John 4

John 4:1

John tells the Good News about Jesus An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on the Gospel of John www.easyenglish.info Marion Adams This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

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Chapter 4 Jesus talks to a woman in *Samaria 4:1-26 v1 The *Pharisees heard that Jesus was *baptising more people than John the *Baptist. Also he was getting more *disciples than John the *Baptist. v2 (Actually, Jesus himself was not *baptising people. But it was his *disciples who *baptised them.) v3 Jesus knew that the *Pharisees had heard about him. So he left *Judea and he returned to *Galilee. v4 On the way there, he had to go through *Samaria.

v5 In *Samaria, he came to a town. It was called Sychar. It was near to the field that Jacob had given to his son, Joseph. v6 Jacob’s well was still there. Jesus was tired because of the journey. So he sat down by the well. It was about the 6th hour.

v7 A *Samaritan woman came to get some water from the well. Jesus said to her, ‘Please get me a drink.’ v8 (His *disciples had gone into the town to buy some food.)

v9 The *Samaritan woman answered, ‘But you are a *Jew. And I am a *Samaritan. It is strange that you are asking me for a drink!’ (*Jews refuse to share anything with *Samaritans. That is why the woman said this.)

v10 Jesus answered, ‘God wants to give a gift to you. But you do not know what it is. And you do not know who I am. I have asked you for a drink. But if you knew these things, you would have asked me. And I would have given to you the water that gives *life.’

v11 The woman said, ‘But Sir, you do not even have a bucket! The well is very deep. Where would you get this water that gives *life? v12 Our *ancestor Jacob made this well for us. He, his sons and his animals all drank from it. Are you saying that you can provide better water than this?’

v13 Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will become *thirsty again. v14 But whoever drinks my water will never be *thirsty again. The water that I give is like a fountain. It flows always inside a person and it gives *eternal life to them.’

v15 The woman answered, ‘Sir, please give this water to me! Then I will never be *thirsty. And I will not have to come to this well again.’

v16 Jesus said, ‘Fetch your husband!’

v17 The woman answered, ‘I do not have a husband.’

Jesus said, ‘You are telling the truth. You are right. You do not have a husband. v18 You have already been married 5 times. And now you are living with a man who is not your husband.’

v19 The woman said to him, ‘Sir, you are a *prophet. I can see that. v20 Our *ancestors *worshipped God on this mountain (called Mount Gerizim). But you *Jews say that *Jerusalem is the proper place to worship God.’

v21 Jesus told her, ‘Soon people will not *worship the *Father either on this mountain or in *Jerusalem. Believe me! v22 You *Samaritans do not really know the God whom you *worship. But we *Jews know the God whom we *worship. God will save the world from the results of *sin by means of the *Jews. v23 But a special time is coming. In fact, it is already here! Even now, the *Holy Spirit is leading people to *worship the *Father in a genuine manner. They are offering sincere *worship to him. The *Father is looking for people like this to *worship him. v24 God is *Spirit. People who *worship God must let the *Holy Spirit lead them. Then they can *worship him in a genuine manner.’

v25 The woman answered, ‘The *Messiah will come. He is also called the *Christ. I know this. And when he comes, he will explain everything to us.’

v26 Jesus told her, ‘I am the *Messiah. And I am speaking to you now.’

Verses 1-3 Jesus had just started his public work. But already some *Jewish leaders were opposing Jesus. Probably, they were jealous because he was so popular. Later, Jesus argued with these leaders in public. But he knew that, at this particular time, it was not right to do this. So he left *Judea.

Verse 4 *Galilee was in the north. The most direct route was through *Samaria. The journey took about three days. But most *Jews would not go this way. They preferred to travel round *Samaria. This journey took twice as long. This was because the *Jews hated the *Samaritans. The *Samaritans hated the *Jews, too. They had been enemies for centuries.

However, the *Jews and the *Samaritans shared the same *ancestors. About 720 BC (years before Christ), *Israel’s enemies had entered *Samaria. They had defeated the *Israelites who lived there. Then they had taken most of these *Israelites to another country. They had brought many foreigners to *Samaria. It was not possible to take all the *Israelites away. Some *Israelites had remained in *Samaria. And they had married the foreigners, who *worshipped false gods.

The *Jews did not allow their people to marry foreigners who *worshipped false gods. Their *Law did not allow this. So the *Israelites in *Samaria lost their right to be called *Jews.

However, Jesus did not avoid *Samaria. Instead, he chose to travel through it.

Verses 5-6 These verses emphasise that Jesus was human, like us. He was tired from the long journey. He needed a drink, too. So he sat down by Jacob’s Well while his *disciples went into the town.

