GOSPEL OF JOHN
Chapter 4
Commentary:
When Jesus is traveling through Samaria He engages a woman at a well in conversation. When Jesus speaks of the water He can provide that will quench her deepest thirst, and shows that He knows her sins, she turns the conversation to theological controversy. Convinced that Jesus is the Messiah, the woman hurries to call her fellow villagers out to see Him. The salvation of the woman at the well is deeply satisfying to Jesus. And when the Samaritans come to see Jesus for themselves, He stays two more days and many more believe. Arriving back in Galilee, Jesus is approached by a royal official desperate over the illness of his son. Jesus promises the boy will live, and the official takes Jesus at His work. His trust is vindicated when the child is found well, his recovery dating from the moment Jesus had made His promise.
R.C. Sproul
We live in an age spawned by the Enlightenment and its criticism of the spiritual realm. With the rise of scientific discovery, man began to reject beliefs grounded in a spiritual reality. They chose, rather, to believe only in those things that could be empirically proven. As our culture banished spirituality, God became unimportant: an idle fantasy of undeveloped cultures.
Despite this attempt to over throw belief in Th. spiritual, society has seen a resurgence of spiritual things through the New Age, superstition and witchcraft. This new interest in spirituality is a telling sign that people are empty. The naturalistic legacy left by the Enlightenment created a vacuum in our society. Because man is more than a physical being, people eventually turn to spiritual matters. We are made in God’s image with a spiritual dimension just as real as our physical nature.
In our study of God’s attributes, we have learned that He is eternal and infinite. These are qualities only given to a spirit, not a physical being. Though God has manifested Himself in a variety of physical forms, He is not physical, but pure spirit. “In theology the spirituality of God stresses that God has a substantial Being all His own and distinct from the world, and that this substantial Being is immaterial, invisible, and without composition or extension,” Louis Berkhof wrote. “By ascribing spirituality to God we also affirm that He has none of the properties belonging to matter, and that He cannot be discerned by the bodily senses.” Being a spirit does not mean He is a gas or an energy force, for these have a physical dimension; they also are devoid of personality. The best analogy to a spirit is the mind. The mind is distinct from the brain. It has no physical dimension, it is spiritual. God, as a spirit, can be everywhere at once, eternal and infinite.
When we worship God, we do not worship Him according to the flesh but according to the spirit. This means that we should not be overly concerned with outward things, but with the heart. Knowing that God is spirit and that He is concerned about the inward man gives us great comfort, for as our bodies pass away, our spirits are being renewed day by day.
C. H. Spurgeon
I have often read this chapter in your hearing, and you have often read ityourselves; but the Word of God is not like the grapes of an earthly vine,which when once trodden are exhausted. You may come to Holy Scriptureagain and again; it is like an ever-flowing fountain, the more you drawfrom it, the more you may draw.
4:1When therefore the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John
The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John,
When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,
John 3:22,26
After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing.
And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have borne witness, behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him.
4:1-3 Already opposition was rising against Jesus, especially from the Pharisees. They resented Jesus’ popularity as well as his message, which challenged much of their teachings. Because Jesus was just beginning his ministry, it wasn’t yet time to confront these leaders openly; so he left Jerusalem and traveled north toward Galilee.
TODAY IN THE WORD
Bible teacher Edwin Blum offers this contrast between the woman at the well in today’s reading and Nicodemus (Jn. 3): “He was seeking; she was indifferent. He was a respected ruler; she was an outcast. He was serious; she was flippant. He was a Jew; she was a despised Samaritan. He was (presumably) moral; she was immoral.” But in spite of these differences, both Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman needed Jesus.
We have moved in our study from the Old Testament prophecies about Christ to a series of incidents in the New Testament that reveal His identity. With the disciples, Jesus addressed their need to follow Him in a commitment of life. He would have time later to deal with their questions, misconceptions, and other issues.
But the woman who met Jesus outside a Samaritan town had a very different set of needs. His primary purpose in the conversation that day was to bring this woman and her townspeople to faith (vv. 39-42).
But this conversation took on a strong Messianic element when Jesus confronted the woman with her sin (vv. 17-18). Ironically, she’s the one who turned the discussion to spiritual issues, perhaps to deflect Jesus’ attention from her immoral lifestyle. Her question had to do with Samaritan belief, which rejected all of the Old Testament except the five books of Moses, and centered its worship on Mount Gerizim instead of Jerusalem.
