The next few articles are about a visit between Jesus and a Samaritan woman, from John 4. If you’ve been a Christian for a while, you may have heard lessons or sermons on this chapter before, but maybe we’ll find something new in what the Bible says. In any case, let’s take a quick look at why Jesus is in Samaria.
John 4:1-2 tells us that Jesus found out that the Pharisees learned that He was gaining more disciples than John (i.e., John the Baptist), and that Jesus’ disciples were baptizing them. Next, in John 4:3-4, Jesus starts a trip from Judea to Galilee. Judea (in the south) and Galilee (in the north) are separated by the region of Samaria. You could get from one to the other without going through Samaria, but you’d have to go around, which could be quite a bit longer than just cutting through.
So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
John 4:5-6 NIV
Opinions vary on where exactly this city of Sychar was located, but I don’t think that its exact location is a big deal. Jesus is at a well, in a city of Samaria, and that seems to be the important context for what happens next.
Before we read on, though, did you notice that Jesus was specifically mentioned as being tired? The next time that you are tired (maybe now?), remember that Jesus understands what that is like.
When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”
John 4:7 NIV
It makes sense that a Samaritan woman would come to draw water from a well near a town in Samaria. (You can listen to other lessons and sermons that expound upon the inference that the woman was an outcast in the town, and that she had to draw water in the middle of the day because she didn’t want to face the other townspeople. That’s not a point I intend to dwell on in this series, though.)
Jesus asks for a drink of water. That also makes sense: He’s tired from traveling, and it is logical that He would be thirsty. Someone shows up (presumably with a bucket to draw out and carry water) and so He makes a reasonable request.
The disciples have headed off to get food (per verse 8), which also seems like a reasonable thing to do around noon. I suspect that Jesus was older than the disciples, and perhaps He got tired before them. (Remember, while being the Son of God, Jesus was also fully human.) If the disciples still have some energy left (as well as the group’s money, since Judas Iscariot carried that – see John 12:4-6), it seems reasonable that they would search to find someone who could sell them food while Jesus rested at the well. After all, it only takes a few people to get something to eat, so Jesus didn’t have to join them on their food run. While I’m not sure if these disciples are the twelve apostles or a more general group, even having all twelve apostles going to get food for the group seems like a lot. (Maybe they felt unsafe as Jewish travelers in a Samaritan town, and felt compelled to stick together for protection, but that’s just a guess.)
There’s more to this account in the upcoming verses (read all of John 4:1-42 for the entire narrative), and some amazing things are going to happen. For today, though, let’s remember that even when we are tired and just want rest and a drink, that might be a time to make a difference in someone’s life.
The Lookout says, “Since Jesus and the Samaritan woman met at a well, the conversation naturally started with water; and it became the metaphor Jesus used to speak about salvation.” Only God knows what conversation topics we might have this week that could be used as a starting point to tell other people about the salvation that they so desperately need. That just makes sense!
From Sunday School lesson prepared for December 17, 2023
References:
- The Lookout, December 17, 2023, © 2023 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – John, by Beauford H. Bryant and Mark S. Krause. © 1998 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 