CHAPTER 4
Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. John 4:1-2
The Pharisees seemed always to be a source of problems for Jesus. Here they attempted to provoke a rivalry between Jesus and John the Baptist. Jesus’ success was obviously increasing just as John said it would. His work was beginning to obscure that of John. Under his ministry more and more people were being baptized, although it was the disciples who were doing the actual baptizing.1 Still, Jesus was determined that there would be no rivalry.
“So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee” (4:3). We note that Jesus had already ministered in Galilee, for he had actually worked a great miracle at Cana. In the Synoptic Gospels we understand that Jesus’ change of location also had something to do with the arrest of John the Baptist (cf. Matt. 4:12; Mk. 1:14). It was a very early point in Jesus’ ministry and he probably wanted to avoid a direct conflict, which might have marred his work.2
“Now he had to go through Samaria” (4:4). It was certainly not the most direct route for Jesus to go through Samaria from his location. Jesus was working in Judea, no doubt near the Jordan River, for that was the normal place of baptisms. For him to go through Samaria he had to do a difficult climb about midway in the Jordan River Valley up to the heights of Samaria, which was approximately 2000 feet (609 m.) in elevation. The normal route from the valley was to cross to the east side of the river thus avoiding Samaria and then re-cross the river to enter Lower Galilee. Of course, when traveling from the high country of Jerusalem the easiest route to Samaria was to follow the mountain ridge. It was a journey of about three days.3
The words “had to go” are obviously not connected with a geographic necessity. Rather, they probably speak of divine necessity.4 As Meyer says, “It was not necessary for Jesus to go through Samaria except for the purpose of mercy to one soul…” 5
The geographic term “Samaria” speaks of the northern portion of the divided kingdom under Jeroboam (2 Chron. Ch. 10). The heartlands of Samaria focused on the biblical tribal lands of Ephraim and Manasseh, but the ten separated tribes reached as far as Dan in the far north. In 722 BC this whole land was conquered by the Assyrian ruler Sennacherib. The later ruler Sargon replaced the deported Israelites with colonists from other conquered lands (2 Ki. 17:6, 24). These imported colonists mixed with the remaining Israelites and took on the name of Samaritans. When their settlement did not go well (2 Ki. 17:25) they sent for an Israelite priest to teach them (2 Ki. 17:27). The people then began to worship the God of Israel along with their idols. The Samaritans became a half-breed, religiously mixed people, and thus became despised by the Jews.
“So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph” (4:5). The archaeologists Rousseau and Arav say of this location: “By the first century CE [AD], neither a biblical nor a Samaritan Shechem existed. In its stead a small town, possibly the Sychar of John 4:4-6, was built at walking distance from Jacob’s well, which was located at the intersection of two roads…The author of the Fourth Gospel was apparently familiar with the topography of the region….” 6
In early Bible times, Shechem was an important center for the patriarchs (Gen. 12:6-7; 33:18-19). It was at this city to which the Israelites assembled after conquest of the land. The covenant was renewed there and the blessing and cursing recited on the nearby mountains of Ebal and Gerizim (Deut. 11:29; 27:12; Josh. 8:33). We have no record of a well being dug by Jacob, but the patriarchs were prone to dig wells wherever they went. When Israel came out of Egypt they brought the bones of Joseph to Shechem and the tomb of Joseph exists there to this day. In Genesis 48:22, we note that Jacob, as he lay dying, gave his plot of land in Shechem to Joseph.
“Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon” (4:6). Here we see the human nature of Jesus clearly illustrated. He had come a long distance and he was weary from the journey. In order to rest himself he sat down by the well. The Greek word for well here is pege and it has reference to a spring or fountain.7 Several scholars mention that this well was around 100 feet deep (30 m.) and was fed by an underground source. The well still exists today and it is generally recognized as the authentic site.8
We are told here that the time of day was about noon or the sixth hour. Although there is some small dissension, most commentators agree with the time of day. We cannot be certain as to the time of the year but it obviously was not in the winter, the time of heavy rain and even snow in the high country. The weather was clearly warm enough to make Jesus thirsty. Jesus was probably tired, thirsty and hungry, but as Utley says, “He was never too tired to love people!…” 9
THE WOMAN AT THE WELL
When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink? (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)” John 4:7-8
Culturally speaking, Jesus was placing himself in an extremely awkward position. Jesus was considered a Jewish rabbi and a rabbi was expected to avoid public contact with women in general and particularly with despised Samaritan women.10 This woman was likely an outcast from society because of her blatantly immoral lifestyle. Women were often the water-bearers of ancient society, but they usually did their work of bearing water in the cooler hours of the day.11 At that time they usually drew water in company. No doubt this woman was excluded from this company, and likely would have been ridiculed by the other women. As a result, she was probably forced to draw water in the hot part of the day. The disciples would be shocked at seeing Jesus speaking with this woman.
“The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?’ (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans)” (4:9). There was a national antipathy between Jews and Samaritans as we see in scripture (cf. Lk. 10:30-37; 17:16, 18).12 There was a bitter quarrel of over 400 years between them. Wiersbe says: “So intense was their dislike of the Samaritans that some of the Pharisees prayed that no Samaritan would be raised in the resurrection! When his enemies wanted to call Jesus an insulting name, they called him a Samaritan (Jn. 8:48).” 13
The bitter feelings were augmented when the Samaritans erected a rival temple on Mt. Gerizim about 400 BC, and when the Jewish Hasmonean armies destroyed that temple in 108 BC.14 It is more than amazing that today the rivalry of Jews and the so-called Palestinians, who are now residents of this same area, is even more hostile than this ancient rivalry. The tension today quite often ends in violence and bloodshed.
“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’” (4:10). It is obvious here that the Lord was drawing the woman into a spiritual conversation as he spoke to her of living water. In ancient times living water was spring water that bubbled up and seemed to be alive.15 Such living water was often spoken of in a metaphorical sense in the Old Testament (cf. Ps. 23:2: 36:9; 46:4; Isa. 12:3; 44:3; 48:21; 55:1; Jer. 17:13; Zech. 14:8). Unfortunately, the people of Israel forsook this spiritual water and dug for themselves cisterns that could hold no water (Jer. 2:13).
In the above verse Jesus speaks of the gift of God (dōrean). Guthrie says of this Greek word, “…whenever it is used in Acts or in the Epistles, it always used of a divine gift.” 16 This gift is no doubt that of his salvation (cf. Isa. 12:3; Rev. 7:17).
“‘Sir,’ the woman said, ‘you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?’” (4:11). James Burton Coffman, tireless commentator of the Christian Church, remarks: “…her knowledge and understanding of Jesus grew rapidly. Note the following: ‘A Jew’ (John 4:7), ‘Sir’ (John 4:11), ‘a prophet’ (John 4:19), and ‘the Christ’ (John 4:29).” 17 The woman notes the obvious, that Jesus has nothing with which to draw and that the well is deep. Barclay tells how people in these times who were going on a journey made sure that they had a bucket made of skin so that they could draw water from wells along the route of their journey.18 Presumably they would also carry a long cord of some type to let the leather bucket down into wells along the way.
Barclay also notes how this conversation follows almost exactly the pattern as Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus. He says: “…Jesus makes a statement. The statement is taken in the wrong sense. Jesus remakes the statement in an even more vivid way. It is still misunderstood; and then Jesus compels the person with whom he is speaking to discover and to face the truth…just as Nicodemus did…” 19
“Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” (4:12). She seemed quite happy with her patriarchal well and seemed to dare Christ to produce something better.20 Perhaps her mind was still partly stuck in the rut of water, water pots and the daily trip to the well.
“Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life’” (4:13-14). Before we blame the Samaritan woman for having a mind stuck in a rut, we perhaps need to think about ourselves. The whole subject of living water is of critical importance to this age. Once again people en masse have relied on broken cisterns that can hold no water. Even as Christians today we sing, “Fill my cup Lord!” That makes a nice song but we will need more than a cup of water to keep us in the coming Day of the Lord (Am. 8:11-12). There is a time coming when cups and water pots will be empty. The whole idea of storing or hoarding water is somewhat selfish and futile anyway. Wells and cisterns are made to collect water and have it available for later use. But cisterns can become polluted and wells can run dry. What God really desires is that we become springs of living water (Num. 21:17; Isa. 58:11). This is the answer to empty water pots, cracked cisterns and dry wells.
We need to ask ourselves, “Do I have my own spring? Does my life flow out to others, or am I always taking my cup or water pot out to others for filling?” Even some of us who have been Christians for many years need to periodically make an assessment of our spiritual condition. I have a little test which I give to people as I teach on this subject. Perhaps it would do us all good to take it. Check the answer which best applies to your life: My general spiritual condition is: 1. Dry as a bone; 2. Dry most of the time; 3. There’s some water, but not much, and it’s pretty stale; 4. Through Jesus I have my own spring to sustain me spiritually. I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me! If our answer is yes to any one of the first three statements, we need to make some changes. People have to come to cisterns and wells, but springs flow out to the people.
LONGING FOR LIVING WATER
The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” John 4:15
We sense desire rising in the heart of this woman. She could almost understand what Jesus was talking about and the offer of living water sounded so delightful to her.21 Suddenly, the woman wanted the water, whatever it was. Then she broke and asked the stranger to give her some of the water.
“He told her, ‘Go, call your husband and come back’” (4:16). Suddenly the woman was almost without words. The answer she would make was the shortest she had made in the whole conversation. She was now under conviction and it seemed her mouth was stopped (Rom. 3:19). Jesus certainly knew how to prepare the soil for planting, and that was to plow it up with conviction.22 Pfeiffer and Harrison say, “Before the woman could receive the gift of living water, she had to be made to realize how desperately she needed it.” 23
Jesus’ reply to her also illustrates something else that is very important. Coffman sums it up well saying, “The gift of eternal life is not a blessing that anyone receives alone; it is always for others also; and those others always include, first of all, those who are members of one’s family.” 24
“‘I have no husband,’ she replied. Jesus said to her, ‘You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true’” (4:17-18). We see something interesting here that goes quite counter to this permissive age in which we live. Jesus recognized the bond of marriage, but he did not recognize the live-in relationship by which she was apparently involved. It was not made in the sight of God and there was no covenant bond. Meyer says, “A spasm of remorse seized the woman, as she remembered the grave within her heart where her first love lay buried, trampled down by the wild crew of later passion…” 25
Barclay says: “There are two revelations in Christianity: the revelation of God and the revelation of ourselves. No man ever really sees himself until he sees himself in the presence of Christ; and then he is appalled at the sight…” 26
CHANGING THE SUBJECT
“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” John 4:19-20
Several commentators feel that the woman was so uncomfortable with Jesus’ prophetic probe into her life that she abruptly changed the subject. Generally it is much more comfortable to talk about religion in general than about our own spiritual condition. Her diversion thus may seem to be a theological red herring. Other commentators feel that she may have had a genuine interest in getting an answer to the deep conflict between Jews and Samaritans.
