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THE GIFT OF GOD IS A WELL OF LIVING WATER

THAT SPRINGS UP FROM INSIDE EACH OF US WHO IS CHOSEN TO BEAR IT

09-26-10

(John 4:3-6)  He left Judaea [Heb: celebrated], and departed again into Galilee [Heb: the heathen circle]. And he must needs go through Samaria [Heb: watch-station, look-out]. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph [over a thousand years earlier]. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour [noon].

1.      Sychar = Heb: an intoxicant, i.e. intensely alcoholic liquor:--strong drink, + drunkard, strong wine.

2.      Commentary: After being conquered by the Assyrians in 722-21 B.C., Samaria was repopulated by peoples of the Babylonian nations who brought their pagan idolatries with them. Intermarriage of native Jews with these foreigners led to the mixed race of Samaritans despised by full-blooded Jews during the time of Jesus. Only the first five books of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch, were observed by the Samaritans and these books were changed to locate their temple on Mount Gerizim in Samaria as the sole place for worship, rather than the temple on Mount Moriah at Jerusalem, and the Samaritans disregarded the remainder of the Old Testament books which were accepted as Scripture by the full-blooded Jews. Therefore Samaritans were considered by Jews to be defiled through their mingled blood-lines and through their mingled religious views, and were not to be interacted with by the Jews.

(John 4:7-14)  There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up [Gk: jumping; fig. gushing:--leaping up] into everlasting life.

(John 4:15-18)  The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband [a confession]. Jesus said unto her, 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.

1.      Commentary: Why did Jesus speak to her specifically about her husbands? The woman declared that she had “no husband.” Spiritually speaking, she was unsaved, for she had “no husband.”

(John 4:19-26)  The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive [Gk: discern] that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain [in Mount Gerizim]; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, 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. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit [God is “invisible” Col 1:15; 1 Tim 1:17; Heb 11:27]: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah [Heb: Christ] cometh, which is called Christ [Gk: the anointed]: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he [Jesus spoke the truth to one who perceived the truth].

1.      Commentary: “Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet” means to the observer (us) that she now perceived (saw and understood) a bit of the depth of his spiritual character. This instance of supernatural perception acts as an indicator that she has received the supernatural opening of her spiritual eyes. Another example of supernatural perception, which may be accomplished only by saved persons, is Lot. Please refer to “just Lot” (2 Pet 2:7), “that righteous man” (2 Pet 2:8) who, unlike the degenerate citizens of Sodom, instantly recognized the two handsome men that appeared in the gate of Sodom as angels.

(John 4:27-29)  And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman [a Samaritan]: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

1.      Commentary: What did the woman immediately become after she left her waterpot of worldly labor and began her godly labor??

(John 4:30-38)  Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

(John 4:39-42)  And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. And many more believed because of his own word; And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world [Gk: kosmos; “cosmos”; the universe].

Amen