The Gospel According to John

Chapter 4

Christ talks with a woman of Samaria and reveals himself to her, 1-26. His disciples marvel, 27-30. He declares to them his zeal for God's glory, 31-38. Many Samaritans believe in him, 39-42. He departs into Galilee and heals the ruler's son who lay sick at Capernaum, 43-54.

1 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John 2 (Though Jesus himself did not baptize, but his disciples), 3 He left Judea and departed again into Galilee. 4 And he must go through Samaria. 5 Then he comes to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat down on the well. And it was about the sixth hour.

7 There comes a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus says to her, "Give me a drink." 8 (For his disciples had gone to the city to buy provisions.) 9 Then the woman of Samaria says to him, "How is it that you, being a Jew, ask for a drink from me, being a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans." 10 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is who says to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." 11 The woman says to him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. From where then do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob who gave us the well and drank of it himself, with his children and his cattle?" 13 Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water shall thirst again, 14 But whoever drinks of the water that I give him shall never thirst. The water that I give him shall be a well of water in him springing up into everlasting life."

15 The woman says to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I may not thirst, neither come here to draw." 16 Jesus says to her, "Go, call your husband and come here." 17 The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have rightly said, 'I have no husband,' 18 For you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband. In that you have spoken truth." 19 The woman says to him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." 21 Jesus says to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour comes when you shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know. We know what we worship, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour comes, and is now, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeks such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit. And those who worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth." 25 The woman says to him, "I know that Messiah comes, who is called Christ. When he has come, he will tell us all things." 26 Jesus says to her, "I, who speak to you, am he."

27 And upon this, his disciples came and marveled that he talked with the woman. Yet no man said, "What do you seek?" or, "Why do you talk with her?" 28 The woman then left her water-pot, went into the city, and says to the men, 29 "Come, see a man who has told me all things that I ever did. Is this not the Christ?" 30 Then they went out of the city and came to him.

31 In the meantime, his disciples asked him, saying, "Master, eat." 32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know of." 33 Therefore, the disciples said to one another, "Has any man brought him anything to eat?" 34 Jesus says to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Do you not say, 'There are yet four months and then comes harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest. 36 And he who reaps receives wages and gathers fruit to eternal life, so that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 And herein that saying is true: 'One sows and another reaps.' 38 I sent you to reap that on which you bestowed no labor. Other men labored, and you have entered into their labors."

39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in him for the saying of the woman, who testified, "He told me all that I ever did." 40 So when the Samaritans had come to him, they implored him that he would stay with them. And he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his own word, 42 And said to the woman, "Now we believe, and not because of what you said, for we have heard him ourselves and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

43 Now after two days he departed from there and went into Galilee. 44 For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45 Then when he had come into Galilee, the Galileans received him, having seen all the things that he did in Jerusalem at the feast, for they also went to the feast.

46 So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea into Galilee, he went to him and implored him that he would come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe." 49 The nobleman says to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies." 50 Jesus says to him, "Go. Your son lives." And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken to him and departed. 51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, "Your son lives." 52 Then he asked them the hour when he began to amend, and they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him." 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives." And he himself believed, along with his whole house. 54 This is again the second miracle that Jesus performed when he had come from Judea into Galilee.

Commentary

Matthew Henry Commentary - John, Chapter 4[➚]

Notes

[v.44] - Gospel Link: Matthew 13:57; Mark 6:4; Luke 4:24.

[v.54] - "the second miracle" - From Matthew Henry's Commentary: "This is noted to be the second miracle, 1. To remind us of the first, wrought in the same place some months before. Fresh mercies should revive the remembrance of former mercies, as former mercies should encourage our hopes of further mercies. Christ keeps account of his favours, whether we do or no. 2. To let us know that this cure was before those many cures which the other evangelists mention to be wrought in Galilee, Matthew 4:23; Mark 1:34; Luke 4:40."

Top