As we have mentioned, the quarrel between Jews and Samaritans had raged on for over 400 years. The Jews felt that the center of their religion was Jerusalem and its temple (cf. 2 Chron. 6:6; 7:12; 2 Sam. 7:13; 1 Ki. 5:5; 8:15-22; Psa. 78:68). However, the Samaritans did not recognize any of these scriptures because they accepted only the Pentateuch or the first five books of Moses as valid.27 The Samaritans felt that the area of Shechem was sacred to Abraham since he built an altar there. They also felt that Mt. Gerizim was special to God since the tribes of Israel were directed to go there and worship after they entered Canaan (Deut. 11:29; 27; 27:4). Coffman says, “Deep within every heart the abiding question of how men ‘ought’ to worship God is firmly implanted.” 28
“‘Woman,’ Jesus replied, ‘believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem’” (4:21). Bruce says, “A new order was now being introduced which rendered such questions out-of-date and meaningless. The important question is not where people worship God but how they worship him.” 29
Thus, true worship would no longer be tied to certain holy places. Rather, the holy places would soon become obsolete.
TRUE WORSHIP
You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. John 4:22
Here Jesus deals a direct blow to the idea of syncretism or the mingling of beliefs that was practiced among the Samaritans. Instead, he makes a bold claim of exclusivism for the Jewish faith. We must understand that God has only revealed himself through Israel. Salvation is from the Jews. The scripture says, “He has revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and decrees to Israel. He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws. Praise the LORD” (Psa. 147:19-20). Why would the Psalmist say “Praise the LORD” after making such a statement? The truth is that Israel alone guarded the word of God through the centuries. Other nations and people would have corrupted the word, as the Samaritans had done and as is currently being done in our western society.
By denying all the Old Testament except the Pentateuch, the Samaritans had a greatly truncated Bible and idea of truth.30 Stedman rephrases this verse saying: “Your knowledge is incomplete. You have been the victim of garbled truth. You have some truth but there is much error mingled with it; you have been misled.” 31
Today in our society there is the New Age concept that there are many paths going up the mountain. Regardless of what religious path a person is on it is OK, because all the paths will meet at the top. All a person needs to do is be sincere in his or her belief. Jesus absolutely destroys this idea. People can be sincerely wrong just as the Samaritans were.
This verse should be a wake-up call to the churches. Today many mainline denominations actually despise Israel. Through the BDS movement (boycott, divest and sanction) they are actively trying to destroy Israel through political, economic, educational, and social boycotts and sanctions. For the rest of the church, there is a coolness and suspicion toward Israel that has persisted since early times. As it has been said, “we received anti-Semitism with our mother’s milk.”
“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth” (4:23-24). This verse has got to be a spiritual high-water mark in John’s gospel. Here the Lord displays true worship in dazzling light.
Since God’s essential nature is Spirit, he desires that we worship him in Spirit and in truth.32 True worship no longer will be tied to places and religious shrines. True worship can take place anywhere and at any time. Jesus makes perfectly clear that the time for such worship has come and that God is looking for such people to worship him. Long before, it was Zephaniah’s vision that people would worship God “each in his place” (Zeph. 2:11). It was Malachi’s dream that in every place pure incense would be offered to God (Mal. 1:11). 33 William Cowper (1769) summed this great truth up with his beautiful hymn:
Jesus, where’er thy people meet,
There they behold thy mercy seat;
Where’er they seek thee thou art found,
And every place is hallowed ground.34
It is amazing that Jesus revealed the wonderful truth of God’s spiritual temple to this Samaritan woman. Yet, his own disciples were not able to fully comprehend this truth. Even today in the church we are prone to focus on buildings and sanctuaries rather than the spiritual temple where true worshippers can worship at any time and place. We often miss the biblical idea that God’s saints make up his spiritual temple. They are like living stones, built upon Jesus the chief cornerstone. Peter says, “you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:5; cf. Eph. 2:19-22).
