John 4

Disciples baptizing in Judea verse 1- 3

When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees

had heard that Jesus made

and baptized more disciples than John

(though Jesus HIMSELF baptized not

but HIS disciples)

HE left Judea and departed again into Galilee

Jesus meets woman at well verse 4- 8

And HE must needs go

through Samaria

THEN comes HE to a city of Samaria

which is called Sychar

near to the parcel of ground

that Jacob gave to his son Joseph

NOW Jacob’s well was there

Jesus therefore – being wearied with HIS journey

sat thus on the well

and it was about the sixth hour

There came a woman of Samaria to draw water

Jesus said to her

Give ME to drink

(For HIS disciples were gone away

unto the city to buy meat)

Conversation about water verse 9- 15

THEN said the woman of Samaria to HIM

How is it that YOU – being a Jew – asks drink of me

which am a woman of Samaria?

FOR the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans

Jesus answered and said to her

IF you knew the gift of God

and WHO it is that said to you

Give ME to drink You would have asked of HIM

and HE would have given

the LIVING WATER

The woman

said to HIM

Sir – YOU have nothing to draw with – and the well is deep

from where then have YOU that LIVING WATER?

Are YOU greater than our father Jacob – which gave us the well

and drank thereof himself – and his children – and his cattle?

Jesus answered and said to her

Whosoever drinks of this water shall thirst again

BUT whosoever drinks of the water

that I shall give him shall never thirst

BUT the water that I shall give him

shall be in him a well of water

springing up into everlasting life

The woman said unto HIM

Sir – give me this water – that I thirst not

neither come here to draw

Conversation about woman’s marital status verse 16- 18

Jesus said to her – Go – call your husband and come hither

the woman answered and said – I have no husband

Jesus said to her – You have well said – I have no husband

for you had had five husbands

and he whom you now have is not your husband

in that said you truly

Conversation about religion verse 19- 26

The woman said to HIM

Sir – I perceive that YOU are a prophet

Our fathers worshipped in this mountain

And you say

that in Jerusalem is the place where men

ought to worship

Jesus said to her

Woman believe ME – the hour comes

when you shall neither in this mountain

nor yet at Jerusalem – worship the Father

You worship you know not what

we know what we worship

FOR salvation is of the Jews

BUT the hour comes – and now is

when the true worshipers shall worship the

Father in spirit and in truth

for the Father seeks

such to worship HIM

God is a Spirit

and they that worship HIM must worship HIM

in spirit and in truth

The woman said to HIM

I know that Messiah comes – which is called Christ

when HE is come HE will tell us all things

Jesus said unto her

I that speak to you am HE

Woman witnessed to village verse 27- 30

And on this came HIS disciples

and marveled that HE talked with the woman

Yet no man said

What seek YOU? or Why talk YOU with her?

The woman then left her water pot

and went her way into the city

and said to the men

Come see a man

which told me all things

that ever I did

Is not this the Christ?

THEN they went out of the city – and came to HIM

Disciples want Jesus to eat verse 31- 38

In the meantime HIS disciples prayed HIM – saying

Master – eat

BUT HE said unto them

I have meat to eat that you know not of

THEREFORE said the disciples one to another

Has any man brought HIM any to eat?

Jesus said to them

MY meat is to do the will of HIM that sent ME

and to finish HIS work

Say you not – There are yet four months

and then comes harvest?

