Bible Study - Women of Faith (6) - The Samaritan Woman: Faith Worth Sharing - John 4:4-42 - July 7, 2019

Bible Study – Women of Faith (6) – The Samaritan Woman: Faith Worth Sharing – July 7, 2019

This is lesson six (6) and the last lesson in this series.

Our focus scripture is John 4:4-42:

Your life-changing encounter with CHRIST should be shared with others.

Let’s read John 4:4-42:

4 When Jesus^[a] knew that the Pharisees heard He was making and baptizing more disciples than John ² (though Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), ³ He left Judea and went again to Galilee. ⁴ He had to travel through Samaria, ⁵ so He came to a town of Samaria called Sychar near the property^[b] that Jacob had given his son Joseph. ⁶ Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, worn out from His journey, sat down at the well. It was about six in the evening.^[c]    

The most direct route between Judea and Galilee was to go through Samaria. However, most Jews hated the Samaritans because they were considered mixed breeds. They had intermarried with non-Jews. JESUS was not prejudiced, HE was obedient to HIS Father, GOD, as directed and led by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, JESUS goes to Sychar. JESUS was very tired, thirsty and hungry. HE sent HIS disciple to town to get food for them. JESUS was resting at the well Jacob had dug many years ago.

Opportunity comes along often when we are very tired and the tendency is for us to say, “I don’t want to be bothered, I need to vegetate.” That is Satan working against opportunity. In the story, we get a glimpse of Satan attempting to work on JESUS and this Samaritan woman to prevent her for embracing truth and receiving salvation.

⁷ A woman of Samaria came to draw water.

“Give Me a drink,” Jesus said to her, ⁸ for His disciples had gone into town to buy food.

⁹ “How is it that You, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” she asked Him. For Jews do not associate with^[d] Samaritans.^[e]

JESUS was alone at the well about 6 PM. This was an odd time for a woman to come to the well to draw water. Some Bible scholars believe that a woman coming out at that time alone indicated that she was either a prostitute or wanted to avoid other women who might look down upon her. Normally, a Jewish man would not engage in a conversation with a woman, especially a Samaritan woman. However, Jewish men were known to approach a prostitute.

JESUS was thirsty and needed a drink of water. JESUS asked her for a drink of water, which got her attention. Since later on we know that this lady had been around the block a few times, was she prepared to be propositioned?  Her response was in essence, “You Jews won’t speak to us much less drink from a utensil which we use to draw water.” This lady put up the barrier, which JESUS did not argue with her regarding the water but HE went to her need. We must keep in mind that GOD knows our heart and the hearts of those HE leads us to witness to.

JESUS made a statement to the lady that piqued her curiosity and intellect as we read on ---.

¹⁰ Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would ask Him, and He would give you living water.”

¹¹ “Sir,” said the woman, “You don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep. So where do You get this ‘living water’? ¹² You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are You? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and livestock.”

JESUS’ statement sparked a conversation. Notice, she addressed JESUS with respect “Sir” or “lord.” The lady offers her own question, “You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are You?” What do you think?

¹³ Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. ¹⁴ But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again—ever! In fact, the water I will give him will become a well^[f] of water springing up within him for eternal life.”

¹⁵ “Sir,” the woman said to Him, “give me this water so I won’t get thirsty and come here to draw water.”

Immediately this lady saw a physical opportunity. WOW! No more hauling water. But JESUS went to her real need, which was Spiritual.

¹⁶ “Go call your husband,” He told her, “and come back here.”

¹⁷ “I don’t have a husband,” she answered.

“You have correctly said, ‘I don’t have a husband,’” Jesus said. ¹⁸ “For you’ve had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”

¹⁹ “Sir,” the woman replied, “I see that You are a prophet. ²⁰ Our fathers worshiped on this mountain,^[g] yet you Jews say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”

She recognized and made the connection that JESUS was no ordinary man, HE was a prophet. Where did her knowledge come from? It came from GOD revealing it to her. “I see that You are a prophet.” How do we see JESUS? Is HE a prophet or the sinless SON OF GOD WHO WILLING GAVE HIS LIFE TO PAY THE PENALTY FOR OUR SIN, IN FULL?

²¹ Jesus told her, “Believe Me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ²² You Samaritans^[h] worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. ²³ But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship Him. 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^[i] is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will explain everything to us.”

²⁶ “I am He,” Jesus told her, “the One speaking to you.”

A conversation that leads to salvation. The woman said “I know that Messiah is coming. When HE comes, HE will explain everything to us.”

“I AM HE”, The One speaking to you!” This lady had an accurate knowledge of scripture. She nailed it and had a “WOW” moment.

When we have a “WOW!” encounter with JESUS, what do we do?

It motivates us into action. What did this lady do?

JESUS’ disciples had a “wow!” moment when they returned and saw JESUS talking to this woman as we read on -----

The Ripened Harvest

²⁷ Just then His disciples arrived, and they were amazed that He was talking with a woman. Yet no one said, “What do You want?” or “Why are You talking with her?”

²⁸ Then the woman left her water jar, went into town, and told the men, ²⁹ “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could this be the Messiah?” ³⁰ They left the town and made their way to Him.

The woman at the well was so excited that she left her water jar and went to town. This woman who went to draw her water to avoid others all of a sudden had a message to share with all who would listen to her.

³¹ In the meantime the disciples kept urging Him, “Rabbi, eat something.”

³² But He said, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.”

³³ The disciples said to one another, “Could someone have brought Him something to eat?”

³⁴ “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work,” Jesus told them. ³⁵ “Don’t you say, ‘There are still four more months, then comes the harvest’? Listen to what I’m telling you: Open^[j] your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ready^[k] for harvest. ³⁶ The reaper is already receiving pay and gathering fruit for eternal life, so the sower and reaper can rejoice together. ³⁷ For in this case the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ ³⁸ I sent you to reap what you didn’t labor for; others have labored, and you have benefited from^[l] their labor.”

What a joy it is to witness others receive salvation. It is filling and satisfying. Many from Sychar came out to hear this JESUS and -----

The Savior of the World

³⁹ Now many Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of what the woman said^[m] when she testified, “He told me everything I ever did.” ⁴⁰ Therefore, when the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him to stay with them, and He stayed there two days. ⁴¹ Many more believed because of what He said.^{[n] 42} And they told the woman, “We no longer believe because of what you said, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world.”^[o]

The salvation of someone else is exciting and can lead us to explore this person called JESUS. All must come to a saving knowledge personally. “We no longer believe because of what you said, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world.”^[o]

Is JESUS your savior? If not why not? Now is the opportunity for you to ask JESUS to forgive you for your sins and for JESUS to come into your heart. It is CHRIST in you that makes you a Christian, not joining a church or Christian organization. Blessings!!!