Today, we’re going to meditate on John chapter 4, and I have to say that this may be one of my favorite chapters in Scripture. The more I’ve been meditating on it, the more I see the spiritual gold it holds, and I’m really excited to share what I’ve discovered.
In this passage, we witness a story of transformation—an account of a conversation that leads to transformation. We go from conversation to transformation. It begins with a culturally unexpected, barrier-breaking conversation between Jesus and a Samaritan woman, and it culminates with this woman sharing the good news of who Jesus is with her entire town.
To see it from another angle, or to specify the nature of her transformation, we could say that she is taken from shame to glory. The account starts with a woman who is an outcast, fully aware of her status, doing everything she can to cover or hide from her shame. Yet, by the end of the conversation, she is transformed. At the beginning, she has nothing worth sharing, but by the end, she has something everyone else lacks—something so compelling that she can’t help but share it.
This chapter is profound because it teaches us many things. It teaches us about transformation from shame to honor. It teaches us about evangelism. But perhaps most significantly, it teaches us about the most central and important aspect of who we are: worship.
With that said, let’s dig into the passage, shall we? We’re just going to focus in on verses 1-10 today, which we can divide into three sections: first, the setting, given to us in verses 1 to 6; second, the unusually empowering request in verses 7 to 9; third, the gift of God in verse 10
- The Setting (vv. 1-6)
- An Unusually Empowering Request (vv. 7-9)
- The Gift of God (v. 10)
Let’s start with the setting found in verses 1 to 6.
The Setting
What is the setting of this passage? In verse 1, we transition from chapter 3, where Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John, which drew the attention of the Pharisees and prompted Jesus to leave Judea in the south and go up to Galilee in the north. In verse 2, we get a parenthetical comment that Jesus himself did not baptize but only his disciples.
Why does John include this detail? He gives it to us to clarify that Jesus did not baptize with water, rather he baptizes with the Holy Spirit. While physical, water baptism is important for every Christian, it is not as important, to being baptized with the Holy Spirit. Anyone can get baptized. But only true Christians are baptized with the Holy Spirit. So what matters is spiritual baptism which only comes through faith in the gospel. That’s why the apostle Paul said, “Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel” (1 Corinthians 1:17). But that’s more of a side note. The important aspect of the setting is found in verse 4, where we’re told Jesus had to pass through Samaria.
Why is this important? Did he really have to pass through Samaria? from a geographical standpoint, he didn’t have to pass through Samaria—He could have gone around it, as most Jews would do when traveling from Judea to Galilee. The tension between Jews and Samaritans was intense, a fact that is highlighted in verse 9 when the Samaritan woman asks Jesus, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” Jews and Samaritans basically hated each other and would go to great lengths to avoid each other. So how do we explain verse 4 saying Jesus had to pass through Samaria? It wasn’t a physical necessity but a spiritual one. It was a divine necessity—Jesus had to go because it was the will of God. And that’s the most important takeaway from the setting: it was a divine appointment.
Now, it’s interesting that they met at a well because, if you’re familiar with the Old Testament, wells were significant meeting places, often associated with romantic relationships. Isaac’s bride, Rebekah, was found at a well. Jacob met his wife Rachel at a well. Moses met his wife Zipporah at a well. This background hints that something relationally special is happening here—but instead of the beginning of a romantic relationship, it’s the beginning of a redemptive one. Again, this is a divine appointment.
Do you believe in divine appointments? There is no such thing as coincidence; every single person you encounter in life is a divine appointment. How would it change your perspective if you saw life this way? Especially in a big city, where it’s so natural to pass people by without making eye contact. What if instead, you wondered why God put this person in your path today? I think this would change our attitude towards people. Instead of seeing them as interruptions to our busy schedules or as strangers to avoid, we would see them as individuals God has placed in our path to interact with, even if it’s just for a few seconds. We should be open to God’s providence. I once heard about a pastor who would be very direct when people visited him unexpectedly. He would say, “Let’s discover the reason why God has brought us together today.” This made some people uncomfortable, especially those with no real spiritual intention, and they would leave. But the point is, it brought focus to every interaction for this pastor. We can try saying that, or at least thinking it: Why has God put this person in my path at this moment? Jesus had this mentality, and that’s why He had to pass through Samaria—because He had a divine appointment with this woman at this well.
Now, we’re told this meeting took place at the sixth hour. According to Jewish time reckoning, the day began at sunrise, usually around 6 AM, so the sixth hour is noon, the hottest time of the day. Living in Los Angeles in the summer, we know that’s usually the time you want to avoid being outdoors. Imagine how hot it was in the Middle East! This detail tells us something important about the woman—she’s the only one at the well because it’s noon, the hottest part of the day. Why is she going out to the well at that time? The answer lies in her desire to avoid social interactions. She’s hiding something, an outcast as we later find out.
So, here comes this woman from Samaria, an outcast, and Jesus meets her at this well. And this is no coincidence, it is a divine appointment. That’s our setting.
