John 4

— that both he that soweth &c.] That both he that laboureth to prepare men for the faith, and he that brings them to it, may rejoice together in the fruit of their labours. Dr. Whitby.

John 4:24

24. God is a Spirit:] There is no other passage in Scripture besides this, where it is expressly declared that God is a Spirit; yet throughout the whole of Scripture we are led to infer that He is so, and our duty to Him is every where founded on the belief and knowledge of this attribute of His nature. When we affirm God to be a Spirit, we not only distinguish Him from all bodily substance, but, in the same manner as the soul greatly excels the body in the superiour powers of life, understanding, knowledge, activity; so we must conceive of God as of a Being excelling in an infinitely higher proportion not only the souls of men, but also all other intellectual natures or spirits whatsoever. Dr. S. Clarke.

— in spirit and in truth.] Agreeably to His spiritual nature, by giving up their hearts and souls to Him; and according to His will, by observing all the precepts of His Gospel. Dr. Whitby.

John 4:25

25. — he will tell us all things.] Will reveal to us the will of God clearly and plainly. Dr. S. Clarke.

It is probable that the notions which she here expresses respecting the Messiah were the common notions of her country. It would appear, therefore, that the Samaritans of this age well knew both that the time for the appearance of the Messiah was come, and that this Messiah was to teach men true religion as a means of effecting their salvation. Great and innumerable are the mysteries of godliness. The Samaritans, who knew not what they worshipped, had more true notions of the Messiah’s office, and of the nature and extent of the deliverance He was to effect, than the Jews had, who for many ages had been the chosen depositaries of the oracles of God. Bp. Horsley.

John 4:26

26. — I that speak unto thee am he.] It has by some been thought difficult to explain why our Lord declared Himself so explicitly on this occasion, when at other early periods of His ministry He shewed great reserve. The solution, however, may be found in what appears at ver. 42, of the true and correct notions which the Samaritans at this time maintained respecting the Messiah’s character and office. Now, as we are taught in general to believe that Divine favours are dispensed to different individuals in proportion to the inclination and ability to profit by them, which the Searcher of hearts discerns in each; we need not be surprised that Christ

John 4:27

27. — and marvelled] Because she was a Samaritan; as she had wondered, ver. 10, on the same account, at Jesus’s asking a favour of her. Bp. Mann.

John 4:28

28. — left her waterpot.] Her mind being wholly taken up with the things she had just heard, she forgot the business on which she came. Dr. Clagett.

John 4:29

29. — which told me all things that ever I did:] That is, the most secret passages of my life, ver. 18. Dr. Clagett.

John 4:32

32. — I have meat to eat] Alluding to the conversion of so many Samaritans, which, they knew not, was now at hand. Dr. Clagett.

John 4:34

34. — My meat is to do the will &c.] I esteem it My meat and drink, the most necessary work of My life, and the greatest pleasure and satisfaction of My mind, even a much greater pleasure than satisfying the natural appetites and wants of the body, to do the will for which I was sent into the world; that is, to teach men that it is My Father’s will that, by faith in Me, and by sincere repentance, they should be brought to salvation. Dr. S. Clarke.

John 4:35

35. Say not ye, There are yet &c.] Now is one season of pursuing this end, which I can no more omit, than the husbandman can neglect his harvest time, in the hope of which he supported himself under the labour of ploughing and sowing four months before. You know what a cheerful sight it is to him to see the corn white for harvest. Behold now and look towards the city; there you see a better harvest ready to be reaped, (ver. 30,) a multitude of Samaritans prepared by honest minds to bear the doctrine of salvation. Dr. Clagett.

John 4:36

36. And he that reapeth &c.] And for labouring in this work ye shall be largely rewarded by the Lord of the harvest, not only in the wages ye shall receive for yourselves, but in that inexpressible satisfaction of having gathered so many men into the kingdom of heaven, Matt. xiii. 30. Dr. Clagett.

AND DOMINI 30. Many Samaritans believe on Christ. He healeth a nobleman’s son. Anno DOMINI 30.

eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

John 4:37

37. And herein is that saying &c.] Since others before you have been greatly instrumental in making way for the success of your labours, by preparing the world to receive the doctrine of salvation; “herein is that saying” &c. Dr. Clagett.

