Lesson #10

JOHN 4:1-26
Lesson #10
WORSHIPPING IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH

• Memory verse: Joh 4:24

• Read Joh 4:1-3
• The Pharisees heard the rumor that Jesus baptized more people than John the Baptist.
• The rumor was not correct. Jesus did not baptize anyone in water. His disciples were the ones baptizing the people. Why did Jesus not baptize anyone in water?
• Remember that the message of John the Baptist was that Jesus would baptize people in the Holy Spirit. The baptism of repentance, the baptism in water, and the baptism in the Holy Spirit have different purposes. (See Lesson #04) So as not to confuse them, Jesus did not baptize people in water.
• Background

:

• After attending the Passover celebration in Jerusalem where Jesus cleansed the temple and then spoke to Nicodemus, He leaves Judea to return to Galilee to avoid open conflict with the Pharisees. To travel in a direct route from Judea to Galilee required travel through the territory of Samaria
• The Jews hated the Samaritans and the Samaritans hated the Jews. Therefore, Jews usually were happy to increase their travel time by travelling East across the Jordan River and around Samaria to arrive in Galilee or by travelling West to the coast and around Samaria.
• From where did this intense hatred between two ethnically related groups come?
• When the Jews were deported to Babylon after the destruction of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, only a few Jews remained in the promised land. The Assyrians imported captive people of mixed race into the promised land. (2Kin 17:24) The remaining Jews and the imported people inter-married. They became the hated Samaritans.
• When the majority of Jews returned to the promised land after the Babylonian captivity, they began to build the temple. The Samaritans offered to help build the temple, but the Jews declined their help because the Samaritans had mixed pagan practices with their Judaism. (Ezr 4:1-4) They were a mixed race with a mixed religion.

• Read Joh 4:4-26 The Woman at the Well

• “

And he must needs go through Samaria.” (4)

• In light of the above “background”, this verse tells us that God’s sovereignty is in operation here. Unlike most Jews, Jesus traveled directly through Samaritan land. Jesus had a divine appointment in Samaria.
• “…Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there.”

(5-6)

• Jacob’s well was an important landmark to the Jews and to the Samaritans for both racial groups claimed Jacob (Israel) as their patriarch.
• This location is a well-known location in scripture. There are many Bible events that happened at this place. Those that are important to Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well are these:
• Read Deu 11:26-29
• God’s promises were conditional. Obedience brought God’s blessings, and disobedience brought curses. When the Israelites entered the promised land under Joshua’s leadership, they were to read to the people the list of cursings and the list of blessings from two mountains. (Deu 28:1-14 is the list of blessings Deu 28:15-68 is the list of cursings.) (Jos 8:30-35)
• Mt. Gerizim was the mountain of blessing and Mt. Ebal was the mountain of cursing.
• These two mountains are ½ mile apart and form a natural amphitheater with Jacob’s well between them. Mt. Gerizim is the shorter mountain from which they read the blessings because the list of blessings is shorter than the list of cursings.
• “…the sixth hour.”

(6)

• The hour (12 noon Jewish time) was not the usual hour that women came to the well for water. Women usually came to the well for water later in the day when it was cooler.
• There is another interesting fact of which to take note. There were wells closer to her city than this well.
• The hour and the location tells us that this woman was an outcast in her own society, for she did not come to the well with the other women of her town. She came alone.
• “For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.”

(8)

• Jesus and the disciples did not bring Jewish food with them. Instead, they ate Samaritan food. Jews normally considered Samaritan food unclean and called their food, “swine’s flesh.”
• Jesus’ request for water:
• The woman is surprised that a Jew would ask her for water.
• He is a Jew and she is a Samaritan. The two groups had no relationships.
• He is a man and she is a woman. Socially and publicly the two were not to speak.
• She is rude and ignores his request twice.
• The Samaritans would not drink from the same cup as a Jew, nor would a Jew drink from a Samaritan cup, for Samaritans were considered permanently “unclean”.
• “…living water…”

(10-14)

