John 4:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”

NIV: When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, 'Will you give me a drink?'

NASB: A woman of Samaria *came to draw water. Jesus *said to her, 'Give Me a drink.'

CSB: A woman of Samaria came to draw water."Give me a drink," Jesus said to her,

NLT: Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, 'Please give me a drink.'

KJV: There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

NKJV: A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”

Jesus' request was surprising for several reasons. First of all, in that era, men and women typically did not speak to each other in public—especially if they were not married or related. This was even more the case when they didn't already have some knowledge of each other. Secondly, the woman in question was a Samaritan. Samaritans were hated by most Jews to begin with. In fact, Rabbinic law declared that Samaritan women were perpetually unclean. Interacting with her, especially in a way that would involve contact and use of the same utensils, would have been unthinkable for a typical Rabbi. As the woman will note in verse 9, Jews typically refused even the slightest contact with Samaritans.

Given that this woman did not know Jesus, and they were completely alone (John 4:8), she might well have been nervous. She may have wondered what His intentions were, and why He was trying to talk to her. From a social standpoint, there were no obvious reasons why He would want to.

John 4:5–26 describes one of the most famous moments in Jesus' earthly ministry. Here, He converses with a Samaritan woman. This particular woman is not only an ''unclean'' Samaritan, but an outcast among her own people. She attempts to avoid Jesus' teachings, giving flippant and sarcastic answers. Despite that, and despite knowing all about her sin, Jesus encourages her with the love of God. This breaks through her hard heart; as a result, many others are brought to meet Christ. The disciples are also taught a valuable lesson about the purpose of their mission.

Jesus speaks to a Samaritan woman who is drawing water from a well. Jesus both confronts her about her sin, and comforts her with the truth of the gospel. In particular, He explains that 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, have to be 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 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 gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.

Accessed 5/2/2024 2:26:45 PM