Jesus' Encounter With a Samaritan Woman

John 4:1-42

Illustration by Henry Hofmann,  some time before 1910 For other illustrations click here

Key text: "Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water" (John 4:10).

Lesson objective: To understand that Jesus freely offers the gift of salvation to whoever confesses their sins and acknowledges him as Lord and Savior; his gift is universal and transcends racial, cultural and social barriers.

Introduction

 In the time of Jesus, Jews and Samaritans were as divided as any two peoples could possibly be. The division was deeply embedded by a history of conflict, hatred and prejudice. More than half a millennium earlier, the Babylonians had conquered the Southern Kingdom of Judah and taken many of the people into captivity (605-586 BC). As was the custom of those nations, Babylon transported masses of Jews from Judea and the surrounding areas, and settled them in the kingdom of Babylon. However, Israel was not left completely desolate; the poor people of the land were left to work the land (2 Kings 24:14; 25:12).

Even earlier, the same thing had happened with Israel’s Northern Kingdom by the Assyrians in 722 B.C., and the Assyrians brought other people in to repopulate the land (2 Kings 17:24-29; 2 Chronicles 30:1-10). While the Jews were exiled in Babylonia, the people left in the land—Israelites and Gentiles—intermarried, and that created the Samaritan people. They were partly Jewish but partly not.

After the Persians conquered Babylon, they allowed the Jews to return to their homeland. However, Nehemiah refused to allow the mixed people of the land to have any part in the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2:20). Also, the returning Jews denied them any part in the rebuilding of the temple. This deepened the animosity between them (Ezra 4:1-5).

As a result, the Samaritans eventually found another place of worship. Their beliefs came to include monotheism, the Law of Moses (they accepted the Pentateuch but not any other books), and they built a temple at Mt. Gerizim as the one appointed place of sacrifice and worship. However, the Jews destroyed the Mt. Gerizim temple in 128 B.C., adding more bitterness to the already strained rivalry. Strict orthodox Jews would rather travel to Galilee from Judea by crossing the Jordan River and circling around Samaria rather than pollute themselves with Samaritan dust, even though this would add days in contrast to the more direct route straight through Samaria.

The Samaritans were no band of angels either. Both sides had made reconciliation an impossibility, that is, until Jesus arrived at Jacob’s well. The Samaritan woman, by any stretch of the imagination, is what most would call today a "hard case." Among the several strikes she has against her from the start are:

1) She is a woman. In the ancient world women were an oppressed group. It was deemed inappropriate for a man to converse with a woman in public, even with his wife, let alone a stranger!

2) She was of a particularly despised race. In racism no words need be exchanged— piercing eyes and body language can fill the air with hate, like heavy smoke from a burning fire.

3) She was a social outcast, even from among her own people. Her reputation breathed adultery and fornication with each step she took. And

4) Her religious persuasion was false. Heresy and distortion marked her religious upbringing.

Many would venture to say there is no hope for this woman. She was dealt a bad hand at birth and she had only managed to compound her perdition. Thank God for Jesus Christ and the gift of salvation that he brings to whoever believes! This is a story of hope for every "hard case." The love of God beckons all who thirst to drink from the spiritual well of Jesus and never thirst again.

Questions for Bible study

Read the following verses and respond to the questions:

1. John 4:1-14

a. What success were the disciples of Jesus having, and who took an interest in what they were doing? vv. 1-2. Do you think the Pharisees were happy with what Jesus was doing? Why not?

b. What does Jesus learn about? v. 3a. What does he decide to do in response? v. 3b. Locate Judea and Galilee on a Bible map.

c. How will Jesus get to Galilee? v. 4. Locate the region of Samaria on a Bible map. Is this the only route to Galilee? Consult the Introduction.

d. On his journey, where does Jesus stop? v. 5a. What is so special about this place? v. 5b. See Genesis 33:18-20. Note: Sychar was a small village near the vicinity of ancient Shechem and Mt. Gerizim (Judges 9:7).

e. What else was there? v. 6. What time was it when Jesus sat down to rest? Note: Scholars debate whether John uses Hebrew or Roman time in this Gospel book.

f. Who comes by, and for what purpose? v. 7a. What does Jesus ask her for? v. 7b, c. Where are Jesus’ disciples? v. 8.

g. What is the Samaritan woman’s reply? v. 9. What is John’s note at the end of the verse attempting to explain?

h. What is Jesus’ response to her racial and cultural concerns? v. 10.

i. What literal meaning does the woman give to Jesus’ offer? v. 11. Note: Archaeologists have excavated Jacob’s well and have found it more than 100 feet deep. One would need a vessel with a rope to draw water. The woman also knows that a Jew would not use a Samaritan’s "unclean" vessel to draw the water.

j. What does the woman doubt concerning Jesus and his offer? v. 12.

k. How does Jesus’ reply counter her doubts of whether Jesus is greater than the patriarch Jacob? vv. 13-14. 

2. John 4:15-26

a. What conversational transition does Jesus make in response to the woman’s desire for Jesus’ offer? vv. 15-16.

b. What abrupt answer does she then give? v. 17. What is Jesus’ detailed response to her? v. 18. Do you think the woman is amazed that Jesus knows this? He just arrived that very hour!

c. What does the woman think of Jesus up to this point? v. 19. What religious question does she now pose to this holy man? v. 20.

d. What extensive response does Jesus give? vv. 21-24. Explain.

e. What stunning revelation does Jesus make to her? vv. 25-26. Why? 

3. John 4:27-42

a. What reaction do the disciples have upon their return? v. 27. Why? Where is the woman going, and what does she do? vv. 28-30. Why does she leave her jar behind, and what is motivating her to speak out?

b. What is Jesus’ reply to his disciples, and what literal meaning do they give to Jesus’ words? vv. 31-33. What did the disciples miss out on?

c. How does Jesus help them focus on their true mission? vv. 34-38.

d. What were the harvest results of Jesus’ encounter with one person? vv. 39-42. Can you identify the two evangelistic cycles of cultivating, planting and reaping as found in this chapter? Note: Jesus begins cycle one and the Samaritan woman begins cycle two.

Contemporary interaction:

Respond to the following questions:

1. Do you believe that Jesus teaches each of us to stick to our own kind? Are we to share the gospel only with those who are most like ourselves? Is Jesus really so radical that he wants us to leave our own comfort zones and reach out beyond racial, cultural and social barriers?

2. What motivated the Father to send his Son to die on the cross for sinners? What motivated Jesus to lay down his life for us? What motivates you to share the gospel with those who are lost?

3. Describe how your local church is involved in Jesus’ Great Commission of cultivating, planting and reaping God’s harvest. How are you personally helping out?

Conclusion:

Undoubtedly, Jesus’ mission to the lost is a radical commission for the church to share God’s love with unbelievers. Personally, it means leaving our comfort zone and making ourselves vulnerable to love those who may differ from us. 

Lorenzo Arroyo