This well was on a piece of ground that Jacob had bought (Genesis 33:18-19). The well was very deep, so Jesus could not get a drink from it with his hands.

It was about the 6th hour. Many Bible teachers think that John means midday. However, other Bible teachers think that John means 6 o’clock in the evening here. (See note on John 1:39.)

Verses 7-9 A *Samaritan woman came to the well. The well was the place where women gathered to talk together. But it was likely that they would refuse to talk to this woman. They would not respect her, because she had been married many times. And now she was living with a man who was not her husband (verses 17-18).

But Jesus talked to her. This was very unusual. She was a *Samaritan, and *Jews did not usually talk to *Samaritans. Also, this *Samaritan was a woman. Strict *Jewish teachers would not speak to a woman in public. Some *Pharisees even closed their eyes when they saw a woman in the street. The *Pharisees would have thought that this particular woman was very wicked. But Jesus did not care about what people thought. He cared about people!

The woman was very surprised when Jesus asked her for a drink. This was because usually *Jews would not talk to *Samaritans. But Jesus needed something that the woman had. He needed a drink of water. And Jesus had something that the woman needed, too. But she did not realise this.

Verses 10-12 Jesus offered to her ‘the water that gives *life’. He did not mean physical water. The ‘gift’ (verse 10) that he referred to was God’s *Spirit. This was what the *Greek word for ‘gift’ always meant in the book of Acts. The ‘water that gives *life’ means the *Holy Spirit. Jesus also linked the idea of water and the *Holy Spirit in John 7:37-39.

Our bodies need water to stay alive. And our spirits need the *Holy Spirit to stay alive, too. The *Holy Spirit is like a fountain in us. The *Holy Spirit supplies us with everything that we need to live as *Christians every day.

But the woman thought that Jesus was referring to physical water. The *Greek words for ‘the water that gives *life’ also meant water from a stream, rather than still water. Of course, water from a stream was better than still water. It was cleaner and clearer.

So the woman asked Jesus how he could get any water without a bucket. She thought that he would not use her bucket. She thought this because he was a *Jew. She also thought that Jesus was insulting the *Samaritans’ well. They were proud of it because Jacob had made it. But Jesus seemed to say that he was greater than Jacob. This was because he could provide better water. Of course, Jesus was much greater than Jacob. And he could provide something much better than physical water. He could provide *eternal life for those who asked him.

Verses 13-14 In his reply, Jesus explained the difference between physical water and the water that he was offering. Our bodies get hungry and *thirsty. But our spirits get hungry and *thirsty too, for God. When we drink water, we are soon *thirsty again. The water only gives us temporary satisfaction. But the water that Jesus offers, (the *Holy Spirit), gives us permanent satisfaction in our spirits. We have the *Holy Spirit inside us always to give us what we need *spiritually. And we know also that we have *eternal life by means of the *Holy Spirit.

Verse 15 However, the woman did not understand that Jesus was talking about *spiritual matters. She did not want to come to the well every day. She wanted an easier life. But Jesus does not offer us an easier life. Instead, he offers to change us inside our hearts. He helps us to overcome our problems and difficulties.

Verses 16-18 Suddenly, Jesus changed the subject. The conversation became personal. The woman had to think about her past and also her present situation. Neither was good. She had been married 5 times. The *Jews did not approve of people who married more than three times. Also, this woman was living with a man who was not her husband. And Jesus knew all about her. But still he talked to her. He offered her the gift of *eternal life.

Verses 19-20 The woman said that Jesus was a *prophet. This was because he knew about her situation. Then she quickly changed the subject of the conversation. Perhaps it had become too personal for her!

She started to talk about the correct place to *worship God. The *Jews and the *Samaritans both *worshipped God, but there were differences between their religions. The *Samaritans’ *scriptures consisted of the first 5 books of the Bible, which contained the *Law. The *Jewish *scriptures included many other books: the whole of the *Old Testament. The *Samaritans believed that the mountain called Mount Gerizim in *Samaria was the correct place to *worship God. But the *Jews *worshipped God in the *Temple in *Jerusalem.

Verses 21-26 However, it did not matter where people *worshipped God. It was their attitude that mattered.

