John 4:8 - Printer Friendly

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

NIV: (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

NASB: For His disciples had gone away to the city to buy food.

CSB: because his disciples had gone into town to buy food.

NLT: He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.

KJV: (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)

NKJV: For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

Verse 8 is an important setup for the lesson Jesus will teach after the Samaritan woman leaves. All of the disciples will enter the town, and none of them will return with anyone new. These men, already disciples of Jesus, will not tell anyone else about Him today. On the other hand, an immoral, outcast, half-Jewish woman will bring a large portion of the town (John 4:29–30; 35). This is not completely surprising, given the general Jewish hatred for Samaritans. Jesus had quite a bit of work to do giving His disciples the right mindset. Still, this later incident would probably be a bit embarrassing for the men travelling with Christ.

The fact that Jesus and the Samaritan woman are alone also helps explain other quirks of this passage. The words recorded in the conversation seem much more like a summary than a transcript. This is the principle of ipsissima vox, meaning "the very voice" of Scripture. In short, this means that some passages of the Bible are accurate summations of a conversation, rather than a word-for-word record. If Jesus and the woman were alone, the content of the conversation was probably told to the disciples, including John, at some later time.

Also, the fact that there were no other men at the well explains the tone the Samaritan woman takes in the conversation. More than likely, she would never have approached the well, alone, with a crowd of strange men nearby. She might not have known Jesus was there. She certainly seems surprised that He wants to talk to her. Being alone, she probably was not expecting to see anyone there, and wondered what He had in mind.

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.