What does John 4:33 mean?

The Bible records many instances where Jesus' words are misinterpreted. Usually, this is by someone who is confused about Christ's use of physical symbols for spiritual ideas (John 3:3–4; 4:10–11). But this opportunity for confusion is no accident. Scripture shows Jesus to be a master at asking questions which reveal a great deal about those who answer. Some of Christ's statements are vague, others are provocative. In all cases, how people respond to Jesus' remarks explains more about their intent than anything.

The disciples are still early in their travels with Jesus, so they are still easily confused when the conversation turns into a lesson. One reason for the confusion of the disciples would have been the very territory they were in. Jews usually avoided Samaritans and Samaria. This is because Samaritans were seen as impure and unclean, both in terms of blood and religion. There would have been no reason to think other Jews were around. And the normal practice was for Jews to refuse to use the same utensils as a Samaritan (John 4:9). If Jesus had been talking about physical food, it would have been a mystery from where or whom He'd gotten it.