“The woman said, ‘I know that Messiah’ (called Christ) ‘is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us’” (4:25). Later Samaritan documents have revealed more about their concept of the Messiah. He would be called the Taheb, or the restorer, and he would be a prophet like Moses (Deut. 18:15-18).35 Unfortunately, because the Samaritans did not believe in the prophetic scriptures they had a blurred vision of the true Messiah. Yet, “What a priceless jewel of faith lay at the bottom of this poor beleaguered woman’s heart…There it was bubbling out of her heart spontaneously, her conviction that God would send the world a Savior.” 36
How different was Jesus’ approach than that of the rabbis. The rabbis thought it would be better that the law be burned than it be delivered to a woman. Jesus did not agree with that assessment. He shared this great spiritual truth with her (an unlikely prospect) and God promptly used her to win that Samaritan village.37
The woman by this time was looking and longing for the Messiah. “Then Jesus declared, ‘I, the one speaking to you— I am he” (4:26). It is amazing that Jesus refers to himself as the Messiah. He was not able to make such a statement while among the Jews because of their false ideas of a political Messiah.38 Not only does he now call himself the Messiah, he says more. Morris comments, “…the use of the emphatic pronoun in this expression is in the style of deity…There is no “he” in the Greek. Jesus says, ‘I that speak to you, I am.’” 39 Of course, “I am” was a way of designating himself as God (Exo. 3:14).
THE DISCIPLES RETURN
Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” John 4:27
No doubt the disciples were shocked to see Jesus talking with this Samaritan woman. The rabbis had a precept which said: “Let no one talk with a woman in the street, no, not with his own wife.” 40 Burge says: “…The rabbis taught that theological education, instruction in the law, was for men alone. To teach women or girls not only was a waste of time, but a profaning of sacred things…here he is talking to a singularly irreligious woman about matters of utmost spiritual profundity…” 41 Today many would like to blame Christianity as a suppressor of religious rights for women. However, it is clear in scripture that Jesus was the one who set women free from the bondage that was everywhere prevalent in the ancient world.
“Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?’” (4:28-29). Pett comments: “She had come with the purpose of drawing water. But now that had been forgotten in her excitement. Perhaps there is also an indication in it that she considered that her water jar no longer mattered. Her thirst had been satisfied by better water and she wanted to take that with her.” 42
The woman left her water pot. Before, she had chided Jesus for not having one and now she forsook hers. This speaks volumes about the living water was now springing up within her very soul.43 She ran home as a vocal witness to the truth she had just discovered.
As we have seen, one of John’s great themes in his gospel is “witness” (cf. comment on 1:6-7). This woman became one, but what about us? Today we understand much more than this woman did, but for the most part we remain silent. Pastor Bill Hybels says that the longer people are in the church the fewer are their evangelistic discussions. He has a graph illustrating how our evangelistic contacts decline by the year after conversion. From the first year our contacts drop from 20 to 10; the third year from 10 to 6. After that they drop about one contact a year until they bottom out to 0 on the eighth year, where they remain for the rest of the person’s life.44
“They came out of the town and made their way toward him” (4:30). Not only was this woman of poor character, but women were considered as poor witnesses in that day. There must have been a great sense of urgency in her voice that roused the whole Samaritan community. In an unbelievable way they all began to follow her back to the well to see for themselves if the Messiah had really come.
FIELDS WHITE UNTO HARVEST
Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” John 4:31-32
The disciples were concerned about their Master and urged him to eat something. He refused, saying that he had food unknown to them. He was speaking about the spiritual food that comes from God. In Matthew 4:4, Jesus had said: “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” His food at this hour was the deep satisfaction in knowing that he had done the Father’s will.
“Then his disciples said to each other, ‘Could someone have brought him food?’” “‘My food,’ said Jesus, ‘is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work’” (4:33-34). We are reminded of Job 23:12, where the ancient saint said: “I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.”
Jesus then said: “Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest” (4:35). Several commentators have felt that as Jesus was making this statement the villagers were beginning to appear across the fields as the community came to the Lord. In their white robes and turbans they were a picture of a white harvest.45
The world-famed Christian leader and prolific author, Derek Prince, once quoted the verse found in Proverbs 10:5, “He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.” He then chided his listeners as being disgraceful sons if they were not doing evangelistic work to bring in the harvest.
