john chapter 4 – jesus christ, the soul winner

7/28/2019 John Chapter 4 – Jesus Christ, the Soul Winner

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John Chapter 4 – Jesus Christ, the Soul Winner

We shall start this preparation notes by viewing the Map of Palestine at the Time of Jesus from E-sword with the Graphics Viewer. Locate Jerusalem in Judaea where Jesuswas and look for Galilee in the north, the destination. Also locate Samaria (the regionand the city), Sychar, and Mt Gerizim. Once the place is located, go to the dictionaries toexplore its meaning. Smith ’s dictionary gives brief and concise background to the places.ISBE gives a thorough exposure that is beneficial if you have more time.v 4 Must needs – Why must Jesus need to go through Samaria? There were threepossible reasons: geographical, evangelical and spiritual.v5 Gill explained how Sychar was synonymous with Shechem, a city that Jacob passedthrough (Gen 33:16) and was the burial grounds of Joseph (Jos 24:32).v6 Jacob ’s well – Clarke and Vincent Word Study gave physical descriptions andarchaeological directions. Jesus … wearied with His journey – no painting can displaythe graphic genius from the pen of John. The sixth hour - About twelve o ’clock noon.This was the common time of the Jewish meal, and this was the reason why his

disciples were gone away to buy food.v7 Of Samaria - Not of the “city” of Samaria, for this was at a distance of 8 miles, but awoman who was a Samaritan, and doubtless from the city of Sychar. Give me to drink – Christ was thirsty as a human being but He was more thirty as a divine being athirst for the soul of the woman of Samaria.v8 City – refers to city of Sychar. Meat -G5160 τροφή trophe _ trof-ay' From G5142;nourishment (literally or figuratively); by implication rations (wages): - food, meat. Buymeat – buy food.v9 How is it that thou, being a Jew - not altogether refusing, yet wondering at sounusual a request from a Jew by His dress and dialect would be apparent to aSamaritan. For – this reason, this racial animosity that gave rise to the powerful impactof the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) and the thankfulness of the

Samaritan leper (Luke 17:16-18) in the teachings of Jesus Christ. CWS gave a balancedview of the bickering between the two races – Jews “have no familiar or friendlyintercourse with. That they had dealings of some kind is shown by the disciples goinginto the city to buy provisions. Some authorities omit for the Jews have no dealings withthe Samaritans. The Jews treated the Samaritans with every mark of contempt, andaccused them of falsehood, folly, and irreligion. The Samaritans sold Jews into slaverywhen they had them in their power, lighted spurious signals for the beacon-fires kindledto announce the beginnings of months, and waylaid and killed pilgrims on their road toJerusalem. ” v10 Gift G1431 δωρεά do _ rea do-reh-ah' From G1435; a gratuity: - gift. The word carriesthe sense of a bountiful, free, honourable gift. Living - G2198 ζάω zao _ dzah'-o Aprimary verb; to live (literally or figuratively): - l ife (-time), (a-) live (-ly), quick. Livingwater - The Jews and residents of Palestine used the expression “living water ” to denotesprings, fountains, or running streams, in opposition to dead and stagnant water. Jesushere means to denote by it his doctrine, or his grace and religion, in opposition to theimpure and dead notions of the Jews and the Samaritans.v11 To draw with – “The noun means what is drawn, the act of drawing, and the thing todraw with. Here the bucket, of skin, with three cross sticks at the mouth to keep it open,and let down by a goat's-hair rope. Not to be confounded with the water-pot ( _ δρία ) of John 4:28. The word is found only here in the New Testament. ” (VWS)2The well is deep - If the same one that is there now, it was about 100 feet deep.(Barnes). Fictions will not include this kind of details as recorded by John. You canalmost see her nose drawn up on one side sneering with the question asked of Jesus.v12 Art thou greater ( μ _ σ _ μείζων ) The interrogative particle indicates that a negativeanswer is expected: Surely thou art not. The σ _ , thou, first in the sentence, is emphatic,



and possibly with a shade of contempt. (VWS) Our father Jacob - The Samaritansclaimed descent from Joseph, as representing the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. Theancient Samaritans were undoubtedly the descendants of Jacob; for they were the tentribes that revolted in the reign of Rehoboam: but those in our Lord ’s time were notgenuine Israelites, but a corrupted race, sprung from a mixture of different nations, sentthither by Salmanezer, king of the Assyrians. (2Ki 17:24)v13 Whosoever drinketh – literally every one that drinks. Shall thirst again – Jesus didnot directly answer her question, or say that he was greater than Jacob, but he gave her an answer by which she might infer that he was. He did not despise or undervalue Jacobor his gifts; but, however great might be the value of that well, the water could notaltogether remove thirst.v14 The water that I shall give him - Jesus here refers, without doubt, to his ownteaching, his “grace, ” his “spirit, ” and to the benefits which come into the soul thatembraces his gospel. It is a striking image, and especially in Eastern countries, wherethere are vast deserts, and often a great want of water. The soul by nature is like such adesert, or like a traveller wandering through such a desert. It is thirsting for happiness,and seeking it everywhere, and finds it not. It looks in all directions and tries all objects,

