John's Gospel, Chapter four, John's Gospel and Chapter four. We are going through this gospel, according to John. This morning, what I intend to do is give a broad overview of this fourth chapter, all the way to verse 42, and then in subsequent weeks we will go back and revisit some great truth found in this passage. John, Chapter four, Let's bow together in prayer before we look at God's Word. Our Father, we come to You today and we are thankful, Lord, that we have experienced that amazing divine love which You have shown us through Jesus Christ. That we who were in bondage, we who were enslaved to sin, we who were living and walking and acting according to the course of this age, By Your grace, by Your mercy, by Your goodness, You have saved us. You have redeemed us. And You have made us Your children set free. Father, we thank You for that great reality that we enjoy. And we pray now, Lord, as we look to Your Word, that we would come with ears to hear and with eyes to see. And Lord, that You would draw sinners to Yourself, all for Your own glory's sake, This we pray in Jesus name, Amen. The context I want to develop in chapter four before we actually get into the passage is that there are two critical elements worthy of our consideration. If we're going to understand this fourth chapter, we need to first of all recognize something about the issue of the Jews and their attitude toward the Samaritans. Many of you are aware that the Samaritans were descendants from the intermarriage of Assyrians and Israelites living in the northern kingdom. In 722 BC, the Assyrians came into Israel. They attacked the northern tribes. They attacked them. They defeated them. They intermingled with them, and they basically intermarried and colonized that area. Because of that, the Samaritans living in the days of Jesus were not true Israelites, as the Jews would recognize a true Israelite. Indeed, the Samaritans had what you could call a truncated form of Old Testament religion. For example, the Samaritans, they said that only the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch, is truly the Word of God. All the rest of the Old Testament they rejected. The Old Testament tells us, furthermore, that the Samaritans, they served God, but it also declares that they worshipped idols and they had something of a syncretism between their religion, Judaism, and the religion of the apostate and pagan thinking of the Assyrians. Indeed, they established their own temple and they built it on Mount Gerizim. In contrast to the Jews who would go up to Jerusalem to worship, the Samaritans went to Mount Gerizim and there they worshipped. According to the Bible, according to history, of course, by the time of this story in the time of Jesus, the temple at Mount Gerizim had been destroyed. The Maccabeans destroyed it in 108 B.C. And yet they still went to that mountain every year to offer sacrifice. And they saw it as significant. This, of course, is very important as we look at this fourth chapter. What is extremely important for us to understand kind of as a background and context is that the Jews, they looked at the Samaritans and they believe the Samaritans were heretics, which they were, according to the Old Testament. They also looked at the Samaritans and said they were inferior people, which, of course, they were not. That sets the stage for this encounter. One of the things, just as a contrast here in Chapter three, of course, we have this encounter by Jesus and Nicodemus. And of course, the contrast between that encounter in Chapter four is very distinct. Indeed, you have the contrast of Jesus interacting with Nicodemus. Nicodemus, of course, was a religious man. He was a Jew. Whereas the woman at the well, she was a Samaritan. You have Nicodemus, who was an insider, as it were. You have the woman at the well. She was an outsider. You have Nicodemus. He was one of the great theologians of his day. You have the woman at the well. She was a heretic. You have the contrast between Nicodemus, who was a very moral person and the contrast with this woman at the well, who was a very immoral person. John here is drawing for us this great contrast between these two individuals, and he would see that we must understand that although these two individuals have many different differences among them, there is a very real sense in which they are similar or the same. How is that? Well, both of them, both Nicodemus and the woman at the well, were lost and both of them were in need of a savior, and therefore there is more that meets the eye in terms of likeness than the apparent outward differences that contrast these two individuals. Now let's look at the text. Having laid the context, look beginning in verse one and let me give you just something of a little outline today. If you want to take notes here, verses one through six, we have the occasion of this encounter. And then versus seven through 26, we have the conversation that took place. And then versus 27 through 42, we have the reaction to this conversation. Look with me versus one through four, the occasion why Jesus leaves. It says, when therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, Though Jesus himself baptized, not but his disciples, he left Judea and departed again into Galilee, and he must needs go through Samaria. Here we are told that Jesus left. He left Judea. He headed towards Galilee. Why did he do it? Well, first of all, it was to avoid any kind of potential entanglement that he could have with the Jews. and then starting to set their crosshairs on Jesus. It was not his time yet, and he wanted to distance himself and continue this preaching ministry. More importantly, if you look at verse four, we are told here that it says of Jesus, he must needs go through Samaria. That's a very interesting phrase in our text. There were in that day, of course, two possible routes from leaving