41 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 e 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 e drinks of the water that I will give him shall never e 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."
27 At this point His disciples came , and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman , yet no one said , "What do You seek ?" or , "Why do You speak with her?" 28 So the woman left her waterpot , and went into the city and said to the men , 29 "Come , see a man who told me all the things that I have done ; this is not the Christ , is it?" 30 They went out of the city , and were coming to Him. 31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying , " Rabbi , eat ." 32 But He said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about ." 33 So the disciples were saying to one another , "No one brought Him anything to eat , did he?" 34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work . 35 "Do you not say , 'There are yet four months , and then comes the harvest '? Behold , I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields , that they are white for harvest . 36 "Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal ; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together . 37 "For in this case 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 labor ." 39 From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified , " He told me all the things that I have done ." 40 So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days . 41 Many more believed because of His word ; 42 and they were saying to the woman , "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe , for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world ."
Matthew Henry's Commentary on John 4:1-42
Commentary on John 4:1-3
(Read John 4:1-3)
Jesus applied himself more to preaching, which was the more excellent, 1 Corinthians 1:17, than to baptism. He would put honour upon his disciples, by employing them to baptize. He teaches us that the benefit of sacraments depends not on the hand that administers them.
Commentary on John 4:4-26
(Read John 4:4-26)
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore Christ, having made himself a curse for us, submitted to it. Also, he was a poor man, and went all his journeys on foot. Being wearied, he sat thus on the well; he had no couch to rest upon. He sat thus, as people wearied with travelling sit. Surely, we ought readily to submit to be like the Son of God in such things as these. Christ asked a woman for water. She was surprised because he did not show the anger of his own nation against the Samaritans. Moderate men of all sides are men wondered at. Christ took the occasion to teach her Divine things: he converted this woman, by showing her ignorance and sinfulness, and her need of a Saviour. By this living water is meant the Spirit. Under this comparison the blessing of the Messiah had been promised in the Old Testament. The graces of the Spirit, and his comforts, satisfy the thirsting soul, that knows its own nature and necessity. What Jesus spake figuratively, she took literally. Christ shows that the water of Jacob's well yielded a very short satisfaction. Of whatever waters of comfort we drink, we shall thirst again. But whoever partakes of the Spirit of grace, and the comforts of the gospel, shall never want that which will abundantly satisfy his soul. Carnal hearts look no higher than carnal ends. Give it me, saith she, not that I may have everlasting life, which Christ proposed, but that I come not hither to draw. The carnal mind is very ingenious in shifting off convictions, and keeping them from fastening. But how closely our Lord Jesus brings home the conviction to her conscience! He severely reproved her present state of life. The woman acknowledged Christ to be a prophet. The power of his word in searching the heart, and convincing the conscience of secret things, is a proof of Divine authority. It should cool our contests, to think that the things we are striving about are passing away. The object of worship will continue still the same, God, as a Father; but an end shall be put to all differences about the place of worship. Reason teaches us to consult decency and convenience in the places of our worship; but religion gives no preference to one place above another, in respect of holiness and approval with God. The Jews were certainly in the right. Those who by the Scriptures have obtained some knowledge of God, know whom they worship. The word of salvation was of the Jews. It came to other nations through them. Christ justly preferred the Jewish worship before the Samaritan, yet here he speaks of the former as soon to be done away. God was about to be revealed as the Father of all believers in every nation. The spirit or the soul of man, as influenced by the Holy Spirit, must worship God, and have communion with him. Spiritual affections, as shown in fervent prayers, supplications, and thanksgivings, form the worship of an upright heart, in which God delights and is glorified. The woman was disposed to leave the matter undecided, till the coming of the Messiah. But Christ told her, I that speak to thee, am He. She was an alien and a hostile Samaritan, merely speaking to her was thought to disgrace our Lord Jesus. Yet to this woman did our Lord reveal himself more fully than as yet he had done to any of his disciples. No past sins can bar our acceptance with him, if we humble ourselves before him, believing in him as the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
Commentary on John 4:27-42
(Read John 4:27-42)
The disciples wondered that Christ talked thus with a Samaritan. Yet they knew it was for some good reason, and for some good end. Thus when particular difficulties occur in the word and providence of God, it is good to satisfy ourselves that all is well that Jesus Christ says and does. Two things affected the woman. The extent of his knowledge. Christ knows all the thoughts, words, and actions, of all the children of men. And the power of his word. He told her secret sins with power. She fastened upon that part of Christ's discourse, many would think she would have been most shy of repeating; but the knowledge of Christ, into which we are led by conviction of sin, is most likely to be sound and saving. They came to him: those who would know Christ, must meet him where he records his name. Our Master has left us an example, that we may learn to do the will of God as he did; with diligence, as those that make a business of it; with delight and pleasure in it. Christ compares his work to harvest-work. The harvest is appointed and looked for before it comes; so was the gospel. Harvest-time is busy time; all must be then at work. Harvest-time is a short time, and harvest-work must be done then, or not at all; so the time of the gospel is a season, which if once past, cannot be recalled. God sometimes uses very weak and unlikely instruments for beginning and carrying on a good work. Our Saviour, by teaching one poor woman, spread knowledge to a whole town. Blessed are those who are not offended at Christ. Those taught of God, are truly desirous to learn more. It adds much to the praise of our love to Christ and his word, if it conquers prejudices. Their faith grew. In the matter of it: they believed him to be the Saviour, not only of the Jews but of the world. In the certainty of it: we know that this is indeed the Christ. And in the ground of it, for we have heard him ourselves.