I. The Woman Vs. 28, 29
A. A Religious Outcast
1. Samaritans were hated by religious Jews. John 4:9
2. Jews didn’t like non-Jews, they looked down on women, never spoke to them in public
3. When a Pharisee walked down the street, he would pull his robes close to his body to avoid touching a Gentile.
4. She had erroneous theology about worshipping God. Very unbiblical. John 4:19-24
B. Moral Failure
1. She had been married five times, and was now living with a man. John 4:18
2. Historically, women drew water in the morning before the heat of the day.
3. It is conjectured that she went at noon to avoid being with the women of the town.
a. They may have had a bad attitude towards this woman.
4. 4:28- she went back to town to talk with the men. Maybe the women shunned her.
C. Open To Talk
1. This woman had had an extended conversation with Jesus.
2. She came away from that conversation believing that Jesus was the promised Messiah.
3. She believed it so much that she went back to discuss the possibility with the town.
D. Jesus Loved That Woman
1. He wasn’t worried about being seen with this woman, or that she was His spokesman.
2. He wasn’t worried about being guilty by association in the eyes of the disciples, or by other religious Jews who might hear about this. Jesus was right on target.
a. John 8:29 “I always do those things that please Him.”
E. The Result
This woman’s life was impacted so much by Jesus that she was the spark the lit the fire of revival in her town.
II. The Samaritans Vs. 30, 39-42
A. Spiritual Openness Vs. 30, 39
1. These men were not put off by the messenger (the immoral woman).
2. If indeed the woman was a moral spot on the town, they didn’t let that stop them from seeking truth.
3. They were open and impressed enough to go out and talk to this Jew.
4. It was because of this woman’s changed life which came from Jesus’s love for people.
B. Spiritual Priorities Vs. 40-42
1. The Samaritans knew and felt the disdain of the Jews, but that didn’t hold the back.
2. They set aside cultural strife and possible disapproval from other Samaritans.
3. They were willing to be spiritually corrected, just like the woman had been.
4. They were willing to listen for an extended amount of time, and admit they were wrong
5. They made a decision based on Jesus’ words, not on their cultural/spiritual history.
C. Jesus Loved Those People
1. Many Jews would have considered them a hostile crowd.
2. They would have considered them cultural and spiritual untouchables.
3. Jesus stayed with them for two days, loving them, teaching them, correcting them, and listening to them.
III. The Disciples Vs. 27, 31, 33
A. They Missed The Spiritual Significance V. 27
1. The disciples knew the cultural and religious barriers that existed.
2. They trusted Jesus enough to follow Him, but not to ask Him about this conversation.
3. Perhaps they were too entrenched in their culture and religion, and missed the point.
4. They marveled at this, but missed it as a learning opportunity.
B. They Focused On The Lesser, Natural Thing Vs. 31, 33
1. They focused on the lesser thing (Jesus eating) and didn’t ask about the greater thing(why are you talking with her?).
2. They focused on the natural and physical (Jesus eating)
3. They overlooked the greater thing (the revival that was about to happen)
4. V. 33- They worried that they failed Jesus or missed someone else helping Him.(Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?)
5. As they worried about the lesser, they were missing the greater.
6. Eating wasn’t a bad thing, but it was the lesser thing.
7. Eating didn’t require spiritual insight, but understanding the work of Jesus and the soon coming revival did require spiritual insight.
8. Those disciples demonstrated what many present day followers of Jesus can fall into.
a. Focusing on that which is not immediately important, and missing out on that which is.
b. Focusing on the needs of the flesh, and missing the matters of the Spirit.
C. Jesus Loved Those Disciples- He Patiently Taught & Inspired Them
IV. Jesus Vs. 32, 34
A. The Ways Of God Are Not Naturally Known By Men Vs. 32, 34
1. The disciples were relatively good men.
2. They left their lives behind to follow Jesus, and learn from Him.
3. They needed to be filled with the Holy Spirit and be equipped and taught.
4. They viewed this entire event through natural eyes.
5. Jesus told them that His sustenance was something they didn’t even understand.
6. He loved them and He corrected them and instructed them in truth.
7. He explained by metaphor that His sustenance was all about doing the Father’s will.
a. Like food to the body, it sustained Him, and energized Him.
b. He had an appetite for it.
c. He willingly put off physical food in order to partake of the spiritual food.
B. Jesus Desires To Teach Us The Ways Of God Vs. 35-38
1. V. 35- Jesus explained that they had natural discernment but were lacking spiritual discernment. They needed to develop spiritual discernment, to see the spiritual possibilities all around them.
2. Vs. 36, 37- Both those who sow and those who reap are workers in the spiritual harvest.
3. The pray-er, the teacher, the preacher, & the evangelist all serve in the spiritual harvest
4. The disciples were sent out to harvest, but their spiritual success was built upon the teaching of others, the writings of the prophets and the Jewish historians, and the great men and women of God throughout the history of God working with and through man.
5. As the disciples partook of the harvest, they themselves would be spiritually sustained and energized, as Jesus was.
6. The disciples went to town to buy food, the woman’s testimony became food for her.
7. Jesus loved that woman, those Samaritans, and those disciples. He led them into truth.
“Seek your life’s nourishment in your life’s work,” said Phillips Brooks. The will of God ought to be a source of
strength and satisfaction to the child of God, just as if he sat down to a sumptuous feast. If what we are doing
tears us down instead of builds us up, then we may well question whether it is the will of God for us.1