• Immediately the woman’s attitude changes. She is now curious and more polite as she calls him, “sir”.
• To her, “living water” meant that it came from the extreme bottom of the well where the water came fresh and bubbling directly from a spring.
• What did Jesus mean by “living water”?
• In the Old Testament, scriptures speak about a deep thirst for God. (Psa 42:1-2 Isa 55:1 Jer 2:13 Jer 17:13)
• Jesus is offering to quench that thirst. He was speaking spiritually about eternal life.
• Water is necessary for human life that must be taken daily. However, Jesus is offering her one time spiritual experience that will satisfy forever.
• Water is a symbol of the Holy Spirit that a person receives when he receives Jesus into his heart and is born again.
• Notice that the event of the woman at the well comes after the conversation with Nicodemus.
• In other words, John is building a sequence of truths that lead to a close relationship with God.
• Repentance of sin brings regeneration and a new life when one is “born again” and cleansed by the washing of the water of the Word of God.
• The Holy Spirit lives inside of the believer to convict of sin and cleanse the believer of sin.
• The cleansing aspect of water:
• In Old Testament Judaism, the priests had a series of cleansing rituals that must be performed to be acceptable to God.
• In the New Testament Jesus explained that external cleansing did not change man’s heart. Only the action of the Holy Spirit can change man on the inside, in the heart. Therefore, the Holy Spirit inside of man’s heart brings man’s spirit and soul to God when the body dies. This presence with God is eternal life.
• “…a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

(14)

• When a person has once taken a drink of the water of life in Jesus Christ, that water becomes a spring that satisfies the soul. As we will see later in the book of John, it is a spring that supplies a person with power for service in the kingdom of God. (Joh 7:38-39)
• “…Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.”

(15)

• Notice that as soon as He has her interest, He needs to bring her to the point where eternal life is available to her. She needs to recognize her need. He does that by suddenly changing the subject in verse 16 to her husband.
• What is Jesus’ purpose?
• Before a person can have eternal life, he needs to recognize that he is a sinner. Once he knows he is a sinner, he sees his need of a savior who can remedy his sin problem.
• Jesus knows this woman’s heart and life. He knows her sins, but she does not recognize them as sin. This is the reason he raises the subject of her husband.
• “…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.”

(17-18)

• Suddenly she knows that Jesus is more than an ordinary man. God knows her life and she feels conviction. However, she is not quite ready, for she changes the subject to organized religion. Notice that Jesus permits the change of subject.
• “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.”

(19-20)

• She raises 2 old religious arguments between the Jews and the Samaritans.
• Argument #1 How will the Messiah come?
• The Jews expected the Messiah to come as a King.
• The Samaritans expected the Messiah to come as a Prophet.
• Argument #2 Where is the correct location for worship?
• The Jews worshipped God in the temple in Jerusalem as God ordained from the building of Solomon’s temple.
• The Samaritans worshipped on Mt. Gerizim.
• When the Samaritans would not humble themselves and repent of their mixed religious practices, they were banned from worship in the Jerusalem temple. Therefore, they built their own temple on Mt. Gerizim, the mountain of blessing, based on Deu 11:26-29 abd 27:1-8.
• You would think that the mountain of blessing would be a good place to worship, right? Wrong.
• Read Jos 8:30-35
• According to Moses and the law, the Samaritans should have built their temple on Mt. Ebal, the mountain of cursings. Why? Curses come from sin and sin is the breaking of God’s law. We all break God’s law because we are all sinners. Blessings from God come only when sin has been dealt with through the shedding of blood. (Heb 9:22)
• The Samaritans never dealt with sin, never offered a sacrifice for sin, and never came to God through the shedding of blood. They were not willing to come to God the way God ordained.
• “…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.”