BEHOLD – I say to you – Lift up your eyes

and look on the fields

for they are white already to harvest

And he that reaps receives wages

and gathers fruit unto life eternal

both he that sows

and he that reaps may rejoice together

And herein is that saying true

One sows – and another reaps

I sent you to reap that whereon you bestowed no labor

other men labored

and you are entered into their labors

Samaritans believe in Jesus verse 39- 42

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on HIM

for the saying of the woman – which testified

HE told me all that ever I did

So when the Samaritans were come to HIM

they besought HIM that HE would tarry with them

and HE abode there two days

And many more believed because of HIS OWN word

and said to the woman

Now we believe – not because of your saying

for we have heard HIM ourselves

and know that this is indeed the Christ

the Savior of the world

Jesus travels to Cana verse 43- 45

Now after two days HE departed thence

and went into Galilee

for Jesus HIMSELF testified

that a prophet has no honor

in HIS own country

THEN when HE was come into Galilee

the Galileans received HIM

having seen all the things that HE

did at Jerusalem at the feast

for they also went to the feast

Nobleman want son healed verse 46- 54

SO Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee

where HE made the water wine

and there was a certain nobleman

whose son was sick at Capernaum

when he heard that Jesus was come

out of Judea into Galilee

he went to HIM and besought HIM

that HE would come down

and heal his son

for he was at the point of death

THEN said Jesus to him

Except you see signs and wonders

you will not believe

The nobleman said to HIM

Sir – come down or my child die

Jesus said to him

Go your way – your son lives

And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken to him

and he went his way

And as he was now going down

his servant met him and told him

saying Your son lives

THEN inquired he of them the hour when he began to amend

and they said to him

Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him

SO the father knew that it was at the same hour

in the which Jesus said to him – Your son lives

and himself believed – and his whole house

This is again the SECOND MIRACLE that Jesus did

when HE was come out of Judea into Galilee

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

: 6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. (2872 “wearied” [kopiao] means tired, exhausted, grow weary, toil, to feel fatigued, or struggle)

DEVOTION: Jesus was born as a baby. HE worked in Joseph’s carpenter shop. HE questioned the religious leaders at the age of twelve. HE started HIS public ministry at the age of thirty.

Now HE is on the road with HIS disciples. HE stated that HE had to go through Samaria. Usually the Jews would not go into Samaria. They would travel a long way to go around Samaria. The Jews and the Samarians didn’t get along.

What was happening? The Samarians were a mixed bred of people. They had their own place to worship, Mt. Gerizim. They had their own priesthood. The Jewish religious leaders had nothing to do with these people.

Jesus made a point of witnessing to the people in Samaria. HE wanted them to know that HE cared about them.

While waiting for the disciples to go for food HE sat at a well and started a conversation with a local woman who came to the well. Why was HE there alone? The disciples went for food and HE stayed behind because HE was tired.

John was giving us an idea of just how human the LORD was. HE had walked a distance and was exhausted. HE couldn’t go on. HE had to wait. Of course, we know that HE was never too tired to witness to someone. HE picked the spot and the time to witness. The spot was at a well. The time was when most people didn’t come to the well. The person who came to the well was someone who had many husbands and was presently living with a man.

Jesus picked some of the poorest people to witness to in HIS life. HE wanted us to know that we are to witness to everyone and that no social class is to be excluded from the membership in our local churches.

CHALLENGE: We need to witness to all those who are in our world. We should leave no one out. We can specialize in our witness. Jesus witnessed to all.

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

: 10 Jesus answered and said to her, If you knew the gift of God, and WHO it is that says to you, Give ME to drink; you would have asked of HIM, and HE would have given you living water. (2198 “living” [zao] means live, be alive, quick, breath, be among the living, to enjoy real life, a supernatural resource characterized by (transcendental) life and vitality, or understood as running water (as opposed to still and stagnant).

DEVOTION: Most of us like gifts. Each of us has a gift list that we would like our parents to give us for special occasions. Some of the items on the list are large and some are small. Those who want us to give us gifts can decide which gift they will give us.

Jesus was offering the woman at the well a gift. It gift was coming from God. Can you imagine the expense account God has to give gifts? HE owns the cattle on a thousand hills. HE has all the jewels in the whole world at HIS disposal. HE knows where all the gold and silver is in the whole world.

What was Jesus offering the woman at the well? HE was offering “living water.” What is living water? It is water that would cause the person drinking of it to never thirst again.

Jesus had just told Nicodemus that he had to be born from above. HE stated that “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he could not enter into the kingdom of God.”

It is thought that the “water” is the Word of God. Jesus is the Word. Jesus was offering HIMSELF to the woman at the well. HE was going to die on the cross for her and give her eternal life. That is a life that will last forever. HE was offering eternity life in heaven for those who would drink or partake of HIM.

CHALLENGE: The choice was the woman’s to make. She ran into the village to tell all those to come meet the Messiah. We need to do the same.