Judea and going to Galilee. The most traditional route, the one that all of the Jews took, was to sidetrack and go around Samaria so that they would not go through Samaria because they so despised and hated the Samaritans. They didn't want to go through Samaria because they thought Samaria would make them unclean. It was not a holy place, and therefore every good Jew would go around Samaria and avoid that area altogether. Then there, of course, was the controversial route that one could take, and that would be right through Samaria. And of course, that is the route Jesus took. And why did He take this route? It was not a geographical need. It was a moral need. Jesus, it says here of Him, He must needs go through Samaria. He needed to go through. Why did He need to go through? He needed to go through because it was ordained. all the way in eternity past that he would go through Samaria. Some of God's elect were in Samaria. And Jesus said Himself in this very Gospel, He said, Other sheep have I beyond this fold, and them too I am come to save. And therefore, it was a part of the preordained, predestinated purpose of Jesus Christ that he was to go through Samaria because there were some of God's flock in Samaria and he needed to go to them and reach them and call them to himself. A.W. Pink said this in this passage. Let me quote him. He said, quote, We will never appreciate the gospel until we go back to the basic truth of predestination, which puts God first, which makes the choice his before ours. and which in due time brings His grace to bear upon us with invincible power. That's why Jesus had to go through Samaria. His people were there, and He had come to save His people. Look, if you will, verses 5 and 6. We note where He stops. It says, and He must needs go through, verse 4. In verse 5 it says, and when He cometh, then cometh He to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar. That was the Old Testament city of Shechem, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now, Jacob's well was there. Jesus, therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well, and it was about the sixth hour. Here we are given an insight into the humanity of Jesus Christ. We already have said the emphasis of the fourth gospel is on the deity of Jesus Christ. Here we have as a counterbalance, a revelation, a reminder of the humanity of Jesus Christ. Jesus was wearied with the journey. Jesus needed rest and refreshment. And so he stopped there at the well and he was thirsty in need of a drink of water. That all sets the stage for what will happen next. in this conversation. Look at verses 7 through 9. The opening of the conversation. This is then come at the woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said unto her, give me to drink where his disciples were gone away into the city to buy meat. Then say if the woman of Samaria unto him, how is it that thou being a Jew? Ask this drink of me, which am a Samaritan woman of Samaria. But the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Here was a very unusual thing. It was unusual that Jesus, first of all, was even in Samaria because Jews don't go to Samaria. It was interesting that he stopped here and it was very out of the ordinary that he would engage in a conversation with a woman, someone of her reputation, someone that was a stranger to Jesus. All of this was out of the boundaries of what would be accepted, what would be expected and what people would expect to see in this situation. Jesus opened this conversation with a request. Give me to drink. Notice in verse 10 how he turns the whole situation to spiritual things. Jesus answered and said unto her. If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that said unto thee give me to drink thou wouldest have asked of him and he would have given thee living water. Here Jesus identifies himself first of all as the gift of God and secondly as the giver of living water. He immediately turns the conversation from mere physical water to spiritual water. turning it from the immediate need to the eternal need that this woman had. Jesus says in this passage, I would give unto you living water. What did Jesus mean by living water? Well, the commentators have waxed eloquent on that phrase, and as I have read probably 15 different commentaries, There are a number of different interpretations of what exactly Jesus meant by living water. Some have suggested Jesus is referring specifically to the Holy Spirit, and they contrast this with chapter seven, and they say this is a reference to Christ giving the Holy Spirit. Others have said, no, it has to do with the renewing and the regenerating power of God, which Jesus provides to all people. Others have said, no, it refers in a more broad sense to salvation. This living water in this context is the living water of salvation, which God provides through Jesus Christ, the living water of salvation and all that is embraced in the salvation of Almighty God. I happen to see it in those terms as salvation itself. And he says here, I would give unto thee Living water, he says, we're talking about physical water. We're talking about the water that comes out of this well. But he says, I am talking about something far more important, far more permanent, far more significant. And that is the salvation that I provide to sinners. It is a very good example and symbol and figure of salvation. Water is absolutely essential. Doctors tell us that if you don't drink water for two or three days, you can literally die of dehydration. And Jesus says, I am able to give you living water, water that is true water that is not a luxury. It is a necessity and it is something that will satisfy your soul. Now look at verses 11 through 15. Here, Jesus clarifies the discussion, having introduced spiritual things, The woman sayeth unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. From whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? And notice Jesus in verse thirteen. Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst. But the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into eternal or everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus here adds another layer of explanation and amplification about this living water. He says there in this well is standing water, but I can provide living water. He says to this woman, the water that I give, it is a water that will completely satisfy your soul. It will permanently satisfy you. It will eternally satisfy you. It is the water of life, a water that leads to everlasting life. And whenever you drink the water which I provide, He says, you will never thirst again. Brothers and sisters, people are looking in every direction in this world for satisfaction. They are looking for something to fill their lives and fill their hearts and satisfy their existence. And people go in every different direction looking for peace and satisfaction and contentment. Jesus Christ declares, I am the only one that can completely and permanently and eternally satisfy your very inner longings and your soul. Me alone, I can provide everlasting life. The woman, of course, in verse 15, she says, well, give me this water. I want to have some of this water that you're talking about. I want to have what you speak of. Look, verses 16 through 18, Jesus here As he exposes the woman's name, says Jesus said that her goal called by husband and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband, for thou hast had five husbands and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband in that saidest thou truly. Here we have something that might seem to be beside the point to the story. But actually, this is critical to this passage. You see, Jesus here is confronting her and exposing her life of sin and need for salvation. Brothers and sisters, before a person can get saved, they must first of all recognize their need for salvation. Amen. And this woman had to realize that her life was destitute. It was bankrupt. She had gone from husband to husband, relationship to relationship, situation to situation, and she was still unsatisfied because the inner satisfaction she longed for can be found only in God and in the salvation of Jesus Christ. So Jesus had to do the necessary thing. He had to expose her. He had to bring conviction by showing her her great sin and need for a Savior. Look, beginning in verse 19, the woman here starts to divert the focus of the conversation. She is reeling at this point. She has been exposed. Her life has been laid bare by Jesus. And notice in verse 19, the woman said unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and he say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Here she interjects a discussion about worship. She had just been exposed. Jesus had just revealed her life, her sin, her destitution. She had just been offered living water that satisfies and that gives a person that satisfaction that they will never thirst again. And so she introduces this topic about worship, trying to deflect or divert what Jesus was dealing with in her life. Of course, it is normal that she would have this question, Jesus being a Jew. Her being a Samaritan, she says we worship on Mount Gerizim. Our fathers tell us this is where we are to worship. You Jews, you worship at Jerusalem. And so if you would please clarify this issue about worship. Look what Jesus says. Verse 21. Jesus said, Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain Nor yet in Jerusalem worship the father. He basically says the issue is not going to be so much the place of worship as the posture and person of worship. He says, verse 22, you worship, you know, not what we worship. We know what we worship for salvation is of the Jews. And then notice, he says, verse 23, but the hour cometh and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. Jesus answers her question, and He speaks about a future time when God will have his worship in a way in that new covenant setting in a certain posture given to a certain person according to the principles laid out in the Word of God. And we're not going to get into all of the details there because we're going to revisit that in the coming weeks about this issue of worship that Jesus speaks of. But basically, Jesus answers her question. She tried to divert the conversation And then notice verses 25 and 26. Jesus here reveals his identity to her. The woman said unto him, I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ. When he is come, he will tell us all things. And Jesus said unto her. I that speak unto thee and he. She says, I understand that we are looking for the Messiah. I understand that when he comes, there is going to be ushered in a new form of worship. There is going to be a glorious worship to the Messiah, the Christ, the anointed one. And I understand what you're speaking of, Jesus. And Jesus made that incredible revelation to her. He says, I that speak unto thee and he. It was a statement where Jesus himself confessed that he was the Christ, the son of the living God, one of the great affirmations of Christ's identity found in all of the Gospels. It's interesting, isn't it? Jesus didn't say that to Nicodemus, Nicodemus, the great theologian Nicodemus, who probably had a doctorate in the theology of Messiah ship. And Jesus did not reveal himself as the Messiah in that start and that very open, plain face confession. He chooses to do so with a Samaritan woman in an unlikely place, and Jesus says unto her, I am the Messiah. I am the Christ. I am the one that you are looking for and the one you anticipate to come. Here we have this incredible conversation between Jesus and the woman at the well. Now, beginning in verse 27, down to verse 42, we have presented here the reactions. What happens after this