(21-22)

• Jesus tells her that the Jews were correct because the Samaritans did not know what they worshipped. Because the Samaritans used only the first 5 books of the Bible, they did not know the depth of prophecy in the prophetic books of the Bible.
• However, Jesus is clear to tell her that times are changing. At that point in time they are in a 3 ½ year transition period between the Old Testament and the New Testament.
• Salvation is of the Jews:
• The Bible is clear that salvation only comes through the Jews, and only through Jesus Christ, a Jew. (Gen 12:3)
• “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

(24)

• In the New Testament age, worship of God is not confined to a single location. The question is not where one must worship but how. Jesus says we must worship God in spirit and in truth. What does that mean?
• To worship in truth:
• The Samaritans did not worship in truth because they were ignorant of the Word of God that tells man what God expects, who He is, and how to approach a Holy God. Unless man deals with the sin problem through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that God ordained, he does not worship in truth.
• There are many who say they worship God, but the god they worship is not the God of the Bible. For example, the Muslims say they worship God (Allah), but Allah and the God of the Bible have no similarity. Allah is the Arabian moon god.
• To worship in spirit:
• Without Jesus Christ, man has no way to approach God. However, when man receives Jesus Christ into his spirit, he receives the drink of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit inside of the believer enables man to worship God with a clean heart, because the Holy Spirit convicts man of sin. (Joh 16:8)
• It is in the depths of the spirit of man where true worship takes place.
• Why did Jesus openly say he was the Messiah in verse 26 when in the other gospels he frequently said, “tell no one” (Mat 16:20)?
• Jesus’ location dictated whether or not He told people not to tell others who He was. When Jesus was in Jewish territory surrounded by Jewish leaders, He encouraged people not to tell. When Jesus was outside the influence of the religious establishment of Judaism, people were free to tell others.
• As we have seen, Jesus knew timing was critical when “His hour” would come. He did not want to openly provoke the religious establishment into action before God’s perfect timing.
• Summary:
• In a world where there are many religions and philosophies, the only legitimate truth is that which God says in His Word. He tells us what He expects and how to approach Him. If we come to God in any other way, except through Jesus Christ, we are like the Samaritan woman who did not know what she worshipped or how to worship. She, like all the Samaritans, wanted God’s blessings without paying attention to God’s instruction. Whether we are believers or non-believers, before we worship God, we must deal with sin.
• True worship:
• True worship requires a submission to the Almighty God for who He is. It includes praise for the ways He reveals Himself to us personally, thanksgiving for the forgiveness of our personal sins, and expressions of our desires to know Him better.
• What do you discover in this passage that supports the following statements:
• For the outsider, there is acceptance.
• The woman at the well was an outsider to the Jews and to the women of her community. However, Jesus was kind to her and accepted her unconditionally.
• For the ignorant, there is teaching.
• The woman at the well was an ignorant Samaritan who thought she worshipped God but was ignorant of His Word and His ways.
• For the sinner, there is forgiveness.
• The woman finally recognized that she was a sinner who needed a Savior who could forgive her sins.
• For the seeker, there is fulfillment.
• When Jesus peaked her interest, the woman wanted more information. Because the woman continued to question, Jesus finally revealed to her who He was.
• Only Jesus Christ can forgive sin and fulfill our deepest desires for the blessings of eternal life.

HOMEWORK
John 4:27-54
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.

• Application of Joh 4:1-26
• How sensitive are you to the Holy Spirit when He convicts you of sin?
• In what ways can you improve your sensitivity to Him?
• Read 1Joh 1:5-10
• Read Psa 119:154-155
• Notice the relationship between conviction by the Holy Sprit and God’s Word in these passages.

• Preparation for Joh 4:27-54
• Read Joh 4:27-42
• What does this passage tell you about:
• Christian service?
• The Word?
• Faith?
• Read Joh 4:43-54
• Read the corresponding scriptures: Mat 4:12-17 Mar 1:14-15 Luk 4:43-45
• Who requested healing?
• Who had faith for healing?
• How did Jesus minister to the patient spiritually?
• What noteworthy characteristics do you see that helped the son receive healing?
• What are the elements of time and distance involved?
• Is there a command given? Is obedience involved?
• Memory verse: John 4:34