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: 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth (4352 “worship” [proskuneo] means adore, to kiss the hand to one, in token of reverence, kneeling or prostration to do homage, or make obeisance)

DEVOTION: Jesus is carrying on a conversation with a Samaritan woman. The Jews had nothing to do with this group of people. The reason they had nothing to do with them is because they were a mixed breed of Jews and Gentiles. Some of the Jews were left behind during the captivity and they married Gentiles. Therefore to the Jews they were not worth seeing or doing anything with. A normal Jew would not go through Samaria because he would have the wrath of the religious leaders.

Jesus said that he “must” go through Samaria. While in Samaria he does something else that is not normal – he talks to a woman alone. Part of their conversation is recorded in this verse. They move from literal water to spiritual water or living water to worship. She is trying to sideline Jesus by asking a question regarding worship.

Jesus answers her question with a revelation. She wanted to show reverence to God in the mountain where she lived. She said that the Jews showed reverence in Jerusalem. Jesus tells her that those who truly show reverence will do it in spirit and in truth.

Reverence will be something that comes from the inside and works its way out. The Jews had an external practice of showing reverence by going to the temple and sacrificing but their hearts were far from the LORD. Jesus wanted her to realize that true reverence comes from the heart. Jesus wanted her to adore God from the inside out. HE wanted her to know the truth of the Word of God and include this in her adoration time.

Do we go to church as a duty or a privilege? Do we just go through the motions or mean business with God. Do we go to church to use the gift HE has given to us at the point of salvation or do we hide our gift in a pew? If we are truly going to adore the LORD on Sunday we will be very active in the singing. If we are truly going to adore the LORD on Sunday we are going to use our God-given gift in that local church. IF these things are not true – Are we truly adoring the LORD we claim to serve?

If we show reverence to God in our spirit, we are truly reverencing HIM. Are we willing to prostrate ourselves before God in our hearts? Are we willing to be humble before HIM? Are we willing to show all those around us that we mean business in our adoration of HIM?

CHALLENGE: Find your spiritual gift and use it in the local church. Don’t waste it by just sitting in the pew each Sunday.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 34 Jesus said to them, MY meat is to do the will of HIM that sent me, and to finish HIS work. (5048 “finish” [teleioo] to complete, to accomplish thoroughly or entirely, understood as making perfect or complete, or make genuine)

DEVOTION: Jesus had an assignment given to HIM before the foundation of the world. Before the triune God created the world they knew what was going to happen in the Garden of Eden. They are omniscient.

In the fullness of time Jesus was born of a woman to save those in the world who would become followers of HIM. HE came to spread the good news of the gospel to even the Samaritans.

HE stated to the disciples that HE enjoyed sharing the truth of HIS mission with those who would listen. HE shared it with the woman at the well, so that, she and the other Samaritans knew that they were included in God’s plan for eternity.

Jesus shared truth with all those HE met. To HIM sharing the truth of HIS mission was food to HIS belly. HE was doing the Father’s will for HIS appearance here on this earth.

Not only did HE share the good news but HE promised to finish the work that HE had started. The cross was only one aspect of HIS work. HE was on a mission to train disciples to witness the truth of HIS teachings to their world who would in turn share the same truth to those in their world until HE returned to set up HIS kingdom.

We are one of the generations that need to share the truth of HIS coming. It should fill us with joy in our inner being. It should be food to our soul. We need to finish HIS work until HE comes for us.

CHALLENGE: What will HE find us doing when HE comes to take believers to join HIM in the sky? Are you a genuine believer today? If not, will you become one?

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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

Jesus answers how to worship verse 20- 24

Feast verse 45

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

Father verse 21, 23

Father is to be worshipped verse 21

Father worshipped in spirit and truth verse 23

Father seeks true worshipers verse 23

Will of God verse 34

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)

Lord verse 1

Jesus verse 1, 2, 6, 10, 13, , 26, 34, 44, 46, 47, 48, 50, 53, 54

Weary verse 6

Prophet verse 19, 44

Messiah verse 25

Christ verse 25, 29, 42

Jesus tells woman he is Messiah/Christ verse 26

I am verse 26

Master verse 31

Jesus explains what real food is verse 32- 38

Sent verse 34

Finish Father’s work verse 34

Explains real harvest verse 35- 38

Jesus taught Samaritans verse 42

Savior of the world verse 42

Made water into wine verse 46

Healing of Nobleman’s son

(second miracle) verse 46- 54

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

God is Spirit verse 24

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)