‘God will save the world from the results of *sin by means of the *Jews’ (verse 22). God had chosen the *Jews to be his own special people. He had promised to *bless the whole world by means of the *Jews (Genesis 12:3). In the *Old Testament, the *prophets had reminded the *Jews that they belonged to God in a special way. The *prophets had also written about the *Messiah, who would come from King David’s family. The *Samaritan woman probably knew these *Jewish *scriptures. But she did not realise that the *Messiah was speaking to her! (verse 25)

Jesus said that God was looking for people to *worship him. But he wanted them to *worship him sincerely. We can *worship God anywhere. He is *Spirit. This means that he is everywhere. It does not matter where we *worship him.

But God sees inside our minds and our hearts. He knows if we are *worshipping him with our spirits as well as with our bodies. He knows why we are *worshipping him. Some people *worship God for the wrong reasons. Perhaps they just want him to do something for them. Or perhaps they *worship him because it is their duty. But they do not really want to *worship him.

But God wants people to *worship him because of who he is. The *Holy Spirit helps us to *worship God like this. So we need to ask for the *Holy Spirit’s help. The *spiritual harvest is ready! 4:27-38 v27 Just then, Jesus’ *disciples returned. They were surprised because he was talking to a woman. But nobody asked him why he was talking to her. They did not ask him what he was discussing with her, either. v28 The woman left the pot that she had brought to get water. She left it next to the well. She went back to the town. She said to the people there, v29 ‘You must come! Come and see this man! He has told me everything that I have ever done! I think that he might be the *Messiah!’

v30 So the people left the town and they went to see Jesus. v31 Meanwhile, the *disciples were urging Jesus to eat something. v32 But he said to them, ‘I have food to eat. But you do not know about this food.’

v33 The *disciples talked together. They said, ‘Perhaps someone has brought him some food.’

v34 But Jesus said to them, ‘God sent me. He gave me work to do. I must do what God wants. I must finish his work. By the word “food”, I mean this task. v35 People say, “4 months must pass before the harvest”. But I tell you to look at the fields now!

They are ripe and ready for the harvest. v36 The workers who are gathering the harvest get good wages. But I do not mean the workers who gather grain. I mean the workers who gather people for *eternal life. The person who sowed the seeds is happy. The person who gathers the harvest is happy, too. They are both happy at the same time! v37 People say, “One person sows.

And another person gathers the harvest.” This is true. v38 I sent you out, like people who gather a harvest. But you did not have to do the hard work. Other people have done the hard work already. But you will receive the benefit of their work.’

Verse 27 Jesus’ *disciples were surprised that Jesus was talking to a woman. This was because of the *Jewish teachers’ rules (see note on verses 7-9). But the *disciples did not dare to ask him about it. During their time with Jesus, he did many things that surprised them. And he often surprised other *Jewish teachers too. But the *disciples realised that Jesus had special authority from God. He did not obey the rules that people made. He obeyed only God.

Verses 28-30 The woman wanted to tell her neighbours all about Jesus! She was in such a hurry that she left her pot next to the well. Her words convinced the people, so they wanted to meet Jesus, too.

Verses 31-34 The *disciples had gone into the town to buy food. They were all hungry because of their long journey. So they were probably worried because Jesus did not want to eat.

Jesus was completely human. He needed to eat and to drink. But food was not the most important thing to him at that moment. He told them, ‘I have food to eat.’ He was not referring to actual food. He was referring to his work for God. This was the most important thing to him. This was what satisfied him more than anything.

But the *disciples did not understand what he meant. They thought that he was talking about actual food. In John’s *Gospel, often conversations that Jesus had were like this. Firstly, Jesus said something that the person or people misunderstood. For example, Nicodemus misunderstood what Jesus meant about a second birth (John 3:4). And the *Samaritan woman thought that Jesus was talking about actual water (John 4:13-14). Then, Jesus slowly explained the real meaning until the person or people understood.

In these verses, he explained to the *disciples what was most important to him. Even as people need food to live, Jesus needed to do God’s work. It was as essential to him as food. Many times in his *Gospel, John wrote that God sent Jesus. Jesus never forgot that he had special work to do for God. This work would finish with Jesus’ death on the *cross and his *resurrection.

Verses 35-36 The *Jews had many proverbs. Proverbs were wise things that people said. And the *Jews often wrote them down so that they could remember them. Jesus repeated a common proverb: ‘4 months must pass before the harvest’. It meant that people could not harvest crops immediately. They had to wait for seeds to grow after they had sown them. The grain was not ready to harvest for several months.

Sychar was in a region where many fields of grain grew. This region is still famous because of its grain. So Jesus told his *disciples to look at the fields near to them. Again, Jesus was using familiar, physical things to explain *spiritual principles (see John 2:1-11; 4:7-13).

