John 4:5-8 - Lesson #35

Jesus left Judea in order to avoid a confrontation with the Pharisees. Becoming entangled in debates about nonessential matters would have detracted from laying the foundation of the gospel message; "But He needed to go through Samaria" (John 4:4).

We have seen that it wasn't essential to travel through Samaria. There were other routes, even preferable routes to a true Jew who despised the Samaritans. So to say Jesus "needed" to go through Samaria can only mean the need was Spiritual - Spiritual in regard to the person He knew He would meet.

John 4:5-8
"So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, 'Give Me a drink.' For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food."

This area of Samaria had a rich heritage to the Jewish people. The land was first purchased by Jacob (Genesis 33:19) and then given to Joseph as an inheritance (Genesis 48:22). The bones of Joseph were eventually buried on this same plot of land when the Israelites were brought into the land of Canaan (Joshua 24:32). Jacob's well can still be seen today and is located at the foot of Mount Gerizim.

The sixth hour refers to noontime. Certainly after traveling during the heat of the day it would be normal to be thirsty and weary. And that is precisely the significance of this passage. We see the Son of God, the Creator of the Universe, experiencing normal human sensations. The gospel of John continually portrays Jesus as fully God and fully man; "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14).

We next see a woman of Samaria come to the well by herself. It would not be normal to come at this time of day, and certainly not normal to come alone. Perhaps she was avoiding other women, perhaps she was not welcomed. These possibilities will become more clear as we read her life story.

Jesus initiated the conversation with a simple request, "Give Me a drink." At first we see nothing unusual in this request. It was hot and no one would refuse a drink to a traveller. But the woman did not see an ordinary traveller, she saw a Jewish rabbi. A rabbi would never initiate a conversation with a woman, and a Jew would NEVER drink from a Samaritan cup! No, this Jesus was no ordinary traveller.

I wonder how ordinary we seem in our travels today. How much do we behave and react just like the ordinary world? We have not been called to be ordinary. We must look past the artificial boundary lines and minister with the true love of Christ. We are called to give the entirely of our life because He first gave His life for us. Let's give our all and begin to live a life far beyond the ordinary!