God verse 10, 24

Gift of God verse 10

God is Spirit verse 24

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)

Samaria verse 5, 9

Sychar verse 5

Woman at well in Samaria verse 7- 30

Husband verse 16, 17

Samaritans verse 39- 43

Certain nobleman verse 48- 54

Heal son

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Adults living together without marriage verse 18

Not believe verse 48

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Baptized verse 1, 2

Disciples verse 1, 2, 8, 27

Gift verse 10

Living water verse 10, 11

Never thirst verse 14

Worship verse 20- 24

Believe verse 21, 39, 41, 42, 48, 50,53 Salvation verse 22

Worship in spirit and truth verse 24

Witness verse 28, 29

Look at harvest verse 35

Rejoice verse 36

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

Pharisees verse 1

John the Baptist verse 1

Judaea verse 3, 47

Galilee verse 3, 45, 47

Jacob verse 5, 12

Joseph verse 5

Jacob’s well verse 6

Jew verse 9, 22

Jerusalem verse 20, 21, 45

Cana of Galilee verse 46

Capernaum verse 46

Church (New Testament people of God)

Disciples verse 1, 2, 8, 27, 31

Disciples baptized instead of Jesus verse 2

Marveled HE spoke to Samarian verse 27

Last Things (Future Events)

Everlasting life verse 14

Life Eternal verse 36

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QUOTES regarding passage

4:10. Not only had Jesus’ request of the woman proven him to be above the biases of strictly observant Jews, but he himself now proffers ‘living water’ of which she knows nothing. She sees in him a weary Jewish traveller; she does not yet perceive his glory (cf. 1:14). If she had known who it was that was asking her for a drink, she would have been pressing him for a far better drink. The ‘gift of God’ that she does not recognize is probably the eternal life that only Jesus can bestow. Alternatively, Jesus is making use of Jewish categories, where the supreme ‘gift of God’ is the Torah (cf. Odeberg, p. 150). If that is the referent here, Jesus is saying that if the woman really knew her Torah, and who it was speaking with her, her response would have been quite different (cf. the rebuke to Nicodemus, 3:10, cf. 5:39–40).

Either way, what he promises is ‘living water’. The expression has been chosen to allow two levels of meaning. On the one hand, it denotes fresh, running water from springs. On the other hand, the expression belongs to a considerable network of metaphorical uses. This diversity in the proposed backgrounds (cf. Barrett, pp. 233–234) betrays the esteem attached to fresh water in a country where so much land is terribly arid, and where most of it is arid for much of the year. In such an environment ‘living water’ is an expression waiting to become a metaphor for highly diverse religious values. The obvious background, however, is the Old Testament. There God declares: ‘My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water’ (Je. 2:13)—that is, they have rejected the fresh, ‘running’ supply of God and his faithful goodness, choosing instead the stagnant waters of cisterns they themselves prepared, discovering even then that their cisterns were cracked, and leaving them with nothing to sustain life and blessing. But the prophets look forward to a time when ‘living water will flow out from Jerusalem’ (Zc. 14:8; cf. Ezk. 47:9). The metaphor speaks of God and his grace, knowledge of God, life, the transforming power of the Holy Spirit; in Isaiah 1:16–18; Ezekiel 36:25–27 water promises cleansing. All of these themes are picked up in John’s use of ‘water’ or ‘living water’ in this gospel (cf. notes on 3:5; 4:10–15; 7:38; 19:34). In John’s Gospel there are passages where Jesus is the living water as he is the bread from heaven (6:35), and other passages where he gives the living water to believers. In this chapter, the water is the satisfying eternal life mediated by the Spirit that only Jesus, the Messiah and Saviour of the world, can provide. (Carson, D. A. (1991). The Gospel according to John (pp. 218–219). Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans.)