Now, we move to the second part of the passage: the unusually empowering request.
An Unusually Empowering Request
Jesus says to the woman, “Give me a drink.” This is unusual because Jesus is breaking all kinds of social barriers. The woman makes it clear—He’s a Jew, and she’s a Samaritan. There’s also a gender barrier—men didn’t usually speak publicly with women at this time. So Jesus crosses a racial barrier and a gender barrier.
Let me pause here and ask, what social barriers keep you from initiating gospel conversations? If we go back to the concept of divine appointments, who are you open to speaking with, and who are you closed to speaking with? This is a general question, but it’s also an evangelistic one. Who are you open to talking with in general? And who are you open to sharing the gospel with? If every person placed in your path is a divine appointment made by God—are there certain appointments you ignore?
One thing I’ve been reflecting on is how I interact with homeless people. What do you do when you see a homeless person? I’ve been in the habit of ignoring them. There was a time in my life when I would engage them in conversation, but these days, I avoid them. What does God think of that? What would Jesus do if He encountered a homeless person today?
And as a church, we are primarily Asian American—does that mean we’re going to be an Asian American church? One thing that fascinated me about Korean Campus Crusade, now known as the SOON Movement, was that despite being a Korean ministry, I was surprised to see so many non-Koreans there. It reminds me of how Jesus broke down barriers. John 3:16 says, “God so loved the world.” The world— that means every type of person: Jew, Samaritan, Greek, Gentile, Black, White, Latino, Asian, male, female—everyone.
What social barriers keep you from initiating gospel conversations? Some of us may use the excuse that we’re introverts or that we don’t know what to say. One phrase that has been helpful to me is “Goodwill to all men.” This ties into worship, which we’ll discuss later. The most important thing in relationships isn’t what you say but your goodwill towards that person. Do you have goodwill towards them, or do you have ill will? Do you have good vibes or bad vibes? Are you on the defensive, or are you open, wanting to bless them? This should be part of the ethos of Christ’s followers because it was Christ’s ethos. He had goodwill towards all people because God the Father so loved the world. This is what I’m trying to do now in any situation—I naturally tend to get defensive or self-protective or insecure because I don’t always know what to say in social settings. But instead of focusing on what I’m going to say, I now focus on having goodwill, good vibes, so to speak—a good, open, hospitable heart to everyone I meet. This ties into hospitality, which in Greek is philoxenos, meaning the love of strangers. That’s the attitude we should have towards all people—love, or goodwill.
Now, the way Jesus expresses His goodwill towards this Samaritan woman is by making a request: “Give me a drink.” I was trying to imagine what I would do in this scenario. I think I probably would have ignored her. What about you? I think I would feel awkward and think, “Oh, she’s a Samaritan, she’s a woman, so I’ll just mind my own business.” If I were really thirsty, maybe I would ask her. We don’t know how thirsty Jesus was—but apparently he was not too thirsty because we never find out if she actually gave Him any water, and He doesn’t bring it up later. So why does Jesus start the conversation this way? He could have started differently. He could have just told her to believe in Him—He could have said, “Here I am, I’m the Messiah you’ve been waiting for, believe in me.” Or He could have performed a miracle. But instead, He begins with a request: “Give me a drink.” And I think that’s why I love this passage so much—because Jesus gives us an example we can follow here. There’s no miracle, other than the spiritual transformation in her heart. There are only words. From this, we learn how powerful words can be. Maybe that’s why the Gospel of John begins with “In the beginning was the Word…” because that’s the primary power of the gospel—words, words of life about Jesus.
But still, I thought it was profound that He began with this request because of what it communicates. What does it communicate? “Give me a drink” puts Jesus in a position of need. And it puts Jesus in a place of vulnerability—because he can be rejected. In other words, He doesn’t impose Himself on the woman; rather, He puts Himself in a position to receive, but not in an overbearing way. What’s interesting is that this actually empowers the woman. You can see this in her surprised response. The normal thing for Jesus to do would have been to ignore her, to pretend she didn’t exist. But by asking this question, He humanizes her. By making this request, He engages or activates her will. She is given a choice to respond. There is something strangely empowering about this because, in a small way, Jesus is telling her, “You are needed. I need your help.” This also communicates a familiar or almost familial relationship. Who do you say, “Give me a drink” to? This is something a brother might say to a sister, or a son to his mother, or a husband might say to a wife. This is significant for me because I tend not to ask for help, especially in an evangelistic context. I see myself as the one to give, rather than the one to receive. But there’s something important to learn from Jesus here about building trust in relationships. A relationship is a two-way thing, and it seems that a good way to start a relationship is by asking for help. It puts you in a vulnerable position because the person can say no, and you risk rejection. But if the person says yes, it puts them in a posture of giving, and it opens up the expectation of a reciprocal relationship. One example from my life that comes to mind is when I first met an older pastor at a church picnic. We were playing soccer, and during the game, he got a calf cramp. He called me over and asked me to massage his calf. As I started massaging, I realized, “Oh, this is kind of intimate,” and I felt a little uncomfortable. But it communicated that he was comfortable with me and was treating me like a son—“I have a calf cramp; come here and massage it for me.” Who do you say that to? Only someone you’re very close to. So when Jesus says, “Give me a drink,” He’s not only crossing racial and gender barriers, but He’s also crossing a comfort zone barrier, treating her like someone He knows and trusts.
