Jesus Met a Samaritan Woman
John 4:1-42
Jesus had been making disciples in Judea, and His disciples baptized people. Now Jesus had more followers than John the Baptist. Jesus began traveling back to Galilee. He traveled through Samaria and stopped in a town at the well. Jesus’ disciples went into town to buy food. While Jesus was at the well, a Samaritan woman came to get water from the well. “Give Me a drink,” Jesus said to the woman. The woman was surprised. “You’re a Jew,” she said. “Why are You talking to me? I’m a Samaritan.” Jesus said, “I asked you for a drink. You don’t know who I am. If you did, you would have asked Me for a drink, and I would give you living water.” The woman was confused. “Sir,” she said, “This well is deep, and You don’t have a bucket. Where do You get this ‘living water’?” Jesus said, “Anyone who drinks this well water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks from the water I give will never, ever get thirsty again! In fact, the water I give will become a well inside you, and you will have eternal life.” Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit, but the woman did not understand. “Sir,” she said, “give me this water. If I’m not thirsty, I won’t have to keep coming to this well to get water.” “Go get your husband,” Jesus said. “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus knew she was telling the truth. He said, “You don’t have a husband now, but you’ve had five husbands.” Jesus was right. “I see You are a prophet,” the woman said. Maybe this prophet could explain something to her. She said, “The Samaritans worship here on a mountain, but the Jews say we need to worship at the temple in Jerusalem.” Jesus said, “Soon you will not need to be in either of those places to worship God in spirit and in truth.” The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus said, “He is talking to you now. I am the Messiah.” The woman left and told the people in her town, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could this be the Messiah?” Many Samaritans believed in Jesus because of what the woman said. They asked Jesus to stay with them, and He stayed for two days. Many more believed because of what Jesus said. They told the woman, “We no longer believe because of what you said, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world.”
Christ Connection: Jesus offered the woman something no one else could give her—living water. Jesus wasn’t talking about water that she could physically drink; Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit who would satisfy her spiritual thirst. Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to those who come to Him by faith.
**This is a Lifeway Lesson**