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John 4Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)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.”“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”“I have no husband,” she replied.Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him.Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don't you have a saying, ‘It's still four months until harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps' is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers.They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”This series was originally preached at James' church Wellspring Worship Centre - a diverse and Jesus loving community found in Toronto. Get full access to Right Side Up: Danielle Strickland at daniellestrickland.substack.com/subscribe

Gospel Reading: John 4:5-42At that time, Jesus came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and so Jesus, wearied as he was with his journey, sat down beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 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 living water." The woman said to him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?" Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband; this you said truly." The woman said to him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain; and you say that Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." The woman said to him, "I know that the Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ); when he comes, he will show us all things." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am he."Just then his disciples came. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but none said, "What do you wish?" or, "Why are you talking with her?" So the woman left her water jar, and went away into the city and said to the people, "Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?" They went out of the city and were coming to him.Meanwhile the disciples besought him, saying "Rabbi, eat." But he said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know." So the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought him food?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see how the fields are already white for harvest. He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor; others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony. "He told me all that I ever did." So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard ourselves, and we know that this is indeed Christ the Savior of the world."

David Macdonald - May 9th, 2026 - Are You Thirsty? - John 4:1-14 JOHN 4:5 – THE ENCOUNTER – AT THE WELL Jesus – weary from travel  Came to Sychar – aka. Shechem – ancient city with a substantial history a) Where Abram first came when he arrived into Canaan from Babylonia. (Gen 12:6) b) Where God first appeared to Abram in Canaan - renewed the promise of giving the land to him and his descendants. (12:7) c) Where Abram built an altar and called upon the name of the Lord. 12:8 d) This is where Jacob came safely when he returned with his wives and children from his sojourn with Laban. (33:18) e) Jacob bought a piece of land from a Canaanite named Hamor (33:19) f) Jacob built an altar to the Lord, and called it El Elohe Israel (33:20). g) Connected Jacob and what became known as Jacob's well there in Sychar. h) Jacob's daughter – Dinah, raped – and his sons massacred the men in retaliation. (Genesis 34) i) This was the plot of ground that Jacob gave his son Joseph j) Where the bones of Joseph were eventually buried - carried up from Egypt. (Josh 24:32) k) Joshua made a covenant with Israel, renewing their commitment to the God of Israel and proclaiming, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24) JOHN 4:5 – THE ENCOUNTER – AT THE WELL  Contrasts Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman  He was a Jew; she was a Samaritan  He was a Pharisee; she had a rival religion  He was a politician; she had no status  He was a scholar; she was likely uneducated  He was highly moral; she was immoral  He is named; she is nameless  He was a man; she was a woman  He came at night; she came at noon  He sought Jesus; Jesus sought her  Both had the same need JOHN 4:6-14 – THE CONVERSATION – GIVE ME A DRINK  Jesus – engages the woman in conversation  Likely a surprise to the woman - a) A rabbi – wouldn't speak to woman in public b) A Jew speaking to a Samaritan! (vs. 9) c) Strange time to draw water – i. Noon ii. Alone d) Jesus turns conversation to heart of the matter – a) Vs. 10 – “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 living water.“  He made her curious –  He made her curious about the things of God (If you knew the gift of God).  He made her curious about who Jesus is (who it is who says to you).  He made her curious about what He could give her (He would have given you living water). JOHN 4:10, 13-14 – THE OFFER – LIVING WATER  People are thirsty  Don't admit it  Don't recognize it  Try to satisfy it and thirst never quenched  Pleasure Possessions  Addictions Fame  Wealth Relationships  Career Path THIRST AGAIN  If only….  Panama company  “but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever.”  Satisfy spiritual longing –  Will become a spring – in the person – living & fresh  Life giving – everlasting life ARE YOU THIRSTY? How to get Living Water John 7:37-39 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. (38) Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" (39) Now this He said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.  What if you have come to Jesus, but seem to be thirsting again? Spurgeon -  Someone might object: “I drank of what Jesus offers, and I feel thirsty and empty again.” The answer is simple: drink again! It isn't a one-time sip of Jesus that satisfies forever, but continual connection with Him.”  Have you found satisfaction in the Living Water – the Lord Jesus Christ – the Bible ends with this invitation  Revelation 22:17 The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 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?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan 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.” 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 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. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” 16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” 17 “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” 19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” 25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” 26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” The Disciples Rejoin Jesus 27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” 28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him. 31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” 33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” 34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Don't you have a saying, ‘It's still four months until harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps' is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” Many Samaritans Believe 39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers. 42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

03/05/2026 Gospel Sermon on: John 4 : 1 - 42 1 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), 3 He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. 4 But He needed to go through Samaria. 5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, "Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." 11 The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?" 13 Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." 15 The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." 16 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." 17 The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, "I have no husband,' 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly." 19 The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship." 21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such 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 is coming" (who is called Christ). "When He comes, He will tell us all things." 26 Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He." 27 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?" 28 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29 "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" 30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him. 31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." 32 But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know." 33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?" 34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, "There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! Glory be to God forever.

