Introduction
Jesus had been baptising in the Judean countryside (Jn 3:22), while John had been baptising in Aenon (further North). Some time after John realised that Jesus’ ministry was outgrowing his own and made the beautiful decision to put Jesus first, Jesus recognised that the Pharisees also saw that His baptisms were outnumbering John’s (John 4:1-13).
Do you remember what baptism meant? Jesus’ early followers were helping the people to identify with the person and work of Jesus. This was why they were baptising them. Jesus now collects His followers and begins to head back up to Galilee, but first He must pass through Samaria. Look again at the map and get your bearings. Let’s go north into Samaria to the town of Sychar.
Reading [You can read as much as you can, depending on your availability]
John 4:1-42
Meditating [Use these questions to start your thinking]
- What does this passage tell you about Jesus’ priorities?
- What is Jesus modelling?
- Where do you see Jesus’ humanity?
- What other questions do you still have?
Sharing: Text ONE of your answers to the questions above to your team. Each team should post a sharing from a team member in the comments below.
In Jesus’ day there was a tremendous hatred and prejudice against the Samaritan people. Did you catch the woman’s words in the passage? She said, “‘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)” (John 4:9). Why did the Jews not like the Samaritans? The story goes all the way back to the time that the Assyrians carried away the ten northern tribes of Israel into exile (2 Kings 17:6) and repopulated their lands with other peoples that they had conquered (2 Kings 17:24). Priests of Israel were sent back to teach these new occupants about ‘the God of the land’ (2 Kings 17:27-33). They set up sacrifices on Mt Gerizim (in Samaria) and followed only the five books of Moses (Torah).
Later, the southern tribes were taken into exile by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. When a later king allowed them to return and rebuild Jerusalem and the temple, those people living in Samaria didn’t want them to come back (Ezra 4:1). They wrote to the king and told him the Israelites were planning to rebel against him and construction was stopped for a long time (Ezra 4:4-6,24). The Samaritans claimed to be the ones actually preserving both the scriptures and the true way/place to worship God. You can imagine the animosity that continued to grow between the Samaritans and the Jews over the years (Luke 9:51-53; John 8:48).
These problems still exist in that part of the world; there is deep racism and hatred and infighting among people who all trace their roots back to Abraham.
In this story, we see Jesus is breaking two cultural taboos. First, He was speaking to a Samaritan and second, He was speaking to a woman. Another big problem in Jesus’ day was prejudice and mistreatment of women. Women were used more than appreciated. For these reasons this conversation catches both the Samaritan woman and Jesus’ followers by surprise (John 4:9,27). We see Jesus’ humanity in this story when He is both thirsty and hungry. He asks the woman for some water and sends His followers to get some food.
In this story Jesus also states clearly His purpose for coming to Earth: “‘My food,’ said Jesus, ‘is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work’” (John 4:34). We learn later that Jesus in His humanity struggled with the will of the Father. But He finally yields and says, “‘… yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). The will of the Father was for Jesus to die on a cross. But what is the work of the Father? Is it the same? In John 17:4, Jesus says, “‘I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.’” He says this before He dies, thus the work must be something different from the will. If Jesus’ only purpose for coming to earth was to die on the cross, why then did He not die when He was 12, 18 or 25? Why wait until He was around 33 years old to die on the cross? The reason is because Jesus had to not only complete the will of God, but the work of God as well. The Father’s work for him was to prepare some people who would carry the message of His death and resurrection around the world. He was given the task of making disciples who could make disciples. That is the work of Jesus. This is what we are looking at in this study — how to make disciples. Why? Because before Jesus leaves earth, He says to His disciples, “‘As the Father has sent me, I am sending you’” (John 20:21). God has a will for you and work! What is it?
You and I have a work to do — we must make disciples (Matt.28:19). We also have to do the will of the Father. The will of the Father is the same as it was for Jesus — to die. We need to die to self and allow Jesus to live in and through us. Our thoughts should be like Paul’s when he said, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). Paul discovered the secret of the victorious Christian life is having Christ in us, living through us.
We can also gain insight from this story into sharing Jesus with people of other religions. I don’t want you to miss this. Notice that Jesus begins the conversation by placing Himself in a position of need. I am thirsty; give me something to drink. Before telling the woman who He is, Jesus first allows Himself to be in a position of needing her help. This is a good model for sharing Jesus with people from other religions. Allow yourself to be in a position of need, asking them for help, and then be willing to offer help for their souls.
Where do you see Jesus’ humanity?
I see His humanity in his weariness, thirst and hunger, but also in His understanding of and desire for relationships. He knows that there is a cultural conflict between Jews and Samaritans, but seeks to bridge that gap as He asks a favor of the Samaritan woman. This in turn leads to building a relationship with her as He meets her physical needs, addressing her emotional/social needs, and ultimately her spiritual needs
Today’s passage showed me that no matter what you have done or who you are there should be no reason on why Christ will ignore you. I know in this passage he’s asking her to serve him and even though she’s a Samaritan Christ still talked to her and that didn’t matter to him. This showed me that sometimes I can be prideful when talking to people sometimes thinking I’m better than them but I have to change my perspective and see that I’m as equal as everybody and just as much of a sinner as every body else.
I really appreciated today’s passage and how Jesus sets the perfect example of loving his people, esp those who have faith in him, no matter the circumstance. In this context, he’s speaking to a Samaritan woman, which was socially unacceptable back then. It’s amazing to see that in Jesus’ short life, he went to every length to meet different types of people and share the good news. He didn’t just tell his disciples and those close to him; he reached out to the poor, the outcast, the sinful, the hated, the underserved and instilled in them hope and love. He meets us wherever we’re at, and puts his all in.
I think one thing I struggle with is making disciples. I simply don’t have the care and the patience to put up with training someone. So I think its crazy how Christ could make disciples that can baptize others. Maybe a small part of me should look at the model Christ is building and emulate it.