A SPRING OF WATER WELLING UP TO ETERNAL LIFE

Passage: John 4:1-15

Key verse: 14

NIV

Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman

4 Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John(A)— 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 So he left Judea(B) and went back once more to Galilee.

4 Now he had to go through Samaria.(C) 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.(D) 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”(E) 8 (His disciples had gone into the town(F) to buy food.)

9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan(G) woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.[a])

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”(H)

11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well(I) and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.(J) Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water(K) welling up to eternal life.”(L)

15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty(M) and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

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Footnotes
  1. John 4:9 Or do not use dishes Samaritans have used
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Jesus and the Woman of Samaria

4 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and (A)baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), 3 he left Judea and departed (B)again for Galilee. 4 (C)And he had to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field (D)that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, (E)wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.[a]

7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, (F)“Give me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” ((G)For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you (H)living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 (I)Are you greater than our father Jacob? (J)He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but (K)whoever drinks of the water that I will give him (L)will never be thirsty again.[b] The water that I will give him will become (M)in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, (N)give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”

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Footnotes
  1. John 4:6 That is, about noon
  2. John 4:14 Greek forever
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
1. He had to pass through Samaria (1-6) Jesus left Judea for Nazareth to avoid unnecessary conflicts with the Jews who were on alert because more people went to Jesus than to John to be baptized. Jesus intentionally chose the hated route through Samaria. He reached Sychar where Jacob met Rachel. It was around noon in the Middle East when the sun is hottest. He sat at the well tired while his disciples went into the village to buy something to eat. Likewise, Jesus sought one lost soul in the regions and despised by others. 2. Whoever drinks this water (7-15) In that hot high noon a Samaritan woman came to draw water avoiding the village people. Jesus, though he was tired, took good care of her as a compassionate shepherd. He knew her spiritual thirst for love having had 5 husbands and a boyfriend. He began with begging her for water to break the social, religious, historical and gender barriers. When she sharply retorted his humble request, Jesus was not upset at all. He sincerely presented himself better than Jacob their father. Jesus then offered the Living Water welling up to eternal life, different from the water she drank that made her thirstier. She really wanted such water!

Prayer: Lord, the water of this world makes us thirstier. But you are the giver of the Living Water that truly quenches our thirsty soul welling up to eternal life.

One Word: Jesus, the Living Water!