John 4:27-45 - Come, See the Savior of the World Please turn to John 4:27-45. This is our third sermon involving the woman at the well. The first two centered on her conversation with Jesus which ended in verse 26. She ironically told Jesus that the Messiah, the Christ, was coming. To which Jesus responded, "I who speak to you am he." Interestingly, that is the first time in John's Gospel that Jesus identifies himself as the Christ. In earlier chapters, John the Baptist had made that clear. Jesus' disciples had also identified him as the Messiah as well as the King of Israel and the Son of God. But while speaking with this women, Jesus made it absolutely clear who he is. Which brings us to verse 27 where we find out what happened next. Reading of John 4:27-45 Prayer The protestant reformer Martin Luther, once said this: "I'm just one beggar showing another beggar where to find bread." I think that's good description of a faithful Christian. Every single person in the world is searching for truth. Some acknowledge it… some don't. A Christian is someone who believes that he or she has found truth… has found the Bread of Life… and wants to bring others to likewise taste and see. "I'm just one beggar showing another beggar where to find bread." In many ways that captures what happened next in this narrative. When the Samaritan woman woke up that morning, she had no idea what was in store for her that day. She had no idea that she would meet someone and her life would change. At first, she was shocked that a Jewish man was speaking to her. She a woman of Samaria, after all. But even more shocking was what she learned from him. She learned three things: 1. That he had spiritual water to give her that would spring up to eternal life 2. That a time had come when true worshipers would worship in Spirit and truth. Worship was no longer tied to a time and a place. 3. The most shocking - this man claimed to be the promised Messiah. Try to put yourself in her shoes. Can you imagine the excitement in her heart?   Some of you don't have to imagine what she felt. I know some of your testimonies - how you met Jesus for the first time and how everything changed. Well, her heart was bursting with the same excitement. She left her water jar, verse 28, because she had to tell others what happened.   At this point there are two parallel things happening in the narrative. First, the disciples had returned. And Jesus taught them using an object lesson. Second, at the same time, the woman had gone back in her hometown, to Sychar. She went to tell people what happened. So, let's begin with those two separate interactions. What Jesus taught his disciples and then what happened in the town. Those will then converge in verse 39. 1. Jesus and His Disciples By the way, did you notice that the disciples returned at precisely the right time. They arrived at the well right at the end of Jesus conversation with the woman. If they had arrived earlier, they would have interrupted his conversation with her. If they had come later, they would never have seen the woman… and wouldn't have known what was happening. You see, God had orchestrated it all. That's similar to what happened at the end of Jesus' conversation with his disciples. He told them about the harvest… and then immediately when he was done, people started coming to Jesus. It all happened in God's perfect timing. I just wanted to point that out. The apostle John has not only been conveying who Jesus is through the words that Jesus and the others spoke. But we're also learning about him and God the Father and God the Spirit through what's been happening.  So, Jesus disciples returned to the well. Remember, they had gone into town to buy food, which they did. When they got back, they naturally urged Jesus to eat. "Rabbi, eat!" But he wasn't eating. No, as I mentioned Jesus took this opportunity to teach a lesson. He said, verse 32, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." He wasn't talking about food that nourishes the body. No, he was talking about spiritual food. But the disciples hadn't yet made that connection. So, they asked, "has someone brought you food to eat?" Does this sound familiar? This is the fifth time, so far, that Jesus used a real tangible physical object to teach a spiritual truth. Last week, Coleman reminded us of them. First, the water turned to wine indicating our need for Jesus' cleansing ministry. Second, Jesus' comment about the temple being destroyed and rebuilt in 3 days, referring to his forthcoming death and resurrection. Third, Jesus told Nicodemus that he needed to be born again, referring to a spiritual not a physical birth. And fourth, earlier in this chapter, Jesus offered the Samaritan woman living water that would spring up to eternal life. And did you notice that in each one of those cases, just like here, Jesus' audience didn't understand at first. The disciples didn't get it, at first. That's why they asked the question - "has someone brought you food?" Which brings us to an important question: since Jesus wasn't referring to real food, what food was he referring to? Well, he answers that. He answers by first giving his disciples the broad category and then he applies his answer to what was happening in Samaria. The broad category is God the Father's will. Look at verse 34. "Jesus said to them, 'My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.'" Jesus' food was to be obedient to his Father's will for him. That included many things - His becoming man. It included his perfect obedience to God's law. It included Jesus being and revealing light and truth to the world. And notice the phrase at the end of 34 "accomplish his work." Jesus primary task was to accomplish redemption. And he ultimately accomplished that by (1) dying on the cross to satisfy the demands of the law that we failed to uphold… and (2) rising from the grave to vindicate us and give eternal life. By doing all those things, Jesus was redeeming a people unto himself. His obedience, which he identified as his spiritual food, sustained his ministry and led to the redemption of a people. That relates directly to the next part of this lesson - the harvest Do you see that connection? The harvest continues the food metaphor …by highlighting what the result of his obedience would be - a harvest of souls. Now, remember, Jacob's well is on the outskirts of town. As Jesus and his disciples sat there, they could see fields of wheat or other crops. The sense we get from verse 35 is that it was not yet harvest time. It could be that there were still 4 months left, as is mentioned… or they were in that period of waiting. It was not yet time… the grain was not yet ready. Jesus said to them, "lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest." But, as the disciples looked, the fields were not ready. The grain kernels of wheat were not yet a pale white and therefore not yet ready to harvest. Rabbi, What are you talking about? There's still some time before the harvest. The fields are not yet white for the harvest. But then, Jesus clarified. Look at verse 36. He said to them, "the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life." Jesus wasn't referring to the harvest of grain… no, he explained that he was talking about gathering people unto eternal life. Gathering people to hear of the living water and spiritual bread that he offers. By the way, this is now the 6th time that Jesus uses a common tangible, physical reality to refer to a spiritual truth. And it won't be the last. Let me make a brief comment about the sowing and reaping mentioned here. Jesus said that others sowed the seed and the harvest was now ready for the reapers. The question is, who sowed the seed? The answer is that many have sowed the seed. The patriarchs and prophets of old sowed the seed. John the Baptist and his disciples most recently sowed the seed. Jesus himself is the great sower. All the seed had been planted, and now it was time to reap the harvest. Jesus also makes an interesting point. Usually, the sowing and the reaping are months apart. But he points out that the sowing and harvesting are happening together. In other words, no longer is a wait necessary. The sowing and reaping are now happening at the same time. As the message of salvation goes forth… a harvest of souls was happening. And that is exactly what was happening in this Samaritan town. 2. The Samaritan Harvest So, let's now go back to the Samaritan woman and her testimony. Before we consider what happened, I want to remind you of something important - a  contextual matter. This whole thing was happening in Samaria. This did not happen in Judah. The Jews did not consider Samaritans to be part of God's promised people. Their religion had been corrupted and they were considered unclean. This spiritual awakening that we are about to witness sent a clear message to the original Jewish readers. The salvation that the Messiah had come to fulfill was for the world. The harvest includes people from all tribes, languages, and nations. Last week, up in verse 22, we learned that "salvation is from the Jews."  The salvation that God brought to the world came through Israel. God revealed himself and his salvation through them. Jesus was in the line of King David as his greater son. He's the fulfillment of the prophets and high priest, and is the true the Lamb of God. In all those ways, salvation is FROM the Jews… but that salvation is FOR the world. The harvest was for all peoples. This awakening in this town of Samaria, demonstrated that in a powerful way. Jesus disciples and the apostle John's original audience needed not only to hear it but to see and experience it. Jesus came to redeem a people out of every people groups on earth. So, Jesus had just conveyed to his disciples the harvest had arrived. They (and we!) have been called to participate as workers in God's harvest. Now, let me ask, as you think about this narrative, who is the example for the disciples? Who is the person in this story who demonstrated what it means to harvest souls? It's the Samaritan woman. While Jesus was teaching his disciples, the Samaritan woman had gone to be a worker in the harvest. And what does she tell those in her town? Go back up to verse 29. She tells them (look at it) to come and see the man who told me everything that I ever did. And then she asks, "can this be the Christ?" Ok, I've been thinking about this all week... thinking about her words in verse 29. And I've been asking myself, was she being a good witness? After all, she didn't make an argument that Jesus was the Christ…. Her question, in fact, wasn't really a definitive statement about Jesus. So, was she a faithful witness? I have an answer. Absolutely! And let me give you three reasons why. ·      First, she wanted to bring them to meet Jesus for themselves. She was just one beggar showing other beggars where to find bread. Come and see… it's like she was holding them by the hand to bring them to meet him. ·      Second, she was telling her own testimony. That's a powerful thing. It wasn't polished, but it was compelling because she was conveying what she experienced. And I want you to think about this. Why in the world would people listen to her? I mean, they knew she had had 5 husbands and was now living with another guy. And now she was telling them she found yet another man. Why would they listen to her? Well, because they saw that something changed in her. There was something radically different. You see, it wasn't just the testimony of her words, it was the testimony of her life. ·      And third, she asked a thought-provoking question. Can this be the Christ? Questions are helpful because they get us thinking and they stir our curiosity. So, yes, she was a faithful witness. I'd like to say a word to two groups of people who are here today. First, some of you here are not sure whether Christianity is true… maybe you're asking questions and seeking answers but perhaps unsure whether you believe Jesus is who he said he is. Maybe you're here with a friend or family member. If that's you, I simply want to say, come and see Jesus for yourself. Don't take my word for it or a friend's word… but read this Word. In this book, I believe you will find answers and I believe you will see Jesus for who he is. I encourage you to read it. Study it. Ask God to show you whether he is the way, the truth, and the life - as Jesus himself said. It's changed my life and many here. Like the woman at the well, your friends or family or neighbors simply want you to see what they found. After all, if it is the truth, then of course they would want you to see and believe it as well. The second group. Most of you are here because you do believe. If that is you, consider this: Sometimes we think we need to have all the answers. Sometimes we think that if we just say the right things, then others will come to believe as we do. But most often, that's not the case. No, most often, others come to believe either because of our testimony which includes the testimony of our lives… or because we brought them to come and see Jesus for themselves. That is exactly what happened in this town. Look down at verse 39. "Many Samaritans from that town believed in [Jesus] because of the woman's testimony." Furthermore, they asked Jesus to stay so they could learn more, and so he stayed for 2 days. And then look at verse 41. "Many more believed because of his word." I think verse 42 is great. The people said, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” To our knowledge, the Samaritan woman didn't even tell them that Jesus was the Savior of the world. No, she just asked them whether he could be the Christ and she brought them to Jesus. But what they found was that he indeed was the Christ, the Savior. By the way, that phrase, "Savior of the world" really captures the heart of this whole chapter. Jesus wasn't just a Savior for the Jewish people. No, he was a Savior that the Samaritans needed. He was a Savior that this woman needed in her sin and wandering. He was a Savior who had come to offer salvation to the world. And remember, the disciples were there seeing it all. They witnessed a glimpse of the great harvest of souls unto eternal life. In fact, only three years from that point, they would each be sent out to end of the earth. They would themselves testify to all that Jesus said and did. And each would experience a similar harvest. You know, throughout history, there have been many great awakenings similar to what happened in Samaria. At different times and different places, thousands and thousands have come to see and believe. It's not typical. No, most often, God works through his people in the normal course of life… as individuals and families come to know the Savior.   But there have been times when the Holy Spirit has moved in tremendous ways. It's happened in Africa and Korea and Britan. In our country in the early 18th century, the first great awakening began. It started through the faithful witness of believers and faithful preaching by pastors like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield. It spread through all the colonies and even back to England. By the thousands, people hearts were open to hear and then believe. I think it is fair to say that the Protestant Reformation was a great harvest - an awakening or really a revival all throughout Europe to believe or rediscover the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And let me ask, how did each of these spiritual awakenings begin? Well, they each began through the faithful witness and testimony of God's people. Come and see Jesus. In Sychar, it began with one woman, so moved by God in her life, that she had to tell others what happened and invite them to meet Jesus. It started by one beggar showing other beggars where to find bread. Would it be that God would so move in our city? I don't know, but what I do know is that the fields are white for the harvest. May we be faithful to enter into the labor of the harvest… and may God so move that many would come to believe in Jesus as indeed the Savior of the world.