but in vain. Nothing meets its desires. Though a sinner seeks for joy in wealth andpleasures, yet he is not satisfied. He still thirsts for more, and seeks still for happiness insome new enjoyment. To such a weary and unsatisfied sinner the grace of Christ is “ascold waters to a thirsty soul. (Barnes) Springing up – This is a beautiful image. It shallbubble or spring up like a fountain. It is not like a stagnant pool - not like a deep well, butlike an ever-living fountain, that flows at all seasons of the year, in heat and cold, and inall external circumstances of weather, whether foul or fair, wet or dry. So faith in Christalways lives; and, amid all changes of external circumstances - in heat and cold, hunger and thirst, prosperity and adversity, life, persecution, contempt, or death - it still lives on,and refreshes and cheers the soul.v15 The woman saith – like all sinners, she is slow to understand spiritual matters.Give me this water - She did not as yet comprehend our Lord ’s meaning; but her

curiosity was much aroused, and this was the design of our Lord, that he might have her mind properly prepared to receive the great spiritual truths which he was about toannounce.v16 Go call thy husband - We may admire the manner which our Saviour took to leadher to perceive that he was the Christ. His instructions she did not understand. Hetherefore proceeded to show her that he was acquainted with her life and with her sins.His object, here, was to lead her to consider her own state and sinfulness - a delicateand of making her see that she was a sinner. By showing her, also, that he knew her life,though a stranger to her, he convinced her that he was qualified to teach her the way toheaven, and thus prepared her to admit that he was the Messiah. (See also John 4:29)v17 I have no husband – this answer was true and she was attempting to divert thesubject of conversation.v18 Five husbands – before you jumped hastily into conclusion on her morals, listen toJohn Gill: For thou hast had five husbands,.... Which she either had had lawfully, andhad buried one after another; and which was no crime, and might be: the Sadduceespropose a case to Christ, in which a woman is said to have had seven husbands3successively, in a lawful manner, Matt 22:25. Or rather, she had had so many, and hadbeen divorced from everyone of them, for adultery; for no other cause it should seem didthe Samaritans divorce; seeing that they only received the law of Moses, and rejected, atleast, many of the traditions of the elders; and since they are particularly said.Is not thy husband - You are not lawfully married to him. Either she might have left aformer husband without divorce, and thus her marriage with this man was unlawful, or she was living with him without the form of marriage, in open guilt.v19 Prophet – The order is a prophet art thou; the emphasis being on prophet. Aprophet is one sent from God, and who understood her life. The word here does not



denote one who foretells future events, but one who knew her heart and life, and whomust therefore have come from God. Believing Jesus now to be a man sent from God,she proposed to him a question regarding the proper place of worship. This point hadbeen long a matter of dispute between the Samaritans and the Jews. She submitted it toJesus because she thought He could settle the question, and perhaps because shewished to divert the conversation from the unpleasant topic respecting her husbands.v20 Our fathers – our ancestors. Worshipped – means had a place of worship. Thismountain - probably pointing to Mount Gerizim, at the foot of which Sychar wassituated. The patriarchs had worshipped here-Jacob builded an altar on this mountain,and worshiped the true God: see Gen 22:2; Gen 33:20. Thus she could say, ‘Our fathersworshipped in this mountain ’. On this mountain Sanballat had built them a temple, about332 years before our Lord ’s incarnation. (Josephus in Antiq. xi. c. viii) On this mountainthe temple was somewhat similar to the one in Jerusalem in structure and purpose. Thiswas one of the main subjects of controversy between them and the Jews. Ought toworship – better translated as ‘must worship. ’ v21 Believe me - As she had professed to believe that he was a prophet, it was right torequire her to put faith in what he was about to utter. It also shows the importance of

what he was about to say. The hour cometh - The time is coming, or is near. Whenneither in this mountain ... – So far, the public solemn worship of God has beenconfined to one place. It has been a matter of dispute whether that place should beJerusalem or Mount Gerizim. That controversy is to be of much less importance thansupposed. The old dispensation is about to pass away. The special rites of the Jews areto cease. The worship of God, so long confined to a single place, is soon to becelebrated everywhere, and with as much acceptance in one place as in another. Jesusdid not say that there would be no worship of God in that place or in Jerusalem, but thatthe worship of God would not be “confined ” there because God would be worshipped inother places as well.v22 Ye worship ye know not what - The Samaritans believed in the same God with theJews; but, as they rejected all the prophetical writings, they had but an imperfect