conversation? Well, verses 27 through 30, we have the reaction of the woman herself says, and upon this came his disciples and marvel that he talked with the woman. Yet no man said, what seekest thou or why talkest thou with her? It was unusual. It was abnormal. They couldn't understand why was Jesus talking to this woman? Then notice in verse 28 her reaction. The woman then left her water pot and went her way into the city and sayeth to the men, come see a man which told me all things that ever I did is not this the Christ. Then they came out of the city and came unto him. This woman, she left her water pot, she departed, she went back into the city and she started sharing and testifying with great joy. She says, come and see this man that I have seen and I have talked with this man. He is like no one else I have ever talked to. He is the Christ, the son of the living God, the reaction of the woman. Look, beginning in verse 31, down through verse 38, the reaction of the disciples. We're already been told that they came back and they were amazed in the situation, says in the meanwhile, the disciples prayed him saying, Master, eat. And he said unto them, I have meat to eat that you know not of. Wherefore, said the disciples, one to another, if any man brought him ought to eat. Here's another example of the cycle is just not quite getting what's going on in the situation. Jesus helps in their dim-wittedness. He says, verse 33, Therefore said the disciples, one to another, have any man brought him to eat? And Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work. Jesus says, My purpose, my mission, my longing, my desire, my appetite is to not be satisfied merely with the meat of men, but to do the work of the master and to do what God has called me to do. Verse thirty five, he says, say not there are yet four months and then come at the harvest. He says, behold, I say unto you, lift up your eyes and look to the fields where they are white already to harvest. He that reapeth receiveth wages and gathereth fruit unto eternal life, that both he and that's and he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. Herein is the saying true, one soweth and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that thereon ye bestowed no labor. Other men labored, and ye are entered into their labors." Jesus here uses this opportunity to drive home the purpose of His mission and to remind His servants, His disciples, that the focus of His ministry is to do the will of the Father. Over and over again, you have the words of Jesus I am calm, not my will, but thine be done. I am calm to do the will of my father. I am calm to do what pleases my father. What is he doing there? He is driving home this God centeredness, which his disciples must have. And he says there is this glorious opportunity for harvest, this opportunity for an end gathering. There is a rightness. There is a readiness. There is a time to come. And you need to read. Others have sold. Others have labored. And you need to read and bring them in to the king and his kingdom. Verse 39 through 42. We note the response of the reaction of the Samaritans themselves. We've already been told that the woman, she went back to the city and she testified unto Christ. Notice in verse 39, it says in many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him. For the saying of the woman which testified, he told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them and he abode there two days and many more believe because of his word and said unto the woman. Now we believe not because of thy saying. For we have heard him ourselves and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world. What a glorious climax in this situation. The people of Samaria, they first heard the witness of the woman. They then came and saw for their very own eyes and they sat with Jesus. They heard the sayings of Jesus and they said, we believe not merely because you have testified, we have seen and we believe. And we recognize this is the Christ. Here we have three reactions. The reaction to the living water that God provides. It, my friends, calls for us even today to make a reaction. We must give a response to this living water that God provides. Whoever you may be and whatever the situation of your life, My friend, do you realize that that same living water is available today? If you will come to Christ, Jesus says, come unto me and I will give you rest. I will give you refreshment. I will give you what your soul desires that you might have living water, everlasting life springing from the inside out for all eternity. Let's bow our heads and hearts. before the Lord. Heavenly Father, as we come to you, we recognize in this story, it is an unusual story of a profound encounter between Christ and this woman at the well. We pray, O God, that the impact of this story and all of its picture would have for us a reminder of that glorious salvation that You provide. That You have given us through Christ living water. Water that completely and that eternally will satisfy our souls. Help us, O God, that we would see here Jesus correcting a great prejudice. And help us, Lord, to recognize that God, You do love sinners regardless of their race, regardless of their religion, You love sinners and You save sinners by Your grace. Help us, Father, that we would see in the example of Jesus a great example for us to share the message as well. Help us to have that same eagerness to turn our conversations to things spiritual. And help us, Lord, to have the same tactfulness that we will deal with people as they are, where they are, and lead them along by your spirit that they might come into an encounter with Jesus Christ. Oh God, help us that we would be faithful that we would sow and that we would reap and that the harvest would be for your glory. For your honor and for your praise, this we ask in Jesus Holy Name, Amen and Amen.