John 4:1-18 - The Source of Living Waters Please turn in your Bibles to John chapter 4, verses 1-18. You can find that on page 1056 of the pew Bibles. This is the well-known interaction between Jesus and the woman at the well. Their conversation is a little long, so we'll take this in two sermons. Today is part 1. Next week is Easter, and I'm planning a different sermon text. But in two weeks we'll get to part 2. As I read, think about the differences between Nicodemus and the woman at the well. Jesus had met Nicodemus earlier in chapter 3. Remember, he was a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish council and a teacher of Israel.  And now in chapter 4, Jesus meets a very different person in a very different setting. Reading John 4:1-18 Prayer In my high school and college days, I enjoyed  multi-day wilderness trips. You know, you hike a few miles, then camp, then hike another few miles, and camp again, and you do that for several days. For some reason, it doesn't really sound fun anymore! I'll never forget the very first trip I went on. It started out pretty rough. It was very hot. We were mostly hiking in the shade, but we had 30-40 pound backpacks and so we were sweating. What made it worse is that we got lost on the first day. We didn't really know what we were doing, and then we got turned around. And then, we ran out of water. We had brought extra water because of the heat, but we drank it all by mid-day - we didn't know what rationing meant. Furthermore, the streams and lakes had an unusually high level of parasites that summer, and so we couldn't drink from them. And because we got lost, we didn't make it to our destination. Our planned destination had fresh water, but we were still some miles away when it got dark. So, we had to camp in the middle of a dense forest without water. I've never been more thirsty in my life. We all know what it feels like to thirst. Jesus had been thirsty from his travels. He was fully human just as much as he was fully divine. He shared in our common experiences like hunger and thirst and weariness. But as we read, this story is about much more than just satisfying our physical thirst. No, Jesus uses the common experience of thirsting and drinking to convey a deeper truth - spiritual thirst and spiritual refreshment. This Samaritan woman didn't even know she was spiritually thirsty, but she would soon come to realize how thirsty she was... and where to find the source of life-giving water. As we look at this text, we'll consider it in three basic points: The setting, the scene, and the summons. 1. The Setting - what is the cultural and religious background 2. The Scene - what happened in this conversation 3. The Summons - how are we summoned to respond. By the way, my first outline had a bunch of "s" in my subpoints… like spring, satisfy, Sychar, sixth, sinner, source, surprising, soul, and savior. But it was a little too much, so I decided to spare you from that! 1. The Setting Ok, #1, the setting. Before we work through this captivating narrative, it's important to understand some of the religious and cultural dynamics at play. First, the Samaritans were deeply despised by the Jews. They were outcasts and they were considered unclean. There were a couple of reasons for this. ·      #1 - Samaria was where the northern tribes of Israel had been. Back when the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom of Israel, some of the Assyrians settled in the land. And over time the Assyrians and the Israelites from the northern tribes intermarried. That was a problem because their religions got mixed together. The Samaritans claimed the same forefathers as the Jews in Judah, but their religious practice and beliefs had been corrupted. We'll consider this more in part 2 of this dialogue. I simply bring it up because the Samaritans were considered not worthy to associate with. In fact, in order to get from Jerusalem to Galilee, the fastest route was to go through Samaria. But, some Jews would go to great lengths to literally travel around Samaria to get to Galilee. It was that bad. ·      #2 - This hatred of the Samaritans did not go away after Jesus walked the earth. In fact, it got worse. The Jewish historian Josephus records that around 51 AD, some Jewish pilgrims passing through Samaria were murdered. In response, several Samaritan villages were attacked by Jews. This killing went back and forth until the Romans had to step in. John wrote this Gospel account after those conflicts. What I'm saying is that throughout the first century Jews deeply mistrusted or even despised the Samaritans.   One of the commentators that I like is Gary Burge. He describes the book of John like scenes in a play. It's helpful to think of it that way. A couple of weeks ago, the curtains opened and it was dark. Nicodemus had come to Jesus at night. Nicodemus, who was an upstanding member of the Jewish elite was searching for answers. And he learned that he needed to be born again. He needed the cleansing ministry that Jesus was offering. But then the curtain closes while he's still searching. Now the curtain opens again, but this time it's the middle of the day. The 6th hour is about noon and the sun is shining. And there is Jesus again, but instead of Nicodemus, instead of this esteemed member of the Sanhedrin and a teacher of Israel, Jesus is speaking with an unclean Samaritan woman. Can you hear the gasps in the audience? And it gets worse as the narrative unfolds. Not only was she a Samaritan, but we find out that she has had 5 husbands and was now living with a guy to whom she was not even married. What a contrast to Nicodemus. ·      He was a squeaky-clean Pharisee on the outside… who had yet to see his need for the transforming power of Christ for his darkened sinful heart. ·      And then this woman, a spiritual and relational mess on the outside, yet, who would come to see her need and drink from the life-giving water of Christ. By the way, I am not saying that Nicodemus never came to believe in Jesus. A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that by the end of the book, it appears that his heart had changed. And in regard to the Samaritan woman, we learn later in this chapter that she not only came to believe, but through her testimony, many other Samaritans believed. It was all very revealing. You know, we're just a few chapters into John's Gospel, and several paradigms were being broken. John's Jewish audience had false perceptions about the Messiah. They also didn't understand the true reasons for their religious practices. So, their paradigms needed to be shattered. ·      The tables in the temple needed to be overturned. They needed to understand that Jesus fulfilled the temple promises. ·      They also needed to understand that Jesus did not come to re-establish Israel's geo-political dominance. Rather, as chapter 3 says, he came that the world may be saved through him.   ·      Furthermore, they needed to know that being a Jewish leader did not mean you would enter the kingdom of God. Keeping the rules or knowing the law does not get you into the kingdom. No, you need to be born again of the cleansing ministry of Christ and in his Spirit. They needed to learn all this. And here in chapter 4 - They are learning that the cleansing ministry of Jesus is also for Samaritans. And not only that, but Jesus came to save sinners, like this woman. Really, they were all sinners, like us.… but many in the Jewish community didn't understand that. What I'm saying is that if you were a Jew in the first century and you were hearing this for the first time, your religious foundations were being shaken. They needed to be shaken. So that's the setting… the cultural and religious backdrop. 2. The Scene Which brings us to #2 - the scene. Let's consider what happened. In the first century, travelling by foot from Jerusalem directly to Galilee would have taken 3-4 day. Jesus and his disciples travelled up the main road through Samaria… passing one village after another. And they came to Sychar. We learn that it was historically significant. It's where Jacob and his family had lived before moving to Egypt. Jacob was their forefather whom God would rename as Israel. He had 12 sons, whose families would become the twelve tribes of Israel. So, Jacob's well had been there for centuries. The well was near the field that Jacob had given his favorite son Joseph. This is Joseph who was given the multi-colored coat by his father and who was soon thereafter sold by his brothers as a slave. It was noon. The sun was beating down. Jesus and his disciples had more ground to travel but they needed rest and food and water. Jesus stayed at the well while his disciples went to find food. And as he sat there, a Samaritan woman approached. A common household chore for women at the time was filling the water jars. So it was not unusual for a woman to come to the well. However, what was unusual was the time of day. Usually filling water pots happened in the early morning or late afternoon when it was cooler. But given this woman's situation, either she was not welcome at other times, or she felt ashamed. And so, she came at mid-day. And to her surprise, a Jewish man was there. Now, the customary thing to do would have been to quickly fill her water jars and head home. But this man asked her a question. He asked her for a drink. By the way, Jacob's well was deep. You can actually visit the well today. It's about 135 ft to the bottom. That's pretty deep! Jesus didn't have anything to lower down and draw up water and he was thirsty. So, it was a reasonable request. But given the cultural dynamics, even such a request was unheard of. And it took her off-guard. Verse 9: "How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?" Now, think about this: What would we expect Jesus to say in response? Or what would John's readers expect? They were already in shock by the situation. But Jesus was thirsty, after all. The natural response would have been for Jesus to say something like, "We've travelled a long way so far. It's hot out. Those with me are in town buying food. But we've run out of water, and I'm thirsty. I have no way of drawing water from the well. Even though I am a Jew, will you help?" That's the expectation, but Jesus instead changed the conversation. That's what he does, isn't it? He disrupts the norms. He dismantles presuppositions. He pivots conversations. He asks penetrating questions and then he drives to the heart of the matter. He said to 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 living water.” Of course, this made no sense to her at first. Jesus didn't have a way to get to the water. Furthermore, he referenced living water. Living water was the term used for fresh moving water like streams or springs. This was a well. Water fills the bottom of a well by seeping in through the earth from the water table and then it sits there. How can you get this water? This well is deep? You have nothing to draw it out. Where will you get the living water you offer? Then something happened inside of her. She sensed that she was in the presence of someone important. After all, Jesus had said so! His first comment was to ask if she knew the gift of God? And then immediately Jesus said to her, if you knew who it was who was asking… She didn't know. But she didn't ask Jesus who he was. No, instead, she asked, "Are you greater than our father Jacob?" This well had been Jacob's well. He and his family and his animals drank from it. Was there something special about the water in it? Is that what you're referring to? Jesus responded, "anyone who drinks from this water," referring to Jacob's well, "will be thirsty again." And then in verses 13 and 14 Jesus said something life transforming. I want you look down and read it again. Verse 13: "but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The living water that Jesus was offering to give… was not physical water. No, it was something wholly different. And this water would yield in her, eternal life. Jesus was offering to her the gift of living water — faith in him, repentance from sin, and new life — all of which God alone can give. And this gift that Jesus was offering to her would come at a great cost. It would come through the giving of his life. This fountain of eternal life, this living water, would be purchased by his blood. She didn't yet understand this, and Jesus had yet to offer up his life… but he was drawing her to himself. "Sir, give me this water." Now at that time, she still thought that whatever water he was referring to would satisfy her physical thirst. She didn't yet understand her spiritual need. And this is where Jesus, yet again, redirects the conversation. "Go, call your husband, and come here." Jesus already knew her situation. He already knew that she had been married five times and was now living with a man who was not her husband. But Jesus wanted to reveal her need for this living water. She had been searching for something to satisfy her soul, something to give her life and meaning, but she had been searching in the wrong places. Let me say this. We are not given the details about her relationships. But we do know a little. We know that a wife at that time was not allowed to divorce her husband. So, she had been left by 5 men. Is it possible that she broke the wedding vows? Yes. Is it possible that these 5 husbands just decided to abandon her? Yes. Sometimes people assign all the blame to her, but likely it was a combination of broken vows and messy relationships. But whatever happened in her marriages, she was now living with another man… but had not consecrated their relationship by marriage. She was living in sin and had a history of messy relationships. It was a pattern of failure and sin. It appears that she had been pursuing relationships and intimacy within those relationships in hopes that they would give her long term satisfaction. But nothing was satisfying her longings. It was just getting worse. Jesus was saying to her: the spiritual water I give will satisfy you for eternity. It will be a never-ending fountain welling up to eternal life. I want this water of which you speak. Well, Jesus continued to talk to her. We'll cover that in a couple of weeks. And we'll even hear later that she testified to others that Jesus was the Savior of the world. What a tremendous thing. She drank of that "life-giving stream," as we sang earlier. #3 The Summons That's the scene. Which brings us now to #3 - The summons. What are we summoned to do? What does this mean for us? Two things come to mind. Two applications. #1 - When John's Jewish audience heard this, they had to come to grips with something. Their Samaritan neighbors needed the life-giving water of Christ just as much as they did. Beloved, your Muslim and Hindu neighbors need the life-giving waters of Christ. If your heart is turned against them… if you see them as the enemy rather than seeing them as people also made in the image of God and who also need the Gospel, then your heart-attitude needs changing. Remember, salvation is a gift. Did you notice that in verse 10? The living water of Christ is a gift from God. The gift that we have been given is a gift that Jesus offers to all. May we remember that and love our neighbors. And the greatest way that we can love our neighbors is to share the love of Christ with them. #2 - Every single person in the world is searching for satisfaction. Every one of us. We all have a spiritual and relational thirst within us that needs to be satisfied. We've been created as relational beings. We yearn for relationships, and we long to be fulfilled. But apart from Christ, we are searching in the wrong places. The problem occurs when we look for fulfillment in the things of this world or through relationships in this world. Sometimes we pursue the things of this world as if they can save us. Sometimes it's the idols of our culture like comfort or the love of money or our careers or our things or even our homes that replace God in our lives. Those are good things… but when we look to them to ultimately satisfy, then we have turned them into idols. Other times, we pursue saviors who are not saviors at all… that can include political heroes or cultural heroes. That can include your spouse, or your children, or perhaps even your pastor. I don't think that I'm anyone's idol… but celebrity pastor can sometimes become an idol. Other times in our search for satisfaction, we are drawn into sinful relationships… like adulterous relationships, or fornication like the Samaritan woman. Or we can search for satisfaction in our sinful desires for others or other things. But whether it is heart sin or actual sin, it is all stolen waters as proverbs 9 puts it.  It cannot save you and will not satisfy you. But Jesus offers living water. He offers you the life-giving water of salvation in him. And as he said, it will spring up to eternal life. The thirst of your soul will be satisfied in him forever. If you don't have this life-giving water, it is yours to receive as a gift from Christ. Come and drink. In case you didn't notice, I survived my first wilderness trip. But I'll say, it was a long first night. You know how it feels when you're thirsty. It's like having cotton balls in your mouth. That's what it felt like the whole night. We woke up and were still thirsty…and still had a few miles to hike. But we finally made it to fresh water! It was one of those hand pump wells, you know with the long handles. We pumped the handle for a bit and then the water started flowing. It was cold and fresh and satisfying. We drank and drank until we could drink no more. It was so refreshing. The life-giving water of Christ is the only source that will satisfy the thirst of your soul. May you drink and find your satisfaction in him for eternity.

