I Am the Messiah [John 4]

⁷There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." ⁸For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

¹³Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; ¹⁴but 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."

 ¹⁵The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw."

 ¹⁶He said to her, "Go, call your husband and come here."

 ¹⁷The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have correctly said, 'I have no husband'; ¹⁸for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly."

 ¹⁹The 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."

 ²¹Jesus 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."

 ²⁵The 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."

 ²⁶Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

 

Jesus, a Jew, asked this Samaritan woman for a drink from Jacob's well. She is stunned because He is talking to her.  She is woman, she is a Samaritan ("For Jews do not associate with Samaritans" v.9) and she does not have a good reputation (which she finds out that He does know v. 18).  Any of those three things could have kept Him from speaking with her.  But He initiates the conversation and keeps engaging her even when she is defensive.  What a beautiful picture of expressing God's love in an awkward conversation.  He moves past the current objections and points to the future, "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth." He points her to the Father, "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." And He points her to the Messiah by mentioning what is coming.

Why did Jesus take the time to talk to this woman?  Even the disciples were amazed that He was talking to her when they returned.  (v. 27) In the verses following we find the answer, "Open your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ready for harvest."  (v. 35)  He looked past the obvious - a woman, a Samaritan, a sinner.  He saw this woman as someone who needed to know the Messiah. Jesus came to "do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work."  (v. 34) He invited her to become a worshiper of God through believing in the Messiah. She not only responded but she brought others to meet, "the Savior of the world." (v.42)

I Am the Messiah [John 4]

⁷There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." ⁸For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

¹³Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; ¹⁴but 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."

 ¹⁵The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw."

 ¹⁶He said to her, "Go, call your husband and come here."

 ¹⁷The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have correctly said, 'I have no husband'; ¹⁸for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly."

 ¹⁹The 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."

 ²¹Jesus 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."

 ²⁵The 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."

 ²⁶Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

 

Jesus, a Jew, asked this Samaritan woman for a drink from Jacob's well. She is stunned because He is talking to her.  She is woman, she is a Samaritan ("For Jews do not associate with Samaritans" v.9) and she does not have a good reputation (which she finds out that He does know v. 18).  Any of those three things could have kept Him from speaking with her.  But He initiates the conversation and keeps engaging her even when she is defensive.  What a beautiful picture of expressing God's love in an awkward conversation.  He moves past the current objections and points to the future, "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth." He points her to the Father, "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." And He points her to the Messiah by mentioning what is coming.

Why did Jesus take the time to talk to this woman?  Even the disciples were amazed that He was talking to her when they returned.  (v. 27) In the verses following we find the answer, "Open your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ready for harvest."  (v. 35)  He looked past the obvious - a woman, a Samaritan, a sinner.  He saw this woman as someone who needed to know the Messiah. Jesus came to "do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work."  (v. 34) He invited her to become a worshiper of God through believing in the Messiah. She not only responded but she brought others to meet, "the Savior of the world." (v.42)

I Am the Messiah [John 4]

⁷There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." ⁸For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

¹³Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; ¹⁴but 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."

 ¹⁵The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw."

 ¹⁶He said to her, "Go, call your husband and come here."

 ¹⁷The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have correctly said, 'I have no husband'; ¹⁸for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly."

 ¹⁹The 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."

 ²¹Jesus 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."

 ²⁵The 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."

 ²⁶Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

 

Jesus, a Jew, asked this Samaritan woman for a drink from Jacob's well. She is stunned because He is talking to her.  She is woman, she is a Samaritan ("For Jews do not associate with Samaritans" v.9) and she does not have a good reputation (which she finds out that He does know v. 18).  Any of those three things could have kept Him from speaking with her.  But He initiates the conversation and keeps engaging her even when she is defensive.  What a beautiful picture of expressing God's love in an awkward conversation.  He moves past the current objections and points to the future, "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth." He points her to the Father, "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." And He points her to the Messiah by mentioning what is coming.

Why did Jesus take the time to talk to this woman?  Even the disciples were amazed that He was talking to her when they returned.  (v. 27) In the verses following we find the answer, "Open your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ready for harvest."  (v. 35)  He looked past the obvious - a woman, a Samaritan, a sinner.  He saw this woman as someone who needed to know the Messiah. Jesus came to "do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work."  (v. 34) He invited her to become a worshiper of God through believing in the Messiah. She not only responded but she brought others to meet, "the Savior of the world." (v.42)

We praise You, Father, for sending Jesus to be our Savior.  Through Your Spirit in us enable us to worship You today, in spirit and in truth. Thank You for Jesus who explains Your love so beautifully to us and meets us right in our state of need.