The Gospel According to John: 4:1-26

The theme verse for our series is John 20The theme verse for our series is John 20:31

John 20:31 – “…these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.”

The purpose of this study is threefold. First, as we go through this together we will learn more and more about Jesus. We will get to know Him better, understand Him better and our faith and trust in Him will grow.

Second, as we go through this study together we will better know and understand the life that only Jesus can give. Life forever and life to the full. We will discover how we can know for certain that we will be in heaven and we will learn how to live on earth like we are going to live in heaven.

And third, we are not only knowing and growing in these things together, as we go through this we are being equipped to share these things with others.

[Read text]

John 4:1–26 NASB

1 Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), 3 He left Judea and went away again into Galilee. 4 And He had to pass through Samaria. 5 So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; 6 and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 There came a woman of Samaria 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 Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am 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 She said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? 12 “You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?” 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.” 16 He 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 correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.” 19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 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 (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

[Pray]

Let’s start in verses 23-24

23 “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24 “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Spirit and Truth. God must be worship in Spirit and Truth.

You see the Spirit part in verses 10-14.

(v. 10-14) 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 She said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? 12 “You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?” 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

In order to worship, there has to be a well to draw from. If we try to worship without being regenerated in spirit, then our worship will be dry and dead.

You see the truth part in verses 15-19.

(v. 15-19) “15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.” 16 He 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 correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.” 19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.”

Worship must be both true worship and based on truth. Worship that isn’t true is worthless. Worship that isn’t based on truth is idolatry.

When Jesus met this Samaritan woman at the well, it was an opportunity for her to meet and worship the living God who gives living water. But she resisted. She had excuses. She was buying into lies and living in the past and she was missing out on the gift of God set before her. And we can relate to most, if not all of her hangups. If you’ve been living for the Lord and worshipping Jesus for decades or haven’t yet recieved the gift of salvation, or somewhere in-between, you’ve probably got some hangups that are hindering your worship and keeping you from the best that God has for you. So let me give you a few things to watch out for.

Number 1:

Don’t try to disguise your shortcomings.

(v. 16-19) “16 He 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 correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.” 19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.”

Number 2:

Don’t get distracted by secondary issues.

(v. 20-22) “20 “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.”

Number 3:

Don’t let difficulties make you a skeptic.

(v. 11-14) “11 She said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? 12 “You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?” 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

Number 4:

Don’t allow past damage or discouragements to sabotage your present or future.

(v. 7-9) “7 There came a woman of Samaria 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 Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)”

Don’t hold on to hangups. Let them go. Ask Jesus to take them away. Go back to the well of God’s love, mercy and grace. Drink deeply. Worship truly. And Share freely.

Memory Verse of the Week:

John 7:38 NASB

38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ ”

Discussion Questions: (John 4:1-26)

In what ways do you see Jesus’ humanity in this passage?

In what ways do you see Jesus’ deity in this passage?

How is a “well of living water” a perfect illustration of what God does to us when we are born again? (v. 10-14)

How is “living water” a blessing to us?

How can the “living water” in us be a blessing to others?

What does it mean for worship to be done in truth? (v. 23-24)

What does it mean for worship to be done in spirit? (v. 23-24)

What else does this passage tell us about God? Why does it matter?

What else does the text teach us about ourselves?

Did anything else stick out to you?

How do you believe God leading you to respond to His word?