Encounters with Jesus, Part 2 | March 22, 2026One encounter with Jesus can change the direction of your entire life.John 4:3-13 (NLT) So he left Judea and returned to Galilee. He had to go through Samaria on the way.  Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar. Jacob's well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”“But sir, you don't have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? And besides, do you think you're greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”√ JESUS MOVES TOWARD THE BROKEN.John 4:4 (NLT) He had to go through Samaria...√ JESUS MEETS US IN THE PLACE OF OUR DEEPEST PAIN.John 4:15-18 (NIV) The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”“I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”√ JESUS REDEEMS OUR PAIN AND GIVES IT PURPOSE.John 4:28-30 (NIV) Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him.FACE TO FACE WITH GRACEI. GIVE JESUS THE PLACE IN YOUR LIFE THAT STILL HURTS.Psalm 34:18 (NLT) The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.II. RECEIVE HIS TRUTH AS AN ACT OF GRACE.Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT) Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.III. LET GOD TURN YOUR PAIN INTO PURPOSE. II Corinthians 1:4 (TLB) What a wonderful God we have—he is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the source of every mercy, and the one who so wonderfully comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and trials. And why does he do this? So that when others are troubled, needing our sympathy and encouragement, we can pass on to them this same help and comfort God has given us.

Jesus meets our deepest need and offers grace to all who believe—because He is God and He is good.MAIN VERSE:   4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 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?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan 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.”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 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. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”17 “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ)“is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”John 4:4-26NIVIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.John 1:1-3NIV.17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.Colossians 1:17NIV14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. Jesus did not lose His divinity when He became man; He took on humanity and retained His divine nature. Jesus experienced real human life as a human.John 1:14NIV 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV

Click here to WATCH LIVE STREAM Worship Service on our Youtube Channel. That You May Believe, Part 8 John 4: 1-30 John 20:30-31 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 4:1-30 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2(although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), 3 he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. 4 And he had to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacobs well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “ me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “ is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “ 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 living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “ you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus said to her, “ who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “ give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” 16 Jesus said to her, “ call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “ have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “ are right in saying, I have no husband; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 19 The woman said to him, “ I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “ believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking 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, “ know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “ who speak to you am he.” 27 Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “ do you seek?” or, “ are you talking with her?” 28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” 30 They went out of the town and were coming to him. The Father's plan John 4:1-6 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2(although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), 3 he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. 4 And he had to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacobs well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. Jesus engages the woman John 4:7-15 7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “ me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “ is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “ 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 living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “ you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus said to her, “ who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “ give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” The woman evades John 4:16-26 16 Jesus said to her, “ call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “ have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “ are right in saying, I have no husband; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 19 The woman said to him, “ I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “ believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking 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, “ know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “ who speak to you am he.” The woman evangelizes John 4:27-30 Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “ do you seek?” or, “ are you talking with her?” 28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” 30 They went out of the town and were coming to him. John 4:39-42 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the womans testimony, “ told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “ is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” Respond | Connect | Next Steps The post John: That You May Believe appeared first on Charleston Baptist Church.