In this verse Jesus was obviously referring to an agricultural maxim that the harvest would come four months from the sowing. The sowing of grains usually took place in the winter or in the early spring and the very first ripe barley came in at Passover time. Fifty days later at Pentecost the barley and wheat harvest were being concluded. Barclay tells us about the six-fold division of the agricultural year: “Each division was held to last two months— seedtime, winter, spring, harvest, summer and the season of extreme heat…” He notes that the Sychar region was famous for its corn.46
“Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true.” (4:36-37). Clearly, the harvest is a cooperative thing. Many hands go to make the harvest possible. Some people prepare the soil, some sow, some people water, some remove the weeds, and some gather in the harvest. We cannot forget the people who laboriously broke up the soil, perhaps people like John the Baptist. Some like him paid for the harvest with their lives. There is a beautiful and touching story of missions in Korea illustrating this:
When Robert Thomas the Welsh missionary went to Korea, his meager possessions occupied only a small corner of his travel chest. The rest was filled with five hundred Chinese Bibles. In 1866 the missionary earned his passage by becoming a translator for the ship’s captain. The trip was a dangerous one because some eight thousand Catholics in the land had been rounded up by the government and slain just a few years earlier. Thomas and his mission was not to fare any better. His ship entered the Dae-dong River into Pyongyang but was not welcomed by the Koreans. Thomas tried to be calm and negotiate with his wary hosts but to no avail. He also tried to pass out his Bibles. Soon the ship became grounded in the harbor and was eventually set on fire by the angry mob. As the crew escaped to the land they were all slaughtered. Thomas, now the first Protestant missionary to Korea, came to shore shouting the name of Jesus, speaking words of peace and offering a Bible to the ones who met him. He then knelt to pray but his prayer was not finished as he was cruelly murdered. Some may say “what a waste,” but nothing is wasted in the kingdom of God and as Tertullian said, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”
The man who killed Thomas soon became convicted. He picked up the Bible that was offered him and took it home. Eventually he used the pages of the book to wallpaper his guesthouse. As he later read the words he became a follower of Christ. When other missionaries arrived in Korea they spoke with this man and learned that people had come from all over Korea to read the walls of his house. The man who had taken the life of Thomas ended up sharing the truth of Jesus with many others. The work was continued by his family and a nephew went on to Bible College in Pyongyang. Later this nephew served as part of the team that updated the Korean Bible translation, modernizing the words he first read on his uncle’s walls.47
“I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor” (4:38). Morris feels that some of those who had worked in God’s field would include the prophets from days of old.48 The disciples had not done the hard work but they would receive the harvest. For them the sowing and reaping almost came together as Psalm 126:6 says: “Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.” The days of the gospel were also a fulfillment of Amos 9:13, “‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills…’”
MANY SAMARITANS BELIEVE
Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” John 4:39
Barnes remarks of this event saying, “There is seldom an instance of so remarkable success as this.” 49 These Samaritans initially believed based upon the testimony of a woman, and a fallen women at that. There must have been some compelling excitement in her voice or perhaps they could already glimpse in her a changed life. Wiersbe says of her efforts: “This is a perfect parallel to Acts 1:8…Nobody knows how many lost sinners have come to the Savior because of the witness of this woman recorded in John 4.” 50
“So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers” (4:40-41). Bruce says of this incident: “That Samaritans should invite a Jewish teacher to stay with them, with no fear of a rebuff, shows how completely he had won their confidence…We may wonder if this was the same ‘city of Samaria’ as was evangelized by Philip a few years later…” 51 The word “urged” is a strong Greek word that might even be translated “begged.” 52 These people were insistent to learn more about this stranger. Jesus agreed to spend two days with them and during that time the believers increased. All this is amazing when we consider that Jesus, who was now becoming their Messiah, was not a Samaritan but was of the despised Jewish race.