The *Samaritan woman had just rushed away to tell people about Jesus. And immediately, they were coming to find him. So some experts suggest that, at that moment, the people from Sychar were coming through the fields. This was because Jesus was not talking about an actual harvest of grain. He explained that he was talking about a harvest of people. These people were not just the *Jews. They were all the people who *believed in Jesus. The workers were those who worked for Jesus, to spread the good news about him.

Jesus needs people to work for him today. People who work for Jesus are glad. They are doing God’s work. They get ‘good wages’ because God rewards them. ‘Good wages’ does not refer to money in particular. It refers to any of God’s *blessings. All the workers are happy at the same time, because it is always time for the harvest. We may tell someone about Jesus. At that time, it is as if we are sowing a seed. We have to wait for a seed to grow. But we do not always have to wait for people to *believe in Jesus. There are people who are ready to *believe immediately. We must not miss any opportunity to share the good news about Jesus.

Verses 37-38 Then, Jesus reminded them about another common proverb (wise things that people said). A person cannot gather a harvest unless someone has sown the seeds first. The ‘other people’ that Jesus referred to were probably the *prophets in the *Old Testament and John the *Baptist. They had prepared the people to *believe in the *Messiah, Jesus.

We need to remember this when we tell people about Jesus. If someone *believes in him, we should not claim the honour for ourselves. Perhaps other people prepared that person to *believe. Or perhaps we tell someone about Jesus, but that person does not *believe in him. However, we must not allow this matter to disappoint us. That person may hear about Jesus again and then that person may become a *Christian. We may never know that we prepared that person to *believe. *Christians are like a team. We work together with the same purpose: to spread the good news about Jesus. Sometimes we see the results of this. And sometimes we do not see the results. Many *Samaritans *believe in Jesus 4:39-42 v39 Many *Samaritans from the town *believed in Jesus because of what the woman told them. She said, ‘He told me everything that I have ever done.’

v40 The *Samaritans came to him. They urged him to stay in the town. So he stayed there for two days. v41 Many more people *believed when they heard his words. v42 Then they said to the woman, ‘Now we *believe. But this is because we ourselves have heard him. It is not just because of what you said. He is really the *Saviour of the world!’

Verses 39-42 The woman did two things. She told other people about her personal experience of Jesus. Then, she invited them to meet him themselves (verse 29).

We can learn from this. When we tell people about Jesus, our personal experience of him is very important. Because when a person becomes a *Christian, that person is not merely agreeing to follow the rules of a religion. In fact, that person is beginning to know Jesus as a personal friend. So we must introduce people to Jesus, so that they can know him in this way, too.

The *Samaritans asked Jesus to stay in the town so that they could know him better. They *believed in him because they had met him. He had spoken to them. They had their own personal experience of him. They did not *believe just because of what the woman had told them. A person cannot know Jesus by means of another person’s experience of him. We must tell other people what Jesus has done for us. But also we must invite them to meet him and to have their own personal experience of him.

The *Samaritans called Jesus ‘the *Saviour of the world’ (verse 42). This name for Jesus appears only in this verse and in 1 John 4:14. But John did not make it up. In the *Old Testament, people called God ‘*Saviour’. Many *Greek gods were also called ‘*Saviour’. And at the time that John wrote his *Gospel, the *Roman *Emperor was called ‘*Saviour of the world’. But only Jesus deserves this special name. He is more than just a good man, or a wise teacher. He is the only person who can save people from the results and the power of their *sins. Jesus saves us from the punishment that we deserve. He changes our characters from bad to good, so that we become more like him. He gives to us real hope for the future. And the hope that Jesus gives will never disappoint us. Jesus goes to *Galilee 4:43-45 v43 Jesus spent two days in *Samaria. Then he left and he travelled to *Galilee. v44 He had said previously, ‘Everywhere, people respect a *prophet, except in his own country.’ v45 When he arrived in *Galilee, the people there greeted him gladly. This was because they had gone to *Jerusalem for the *Passover. And they had seen everything that he had done there.

Verses 43-45 After his short stay in *Samaria, Jesus left Sychar and he continued his journey to *Galilee. Jesus had lived in *Galilee since he was a child. His family lived there still. It was his ‘own country’. And the people there were pleased to see him. But he said another proverb (see note on verses 35-36): ‘Everywhere, people respect a *prophet, except in his own country.’ There are two possible reasons for this.

1. *Judea was the real home of every *Jew, because *Jerusalem was there. But the *Jewish leaders in *Jerusalem were not pleased to see Jesus. So, when Jesus referred to ‘his own country’, perhaps he meant *Judea and especially *Jerusalem.