Replicating Redemption: No Substitutions AllowedJesus and the Samaritan WomanFull Passage John 4:4-42He had to go through Samaria on the way. 5 Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. 7 Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” 8 He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.9 The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”10 Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”11 “But sir, you don't have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water?12 And besides, do you think you're greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”13 Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”15 “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I'll never be thirsty again, and I won't have to come here to get water.”16 “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her.17 “I don't have a husband,” the woman replied.Jesus said, “You're right! You don't have a husband— 18 for you have had five husbands, and you aren't even married to the man you're living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”19 “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. 20 So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?”21 Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. 23 But the time is coming—indeed it's here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. 24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”25 The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”26 Then Jesus told her, “I am the Messiah!”27 Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked to find him talking to a woman, but none of them had the nerve to ask, “What do you want with her?” or “Why are you talking to her?” 28 The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, 29 “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” 30 So the people came streaming from the village to see him.Wells, Cisterns, and Our Need for (Living) Water:Wells:Flowing water - stays freshNaturally occurring - are revealed by search or discoveryA continual sourceCisterns:Stagnant - can become stale and unsafeManmade - Must be created and maintainedTemporary without being refilledWells, Cisterns, and Our Need for (Living) WaterAside from some extreme exceptions, the human body can generally survive about three days without water. In an arid climate like the Middle East at the time of Jesus a well accessing fresh ground water or a natural spring would have been critical for survival. The only alternative to a well was a cistern. These were effectively large holes in the ground, dug into the clay or hewn into the rock that would serve as storage tanks for water. Cisterns, however, have a couple of downsides when compared to wells.W: Flowing - Water in underground aquifers or from springs is constantly moving, keeping it fresh.C: Stagnant - No water movement allows bacteria, viruses, and parasites to grow, making it no longer safe to drink (and just gross).W: Revealed - Naturally occurring. Only access must be maintained.C: Manufactured - Must be created and regularly maintained.W: Continual - So long as the water table is high enough or the well deep enough, it's a continual source.C: Temporary - Left to its own water will eventually evaporate or in many cases simply leak out.While the Samaritan woman understood the importance of having access to the well to meet her physical needs, her spirit had remained disconnected from the source of spiritual life that Jesus was offering.Just like every human is designed to be physically sustained with fresh water, spiritually every human is designed to interact with our creator; to receive the living water that only he can offer. Our spirit thirsts for this (Ps 42:1-2 ESV). But this world offers, and sometimes we create, our own alternatives that prevent our spirit from engaging in with the Spirit of God. We carve out spiritual cisterns and attempt to sustain ourselves, seek fulfillment, quench that spiritual thirst with things that are less than best less than God has for us less than Himself.Jer 2:13 (ESV) for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.Ultimately, every cistern leaks out, evaporates away, or becomes stagnant. Every attempt to satisfy spiritual longing with something other than a direct and active relationship with Jesus will eventually end with us finding ourselves standing in the mud at the bottom of a pit.Cisterns Become Dungeons:Joseph (The one with the coat) - Gen. 37:24The Prophet Jeremiah - Jer. 38:6King David - Ps. 40:2The Nation of Israel - Zech. 9:11Cisterns as Prisons or TrapsJoseph - Gen. 37:24Jeremiah - Jer. 38:6David - Ps. 40:2Nation of Israel - Zech 9:11For the woman at the well, from what we know of her, she had been married 5 times before and was currently living with a guy that wasn't her husband. She was chasing fulfillment outside of her creator and had found herself at the bottom of a pit. We don't know the details or the history but it's clear this isn't the only cistern she's trapped in.Social Structure - Woman - Ref: Jewish morning blessingEthnic Bigotry - Samaritan - Worse than gentiles - Ref: Intermarige, corrupted the faith (700-900 remaining)Religious Regulation - Specific requirements and rituals - Ref: Torah (Pentateuch) only, Mt. Gerizim vs. JerusalemThese were all systems she found herself impacted by, though they were man-made substitutes for God's divine order, values, and purposes.The miracle here is not that Jesus supernaturally knew her relational situation and her history. It's that through the revelation of who he was. This woman who would have been considered socially and religiously unredeemable, declares her faith in the Promises of God and responds to the revelation that Jesus is the Messiah. This was possible because Jesus refused to climb down into the cisterns she was trapped in but instead called her to rise above the pits she'd dug or been forced into. He did this simply by introducing her to who He was and inviting her to function exactly how He'd designed her… as one who would worship in spirit and in truth.Relying on Spiritual Cisterns:In Our Own LivesLeans on our own values and judgement in pursuit of our personal desires.Leaves us looking for the “next” replacement when the current one inevitably drys up.Offered to Others Presents our own opinions, ideals, expectations, or solutions branded as God's.Misrepresents the gospel and inhibits the powerful work of God through our lives to expand His kingdomRelying on Spiritual Cisterns:One of the biggest inhibitors to experiencing the powerful move of God in our lives is when we replace him knowingly or otherwise with systems, experiences, or pursuits that appear to meet our needs but ultimately become traps.Relies on our own values and judgement in pursuit of our personal desires.Leaves us looking for the “next” replacement when the current one inevitably drys up.Attempting to interact with others on the Lord's behalf in a manner that isn't aligned with His character or mission.Presents our own opinions, ideals, expectations, or solutions branded as God's. Misrepresents the gospel and inhibits the powerful work of God through our lives to expand His kingdom.Offering Living Water From the Source:Action not Anticipation - John 4:35 Jesus is intentionally proactive in reaching out.Identity over Ideology - John 14:6 Jesus presents Himself, not a platform.Sincerity without Ceremony - Isa 58:2-8Jesus wants our worship, not our performance.Decisions before Discipleship - 2 Cor. 5:18-20a Jesus invites us to follow before He tells us where to go.__________________________________________________________Offering Living Water From the Source:John 7:38 (ESV) Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'”Christians have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit who is with us at all times, but if we are to effectively lead others to discover the source of life that's available to them, we must submit to His way. Not simply a set of actions that miraculously reveals the truth to those we engage with but an all encompassing way of life. Action not Anticipation - Jesus went intentionality out of his way into this town, sacrificed his personal needs (he was hungry and tired), and made a point of engaging with this womanThere's a time and place to let your life bear witness but we can't just stand back and wait for God to do our part for us. He has empowered us with His Holy Spirit and commissioned us to make disciples.John 4:35Relationship over Ideology - Jesus didn't lead by addressing the sinful social, cultural, or religious pollution that had led this woman to where she was. He functions outside of these missional distractions, to meet her where she was at and give her the opportunity to respond to Him directly.Some things appear to be life-giving, problem answering, or even Godly or at least “God-adjacent” but can end up becoming barriers to the miracles God wants to do if either they don't align with scripture or they eclipse our efforts toward the great commission.Cultural warfarePolitical, social, or religious engagementGood worksJohn 14:6Sincerity without Ceremony - Jesus rejected the complex symbolism of where to worship and what rules to follow in favor of a clear simple truth… “I AM the Messiah.” True worship will draw all eyes to Him as His kingdom expands through our actions.Jesus explains that the Father is seeking true worshipers; those who worship in spirit and truth. True worship is defined by God as honoring Him with actions and attitudes that reflect His character.Is 58:2-8Decisions before Discipleship - Jesus didn't shy away from acknowledging some aspects of the woman's life that were misaligned with Heaven but he didn't prioritize aligning anything except her understanding of who He was and the choice she had to believe.Jesus begins his good work of sanctification in us after we acknowledge him as our Savior-King. Our message is first and foremost the good news of redemption by grace with the call for repentance as the response.2 Cor. 5:18-20a

