Verses 1-6: The Missionary Path of the Incarnate Lord

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 didn’t baptize, but his disciples), ³ he left Judea and departed into Galilee. ⁴ He needed to pass through Samaria. ⁵ So he came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son, Joseph. ⁶ Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being tired from his journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

• Jesus sovereignly directs his mission while fully sharing our humanity:

  Jesus’ deliberate movement (“he left Judea,” “departed into Galilee,” and “He needed to pass through Samaria”) presents his ministry as purposeful and guided rather than accidental, yet his fatigue (“being tired from his journey”) shows the reality of the incarnation—God the Son truly entering human weakness without ceasing to be the Lord who leads redemptive history.

• God’s saving work often advances through ordinary circumstances:

  A dusty road, an ancient well, and an ordinary hour become the setting for revelation and conversion. Theologically, this underscores that grace is not confined to extraordinary religious moments; God’s initiative frequently meets people in the normal places of life, preparing hearts through providence.

Verses 7-15: Living Water and the Gift of God

⁷ A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” ⁸ For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. ⁹ The Samaritan woman therefore said to him, “How is it that you, being a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) ¹⁰ Jesus answered 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.” ¹¹ The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. So where do you get that living water? ¹² Are you greater than our father, Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his children and his livestock?” ¹³ Jesus answered her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” ¹⁵ The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I don’t get thirsty, neither come all the way here to draw.”

• Grace crosses barriers and begins with Jesus’ initiative:

  Jesus speaks first—“Give me a drink”—in a context of entrenched hostility (“Jews have no dealings with Samaritans”). Theologically, this shows that divine mercy does not wait for ideal conditions; the Lord draws near to the outsider and begins a saving conversation that human prejudice would forbid.

• Salvation is received as God’s gift, personally offered in Christ:

  Jesus frames the encounter around “the gift of God” and “who it is” speaking. The chapter presents eternal life not as a human achievement but as a divine gift given through the person of Jesus, who invites the woman to respond: “you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

• Jesus satisfies the deepest human thirst with life that endures:

  The contrast between temporary water and Jesus’ water (“will never thirst again”) points to the heart of biblical salvation: God does not merely improve life; he grants a new kind of life—“springing up to eternal life”—that addresses the soul’s deepest need and continues beyond the present age.

• Faith often begins with incomplete understanding but real desire:

  The woman initially thinks in earthly categories (a deeper well, a bucket, physical thirst), yet she responds, “Sir, give me this water.” Theologically, this highlights that God can begin genuine spiritual awakening with a partial grasp, drawing a person onward from curiosity to confession as truth becomes clearer.

Verses 16-26: Sin Exposed, Worship Reframed, Messiah Revealed

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” ¹⁷ The woman answered, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You said well, ‘I have no husband,’ ¹⁸ for you have had five husbands; and he whom you now have is not your husband. This you have said truly.” ¹⁹ The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. ²⁰ Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” ²¹ Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, will you worship the Father. ²² You worship that which you don’t know. We worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews. ²³ But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshipers. ²⁴ God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” ²⁵ The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah comes, he who is called Christ. When he has come, he will declare to us all things.” ²⁶ Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who speaks to you.”

• Jesus exposes sin truthfully to heal, not to humiliate:

  Jesus’ knowledge of the woman’s life (“you have had five husbands…”) is direct and morally clarifying, yet the conversation is not ended in condemnation. Theologically, this displays a pattern of redemption: God tells the truth about us so that we can come into the truth with him—honesty that becomes the doorway to transformation.

• True worship is centered on the Father and shaped by God’s nature:

  Jesus relocates the heart of worship from competing sacred sites to the Father himself: “neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem.” He grounds worship in theology proper: “God is spirit,” therefore worship must be “in spirit and truth.” This holds together inward reality (spirit) and doctrinal and moral reality (truth), resisting both empty ritual and unanchored emotion.

• God actively seeks worshipers, and worshipers must truly respond:

  “For the Father seeks such to be his worshipers” emphasizes divine initiative in salvation—God is not passive. At the same time, “those who worship him must worship” expresses real human obligation and response. Together these truths encourage humble confidence: God draws people to worship, and people are genuinely called to worship him in the manner he requires.

• Salvation is historically rooted and intended for proclamation among all peoples:

  Jesus affirms that “salvation is from the Jews,” grounding redemption in God’s covenantal history and revelation. This both honors God’s concrete work in history and prepares for the gospel’s widening proclamation beyond ethnic boundaries, as the chapter itself demonstrates through Samaritan faith.

• Jesus openly identifies himself as the Messiah:

  The climactic confession “I am he” reveals Jesus’ identity plainly and personally. Theologically, the Messiah is not merely a concept but a living person who speaks, confronts, invites, and gives life—placing the listener before a decisive question of faith.

