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 4:27-42
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.