John 4 - Meet the First Evangelist in the Church

John 4 - NIV

John 4 - Enduring Word Commentary

Key Verses

9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Commentary

One of the things I love about Jesus, which reveals the nature of God, is how inclusive he is. He seems to love the "underdog", the "marginalized", and the "forgotten". In today's story of the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus breaks cultural norms by associating with a woman, no less a Samaritan, let alone a serial adulterer. This is one of the reasons the women came at noon was to avoid being seen by a man, let alone a Jewish rabbi. 

The Jews did not like Samaritans for many reasons. 

1. They were considered only half-Jews. When the Jewish men were exiled from Northern Israel (which includes Samaria) by the Assyrians, they intermarried with Gentiles who settled there. Thus they were not considered pure Jews. 

2. The Samaritans set up a temple on Mount Gerizim, which rivalled and rejectred the temple in Jerusalem.  This temple was destroyed in 138 B.C. which caused great conflict. 

3. They opposed Nehemiah when he tried to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and were said to have desecrated the temple in Jerusalem. - Stephanie Landsem.

4. The feud was so intense the Jews traveled around Samaria to avoid conflict with them even though this route was much longer. 

The fact that Jesus traveled the route he took, shows he was well aware he might run into a Samaritan, like the woman at the well. 

The Old Testament confirms this being the site of Jacob's well, so we can see where it might be their rationale for it being a holy site. 

But the meat of the story happens when Jesus asks the woman for a drink of water. She questions how he can ask her, a Samaritan, for a drink of water. Jesus then informs her if she knew who really he was, she would have asked him and he would have given her living water and she would never thirst again. 

The woman is confused as to what Jesus is referring to. The only thing she can infer is that if she drinks this water, she will be thirsty again. Then Jesus switches the coversation to another thirst the woman has tried to quench. She has had five husbands and the one she had then was not her husband. The woman is understandably taken back. How did Jesus know this? He must be a prophet?

By the end of the conversation, the woman speaks of the coming Messiah, who will clarify all of her questions. And then Jesus says, "I the one speaking to you, am he!"

Importantly when Jesus says to her, "I am he", the Greek word for this is "eigo eimi". This is the word for "LORD" which is the Divine Name given to Moses when he asked for His name. Essentially Jesus by using this "I am" is saying He is the equivalent to God!

The woman comes to faith and goes back to her village and her testimony leads others to Jesus. They invite Jesus to stay with him. He does and many more came to faith! 

This has led someone to say the woman is the first evangelist in the Church!

Jesus, you created us not only to get physically thirsty but also spiritually thirsty. It is only you who can quench the thirst in our soul. As we receive You as the Messiah, may the Holy Spirit fill us with Your power, presence, and peace!