Reading IExodus 17:3-7In those days, in their thirst for water,the people grumbled against Moses,saying, “Why did you ever make us leave Egypt?Was it just to have us die here of thirst with our children and our livestock?”So Moses cried out to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people?a little more and they will stone me!”The LORD answered Moses,“Go over there in front of the people, along with some of the elders of Israel, holding in your hand, as you go, the staff with which you struck the river.I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb.Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it for the people to drink.”This Moses did, in the presence of the elders of Israel.The place was called Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled thereand tested the LORD, saying,“Is the LORD in our midst or not?”Reading IIRomans 5:1-2, 5-8Brothers and sisters:Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God.And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.For Christ, while we were still helpless, died at the appointed time for the ungodly.Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die.But God proves his love for usin that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.GospelJohn 4:5-42Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.Jacob's well was there.Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.It was about noon.A woman of Samaria came to draw water.Jesus said to her,“Give me a drink.”His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.The Samaritan woman said to him,“How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—Jesus answered and said to her,“If you knew the gift of Godand who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”The woman said to him, “Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water?Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?”Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in hima spring of water welling up to eternal life.”The woman said to him,“Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”Jesus said to her,“Go call your husband and come back.”The woman answered and said to him,“I do not have a husband.”Jesus answered her,“You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband.'For you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband.What you have said is true.”The woman said to him,“Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”Jesus said to her,“Believe me, woman, the hour is comingwhen you will worship the Fatherneither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews.But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.God is Spirit, and those who worship himmust worship in Spirit and truth.”The woman said to him,“I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ; when he comes, he will tell us everything.”Jesus said to her,“I am he, the one speaking with you.”At that moment his disciples returned, and were amazed that he was talking with a woman, but still no one said, “What are you looking for?” or “Why are you talking with her?”The woman left her water jar and went into the town and said to the people, “Come see a man who told me everything I have done.Could he possibly be the Christ?”They went out of the town and came to him.Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat.”But he said to them,“I have food to eat of which you do not know.”So the disciples said to one another, “Could someone have brought him something to eat?”Jesus said to them,“My food is to do the will of the one who sent meand to finish his work.Do you not say, ‘In four months the harvest will be here'?I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest.The reaper is already receiving payment and gathering crops for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together.For here the saying is verified that ‘One sows and another reaps.'I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; others have done the work, and you are sharing the fruits of their work.”Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in himbecause of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me everything I have done.”When the Samaritans came to him,they invited him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days.Many more began to believe in him because of his word, and they said to the woman, “We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”

Caroline tells the story of the Woman at the Well through her eyes. Dina is a beautiful and strong-willed woman who has come to the Samaritan village of Sychar hoping to leave her complicated past behind. Told with rich, imaginative detail, the story follows Dina from the moment she wakes with a mysterious, inexplicable call […] L'articolo Bible Storytime With Caroline – Dina: The Woman at the Well proviene da Radio Maria.

MAR 15 | This Is Jesus | John 4:1-26 ...Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)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.”“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”“I have no husband,” she replied.Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

MAR 15 | This Is Jesus | John 4:1-26 ...Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)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.”“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”“I have no husband,” she replied.Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

MAR 15 | This Is Jesus | John 4:1-26 ...Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)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.”“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”“I have no husband,” she replied.Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

MAR 15 | This Is Jesus | John 4:1-26 ...Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)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.”“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”“I have no husband,” she replied.Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

MAR 15 | This Is Jesus | John 4:1-26 ...Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)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.”“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”“I have no husband,” she replied.Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

MAR 15 | This Is Jesus | John 4:1-26 ...Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)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.”“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”“I have no husband,” she replied.Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

MAR 15 | This Is Jesus | John 4:1-26 ...Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)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.”“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”“I have no husband,” she replied.Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

MAR 15 | This Is Jesus | John 4:1-26 ...Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)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.”“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”“I have no husband,” she replied.Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

MAR 15 | This Is Jesus | John 4:1-26 ...Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)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.”“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”“I have no husband,” she replied.Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

MAR 15 | This Is Jesus | John 4:1-26 ...Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)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.”“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”“I have no husband,” she replied.Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

MAR 15 | This Is Jesus | John 4:1-26 ...Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)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.”“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”“I have no husband,” she replied.Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

MAR 15 | This Is Jesus | John 4:1-26 ...Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)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.”“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”“I have no husband,” she replied.Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

MAR 15 | This Is Jesus | John 4:1-26 ...Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)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.”“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”“I have no husband,” she replied.Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

MAR 15 | This Is Jesus | John 4:1-26 ...Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)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.”“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”“I have no husband,” she replied.Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

MAR 15 | This Is Jesus | John 4:1-26 ...Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)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.”“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”“I have no husband,” she replied.Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

MAR 15 | This Is Jesus | John 4:1-26 ...Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)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.”“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”“I have no husband,” she replied.Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

John 4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.Jacob's well was there.Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.It was about noon.A woman of Samaria came to draw water.Jesus said to her,“Give me a drink.”His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.The Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—Jesus answered and said to her,“If you knew the gift of Godand who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”The woman said to him, “Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water?Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?”Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in hima spring of water welling up to eternal life.”The woman said to him,“Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.“I can see that you are a prophet.Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”Jesus said to her,“Believe me, woman, the hour is comingwhen you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews.But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.”The woman said to him,“I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ; when he comes, he will tell us everything.”Jesus said to her,“I am he, the one who is speaking with you.”Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him.When the Samaritans came to him,they invited him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days.Many more began to believe in him because of his word, and they said to the woman, “We no longer believe because of your word;for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”

John 4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.Jacob's well was there.Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.It was about noon.A woman of Samaria came to draw water.Jesus said to her,“Give me a drink.”His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.The Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—Jesus answered and said to her,“If you knew the gift of Godand who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”The woman said to him, “Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water?Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?”Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in hima spring of water welling up to eternal life.”The woman said to him,“Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.“I can see that you are a prophet.Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”Jesus said to her,“Believe me, woman, the hour is comingwhen you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews.But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.”The woman said to him,“I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ; when he comes, he will tell us everything.”Jesus said to her,“I am he, the one who is speaking with you.”Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him.When the Samaritans came to him,they invited him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days.Many more began to believe in him because of his word, and they said to the woman, “We no longer believe because of your word;for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”

I've always had a soft spot for the woman at the well, and chatting with Jill Eileen Smith about her book, A Deeper Well just made me decide my Biblical fiction book of the year.  Listen in and see why. note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.  Too often, the woman at the well gets a far worse rap than Jesus gave her, so I'm excited to see someone treating her situation with compassion AND Biblical truth.  Eager to read. A Deeper Well by Jill Eileen Smith Her broken heart thirsts for acceptance and love that seem out of reach--until an encounter at the well reveals what her soul truly longs for. In ancient Israel, soon after Nessa is of marriageable age, her father gives her to a wealthy widowed friend, capitalizing on her beauty to bring in the highest bride-price he can find. Nessa is devastated, as she had begged to marry Lavi, who returned her love and saw more in her than her appearance. Nessa's betrothal leads to Lavi's departure, compounding her grief, and she can never forget her forbidden first love. Nessa tries to accept her fate, but after only a year of marriage, tragedy hits her new family. She is sent back to her father, who quickly finds a young man who wants to marry the most beautiful woman in Sychar. Misfortune follows Nessa as she is passed from one marriage to the next--until she meets an unusual Jewish rabbi at the town's well one afternoon, and her life is forever changed.  You can get A Deeper Well at 30% off with free shipping (as of today, anyway!) at BakerBookHouse.com. Goodreads Giveaway going on in March 2026. Learn more about Jill at her WEBSITE. and follow on GoodReads and BookBub.  Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at: Apple Castbox Google Play Libsyn RSS Spotify Amazon and more!

John 4:5-42 Jesus came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) 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 living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.” Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” They left the city and were on their way to him. Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest'? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO to this reflection from Fr. JimCLICK HERE for the 90 second video overview of the Week AheadCLICK HERE for our Lent Webpage JOHN 4: 5-42 (Shortened)So Jesus came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)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.”

