water and the water that I have to offer would be inside you, just like this well and you would never thirst again. Jesus revealed that the water he had to offer the woman was in fact the gift of eternal life. When the woman asked to receive this water Jesus used the opportunity to reveal Himself to her as the promised Messiah. Through the Holy Spirit Jesus discerned that the woman had five husbands and she was currently living in adultery. After the woman heard what Jesus had to say she realize quickly that he was a prophet. She began to ask him about spiritual worship and Jesus revealed that God was looking for those who would worship Him in spirit and in truth regardless of being a Jew or a Samaritan. After this Jesus revealed that He was in fact the Messiah, the Christ speaking to her. This is where every soul winning conversation needs to go. People hearing about Jesus need to understand that he is the Savior of the world.
Now what's amazing is the woman came to understand quickly that Jesus was the Messiah offering her eternal life. She dropped her water pot and returned back to the city and told everybody about Jesus! The whole city went out to hear Jesus because of this woman. Many came to faith in Jesus through the conversation that Jesus initiated with just one woman.
WHAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE?
1) Only Jesus offers the water of life, which is the gift of eternal life that can satisfy the spiritual hunger within every human being.
2) Someone has to start a conversation to initiate a dialogue about spiritual things and eternal life. Jesus did this for us as an example that we can follow today.
See my teaching on this at: http://www.inspirationaltestimonies.com/
3) The gift of eternal life is for every person. We need to be willing to break through social barriers to reach people for Jesus Christ.
4) You never know the impact of one person that you witness to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. Just like the woman of Samaria, one person you witness to can effect multitudes leading many to faith in Jesus Christ.
5) Look for the opportunities around you to start conversations with people to plant the seeds of eternal life leading people to Jesus who alone can give them the water of life and eternal salvation!
ORDINATION
We provide Ministry Credentials and Ordination through Diamond Ministerial Association. Click to learn more and apply! http://www.diamondinstitute.org/ordination
ONLINE COURSES
For Bible courses and ministry resources see our online school Diamond Institute. Enroll free today and get access to our free and pay as you go courses. http://www.diamondinstitute.org/enroll
We provide Ministry Credentials and Ordination through Diamond Ministerial Association. Click to learn more and apply! http://www.diamondinstitute.org/ordination
ONLINE COURSES
For Bible courses and ministry resources see our online school Diamond Institute. Enroll free today and get access to our free and pay as you go courses. http://www.diamondinstitute.org/enroll