The woman’s question may not have been totally sincere, but Jesus treated it seriously. The time He referred to (vv. 21, 23) was the time of Messiah, the day that had come because Messiah was on the scene. Messiah’s ministry and death would change both the focus and content of true worship.
The Samaritans also believed in a Messiah, but not the line of King David. The woman’s statement indicates that she understood part of what Jesus was saying, and that she looked forward to Messiah. Jesus then flatly declared, “I who speak to you am He.”
This must have jarred the woman to consider the choice before her. Jesus invited her to believe in Him.
C. H. Spurgeon
Do not be surprised, dear brethren, if you sometimes grow weary in theLord’s work. I trust that, even then, you will not be weary of it, but thatyou will believe that pour blessed Master can still use even his tiredservants, and bless their labors. The Lord Jesus Christ wrought greatmarvels even when he sat wearily on the brink of Jacob’s well; and you,perhaps, are at this moment as fatigued and worn as you well can be; yet,will you not awaken all the energies of your soul if you should see anopportunity of doing good, even if it should be to some poor fallen woman,as in the case here mentioned? It is s blessed thing never to be too tired topray, and never to be too tired to speak to an anxious enquirer.
David Lloyd George
The church I belong to is torn in a fierce dispute. One section says that baptism is in the name of the Father, and the other that it is into the name of the Father. I belong to one of these parties. I would die for it fact; but I forget which it is!
PROFILE: JOHN THE BAPTIST
There’s no getting around it—John the Baptist was unique. He wore odd clothes and ate strange food and preached an unusual message to the Judeans who went out to the wastelands to see him.
But John did not aim at uniqueness for its own sake. Instead, he aimed at obedience. He knew he had a specific role to play in the world—announcing the coming of the Savior—and he put all his energies into this task. Luke tells us that John was in the desert when God’s word of direction came to him. John was ready and waiting. The angel who had announced John’s birth to Zechariah had made it clear this child was to be a Nazirite—one set apart for God’s service. John remained faithful to that calling.
This wild-looking man had no power or position in the Jewish political system, but he spoke with almost irresistible authority. People were moved by his words because he spoke the truth, challenging them to turn from their sins and baptizing them as a symbol of their repentance. They responded by the hundreds. But even as people crowded to him, he pointed beyond himself, never forgetting that his main role was to announce the coming of the Savior.
The words of truth that moved many to repentance goaded others to resistance and resentment. John even challenged Herod to admit his sin. Herodias, the woman Herod had married illegally, decided to get rid of this desert preacher. Although she was able to have him killed, she was not able to stop his message. The One John had announced was already on the move. John had accomplished his mission.
God has given each of us a purpose for living, and we can trust him to guide us. John did not have the complete Bible as we know it today, but he focused his life on the truth he knew from the available Old Testament Scriptures. Likewise we can discover in God’s Word the truths he wants us to know. And as these truths work in us, others will be drawn to him. God can use you in a way he can use no one else. Let him know your willingness to follow him today.
Strengths and accomplishments:
The God-appointed messenger to announce
the arrival of Jesus.
A preacher whose theme was repentance
A fearless confronter
Known for his remarkable life-style
Uncompromising
Lessons from his life:
God does not guarantee an easy or safe life to those who serve him
Doing what God desires is the greatest possible life investment
Standing for the truth is more important than life itself
Vital statistics:
Where: Judea
Occupation: Prophet
Father: Zechariah.
Mother: Elizabeth.
Distant relative: Jesus
Contemporaries: Herod, Herodias
Key verse:
“I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matthew 11:11).
C. H. Spurgeon
Our Lord knew that the Pharisees would assail him now that he wasprospering, and gathering disciples. He, therefore, went away from them;as he did on other occasions. Whenever the cause of God grows, Satan issure to be violent against it.
Notice that our Savior did not himself baptize his followers. Now, ifbaptism depended upon the character or the office of the baptizer, Jesuswould certainly have done it; but to show us that the person baptizing doesnot impart any grace to the person baptized, our Lord baptized not, but leftthat work to his disciples
Safe to Get Saved?