John 4:5-42   Jesus came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) 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 living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.” Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” They left the city and were on their way to him. Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest'? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”

Third Sunday in Lent Old Testament: Exodus 17:1-7 1From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2The people quarreled with Moses, and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses said to them, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?" 3But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?" 4So Moses cried out to the Lord, "What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me." 5The Lord said to Moses, "Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink." Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, "Is the Lord among us or not?" Psalm: Psalm 95 1 Come, let us sing to the Lord; *        let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *        and raise a loud shout to him with psalms. 3 For the Lord is a great God, *        and a great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the caverns of the earth, *        and the heights of the hills are his also. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, *        and his hands have molded the dry land. 6 Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, *        and kneel before the Lord our Maker. 7 For he is our God,   and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *        Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice! 8 Harden not your hearts,   as your forebears did in the wilderness, *        at Meribah, and on that day at Massah,        when they tempted me. 9 They put me to the test, *        though they had seen my works. 10 Forty years long I detested that generation and said, *       "This people are wayward in their hearts;        they do not know my ways." 11 So I swore in my wrath, *       "They shall not enter into my rest." Epistle: Romans 5:1-11 1Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. 6For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. 8But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.9Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. 10For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.11But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Gospel: John 4:5-42 5So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.7A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." 8(His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) 10Jesus 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 living water." 11The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?" 13Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." 15The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water." 16Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come back." 17The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; 18for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!"19The woman said to him, "Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem." 21Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. 24God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." 25The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us."26Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you." 27Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, "What do you want?" or, "Why are you speaking with her?" 28Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, 29"Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?" 30They left the city and were on their way to him. 31Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, "Rabbi, eat something." 32But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." 33So the disciples said to one another, "Surely no one has brought him something to eat?" 34Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. 35Do you not say, 'Four months more, then comes the harvest'? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. 36The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37For here the saying holds true, 'One sows and another reaps.' 38I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor." 39Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I have ever done." 40So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. 41And many more believed because of his word. 42They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world."

5 [Jesus] came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.    7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." 8 (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (Jews do not share things in common 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 living water." 11 The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?" 13 Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." 15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water."   16 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come back." 17 The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband,' 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!" 19 The woman said to him, "Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem." 21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming and is now here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these 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 is coming" (who is called Christ). "When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us." 26 Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you."   27 Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, "What do you want?" or, "Why are you speaking with her?" 28 Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, 29 "Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?" 30 They left the city and were on their way to him.   31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, "Rabbi, eat something." 32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." 33 So the disciples said to one another, "Surely no one has brought him something to eat?" 34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. 35 Do you not say, 'Four months more, then comes the harvest'? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. 36 The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, 'One sows and another reaps.' 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."   39 Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I have ever done." 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world." 

John 4:4-42Jesus left Judea and started back to Galilee. But he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) 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 living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband,' for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming and is now here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.”Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” They left the city and were on their way to him.Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.” In 2019, Jumbo's, a Netherlands supermarket chain, introduced Kletskassas, slow checkout lanes that encourage conversations and human connection. The goal is the opposite of what you normally want at a check line, but for good reason. They are a part of the Netherlands public health campaign to lessen loneliness and help people feel like they matter, one long conversation. This week, I heard and read in many places how we are in a crisis of mattering. In her new book by the same name, journalist Jennifer Breheny Wallace describes mattering as feeling valued by othersAnd having the opportunity to add value back to the world around us. She argues it is an even deeper need than other core needs such as purpose or belonging. One might belong to a workplace, a family, or a church and still not feel like they matter to the people there.Wallace believes that young people are struggling with mattering more than anyone—that this need is going unmet for them. After hundreds of interviews, she heard over and over how young people felt they only mattered when their GPA was high, the number on the scale was low, when they had a certain number of likes or views on social media, or they were a top athlete. But by no means is the crisis of mattering limited to young people. Nearly anyone who has gone through a major transition has struggled with the question: Do I matter?You worked for 35 or 40 years and suddenly, one day, it all stops. You cared for a child or children in your home every day, and then they moved out. You made nearly every decision in life with a spouse but then left to make those decisions alone. We are familiar with this feeling of mattering.And with the rise of AI and the threat of it replacing more jobs and roles, the question of mattering will only become more poignant and prevalent. Jesus—and thereby the church—have something to say about this crisis, and we see it in the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. Mattering is at the heart of this story.But in order for us to really see that, we have to remember last week—when Jesus was approached by Nicodemus. Near the end of their conversation, Jesus tells him that God loves the whole world. This encounter with the woman at the well reveals just how encompassing God's love really is.Jesus is leaving Jerusalem and heading back to Galilee when we're told he had to go through Samaria. As you can see, Samaria is immediately north of Judea and the fastest way to get to Galilee. But most Jews did everything they could to avoid traveling through that land, lest they come into contact with a Samaritan. Usually they would cross over the Jordan River and then go up. So this necessity of Jesus is not geographical, but theological. Samaritans were already despised outsiders—idolaters even—seen as a lowly, unclean enemy. Women were lower in social status than men, especially women who were not married. Jesus arrives at a well at noon and here comes someone the world didn't think mattered at all: An unmarried Samaritan woman coming to quench her thirst just like Jesus.She could not be more at odds with Nicodemus: a male, Jewish religious leader (who came at night, mind you). If anyone mattered, it was him. His words held value. He had status. The woman, who isn't even given a name, does not. Yet Jesus engages both of them.In fact, the conversation Jesus has with the woman is the longest conversation he has with anyone. Ironically, a long conversation was precisely what the woman was trying to avoid. That's one reason she went to the well at noon—the hottest part of the day, if I had to guess.To be clear, we don't know exactly why she's there at noon. There could be all kinds of reasons. One of them is NOT because she's an ostracized tramp, hated by the other women of Sychar. Yes she had five husbands, but it's not likely because of some scandalous reputation.It is much more likely that this woman was passed from husband to husband through a mixture of divorce and death. And she keeps getting married because she has had no children—or at least no sons—to take care of her. So she ends up in what was called a levirate marriage, where a man is obligated to take care of his brother's widow if the brother dies childless.Not only is she a widow, but a barren one at that. The main thing that gave women value—what made women matter in the time of Jesus—she couldn't do. I think she went to the well at noon because not only did she think others believed she didn't matter, but she believed that about herself, too. And when you feel like that, when you believe that about yourself, you withdraw. You disengage.But here is this man who breaks all the rules, who crosses all the boundaries, and asks for a drink. A conversation unfolds where Jesus tries to help the woman understand who he is and what he can offer her, but it doesn't click until he tells her everything about her. In other words, he names the reason the world thinks she doesn't matter—and the reason she believes she doesn't matter. But instead of brushing her off, instead of rushing away, he leans in. He talks to her more. He even debates theology with her, and finally reveals himself as the Messiah, the very one she has been waiting for.The woman rushes back to Sychar and tells the whole town what has happened. It's amazing—this woman who avoided people suddenly can't help but engage and share about the encounter she's had with Jesus. If mattering means feeling valued and adding value back to the world, Jesus has given her exactly that.This mattering crisis is indeed a crisis, but it's nothing new. We have always failed to name who matters and why. The world has long said women don't matter—or that only their bodies matter, and only if they produce offspring. In this country we have said, and continue to say in different ways, that Black and brown people don't matter—or at least not as much as those who look like me.In this capitalist society, we say that only those who contribute matter—and those who profit most matter most.And over the last few years, we have said that anyone who isn't from this country, or doesn't look like they are, doesn't matter.And what does this war say about who matters and who doesn't? What about the elementary girls bombed in Iran—did they matter? Were they a part of this world that God so loved?This encounter with the woman at the well tells us that God loves everyone in this whole wide world—and that's why they matter. Nothing more and nothing less. It does not matter what a person does or looks like, where they are from or what language they speak, what gender they are, or who they love. For God so loved the whole world.If you have ever felt like you don't matter, I pray I am not the first to tell you that you do. To the queer kid in high school, the twice-divorced woman, the retired elderly man, the noisy child running in the halls—you matter. And it has nothing to do with what you have done. In the kingdom of God you do not earn value, it's freely given to you! We call it grace. And grace tells us You matter because Jesus shows us that every single person matters. You matter because God loves you.We as a church can do something about this mattering crisis, and it's to tell people they matter. It sounds so simple, but it's the message people need to hear. If the church does nothing else but have long conversations with people who think they don't matter and then tell them that they are loved, kinda of like those checkout lanes in the Netherlands, we will be doing God's work. In this story, Jesus shows us something we cannot forget:The woman at the well mattered.Your neighbor matters.You matter.Because God so loved the world. Amen.

