Imagine a skin-to-ribs, dry-tongued deer in the wilderness, frantic for water. Imagine that the deer comes upon two streams, one of which runs full of deadly poison from the source. If the deer drinks the poisoned water, it will surely die. It must be able to distinguish between water that gives life and water that takes life. Again, the deer will die if it drinks the wrong water.

The deer will also die if it doesn’t drink the right water.

It has been a significant concern for me for a while that too many Christians in our crust of the Evangelical pie can describe God as the fountain of living water with fantastic detail but they do not drink. I agree that knowing the right fountain is crucial. Those who drink from a false fountain (or a broken cistern) will not see life. Not drinking is not better.

We come to a well known story in John chapter four: the woman at the well. Many of us are familiar with the episode, familiar with Jesus’ personal and gracious pursuit, familiar with her immorality, and familiar with the magnificent offer of a kind of water that eliminates a soul’s thirst forever. But it’s almost as if we come to the well to wash our buckets rather than fill them. We clean the dirt off of our Bible story memories and then run back into town without drinking.

The apostle John includes this narrative to tell us that Jesus is full of grace and truth, that Jesus breaks down ethnic and gender boundaries, not only in His personal interaction, but also in offering salvation/eternal life. We learn about historical Jew/Samaritan hostility, the power of personal testimony, the place of true worship, and more. But the reason the apostle John includes this narrative is to invite us to drink.

John 4 brings us to a well of living water that satisfies soul thirst forever. Many of us need to remember that we have a spring of water already in us welling up to eternal life.

A Divine Appointment (vv.1-6)

There’s a reason for everything, even cranky, power hungry religious authorities.

Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. (John 4:1–3)

The apostle doesn’t say how He knew, but Jesus came to know that the Pharisees had a problem with Him. The ESV’s Jesus learned interprets (rather than translates) the word “know” (as KJV and NAS for ἔγνω). It’s possible that this was miraculous, divine knowledge on Jesus’ part, though more probable that someone came and reported to Him that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John . Word spread as Jesus’ ministry gained size.

The Pharisees didn’t treasure John the Baptist baptizing either. They sent a delegation to question him, recorded in John 1:19-28. Pharisees considered themselves to be the guardians of Israel’s worship and religious practices. Not only was baptism for purification outside the normal ortho-praxy, the biggest contention was that the Baptist and Jesus were baptizing Jews. Jews didn’t need repentance, non-Jews did. Pharisees didn’t take too kindly to their authority being challenged, which Jesus did in the Temple (2:13-22) and this growing number of disciples might soon threaten them with uncontainable problems.

Jesus anticipated their aggression so he left Judea and departed again for Galilee (v.3). He didn’t leave because He feared the Pharisees. His Father had given “all things into his hand” (John 3:35). It wasn’t yet His time to engage them, besides, He had someone to meet.

Verse 2 adds a parenthesis about Jesus’ baptism practices; He didn’t baptize by hand, His disciples did it for Him. The apostle Paul picked up the same practice, which may not have been quite so important for him as it was for Jesus. This prohibited, to some degree, competition and pride and envy and doubts about who baptized you.

And he had to pass through Samaria. (John 4:4)

Saying he had to pass through Samaria is interesting. The Greek word is Ἔδει, “it is necessary” and in the imperfect tense, stresses that His course had been determined beforehand; He had to.

He didn’t have to geographically; it wasn’t the only way. There were other roads that went around Samaria, though longer, and requiring them to cross the Jordan, there was a route around the east side. In fact, strict Jews—those who wouldn’t have anything at all to do with unclean Samaritans—went around. Jesus didn’t have to culturally, either. Josephus (a Jewish historian) acknowledged that even though the ill will was real, many Jews passed through Samaria because it was the direct, much shorter route.

The only reasonable explanation is that He had a divine appointment and, let me point out, while planned by the Father, it was prompted by cranky religious authorities; that’s part of God’s plan, too.

The reason for verse 5 sets the story in a location with rich religious history.

So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. (John 4:5)

Jacob blessed Joseph with this land in Genesis 48.

In 722-721 BC, the Assyrians defeated Samaria and deported all but the poorest Israelites. Some of the remaining Israelites intermarried with the foreigners and took on many of their idolatries. When the Jews returned after exile, they viewed the Samaritans as “racial half-breeds whose religion was tainted by various unacceptable elements” (Carson, 216).

The Samaritans even constructed their own temple on Mount Gerizim around 400 BC, a rival to the Temple in Jerusalem. The Jews destroyed it around 128 BC, claiming that true worship could only be done in Jerusalem (Köstenberger, 141), a point which comes up in verses 16 and following.

Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. (John 4:6)

Jesus was wearied…from his journey . It was about the sixth hour , so noon, and they had probably been walking for four to six hours. Depending on the time of the year, it might be warm as well. With all the ministry and travel, Jesus was tired and thirsty. When we read that the Logos became flesh and lived among us, it meant taking on frail humanity, including the weaknesses and limitations. God in a body was worn out, all part of getting Jesus to this appointment.

A Divine Offer (vv.7-15)

Now we need the woman.

A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (John 4:7)

It was uncommon to come to draw water in the middle of the day. Usually women came in the morning or evening. They also typically came in groups. The fact that this woman came alone tips us off that something isn’t usual, and later we find out that she had a social stigma to her own people, not just as a Samaritan woman before this Jewish man. She couldn’t be more opposite of Nicodemus who was a “learned, powerful, respected, orthodox” Jewish ruler (Carson, 216). She was a moral failure and social outcast.

