John 4:1-14 Living Water

For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. --Titus 3:3 1And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. --Ephesians 2:1-3

“Our greatest need is not economic or political or educational in nature; it is spiritual. Our greatest need is to have our sins forgiven and our old sinful nature exchanged for a new one. Only then will we be on the right path—the path God designed for us.” --Billy Graham

John 1 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. --John 1:1, 14 29 The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him, and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! --John 1:29 12But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, --John 1:12

John 2 11This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him. --John 2:11 24But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man. --John 2:24, 25

John 3 7Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again John 3 7Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ --John 3:7 16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” --John 3:16 30He must increase, but I must decrease. --John 3:30 36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them. [NIV] --John 3:36

John 4 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), 3He left Judea and went away again into Galilee. 4And He had to pass through Samaria. 5So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; 6and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

SAMARITANS—natives or inhabitants of Samaria, a distinct territory or region in central Canaan. Until the rise of Assyrian power in the ancient Near East, Samaria was occupied by the tribes of Ephraim and the western portion of the tribe of Manasseh. Construction on the city of Samaria was begun by Omri about 880 b.c. and completed by his son Ahab (about 874–853 b.c.). Samaria became the new capital of Israel, and successive kings added to it and rebuilt sections to make it a well-fortified capital. But the city fell to the Assyrians in 722–721 b.c. Most of the leading citizens of the Northern Kingdom were deported to places in Syria, Assyria, and Babylonia. Sargon replaced the deported Israelites with foreign colonists (2 Kin. 17: 24). These new-comers intermarried among the Israelites who remained in Samaria.

Samaritans These people took the name “Samaritans” from the territory and attempted to settle the land. However, “they did not fear the Lord, and the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them” (2 Kin. 17: 25). In despair they sent to Assyria for “one of the priests” who would “teach them the rituals of the God of the land” (2 Kin. 17: 27). Thereafter the Samaritans worshiped the God of Israel. But they also continued their idolatry, worshiping the pagan gods imported from foreign lands (2 Kin. 17: 29). So the Samaritans were a “mixed race” contaminated by foreign blood and false worship.

Jacob 24 When her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 Now the first came forth red, all over like a hairy garment ; and they named him Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came forth with his hand holding on to Esau's heel, so his name was called Jacob ; and Isaac was sixty years old when she gave birth to them. 27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents. --Genesis 25:24-27

Jacob I give you one portion more than your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.” --Genesis 48:22 48:22 Amorite. This incident is not referred to elsewhere in the account of Jacob’s life, but that doesn’t mean it did not happen. A reasonable explanation might be that an Amorite neighbor of Jacob’s had attacked him, but that Jacob defeated and slew his attacker, thereby acquiring possession of his land. This particular portion he wanted to reserve for Joseph’s inheritance in addition to the ultimate twelve-fold division of the land. It is likely that this is “the parcel of ground” referred to in John 4:5. --Henry Morris

41So Esau bore a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him; and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” --Genesis 27:41 9And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who didst say to me, ‘Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will prosper you,’ 10I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which Thou hast shown to Thy servant; for with my staff only I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies. 11“Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me, the mothers with the children. 12“For Thou didst say, ‘I will surely prosper you, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ ” --Genesis 32:9-12

Jacob 32:24 wrestled a man. This “man” was actually an angel (Hosea 12:4)–in fact, the angel, the preincarnate Christ, for Jacob recognized that he had seen God face to face (Genesis 32:30), and this is impossible except through Christ (John 1:18). The intensity of Jacob’s prayer, as he “wrestled” in his intercession (the word Jabbok means “wrestler,” the river being named for the unique event that occurred there), was such that God actually deigned to appear to him in human form as an antagonist over whom he must prevail for the blessing. As he had held on to Esau’s heel at birth, so he now held on to God, so earnest was his desire for God’s purpose to be accomplished in and through him. --Henry Morris

Jacob 32:28 Israel. “Israel” can mean either “one who fights victoriously with God” or “a prevailing prince with God.” This constitutes God’s permanent testimony to Jacob’s character, an opinion quite different from that of many modern Bible teachers. The “Supplanter” is now the “Prevailer.” God delights in the faith of those who cling tenaciously to His promises and who claim them in prevailing prayer (see Luke 18:1,7). --Henry Morris

“In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.” --Hebrews 5:7

“I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.” --Abraham Lincoln

7 There came a woman of Samaria to draw water 7 There 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. 9Therefore 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.) 10Jesus 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.”

Jesus began to unveil the truth in an enigmatic statement Jesus began to unveil the truth in an enigmatic statement. This water from Jacob’s well would satisfy only bodily thirst for a time. But the water Jesus gives provides continual satisfaction of needs and desires. In addition one who drinks His living water will have within him a spring of life-giving water (cf. 7:38-39). This inner spring contrasts with the water from the well, which required hard work to acquire. Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit who brings salvation to a person who believes and through Him offers salvation to others. --Edwin Blum

“…those who give themselves to him will receive a “living water,” the Spirit of God Himself, that will keep them from ever again being thirsty— being driven and ruled by unsatisfied desires— and that this “water” will become a well or spring of such water “gushing up to eternal life” (John 4: 14, PAR). Indeed, it will even become “rivers of living water” flowing from the center of the believer’s life to a thirsty world (John 7: 38).” --Dallas Willard

11She said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? 12You 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?” 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.”

The Holy Spirit I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; --John 14:16 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation— having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, --Ephesians 1:13 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. --Romans 8:9

The Holy Spirit but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” --Acts 1:8 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, --Ephesians 5:18 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. --Galatians 5:16

The Holy Spirit But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. --Galatians 5:22, 23 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. --2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. --Romans 8:1, 2