knowledge of Jehovah: besides, as they incorporated the worship of idols (2Ki17:26-34).But after Sanballat had built the temple on Mount Gerizim, the idolatrous worship of theCutheans and Sepharvites, etc., was entirely laid aside; the same religious service beingperformed in the Samaritan temple which was performed in that at Jerusalem. Salvationis of the Jews – Rightly translated as “Salvation is from the Jews ”. Salvation heremeans the Saviour is born of Jewish kin.v23 The true worshippers shall worship - The worship of the Samaritans was adefective worship. They rejected the prophetical writings. The worship of the Jews was aritualistic worship, dealing only in the letter and the law. The Gospel of Christ showed themeaning of all these rituals and the legal sacrifices had their consummation in hisoffering of Himself. The preaching of the Gospel revealed the true nature of God, of salvation, of the human soul, of earthly and of heavenly things; and, because of this, it isput in opposition to the defective Samaritan worship (and the Jews).4v24 The phrase in spirit and in truth describes the two essential characteristics of trueworship: in spirit, as distinguished from place or form or other sensual limitations (John4:21); in truth, as distinguished from the false conceptions resulting from imperfectknowledge (John 4:22). True worship includes a spiritual sense of the objectworshipped, and a spiritual communion with it; the manifestation of the moralconsciousness in feelings, motions of the will, “moods of elevation, excitements, ” etc. Itincludes also a truthful conception of the object.v25 Messiah cometh - The woman uses the Jewish name, which was known inSamaria. The Samaritans also expected the Messiah, basing their hopes on suchScriptures as Gen 3:15; Gen 49:10; Num 24:17; Deut 18:15. They looked for Him torestore the kingdom of Israel and to re-establish the worship on Gerizim, where theysupposed that the tabernacle was hidden. Which is called Christ - This appears to be



the evangelist ’s explanation of the Hebrew word, according to his custom for it wasunlikely that the woman understood Greek.v26 I … am He Literally, I am. The less political conception of the Samaritan Messiahmade it possible for Jesus to announce Himself to the woman without fear of beingmisunderstood as He was by the Jews. This incident furnishes a notable illustration of our Lord's love for human souls, and of His skill, tact, and firmness in dealing with moraldegradation and ignorant bigotry. He initiates the conversation with the woman by askinga favour. Her hesitation arises less from prejudice of race than from surprise at beingasked for drink by a Jew. He seizes upon a near and familiar object as the key-note of His great lesson. He does not overwhelm her with new knowledge, but stimulatesquestion and thought. He treats her sin frankly, but not harshly. He is content with lettingher see that He is aware of it, knowing that through Him, as the Discerner, she will byand by reach Him as the Forgiver. Even from her ignorance and coarse superstition Hedoes not withhold the sublimest truth. He knows her imperfect understanding, but Heassumes the germinative power of the truth itself. He is not deterred from the effort toplant His truth and to rescue a soul, either by His own weariness or by the conventionalsentiment which frowned upon His conversation with a woman in a public place.

v27 The woman - The Rabbinical writings taught that it was beneath a man's dignity toconverse with women. It was one of the things which a Rabbi must not do.v28 Left her waterpot - She was so preoccupied with the great truths which Jesus hadannounced that she forgot her errand to the well, and returned to the city without thewater which she came out for.v30 They went out - How different from the response of the Jews!v31 Eat - in the chapter we have seen the humanity of Jesus as he wearied, thirstedand now time to eat.v32 I have meat to eat that ye know not of - Our blessed Lord seizes everyopportunity to raise the minds of his apostles to heavenly things, through the medium of earthly matters. Properly understood, earthly substances are the types, representatives,and shadows of heavenly things.

v34 Jesus here explains what he said in John 4:32. His great object - the great design of his life - was to do and complete the will of God.v35 Say not - In what follows, Jesus is contrasting the natural harvest-time with thespiritual, which was immediately to take place in the ingathering of the Samaritans. Ye isemphatic, marking what the disciples expect according to the order of nature. As youlook on these green fields between Ebal and Gerizim, ye say, it is yet four months toharvest.v36 Both.. soweth.. and … reapeth – It is a united work. It matters little whether we sowthe seed or whether we reap the harvest. It is part of the same work, and whatever partwe may do, we should rejoice. Instead of four months of waiting, here the sower and5reaper rejoiced together because the time between sowing and harvesting was greatlyshortened.v39 Many … believed – seldom was there such instantaneous result. Told me all – thiswas the second time she declared this (4:29) indicating that the conversation betweenthis woman and Jesus could be longer and she was deeply impressed with theomniscience of the Lord.v40 He abode there two days – “We are not told that he wrought any miracles amongthem; this does not appear to have been necessary: they were a simple-hearted,teachable people, and they credited him on the evidence of his own eternal truth. Whyare not miracles wrought now? Miracles were only for the establishment of the doctrinesof Christianity, where they were first preached; we profess to believe these doctrines;therefore, to us, miracles would be useless. Where the doctrine is credited, no miracle isnecessary: the Samaritans believed, and no miracle was wrought among them; for thesimple reason, it was not necessary. ” (Clarke).v42 We have heard him ourselves - On seeing and hearing our Lord, the faith of those



who had already believed on the woman ’s testimony was abundantly confirmed; and,besides those, may others believed who had not heard the woman speak. This isindeed the Christ - The promised Messiah. The Saviour of the world - not of the Jewsonly but of the Samaritans and of the whole Gentile world. This is good news to us

Elder Lee ST

john chapter 4 – jesus christ, the soul winner

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