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Bible Study John Chapter 4 Verses 11-20

John 4:11 – 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. In verse 10 Jesus begins with a modest request for a drink of water “Give me drink”, Jesus asked for it because He would further His discussion to introduce her to the living water. First, the woman is in marvel about Him asking for water with kindness; for it was the pride of Jews that they would endure any hardship rather than be indebted to a Samaritan. Secondly, she wonders that He should expect to receive this kindness from her that was a Samaritan. The Samaritan woman expected Jesus should be as other Jews were; rather than debating with her about religion, He waived her objection of the feud between the Jews and the Samaritans to lead her into a conversation that would save her soul. Jesus was our example of ministering to someone who opposes our faith by allowing them to finished their objection then pray for wisdom to minister to them about the gospel of Jesus Christ Christ and His saving grace. He informed her if she would have asked, He would have given her living water, the living water Jesus was speaking of was the Holy Spirit who was not like the water in the bottom of the well, but like running water that never subsides. She asked the question “from whence then hast thou that living water” which would give Jesus the opportunity to explain to her about the living water. When ministering we can’t be so quick to try to get our point across, we must first discern the person’s’ spiritual knowledge,  allow them to ask questions then will we know how to minister to their need.

John 4:12 – Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself and his children, and his cattle? The Samaritan woman thought that Jesus couldn’t furnish her with water that was better than the water from Jacob’s well. She began to question Him. The power and providence of God are the continuance of the fountains of water from generation to generation; it never runs dry. Her thoughts were the well was a gift from Jacob to the Samaritans and Jesus being a Jew had no rights to the well.

John 4:13 – Jesus answered her and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again.  Jesus shows her that the water of Jacob’s well yielded a transient satisfaction “Whoso drinketh of this water shall thirst again,” it would quench the present thirst, but the thirst will return. The living water He would give would yield a lasting satisfaction.

John 4:14 – But whosoever drinketh of the water that I should give him shall never thirst: but the water that I shall give him shall be in him as a well of water springing up into everlasting life.  The water from Jacob’s well would eventually cause one to thirst again once they have drunken but the water Jesus was offering would last the person’s lifetime. Many spiritual functions parallel physical functions. As our bodies hunger and thirst so does our souls. But our souls need spiritual food and water. Consistent reading and studying of the Word of God will quench our hunger and thirst as well as be a cleanser.

John 4:15 – The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. The woman wanted the water Jesus was speaking of. She knew if the water would be a continual flow she would never have to come to draw water from the well again. She was perceiving the water Jesus was speaking of as natural water while He was speaking about spiritual water. The woman did not immediately understand what Jesus was talking about. It takes times to accept something that changes the very foundation of our life. Jesus allowed her time to ask questions, time to perceive what He was speaking about that would change her lifestyle.

John 4:16 – Jesus saith to her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. Jesus mentioned the woman’s husband to expose her sin. Jesus didn’t beat the woman with her sin although He knew she was living in sin, He wanted to show her her sin. Many times people who are professing to be Christians don’t understand or believe they are living in sin when they are living with people that aren’t their spouse. Their misunderstanding of the Bible causes them to think they can live or have sexual gratification with someone they aren’t married to. Jesus knew the woman’s heart, and His mission was to lead her away from the sin without being offensive.

John 4:17 – The woman answered, and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her; Thou has well said, I have no husband.  Jesus discreetly and decently introduces this woman to her sin by asking her to call for her husband. Jesus introduces her to her sin; He may have said much more than what is recorded to bring her to the realization she was living in sin.

John 4:18 – For thou hast had five husbands: and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. Jesus begins to tell her of her life, how many husbands she had, and the one she was presently living with was not her husband. It doesn’t appear that Jesus was scolding her but speaking to her gently about her sin. He was drawing her with love and kindness. If we want to be soul-winners, we too must draw them by loving kindness.

John 4:19 – The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.  Because of what Jesus told her about herself, the woman came to the conclusion that Jesus was a prophet which is a person divinely inspired with supernatural knowledge. She does deny the truth of what He had charged her with nor is she put into a passion by it as many are when they are touched in a sore place. She owned up to the truth neither did she get an attitude.

John 4:20 – Our fathers worshiped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. She acknowledges that He’s a prophet, but she desires further instructions from Him. She knew she must worship God, and desired to do it and wanted to know what was the right way of doing it. Like many professing Christians, they are aware they should worship God, but how to worship Him they don’t know. This is why it is so important to take the time to read and study the Word of God to follow His instructions for the believer or those that are professing to be Christians.

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