Verses 27-42: Witness, Word, and the Savior of the World

²⁷ At this, his disciples came. They marveled that he was speaking with a woman; yet no one said, “What are you looking for?” or, “Why do you speak with her?” ²⁸ So the woman left her water pot, went away into the city, and said to the people, ²⁹ “Come, see a man who told me everything that I did. Can this be the Christ?” ³⁰ They went out of the city, and were coming to him. ³¹ In the meanwhile, the disciples urged him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” ³² But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.” ³³ The disciples therefore said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” ³⁴ Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. ³⁵ Don’t you say, ‘There are yet four months until the harvest?’ Behold, I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, that they are white for harvest already. ³⁶ He who reaps receives wages and gathers fruit to eternal life; that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. ³⁷ For in this the saying is true, ‘One sows, and another reaps.’ ³⁸ I sent you to reap that for which you haven’t labored. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” ³⁹ From that city many of the Samaritans believed in him because of the word of the woman, who testified, “He told me everything that I did.” ⁴⁰ So when the Samaritans came to him, they begged him to stay with them. He stayed there two days. ⁴¹ Many more believed because of his word. ⁴² They said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of your speaking; for we have heard for ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”

• Changed lives become credible witness to Christ:

  The woman “left her water pot” and immediately evangelizes: “Come, see a man…” Her testimony is not polished, but it is honest and Christ-centered, inviting others to come and see. Theologically, this shows that personal encounter with Jesus naturally overflows into mission, and God uses imperfect witnesses to point others to a perfect Savior.

• Jesus’ obedience to the Father is the center of his mission:

  “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work” reveals that Jesus’ saving ministry flows from loving obedience within the life of God. This grounds the gospel in the Son’s faithful fulfillment of the Father’s will, not in human religious striving.

• The harvest is God-prepared, and laborers enter a larger work:

  Jesus describes fields “white for harvest already,” then explains the shared joy of sowers and reapers and the humility of entering others’ labor. Theologically, evangelism is both urgent and dependent: God prepares hearts, believers are truly sent to reap, and the final fruit “to eternal life” is ultimately God’s gracious outcome.

• Faith may begin through testimony but must rest on Christ’s word:

  Many “believed in him because of the word of the woman,” yet “many more believed because of his word.” This balance honors the role of human witness while emphasizing that lasting faith is grounded in hearing Christ. The Samaritans’ maturity is expressed: “we have heard for ourselves, and know…”

• Jesus is confessed as universally saving, not tribally limited:

  “This is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world” expresses the expansive scope of Jesus’ identity and mission. Theologically, the Savior given through Israel is for all peoples, and his presence among Samaritans anticipates the church’s worldwide proclamation.

Verses 43-45: Reception and the Paradox of Honor

⁴³ After the two days he went out from there and went into Galilee. ⁴⁴ For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. ⁴⁵ So when he came into Galilee, the Galileans received him, having seen all the things that he did in Jerusalem at the feast, for they also went to the feast.

• Human reception of Jesus can be mixed, influenced by familiarity and spectacle:

  The proverb about a prophet lacking honor “in his own country” highlights a spiritual danger: familiarity can harden rather than soften. The Galileans “received him,” yet the stated reason—“having seen all the things that he did”—invites discernment about whether reception is rooted in true faith or in attraction to visible works.

Verses 46-54: The Life-Giving Word and Mature Faith Beyond Signs

⁴⁶ Jesus came therefore again to Cana of Galilee, where he made the water into wine. There was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. ⁴⁷ When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to him, and begged him that he would come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. ⁴⁸ Jesus therefore said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will in no way believe.” ⁴⁹ The nobleman said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” ⁵⁰ Jesus said to him, “Go your way. Your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. ⁵¹ As he was now going down, his servants met him and reported, saying “Your child lives!” ⁵² So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. They said therefore to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour, the fever left him.” ⁵³ So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” He believed, as did his whole house. ⁵⁴ This is again the second sign that Jesus did, having come out of Judea into Galilee.

• Jesus’ word carries divine authority to give life:

  Without traveling to the child, Jesus speaks: “Your son lives.” The healing confirms that Christ’s word is not mere encouragement but effective power. Theologically, this points to Jesus’ divine authority: he gives life by speaking, revealing the kingdom as God’s active reign rather than a limited human capability.

• Authentic faith trusts Christ’s word, not only visible evidence:

  Jesus exposes a common weakness—“Unless you see signs and wonders, you will in no way believe”—yet he still meets the man in mercy. The nobleman’s response marks a turning point: “The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him.” This portrays faith as reliance on Christ himself, which can mature beyond dependence on immediate sight.

• God’s mercy can extend through households while still calling personal belief:

  “He believed, as did his whole house” shows faith spreading through relational networks. Theologically, the gospel often advances through families and communities, yet the text still highlights believing as a real act for persons (“He believed… as did his whole house”), preserving both God’s gracious reach and the necessity of genuine response.

• Signs serve revelation, pointing to who Jesus is:

  John identifies the event as “the second sign,” framing miracles as meaningful disclosures rather than spiritual entertainment. Theologically, signs are given to direct attention to Christ’s identity and mission, inviting trust in the Savior who gives life.

Conclusion: John 4 teaches that Jesus seeks the lost across boundaries, offers the gift of eternal life as “living water,” confronts sin with truth that heals, and inaugurates worship “in spirit and truth” as the Father seeks worshipers. The chapter also shows how testimony leads others toward Christ, how Christ’s word deepens faith beyond dependence on signs, and how Jesus is rightly confessed as “the Savior of the world.”