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9–10 There was a trace of sarcasm in the woman’s reply, as if she meant, “We Samaritans are the dirt under your feet until you want something; then we are good enough!” Jesus paid no attention to her flippancy or to her bitterness. He was more interested in winning the woman than in winning an argument. He appealed to her curiosity by the phrase “If you knew.” He implied that because of the nature of his person he could bestow on her a gift of God that would be greater than any ordinary water. His allusion was intended to lift her level of thinking from that of material need to spiritual realities. (Tenney, M. C. (1981). John. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: John and Acts (Vol. 9, pp. 54–55). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

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4:10. Having captured her attention and stimulated her curiosity, Jesus then spoke an enigmatic saying to cause her to think. It was as if He had said, “Your shock would be infinitely greater if you really knew who I am. You—not I—would be asking!” Three things would have provoked her thinking: (1) Who is He? (2) What is the gift of God? (3) What is living water? “Living water” in one sense is running water, but in another sense it is the Holy Spirit (Jer. 2:13; Zech. 14:8; John 7:38–39). (Blum, E. A. (1985). John. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 285). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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Of course, our Lord’s request was simply a way to open the conversation and share with her the truth about “living water.” Whenever He witnessed to people, Jesus did not use a “sales talk” that He adapted to meet every situation. To Nicodemus, He spoke about new birth; but to this woman, He spoke about living water.

Jesus pointed out to her that she was ignorant of three important facts: Who He was, what He had to offer, and how she could receive it. Here was eternal God speaking to her, offering her eternal life! The Samaritans were as blind as the Jews (John 1:26). But our Lord’s words had aroused her interest, so she pursued the conversation. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 300). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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4:10 living water. The OT is the background for this term, which has important metaphorical significance. In Jer 2:13, Yahweh decries the disobedient Jews for rejecting Him, the “fountain of living waters.” The OT prophets looked forward to a time when “living waters will flow out of Jerusalem” (Eze 47:9; Zec 14:8). The OT metaphor spoke of the knowledge of God and His grace which provides cleansing, spiritual life, and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit (cf. Is 1:16–18; 12:3; 44:3; Eze 36:25–27). John applies these themes to Jesus Christ as the living water which is symbolic of eternal life mediated by the Holy Spirit from Him (cf. v. 14; 6:35; 7:37–39). Jesus used the woman’s need for physical water to sustain life in this arid region in order to serve as an object lesson for her need for spiritual transformation (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Jn 4:10). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)

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Ver. 10. Jesus answered and said unto her, &c.] In a very serious manner, in a different way from hers: if thou knewest the gift of God; meaning, not the Holy Spirit with his gifts and graces, as some think, but himself; for the following clause is explanatory of it; and who it is that saith to thee, give me to drink; and Christ is also spoken of in the Old Testament, as the gift of God, Isa. 9:6 and he had lately spoken of himself as such, ch. 3:16 and he is, by way of eminency, the gift of God; which is comprehensive of all others, is exceeding large, and very suitable to the wants and cases of men; and is irrevocable, unchangeable, and unspeakable: for he is God’s gift, as he is his own and only-begotten son; and he is given for a covenant to the people, with all the promises and blessings of it; and as an head, both of eminence and influence; and to be a Saviour of them, and a sacrifice for their sins; and as the bread of life, for them to feed and live upon; of which gift, men are naturally ignorant, as this woman was: they know not the dignity of his person; nor the nature and usefulness of his offices; nor the way of peace, righteousness, and salvation by him; nor do they see any amiableness, or loveliness in him; and whatever notional knowledge some natural men may have of him, they know him not spiritually and experimentally, or as the gift of God to them: thou wouldst have asked of him; a favour and benefit; for such who truly know Christ, the worth and value of him, and their need of him, will apply to him for grace, as they have encouragement to do; since all grace is treasured up in him, and he gives it freely, and upbraideth not; and souls are invited to ask it of him, and take it freely; nor is it to be had anywhere else: but knowledge of Christ, is absolutely necessary, to asking any thing of him; for till he is known, he’ll not be applied to; but when he is made known to any, in his fulness and suitableness, they will have recourse to him, and ask grace and mercy of him; and which is freely had: the Vulgate Latin very wrongly adds, perhaps; reading it, perhaps thou wouldst have asked; whereas our Lord’s meaning is, that she would certainly have asked: and he would have given thee living water; pardoning and justifying grace, every branch of sanctifying grace, and all the supplies of it; so called, because his grace quickens sinners dead in sin, and dead in law, and in their own apprehensions; and causes them to live in themselves, and before God; and because it refreshes and comforts, revives and cheers, and is like rivers of water in a dry land; and because it maintains and supports spiritual life in their souls; and it ever abides, and continues, and springs up unto everlasting life: for the allusion is to spring water, that bubbles up in a fountain, and is ever running; for such water the Jews call living water; see Gen. 26:19 where in the Hebrew text ’tis living water; which we, and also the Chaldee paraphrase, render springing water. So living waters with them, are said to be always flowing, and never cease. (Gill, J. (1809). An Exposition of the New Testament (Vol. 1, p. 783). London: Mathews and Leigh.)