Jesus asks her for a drink. As one commentator put it, “The Fountain asks for water” (Lenski, 302). The English makes it sound more abrupt than it may have sounded to her. Even if it sounded polite, it still surprised her.

John adds another parenthesis (the third in nine verses) in verse 8 about why Jesus was alone.

(For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) (John 4:8)

This also was no coincidence. Jesus sent all of His disciples, however many there were at that time, though it certainly wouldn’t require all of them to carry the food. It was an appointment.

The woman, perhaps from surprise, perhaps a bit defensive/protective, replies but doesn’t actually respond to His request.

The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) (John 4:9)

She points out that He wasn’t really supposed to be talking with her. Her people were wrong. Her gender was wrong. He wasn’t following protocol. John reminds us of the conflict between Jews and Samaritans at the end of verse 9— Jews have no dealings with Samaritans . The verb συγχρῶνται could mean “to associate with” but usually meant “to use together with,” a reference to using the same utensils: “Jews do not use dishes Samaritans have used” (so the footnote in the NIV). There’s no way He should use her bucket.

She makes the objection for Him. I wonder if that’s a show of her defensiveness.

Jesus’ response is so good. Remember, He’s still tired and thirsty and the woman hasn’t actually given Him anything to drink. He could have responded a million different ways. He could have corrected her history or informed her that He didn’t follow all the silly social customs of men. Instead, He sets her up for her own good.

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” (John 4:10)

His answer supplies the breakdown for this paragraph and the following section. There are two concerns: (1) the gift of God (verses 10-15) and (2) His identity (verses 16-26). We’ll consider their discussion about His identity next week, Lord willing. Today, our concern is with the gift of God.

Jesus isn’t mocking her, but He is pointing out to her that her self-protectiveness is keeping her from something really good, namely, living water .

Still, she misses the point. As Nicodemus asked where he could find a belly big enough to crawl back into, the woman asks where was Jesus’ bucket.

The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? (John 4:11)

The well can still be seen today and it is over 100 feet deep, maybe even deeper in the first century. If He’s going to get water here, how? If not here, where?

Even though she’s not yet tracking, she does recognize that Jesus is saying something significant.

Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” (John 4:12)

The Samaritans considered themselves descendants of Jacob through Joseph. There is no biblical record of Jacob’s well or him drinking from it or giving it to his sons. She was going on tradition, but her question still stands. Did Jesus think that He was superior to Jacob? Yes, though He doesn’t answer that directly in His next response.

It is hard not to think of Isaiah 55:1–3: “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters…that your soul may live.” God promises to make “an everlasting covenant” with all who come, not only with Israel, but with “the peoples,” “nations that do not know you” (55:4-5) if they will only forsake their wicked way (55:6-7).

Think also Isaiah 12:3; 44:3; 49:10; Jeremiah 2:13, as well as Psalm 36:7-9.

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13–14)

Through comparison, Jesus makes clear that He is talking about two kinds of water, both of which are good; nothing is wrong with water that you drink, but both quench different thirsts for different lengths of time. Drinking well water is good, but you have to do it over and over. Drinking a gallon of water on Sunday afternoon won’t last you through the week, that’s not how the body works. Another type of water keeps a person from ever being thirsty again . The more wooden translation would be: “they most certainly will not be thirsty unto the ages”; they will never be thirsty “forever” (ESV fn).

[but] the water which I will give to him will become in him a spring of water welling up to life eternal . The word “welling up” or “springing up” (NAS), “gushing” (NRSV) means “to make a quick leaping movement.” This water isn’t only consumed, it produces. It bubbles up from within for eternal life. It is a fountain of life. Rather than salt-water, which creates more thirst the more you drink, this is living water that satisfies evermore.

That sounds nice. But why is this so important? It would have been enough to say, “The water I give to him will satisfy his thirst forever.” You were thirsty, you drank this special water, now you’re not thirsty, and won’t be. Why does it need to do anything else? Because new life grows, it doesn’t stay put. It changes us from the inside out. Living water is called living water, not only because it makes living those who drink it, but the water is alive. It’s in us, it’s alive! We never need another source to find satisfaction anywhere else, but it will continue to make us wet in soul.

[See the connection between hearts that flow with rivers of living water and the coming of the Spirit in John 7:37–39.]

And where does it come from? Jesus says, I [myself] will give to him . This is the point. Who are you that you can give this kind of water. “It is the question Jesus wants to raise, *the question that must be rightly answered, or we shall after all thirst forever” (Lenski, 311).

The woman still didn’t get it.

The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” (John 4:15)

She was still thinking on earthly things, thinking about how this kind of water might get her out of work. It sounded good out of convenience, not because she grasped how dry her heart was. Jesus didn’t mean that she wouldn’t have to keep coming back to the well. But that she would draw water differently.

Jesus switches His approach a bit, an approach that will provoke her to recognize her dry and wicked heart in verse 16, and we’ll pick up there next week.

Conclusion

Jesus assumes her heart was thirsty, longing to be satisfied. Heart thirst is presumed, built-in to everyone. The question is where will a man go to have his thirst quenched?

The good news is that Jesus’ well is deep. He is full of grace and truth, and from His fulness we have all received grace upon grace (John 1:14, 16).

One cannot have life without having it from Jesus, in Him was life, He gives water that springs to life. The thirst of the heart is quenched when a person knows Jesus truly. This is eternal life.