March 8, 2026 John 4:1-26; 39-42 (ESV) 1 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), 3 he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. 4 And he had to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “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?” (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 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 Are you greater than our father Jacob? 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 whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband'; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking 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 is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.” 39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”

Bruder Jens Ein gutes Gespräch, das tut gut. Ich denke, das wissen wir. Bruder Jens wünscht uns im heutigen Sonntagsimpuls auch ein solches gutes Gespräch. Was ein gutes Gespräch ausmacht, da gibt uns Bruder Jens einen Tipp mit. [Evangelium: Johannes, Kapitel 4, Verse 5 bis 42] In jener Zeit kam Jesus zu einer Stadt in Samárien, die Sychar hieß und nahe bei dem Grundstück lag, das Jakob seinem Sohn Josef vermacht hatte. Dort befand sich der Jakobsbrunnen. Jesus war müde von der Reise und setzte sich daher an den Brunnen; es war um die sechste Stunde. Da kam eine Frau aus Samárien, um Wasser zu schöpfen. Jesus sagte zu ihr: Gib mir zu trinken! Seine Jünger waren nämlich in die Stadt gegangen, um etwas zum Essen zu kaufen. Die Samaríterin sagte zu ihm: Wie kannst du als Jude mich, eine Samaríterin, um etwas zu trinken bitten? Die Juden verkehren nämlich nicht mit den Samarítern. Jesus antwortete ihr: Wenn du wüsstest, worin die Gabe Gottes besteht und wer es ist, der zu dir sagt: Gib mir zu trinken!, dann hättest du ihn gebeten und er hätte dir lebendiges Wasser gegeben. Sie sagte zu ihm: Herr, du hast kein Schöpfgefäß und der Brunnen ist tief; woher hast du also das lebendige Wasser? Bist du etwa größer als unser Vater Jakob, der uns den Brunnen gegeben und selbst daraus getrunken hat, wie seine Söhne und seine Herden? Jesus antwortete ihr: Wer von diesem Wasser trinkt, wird wieder Durst bekommen; wer aber von dem Wasser trinkt, das ich ihm geben werde, wird niemals mehr Durst haben; vielmehr wird das Wasser, das ich ihm gebe, in ihm zu einer Quelle werden, deren Wasser ins ewige Leben fließt. Da sagte die Frau zu ihm: Herr, gib mir dieses Wasser, damit ich keinen Durst mehr habe und nicht mehr hierherkommen muss, um Wasser zu schöpfen! Herr, ich sehe, dass du ein Prophet bist. Unsere Väter haben auf diesem Berg Gott angebetet; ihr aber sagt, in Jerusalem sei die Stätte, wo man anbeten muss. Jesus sprach zu ihr: Glaube mir, Frau, die Stunde kommt, zu der ihr weder auf diesem Berg noch in Jerusalem den Vater anbeten werdet. Ihr betet an, was ihr nicht kennt, wir beten an, was wir kennen; denn das Heil kommt von den Juden. Aber die Stunde kommt und sie ist schon da, zu der die wahren Beter den Vater anbeten werden im Geist und in der Wahrheit; denn so will der Vater angebetet werden. Gott ist Geist und alle, die ihn anbeten, müssen im Geist und in der Wahrheit anbeten. Die Frau sagte zu ihm: Ich weiß, dass der Messias kommt, der Christus heißt. Wenn er kommt, wird er uns alles verkünden. Da sagte Jesus zu ihr: Ich bin es, der mit dir spricht. Aus jener Stadt kamen viele Samaríter zum Glauben an Jesus. Als die Samaríter zu ihm kamen, baten sie ihn, bei ihnen zu bleiben; und er blieb dort zwei Tage. Und noch viel mehr Leute kamen zum Glauben an ihn aufgrund seiner eigenen Worte. Und zu der Frau sagten sie: Nicht mehr aufgrund deiner Rede glauben wir, denn wir haben selbst gehört und wissen: Er ist wirklich der Retter der Welt. Abdruck des Evangelientextes mit freundlicher Genehmigung der Ständigen Kommission für die Herausgabe der gemeinsamen liturgischen Bücher im deutschen Sprachgebiet; Evangelien für die Sonntage: Lektionar I-III 2018 ff. © 2026 staeko.net Mehr Podcasts auf www.kapuziner.de/podcast

In this episode we watch Jesus do what Luther says Christ always does: use the law to uncover real sin, then speak a promise that creates faith, revealing himself as the great “I am” who gives living water as pure grace. As the Samaritan woman leaves her jar behind and confesses him Savior of the world, we see that true worship isn't about the right mountain but about the Spirit delivering Christ through his Word—salvation from the Jews, and for the nations. GOSPEL John 4:5-425 So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." 8 (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (Jews do not share things in common 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 living water." 11 The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?" 13 Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." 15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water."16 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come back." 17 The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!" 19 The woman said to him, "Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem." 21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these 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 is coming" (who is called Christ). "When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us." 26 Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you."28 Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, 29 "Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?" 30 They left the city and were on their way to him.39 Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I have ever done." 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world."Support the showInterested in sponsoring an episode of Scripture First?Email Sarah at sarah@lhos.org or visit our donation page: lutherhouseofstudy.org/donate

The Samaritan Woman “Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) 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.” “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water. He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” John 4:1-26 NIV Who were the Samaritans? Who was the Samaritan Woman? What is the living water Jesus offered her? “On the last and greatest day of the festival Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.” John 7:37-39 NIV “Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him. Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” John 4:28,29, 39-42 NIV The three-fold invitation of Jesus: Come to Jesus “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” John 7:37,38 NIV Leave your broken cisterns “Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town…” John 4:28 NIV “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” Jeremiah 2:13 NIV Immerse yourself in the water

What Is Worship The Woman at the Well John 4:1-42 4 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2(although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), 3 he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. 4 And he had to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “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?” (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 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 Are you greater than our father Jacob? 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 whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband'; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking 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 is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.” 27 Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” 28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” 30 They went out of the town and were coming to him. 31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. 36 Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.' 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” 39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”

  Have you ever had a chance encounter with someone you didn’t even know, which turned out to be very significant, maybe it was even a ‘defining moment’ in your life? As we continue the journey of God’s “Grand Narrative” let’s follow Jesus today, as He goes ‘off road’ and a chance encounter changed everything for a whole town of people!(Click here to see full text, images and links)    Pastor Doug Anderson    “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)Have a comment or question about today's chapter? I'm ready to hear from you, contact me here. Interested in helping "Walking with Jesus" financially? Click here

Sermons Archive RSS John 4:1-26 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), 3 He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. 4 But He needed to go through Samaria.5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.”Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,' 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such 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 is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”Matthew 15:7-9 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,And honor Me with their lips,But their heart is far from Me.9 And in vain they worship Me,Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' ”Psalm 34:1 I will bless the Lord at all times;His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Sermon Discussion Questions:Why did the Jews harbor animosity towards the Samaritans?What does it mean to worship in Spirit?What does it mean to worship in truth?What did Jesus mean by "I who speak to you am He."? “At last, the woman obtained an answer to one of her first questions: Are you greater than our father Jacob? When the answer came, it completely converted her soul. The very moment that this woman expressed any desire for the Messiah, He at once revealed Himself to her.” — JC Ryle

Pastor Damaris Solis brings this week's message, “Soul Wounds." John 4:1-26 NIV: “Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) 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.” “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”” 1 Thessalonians 5:23 CEV: “I pray that God, who gives peace, will make you completely holy. And may your spirit, soul, and body be kept healthy and faultless until our Lord Jesus Christ returns.” Matthew 12:43-45 NIV: ““When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”” Psalms 147:3 NIV: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” If you enjoyed the podcast, please subscribe and share it with your friends on social media. For more information about PNEUMA Church, visit our website at mypneumachurch.org. Connect with Us: Instagram: https://instagram.com/mypneumachurch YouTube: https://youtube.com/mypneumachurch Facebook: https://facebook.com/mypneumachurch Time Stamps: 00:00 - Introduction 00:30 - Welcome 10:09 - John 4:1-26 NIV 13:13 - Soul Wounds

"And he must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, 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. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith 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? 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 everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy 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 saidst thou truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 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." John 4:4-24

Happy Wednesday, friends!

Scripture: John 4: 4-12, 27-35  4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 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?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan 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.” 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 and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”   The Disciples Rejoin Jesus 27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” 28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him. 31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” 33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” 34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Don't you have a saying, ‘It's still four months until harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.

It's easy to trap ourselves in an echo chamber. After all, it feels good to surround ourselves only with voices that affirm what we already believe—regardless of whether those beliefs are true. But we must ask ourselves: do we truly love the truth, or only when it's convenient? When Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well, He calls her to confront the truth of her situation. In the same way, He calls us to face the truth—no matter how difficult it may be—because only then will our hearts and minds be ready for Him to truly transform our lives. --- Scripture: John 4: 1-32 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— 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. 4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 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?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan 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.” 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 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. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” 16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” 17 “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” 19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” 25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” 26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” The Disciples Rejoin Jesus 27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” 28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him. 31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”