Read John 4:1-2
1 The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John,
2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples.
*What did we talk about last week? John the Baptist, here we see Jesus’ disciples were baptizing not Jesus himself
Read John 4:3-4
3 When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. 4 He (Jesus) had to go through Samaria on the way.
Jesus took on his journey to Galilee. He chose the most direct route, traveling through Samaria, which lies between Judea and Galilee. This direct route from Judea to Galilee was about 70 miles, or two and a half days’ walk. But many of the Jews chose not to go through Samaria. They traveled the hot desert road from Jerusalem to Jericho, and up the Jordan valley. Thus, because of the terrible prejudice that prevailed against the Samaritan people, they journeyed almost twice the distance on a much hotter and more uncomfortable road. But our Lord cut right through that ignorant, narrow-minded prejudice and went through Samaria.
*What is this country Samaria? Between Jerusalem and the Sea of Galilee. Around 722 BC, Israel – Northern kingdom was taken over by the Assyrians.
*What are Samaritans? The Jews left in the land married the Assyrians. Samaritans are half Jew, half Assyrian. Jew hated them. Some people hate others because of their skin color, or maybe not rich or pretty, or maybe have a handicap. This is not right, Jesus loves us all.
Read John 4:5
5 Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
*Who is Jacob? Abraham was the father of Israel, Isaac was his son, Isaac had 2 sons who? Esau and Jacob.
*Who is Joseph? Jacob’s son, famous for bringing people to Egypt and saving the world at that time.
Read John 4:6-9
6 Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime.
7 Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.”
8 He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.
9 The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”
*Why is it bad for Jesus to talk to her? He is a Jewish man; they looked down on women, especially Samaritans. But Jesus is not a racist, no follower of Jesus should ever be.
Read John 4:10
10 Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who I am, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”
*What is living water? We are all created with a thirst inside us to know God. This is a thirst that can only be quenched by knowing Jesus.
*Does water give life? What would happen to the work without water?
*What would happen to a person without Jesus?
Read John 4:11-12
11 “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this is a very deep well. Where would you get this living water?
12 And besides, are you greater than our ancestor Jacob who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his cattle enjoyed?”
*Is she asking silly questions? – No, no one has ever heard of living water. She did not know who Jesus was.
Read John 4:13-14
13 Jesus replied,”People soon become thirsty again after drinking this water.
14 But the water I give them takes away thirst altogether. It becomes a perpetual spring within them, giving them eternal life.”
*What does he mean “never thirst”?
*Is living water physical or spiritual? When you become born again, the Holy Spirit lives in you. The Holy Spirit is living water.
*What is this water like? A fresh spring- not stale or bitter. The Holy Spirit is fresh, when we, as Christians, do not rely in the Spirit, our water becomes stale and boring.
Read John 4:15
15 “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me some of that water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to haul water.”
*Is she is still thinking this water is physical?
Read John 4:16-18
16 “Go and get your husband,”Jesus told her.
17 “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband —
18 for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now.”
*Is it right to marry 5 times? Should only marry once, (unless death or a good reason for divorce).
*Is it right for a man and woman to live with someone they are not married to?
Even though this woman is sinful, Jesus still loves her.
*Aren’t you glad Jesus loves us even though we sin?
Read John 4:19-20
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet.
20 So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?”
*Is she finally getting it?
*Where do we worship?
Read John 4:21-24
21 Jesus replied, “Believe me, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father here or in Jerusalem.
22 You Samaritans know so little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews.
23 But the time is coming and is already here when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for anyone who will worship him that way.
24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
*Salvation comes through the Jews, who is Jewish here? Jesus. God is looking for us not just to be Jewish, but to believe in spirit and truth. God is spirit; He looks at the inside, not who we are physically.
Read John 4:25-26
25 The woman said, “I know the Messiah will come — the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus told her, “I am the Messiah!”
*How would you have felt hearing that?
Read John 4:17-33
27 Just then his disciples arrived. They were astonished to find him talking to a woman, but none of them asked him why he was doing it or what they had been discussing.
28 The woman left her water jar beside the well and went back to the village and told everyone,
29 “Come and meet a man who told me everything I ever did! Can this be the Messiah?”
30 So the people came streaming from the village to see him.
31 Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus to eat.
32 “No,” he said, “I have food you don’t know about.”
33 “Who brought it to him?” the disciples asked each other.
*What is Jesus talking about? What is his food?
When we do the work of Christ, we sometimes are so full of joy we forget to eat.
(Teacher: share a time when you did the work of Jesus and forgot to eat.)
Read John 4:34-38
34 Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.
35 Do you think the work of harvesting will not begin until the summer ends four months from now? Look around you! Vast fields are ripening all around us and are ready now for the harvest.
36 The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike!
37 You know the saying, ‘One person plants and someone else harvests.’ And it’s true.
38 I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and you will gather the harvest.”
People need a savior. Even now people are lost and lonely. They need you to tell them about Jesus so they can have living water giving them eternal life.
Read John 4:39-42
39 Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!”
40 When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay at their village. So he stayed for two days,
41 long enough for many of them to hear his message and believe.
42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe because we have heard him ourselves, not just because of what you told us. He is indeed the Savior of the world.”
The woman told others and she harvested by bringing other to Jesus. That is why we are here not just to live and have pleasure, but to work for Christ and to tell others about Jesus.