John 4:38

38. — other men laboured, &c.] The Prophets, by foretelling the Messiah; the Baptist, by calling men to repentance that they might be prepared to receive Him; “and ye are entered into their labours,” having only to perfect that which they have begun. Dr. Whitby.

John 4:41

41. — because of his own word;] Being convinced by the excellency of His doctrines and precepts, and interpretation of the prophecies concerning Himself. Dr. Clagett.

John 4:42

42. — Now we believe, — for we have heard him ourselves.] They say to her, We give entire credit to your report; but your assertion is no longer the ground of our belief. We believe it because we ourselves have heard Him, and can maintain, each of us on his own proper knowledge and conviction, that this person is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. How greatly it were to be wished that all, who now name the name of Christ, were like to these Samaritans; that they all were animated with that full-grown confidence of faith, which, in a visit of two days, our great Master’s preaching had raised to such strength and maturity in the honest hearts of these Samaritans. These persons heard the doctrines of this Divine teacher for the short space of two days: we, in the writings of the Evangelists, have a complete summary of His whole ministry: joined to the detail of His numerous miracles, we have the delineation of His admirable character, His piety, His fortitude, His patience, His resignation. In the

that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.

John 4:44

44. For Jesus himself testified, &c.] This was said by our Saviour when at length He went to Nazareth, (Matt. xiii. 57,) but is here mentioned by the Evangelist, as the reason why indeed He chose to manifest Himself to the other Galileans, by His doctrine and miracles, before He came to Nazareth, where He knew the humility of His education and the meanness of His kindred would prove a prejudice to Him. Dr. Clagett.

John 4:45

45. — at the feast:] The feast of the passover.

John 4:46

46. — a certain nobleman.] An officer in the court of Herod the tetrarch. Dean Stanhope.

John 4:47

47. — that he would come down.] The expression of His “coming down” to Capernaum is singularly illustrated by the present features of the country: for, in fact, the whole route from Cana, according to the position of the place now so called, is a continued descent towards Capernaum. Dr. E. D. Clarke. The distance from Cana to Capernaum was about twenty-three miles. Dr. Hales.

John 4:48

48. — Except ye see signs &c.] He seems to have said this, as contrasting the behaviour of these heathens with the ready belief of the Galileans. Grotius. Or perhaps he intends to reprove in this person a weak and slow and too scrupulous faith; and, though His words are general, yet they may have pointed at him in particular, as a person whom no evidence of doctrine, or credible testimony, or any thing less than miracles, brought home to his own senses and his own benefit, could convince. Dean Stanhope.

Anno DOMINI 30. f Chap. 2. 1. Or, coarlier, at, ruler. He cureth an impotent man. Anno DOMINI 26. down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.

John 4:52

52. — at the seventh hour] About one o’clock.

John 4:53

53. — himself believed, and his whole house.] By his own believing we are to understand that a consideration of the power and goodness of Christ, in raising his son from that languishing and hopeless condition, disposed him to attend to His doctrine, to acknowledge His Divine authority, and to become His disciple, upon a reasonable and full persuasion of the truth of both. By his whole house believing is meant that he did not content himself with those improvements of the Divine mercy made singly in his own person, but took pains to propagate all possible effects of this miracle, and to press the natural consequences of it upon as many as came under his influence and authority. In both these respects he is, and ought to be, our example. We do not, God be thanked, need the former part, of being brought to the confession of Christ and His Gospel; but we in too many instances need to be quickened and confirmed in the faith which we profess, and have too much occasion to use the most strenuous exertion for establishing and advancing others in good principles and practices; and, for doing this, every fresh experience of God’s great goodness should minister to us an occasion of encouragement.

The conversion of this nobleman and his family is the more remarkable because he is the first person of any quality and station who stands upon record for receiving the faith. Dean Stanhope.

Chap. V. ver. 1. — a feast of the Jews.] It is supposed by many that the feast of the passover is meant; but, respecting this, opinions are divided. Rosenmüller.