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The references to Jesus as the giver of living water in 4:10–15 involve double entendre. On a physical level, “living water” refers to the highly sought-after fresh spring water as opposed to stagnant water (Gen. 26:19; Lev. 14:6; Jer. 2:13); on a spiritual level, it was God who was known to be the source and giver of life (Gen. 1:11–12, 20–31; 2:7; Job 33:4; Isa. 42:5). (On water symbolism in John’s Gospel, see Ng 2001.) In Num. 20:8–11, an incident to which Jesus may allude in the present passage, water gushes out of the rock, supplying the Israelites with badly needed refreshment (see also Num. 21:16–18). In Jer. 2:13 God laments that his people have forsaken him, “the spring of living water.” In Isa. 12:3 the prophet envisions the joy with which people “will draw water from the wells of salvation” in the last days. Rabbinic thought associated the provision of water with the coming of the Messiah (Eccles. Rab. 1:9; see also the reference to Exod. 17:6 in 1 Cor. 10:4).

In John’s Gospel Jesus is identified explicitly with the Creator and Life-giver (5:26), and he dispenses the gift of “living water,” later unveiled as the Holy Spirit (7:37–39). This end-time blessing, bestowed subsequent to Jesus’ exaltation, transcends John’s water baptism (1:26, 33), Jewish ceremonial purification (2:6; 3:25), proselyte baptism (cf. 3:5), and the torch-lighting and water-pouring symbolism of the Feast of Tabernacles (chaps. 7–8). It also supersedes nurturing or healing waters such as Jacob’s well (chap. 4) and the pools of Bethesda and Siloam (chaps. 5; 9). In fulfillment of the OT prophetic vision (Zech. 14:8; Ezek. 47:9), Jesus inaugurated the age of God’s abundance. Jesus’ offer of living water signals the reversal of the curse and the barrenness that are characteristic of the old fallen world (Beale 1997: 29). Jesus’ inauguration of the age of a new creation marks the fulfillment of the vision of texts such as Isa. 35.

The phrase “will in him become a supply of water welling up to eternal life” in 4:14 is reminiscent of Isaiah’s vision of people joyfully “drawing … water from the wells of salvation” in the last days (Isa. 12:3). In the future age envisioned by the prophet, people “will neither hunger nor thirst” (Isa. 49:10; cf. 44:3), and Yahweh will make “an everlasting covenant” with all those—Jews as well as believing representatives of “the nations who do not know you” (Isa. 55:4–5)—who follow his invitation, “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters … that your soul may live” (Isa. 55:1–3a; cf. Sir. 24:21; 1 En. 48:1; Tg. Neof. of Gen. 28:10 referring to the well at Haran; see Díaz 1963: 76–77). If people forsake their wicked ways, God in his mercy “will freely pardon” (Isa. 55:6–7). Indeed, Jesus will in short order turn the conversation to the woman’s immoral lifestyle and confront her with her sin (4:16–18).

As D. A. Carson (1991: 220) aptly notes, Samaritans, whose canon was limited to the Pentateuch, may not have appreciated such allusions to the Prophets, although John’s Jewish readers would have done so. What is more, even in the Samaritans’ own liturgy it is said regarding the Taheb (the Samaritan equivalent to the Messiah) that “water shall flow from his buckets” (cf. Num. 24:7; see Bruce 1983: 105). Later in John’s Gospel “living water” terminology is applied to the Spirit, who would be given to believers in Jesus subsequent to his glorification (7:38–39). The term “well up” (allomai) in 4:14 is used in Isa. 35:6 with reference to a lame person leaping up like a deer; the same sense is present in the term’s other two NT references, Acts 3:8; 14:10. This intriguing connection links the new life brought by the Messiah with Jesus’ (and the apostles’) healing ministry, which resulted in the restoration of physical life to those suffering from a variety of ailments.