2. The people in *Galilee greeted Jesus gladly because of what he had done in *Jerusalem. They had heard about the *miracles and they wanted him to do *miracles for them. However, perhaps Jesus knew that their *faith was not sincere. Perhaps they only wanted to meet Jesus because they wanted to get something from him. Perhaps they did not care who Jesus really was. Perhaps they did not care why he had come to the earth. Jesus cures an official’s son 4:46-54 v46 While Jesus was in *Galilee, he went back to Cana. This was the town where he had changed the water to become wine. In Capernaum, there was an official who worked for the king. His son was very ill. v47 This official heard that Jesus had arrived in *Galilee from *Judea. So the official went to see Jesus in Cana. The official asked Jesus to go to Capernaum. He wanted Jesus to cure his son. The son’s illness was so serious that he seemed likely to die.

v48 Jesus said to the official, ‘I have to do *miracles and wonderful things! If I do not do this, you people will not *believe in me!’

v49 The official said, ‘Sir! Please come with me now, before my child dies.’

v50 Jesus answered, ‘Go back to your home. Your son will live!’

The man believed Jesus’ words. He left to return to his home.

v51 While he was still on his way, some of his servants came to meet him. They told him that his son was alive and well. v52 He asked them to tell him the exact time when his son had become well. They answered, ‘He suddenly became well yesterday, at the 7th hour.’

v53 Jesus had said ‘Your son will live!’ at that exact time. The boy’s father remembered this. The official and his whole family *believed in Jesus. v54 This was the second *sign that Jesus did. He had left *Judea and returned to *Galilee.

Verses 46-47 The news about Jesus and the wonderful things that he had done had spread through *Galilee. This was why an official travelled from Capernaum (a town in *Galilee) to see Jesus in Cana. Capernaum was about 32 kilometres (20 miles) from Cana.

Probably this official worked for Herod Antipas, who was the ruler of *Galilee. Herod ruled on behalf of the *Roman government. This official had a very important job. So probably it surprised people that he had travelled so far to see Jesus. Before his public work began, Jesus was a carpenter (a man who makes things from wood). But the official did not care what people thought. His son was dying. And the official knew that Jesus could help his son. The official was humble. He had legal authority over Jesus. But still the official called Jesus ‘Sir’ (verse 49). People thought that the official was more important than Jesus, because of his important job. But the official made himself less important. He realised that Jesus had a different kind of authority.

Verses 48-49 It seems that a crowd had gathered. This is because the word ‘you’ (verse 48) is plural. Jesus knew that these people just wanted to see a *miracle. So perhaps he spoke these words to the crowd. Or perhaps he included the official, to see if his *faith was sincere. The official could have become angry. He could have left. That would have meant that his *faith was not sincere. But instead, the official stayed. Again, he asked Jesus to come with him to Capernaum. He wanted very much for Jesus to cure his son.

Verse 50 But Jesus did not go with him. Instead, Jesus told him that his son would live. The official’s *faith was sincere, because he trusted Jesus completely. He could not see that his son was well again. But he believed Jesus’ words. So he obeyed Jesus and he returned to his home immediately.

This is real *faith: to believe in a *miracle before we see it happen. Jesus hears us every time that we pray to him. We must believe that he will answer our prayers. He can do much more than we can imagine! (See Ephesians 3:20-21.)

Verses 51-52 It did not matter that the official’s son was about 32 kilometres (20 miles) away in Capernaum. Jesus was able to cure him by means of the authority of his words. When Jesus lived on the earth, he could be only in one place at a particular time. But distance does not affect Jesus’ power. His power has no limits! We can pray to him anywhere. He will hear us and he will answer us. We can pray for people and situations on the other side of the world. He can answer our prayers. And we can never be so far away that he cannot help us!

‘at the 7th hour’. Many Bible teachers think that John means 1 o’clock. However, other Bible teachers think that John means 7 o’clock here. (See note on John 1:39.)

Verse 53 It is wonderful to see how much the official’s *faith had increased. Firstly, he had believed that Jesus could help his son. So he had asked Jesus to come with him to Capernaum. Secondly, he had believed Jesus’ words that his son would live. He had obeyed Jesus and returned to his home. Thirdly, he saw what had happened to his son. Then he *believed in Jesus completely and his family also *believed.

Verse 54 This *miracle affected more than just one man and his family. It was a *sign for all people. This includes us, as we read about it. It teaches us about the nature of genuine *faith. Firstly, we must believe Jesus’ words in the Bible. Then we shall see *miracles happen.

© 2006, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

November 2006

Visit our website: www.easyenglish.info

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