- Conversion
- Fear
- Hunger, spiritual
- Salvation; Thirst
Conversion is hardly safe. After all, it requires approaching the King of the Universe, face-to-face. In his book The Silver Chair, C. S. Lewis draws an analogy with the story of a young girl named Jill. She's in the land of Narnia, and she's thirsty. At once she sees a magnificent stream ... and a fearsome lion (Aslan, who represents the Lord Jesus):
"If I run away, it'll be after me in a moment," thought Jill. "And if I go on, I shall run straight into its mouth." Anyway, she couldn't have moved if she had tried, and she couldn't take her eyes off it. How long this lasted, she could not be sure; it seemed like hours. And the thirst became so bad that she almost felt she would not mind being eaten by the Lion if only she could be sure of getting a mouthful of water first. ...
"Are you not thirsty?" said the Lion.
"I'm dying of thirst," said Jill.
"Then drink," said the Lion.
"May I—could I—would you mind going away while I do?" said Jill.
The Lion answered this only by a look and a very low growl. And as Jill gazed at its motionless bulk, she realized that she might as well have asked the whole mountain to move aside for her convenience. The delicious rippling noise of the stream was driving her nearly frantic.
"Will you promise not to—do anything to me, if I do come?" said Jill.
"I make no promise," said the Lion.
Jill was so thirsty now that, without noticing it, she had come a step nearer. "Do you eat girls?" she said.
"I have swallowed up girls and boys, women and men, kings and emperors, cities and realms," said the Lion. It didn't say this as if it were boasting, nor as if it were sorry, nor as if it were angry. It just said it.
"I daren't come and drink," said Jill.
"Then you will die of thirst," said the Lion.
"Oh dear!" said Jill, coming another step nearer. "I suppose I must go and look for another stream then."
"There is no other stream," said the Lion. It never occurred to Jill to disbelieve the Lion—no one who had seen his stern face could do that—and her mind suddenly made itself up.
It was the worst thing she had ever had to do, but she went straight to the stream, knelt down, and began scooping up water in her hand. It was the coldest, most refreshing water she had ever tasted. You didn't need to drink much of it, for it quenched your thirst at once. Before she tasted it she had been intending to make a dash away from the Lion the moment she had finished. Now, she realized that this would be on the whole the most dangerous thing of all.
TODAY IN THE WORD
The people of Tombouctou, Mali, are called the Tuareg, a nickname given to these once-fierce warriors of the Sahara Desert by their Arab neighbors. The word Tuareg literally means “abandoned by God,” a title these nomads were given because of their lack of religious practices and faith. Even though they are nominally Muslim, their lifestyle of roaming the desert keeps them from practicing most Islamic traditions.
“Abandoned by God” is a harsh name to give a people, but it sounds like something the Jews of Jesus’ day would have called the Samaritans. This region, between Galilee and Judea, was populated by descendants of Jews and foreigners the Assyrians brought into the area when Assyria conquered the northern kingdom of Israel and took its people into captivity seven hundred years earlier.
The Samaritans were considered a mongrel race by the Jews, who shunned them and even crossed to the eastern side of the Jordan River to avoid going through Samaria when they traveled between Galilee and Judea. The Samaritans responded by setting up their own temple on Mount Gerizim.
But Jesus “had to go through Samaria” (v. 4) because there was a sinful, needy woman He wanted to reach. Jesus got her attention by asking for a drink of water, which surprised her because Jews did not speak to Samaritans, much less a Jewish man to a Samaritan woman. Jesus then intrigued her by offering her “living water” that would satisfy her thirst forever (v. 16). The woman could think only of physical water, but Jesus was offering her the gift of salvation.
C. H. Spurgeon
Observe here that our Lord at first shunned conflict with the Pharisees.
When he knew that they were jealous of him, he went away from Judaea toa more remote district, “into Galilee.” May he help us always to take thatwhich may be the wiser course in every emergency! He was not guilty ofcowardice; that, he could not be, for he was the bravest of the brave; andsometimes it will be most courageous on our part to shun a conflict. Whenyou believe it is right to do so, never mind what anybody may say; bat doas your Master did on this occasion.
Petitions Are Vital Part Of Prayer
"Do you think most of us make too many petitions in our prayers?" A friend asked me.
To decide, we got out our Bibles and took a look at various prayers in the Bible to see how other people prayed, making memos as we went.
What did we discover? That the only prayer in the Bible that is not commended contains no petition! It's found in the story of the Pharisee and the publican. It's the prayer in which the Pharisee thanked God that he was not as other men and went on to remind God of what a five-star person he was! (cf: Luke 18:11)