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FROM MY READING:

THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD
And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
1 John 4:14
The whole biblical meaning of this particular term should be put like this: Christ is the Savior as the result of something that He has done. We must get rid once and forever of the idea that we are the actors or doers and merely receive encouragement from Him. Not at all! The biblical representation is that God sent Him into the world to do something, and that we are saved as the result of something He has done quite apart from ourselves and our own action. He has acted, and it is His action that produces salvation and the way of escape for us.
Now here is something that is utterly fundamental and primary, and unless we are agreed with this statement there is really no point or purpose in proceeding any further. Salvation, according to the New Testament—take, for instance, Colossians 1 where you have a perfect illustration of salvation—is something that is entirely worked out by the Lord Jesus Christ. It is something that has come to men and women as a free gift to them, and they have nothing to do but to receive this gift. It is something provided; it is the righteousness of God that is given.
That is something that is surely basic, and of course there is no phrase, perhaps, that puts all this more perfectly than that great and glorious phrase that was uttered by our Lord Himself upon the cross when He cried out, “It is finished” (John 19:30). With His last breath, as it were, He cried out, “I have done it! I have completed the work that You gave Me to do.” It is He who saves, and our salvation comes from Him and is derived from something He has done once and forever on our behalf.
A Thought to Ponder: Salvation, according to the New Testament, is something that is entirely worked out by the Lord Jesus Christ.

(From The Love of God, pp. 135-136, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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Hebrews 2
Because Christ was man as well as God, He is able to give aid to us who are human.
INSIGHT

Jesus is God, but He was also man; Jesus was man, but He is also God. It is essential that Christ be both God and man. If Christ were not man, He could not have died for our sins. If He were not God, His death would not have been sufficient to pay the price for the sin of mankind. Christ was the perfect sacrifice. In fact, He was the only possible sacrifice able to atone for the sins of man and appease the wrath of God. As you continue to read the book of Hebrews, you will realize that the author’s main point is simply this – the superiority of Jesus Christ. (Quiet Walk)

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A study conducted by the Barna Group in 2018 found that most Americans don’t like to talk about God. Only seven percent of Americans say they talk about spiritual matters regularly—and practicing believers in Jesus in America aren’t that different. Only thirteen percent of regular churchgoers say they have a spiritual conversation about once a week.

Perhaps it’s not surprising that spiritual conversations are on the decline. Talking about God can be dangerous. Whether because of a polarized political climate, because disagreement might cause a rift in a relationship, or because a spiritual conversation might cause you to realize a change you need to make in your life—these can feel like high-stakes conversations.

But in the instructions given to God’s people, the Israelites, in the book of Deuteronomy, talking about God can be a normal, natural part of everyday life. God’s people were to memorize His words and to display them in places where they’d often be seen. The law said to talk about God’s instructions for life with your children “when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (11:19).

God calls us to conversation. Take a chance, rely on the Spirit, and try turning your small talk toward something deeper. God will bless our communities as we talk about His words and practice them. by Amy Peterson (Our Daily Bread)

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Our Weapons
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh.” (2 Corinthians 10:3)
This verse introduces a famous apologetic charge to the saints. The key to the whole passage is the qualifier “we do not war after the flesh.”
We must conduct war with non-flesh weapons, since “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). Fleshly wisdom (2 Corinthians 1:12) often is nothing more than a “snare of the devil” (2 Timothy 2:26) and may well spoil us if we are not very careful (Colossians 2:8).
The objective, of course, is to bring every intellectual argument captive to the truth of Scripture. This is done by the pulling down of strongholds and “casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God” (2 Corinthians 10:5). This warfare, if not done according to the flesh (2 Corinthians 1:17), is “mighty through God” (2 Corinthians 10:4).
Nowhere in these verses is there permission or an implied need to learn the thoughts of the enemy before we can bring them into captivity. Biblical data insist that the flesh has “no good thing” (Romans 7:18) and cannot understand the things of God. The weapons we have are not fleshly (i.e., natural thinking, natural emotion, human reasoning, etc.). Our weapons (Ephesians 6) are the “sword of the Spirit” (offensive) and the “shield of faith” (defensive), and we’re protected by the full armor of God—praying always. It is not possible to learn all the subtle arguments of the enemy. What is possible, however, is a knowledge of the truth through our having the “mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16) that will make us sufficient for “all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)

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