John 4:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: he left Judea and departed again for Galilee.

NIV: So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.

NASB: He left Judea and went away again to Galilee.

CSB: he left Judea and went again to Galilee.

NLT: So he left Judea and returned to Galilee.

KJV: He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.

NKJV: He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.

Jesus is leaving Judea to delay confrontation with the Pharisees. Local religious leaders had felt the need to investigate John the Baptist (John 1:19), which eventually caused an argument (John 3:25). Now, Jesus' ministry is even more popular than John's (John 4:1). However, this is not the right time for a conflict with these men (John 2:4), so Jesus travels back to Galilee.

Samaritans were a half-Jew, half-Gentile tribe, both ethnically and religiously. As a result, they were despised by most Israelites (John 4:9). The shortest route from Jerusalem to Galilee is straight through Samaria. However, the typical choice for Jewish travelers was to travel north only after passing east over the Jordan river, avoiding the Samaritans entirely. Just as Jesus is submissive to the Father's timing, He is also submissive to His plans. Therefore, this account will indicate that Jesus "had to pass through Samaria" (John 4:4). While this is not the case in a literal geographical sense, what happens next proves that it was certainly necessary in the context of His mission.

John 4:1–4 explains Jesus' decision to travel away from Jerusalem, heading back towards Galilee. The primary reason is to avoid conflict with the Pharisees, for now. The shortest path is through Samaria. Yet most Jews would have chosen to detour east, avoiding the hated Samaritans entirely. However, Jesus is not only committed to the Father's timeline, but He is also submissive to the Father's will. Christ ''had to'' take this route to cooperate with that mission. His discussion with the Samaritan woman at the well implies a divine purpose for His visit.

Jesus speaks to a Samaritan woman who is drawing water from a well. He confronts her about sin, yet He also comforts her with the truth of the gospel. Even though He knows her sins, He still seeks after her, and those like her. The woman returns to town, eventually bringing many people to meet Jesus. The disciples, meanwhile, are reminded of the purpose of their mission. Jesus also heals the son of a government official in a way that demonstrates the importance of trusting faith, rather than reliance on spectacle.

John chapter 4 continues the use of contrast. Jesus goes from conversing with an educated, powerful, prestigious man (John 3:1–2) to talking to an outcast, unlearned, self-conscious woman. The combination of this passage, along with Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus, makes an important spiritual point: the gospel is for all people, in all places, and all times. Christ can reach each person exactly where he or she needs to be reached.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.

Accessed 12/4/2024 3:38:04 AM