“They said to the woman, ‘We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world’” (4:42). It is amazing how quickly the Jews rejected Jesus and how quickly the Samaritans accepted him! 53 Their faith had progressed from a second-hand one, based upon the woman’s testimony, to a first-hand experience with the Master. Their faith and understanding had quickly jelled to the point that they could proclaim Jesus as the Savior of the world. How sad that Jesus’ own people the Jews could not bring themselves to such a confession during his life.
THE MIRACLE OF THE OFFICIAL’S SON
After the two days he left for Galilee. (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) John 4:43-44
No doubt Jesus proceeded northward along the mountain ridge until it descended into the large Jezreel Valley, then across the valley and up the hill to his home in Nazareth, in what is called Lower Galilee today. We know from the other gospels that Jesus received a rather cool reception there. In all three Synoptics we see this same proverb is quoted, that a prophet has no honor in his own country (cf. Matt. 13:57; Mk. 6:4; Lk. 4:24).
This section of scripture makes it clear that Jesus did a good deal of traveling between Galilee and Judea, much more than seems to be noted in the Synoptic Gospels.54 As we have indicated previously, Jesus was in Judea and Jerusalem on several occasions.
“When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, for they also had been there” (4:45). This verse seems to be more indicative of the whole area of Galilee rather than just in Jesus’ home town of Nazareth. As we have mentioned, he had a cool reception there.
“Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum” (4:46). Jesus’ reception was no doubt warmer in Cana because of the great miracle of the wine previously worked there. Jesus was then met there by a royal official. The Greek word for this official is basilikos, derived from basileus, which means “king.” He was likely from the entourage of Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee. He had probably heard about the wonderful signs Jesus had done in Jerusalem.55
“When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death” (4:47). Morris points out that the word “begged” is in a continuous tense. It conveys the idea of a persistent request. 56 I think that if any of us fathers had a son who was dying we too would be persistent, even unto tears and begging.
“‘Unless you people see signs and wonders,’ Jesus told him, ‘you will never believe.’” (4:48). Here, Jesus seems to be addressing the whole crowd that had apparently assembled. People tend to chase after miracles and likely Jesus was growing weary of this.57 While miracles may awaken some to the gospel, such signs and wonders are not to be the whole basis of people’s faith.
“The royal official said, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies.’ ‘Go,’ Jesus replied, ‘your son will live.’ The man took Jesus at his word and departed” (4:49-50). Apparently from the Greek this was a little boy who was about to die. Tenney says, “With short and simple command Jesus put the nobleman in the position where he would be compelled to show real faith if he had any to show.” 58 The man quickly took Jesus at his word and departed. The official was more than likely traveling on a horse or in a chariot. Although it was early afternoon and there was probably enough sunlight for him to return the 20 plus miles (32 + km.) to Capernaum, he did not do so. Meyer comments, “Why should he hasten! The boy was living, doing well, since the Master had said so.” 59
This was a long-distance miracle and they were rare. There were a limited number in the Old Testament and a few in the New Testament. Such miracles indicated that the miracle workers had unusual power.60
“While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, ‘Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him’” (4:51-52). Wonderful news travels fast. It seems that the servants rushed out and met the father before he arrived home. The father was anxious to confirm the faith that he had experienced the day before. Sure enough, the boy recovered exactly at the time the man had spoken to Jesus, at 1 PM on the previous day. It was simply an astounding miracle!
“Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.’ So he and his whole household believed” (4:53). In the ancient Middle East the father, as the head of the house, usually determined the religion that would be followed in the family. This father made a firm decision to follow Jesus. We see several instances in scripture where the father’s will prevailed in the matter of religion (cf. Acts 10:44-48; 16: 31-34; 18:8; 1 Cor. 1:16).61
“This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee” (4:54). Obviously, this was not Jesus’ second miracle, for he had done many in Jerusalem. However, it was the second miracle performed in the Galilee. Pfeiffer and Harrison say: “At the first Cana miracle the disciples had believed. The second miracle from the same spot resulted in a wider circle of faith.” 62