John 4:1-45
John 4:1-6
4 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2(although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), 3 he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. 4 And he had to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6
4:1–2 Some have accused John of contradicting himself in the span of two verses by saying that Jesus baptized and then that He didn’t. It is possible, however, that John penned verse 1 referring to Jesus and His followers together and then realized he needed to clarify more precisely that it was the followers who performed the actual ritual. Given that John was more interested in contrasting Jesus and John the Baptist than in comparing them, his Gospel’s comment that the two for a time had parallel ministries of baptism is not likely to be without historical foundation.
4:1–2 Some have accused John of contradicting himself in the span of two verses by saying that Jesus baptized and then that He didn’t. It is possible, however, that John penned verse 1 referring to Jesus and His followers together and then realized he needed to clarify more precisely that it was the followers who performed the actual ritual. Given that John was more interested in contrasting Jesus and John the Baptist than in comparing them, his Gospel’s comment that the two for a time had parallel ministries of baptism is not likely to be without historical foundation.
It is not until John is arrested in Perea (across the Jordan) that Jesus moves to Galilee (Mark 1:14). Jesus likely had reason to fear his own arrest (hence his move north) because of his association with the now-imprisoned John.
Who were the Samaritans?
The Samaritans were regarded by the Jews as despised half-breeds, the offspring of the resettlement policies of the cruel Assyrians, who after sacking the Northern Kingdom in 722 B.C. transported large groups of conquered Jews to other conquered sites and repopulated the partially vacated sites with other conquered peoples (2 Kgs 17:5–6, 24). The result was an intermingling of peoples who in the mixing of the races lost much of their former national identities and were thus forced to develop new syncretistic identities (2 Kgs 17:25–41). The
Jesus’ Humanity
It is absolutely crucial to recognize that all the Gospel writers were fully aware of the humanity of Jesus. The strategic Christian doctrine of the incarnation is not merely a theological assertion about the deity of Jesus; it is equally a theological assertion about his humanity. Heretical tendencies result when either element is omitted or submerged. Jesus was really a mortal who experienced the bodily weaknesses of being human, even though he did not suffer the human curse of sin (cf. Heb 4:15). That he became tired and thirsty is the affirmation of Scripture. It was perfectly legitimate for him to experience both. But as in the temptation stories (cf. Matt 4:3–4; Luke 4:3–4), we, like the disciples in this present story, must learn from Jesus not to allow personal mortality and its needs to dominate our concerns (cf. John 4:31–38).
4:7-15
This phrase can also be translated, “Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans,” referring to the legislation that forbade a Jew to eat or drink with Samaritans, who were more lax in their understanding of ritual cleanness. The surprise is not so much that Jesus would speak with a Samaritan, but that He would drink from a Samaritan vessel
She is a woman bearing the history, language, religion, and attitudes of people on the far margin of Judaism. A first-century reader would barely expect Jesus and the woman to acknowledge each other’s presence, much less speak.
the gift of God. This expression emphasizes that salvation is not earned but given
At one level, “living” water referred to flowing water in springs and streams, and this sense occasions the woman’s misunderstanding. In the OT, however, living or running water is employed figuratively as a reference to divine activity
In John’s Gospel, Jesus frequently speaks in terms of the visible, physical world (birth, water, bread, his body, light) to teach about the unseen spiritual world
4:16-26
4:26 How could Jesus reveal Himself so plainly to this Samaritan woman when He was so coy with the Jewish leaders in Israel, especially as seen in the other three Gospels? Because the Samaritans were not looking for a militaristic ruler but expected a Messiah who would be more like a prophet and a teacher.
I … am he. This is the one occasion before His trial when Jesus is recorded designating Himself as the Messiah. Perhaps the political overtones associated with this title make it unwise for Jesus to use it often (cf. 6:14, 15). The Greek reads, “I am, [that is] the one speaking to you.” “I am” is a theologically significant construction in this gospel, often implying a claim to deity
4:27-30
The disciples’ attitude reflects both the contempt of the Jews for the Samaritans and male chauvinism that regards giving instruction to a woman as a waste of time. During the first century, it was also a breach of propriety for a man to speak with a woman unrelated to him in public.