This is eye-opening for me because I tend to be very independent; I like to fix things myself and don’t like asking for help. But when I think about the people I’m closest to, I can see that some of them are those who needed my help. In other words, people who need my help tend to be the ones I’m closest to. I think there’s something here at a basic relational level: to start or develop a relationship, it can’t be one-sided, where you just give and give. What we learn from Jesus here is that you can start a relationship by being a person in need and asking for help. Asking for help can empower others and can start to build a relationship. In other words you start a relationship by needing them in some way. So, two questions: What do you need help with? And who can you ask?
This reminds me of Rosaria Butterfield’s book on hospitality, The Gospel Comes with a House Key. One way she extends hospitality is not by serving guests as if they’re at a restaurant. Rather, she treats them like family. If she needs help with laundry, she asks them to help. If she needs help with dishes, she asks them to help. It makes them feel like they belong to her family. In a church context, some say that serving is a privilege for members. But there are churches that quickly involve visitors in volunteer responsibilities perhaps even before they’ve become believers. Following Jesus’ example, I think this appropriate, as it communicates hospitality—that you’re needed, you’re wanted, come join us and be a part of us.
So, I think what Jesus is doing here is breaking down social barriers and building a relationship of trust in a surprising way. “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” Our hospitality—our openness to needing others—should surprisingly break down social barriers, causing people to ask, “How is it that you’re asking me for help?” So, think about it: What do you need help with, and who can you ask to help, with the intention of building a relationship? Now, we don’t want to be so needy that we become demanding and burdensome to the other person—the goal is to build a two-way relationship.
The Gift of God
So far, we’ve seen the setting, which is a divine appointment, and the surprisingly empowering request from Jesus. That’s a lot to chew on already, and we’re just getting started with the passage, but it’s enough for us to dwell upon for now. I think the concluding point we can draw is that in this, we see the love of God. God doesn’t really need us, just as Jesus didn’t really need to ask this woman for water, but He chooses to partner with us because He wants to be with us. This is how we should see ministry—Jesus asks us to do things for Him, like making disciples. Why? Not to burden us, but because He wants to be with us. What’s more, He actually asks us in order to give us something far greater than we could ever give Him. While He was asking this woman for a drink, His real intention was to give her something far better—if she only knew. If she only knew.
That’s how I read verse 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.” I’m asking you for water, but if you only knew the kind of water I can give to you—it is the gift of God Himself. This is the love of God in Christ for us. While we can try to give everything we have to Him, it can never compare to the eternal riches and treasure—the eternal life—that He gives to us. If you only knew. How easily we forget. How often we tend to think we know, but if we really knew—if we only knew how deep and how wide is the love of Christ for us. That’s what it’s all about. What Jesus is trying to draw her towards is this eternal thirst that is in the heart of every person—a thirst that only the eternal water Jesus gives can satisfy.
There are three lies we believe concerning our worth: the first is, “My worth is in what I have.” The second is, “My worth is in what I do.” The third is, “My worth is in what people say about me.” But the truth we need is that our worth is not in what we have, but in the one who has us. And our worth is not what we do, but in what he has done and is doing. And our worth is not measured by what people say about us, but what he says about us. And he says, we are loved by God, and God loved us so much that He gave His one and only Son for us so that we can have eternal life—not just life that lasts forever, but the essence of life itself so that you are continually filled with life. If we only knew, how much more often would we go to Jesus? Instead of asking Him for more things, more power to accomplish things, more approval from people, we would simply ask Him for more of Him, because His love is better than life itself. His love, and only His love, can satisfy this eternal thirst in our souls.
The thing is the greatest treasure that we could receive from Jesus is himself. We’ll get to this next time, but this woman was looking for a relationship to fill her and in meeting Jesus, she found the one. The only one who could fill her and satisfy the deepest thirst of her soul. So we don’t come so much for some object that Jesus can give, we come for him, just to have him. That is the living water that satisfies.
And so in evangelism, our goal is not to bring proofs or to win arguments. Our goal is to simply bring this person to Jesus because he is all that we need. And we must not forget that for ourselves as we go through every single day of life are worth is not and what we have, but then who has us. Our worth is not in what we do, but in what he does. In our worth is not what other say about us, our worth is in what he says about us: and he says he loves us so much that even death can separate us from his love. And so with that, let’s go into this time to commune with Jesus. Let’s go to Jesus and ask Him for his living water to quench our thirsty souls.