The Gospel According to Saint John
John 4
Chapter IV · Vol. IV, pp. 210–215
1 Christ talketh with a woman of Samaria, and revealeth himself unto her. 27 His disciples marvel. 31 He declareth to them his zeal for God's glory. 39 Many Samaritans believe on him. 43 He departeth into Galilee, and healeth the ruler's son that lay sick at Capernaum.
1 When therefore athe Lord knew how the Pharisees bhad heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,
a ch.1.1,14,18; 3.35; 13.13,14. Ac.10.36.
b ch.3.1,2,22,26.
3 He dleft Judea,1 and departed again into Galilee.
d ch.3.22. Mar.1.14,15. Mat.4.12. Lu.4.14. Mat.10.23.
1 He left Judea—that he might not give any unnecessary offence, even to the Pharisees.—C.
4 And ehe must needs go through 2Samaria.
e Lu.2.49; 17.11; 9.51-53. Mat.10.5. Ro.15.8.
2 The place in Judea where our Lord had sojourned, is not mentioned; but the chief road from Judea to Galilee passed through Samaria. The necessity, however, may have been as much spiritual as geographical—the necessity of doing his Father's work, by beginning to gather in his lost sheep, in the neglected region of Samaria.—C.
5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near gto the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.3
A.M. cir. 4034. A.D. cir. 30.
3 The place where our Lord rested is very distinctly indicated. 'Jacob's well' still exists in the mouth of the valley which leads up between Ebal and Gerizim, to Neapolis or Shechem. Sychar was probably a name of reproach given to Shechem, derived from a Hebrew word which signifies 'falsehood.' The main road from Jerusalem to Galilee runs close to the well, across the mouth of the valley. Our Lord, wearied with the journey, sat down to rest on the large stone which covered the well's mouth, while the disciples went up the valley to the town to buy bread.—P.
6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being hwearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.4Cited in WSC 27
7 There cometh a woman of Samaria5 to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
5 An inhabitant of Shechem, called Sychar, i.e. drunkenness.
8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? fori the Jews have no dealings6 with the Samaritans.
i 2 Ki.17.24-41. Ezr.iv.v. Ne.iv.vi. ch.8.48. Lu.9.51-53. Ac.10.28.
6 No dealings. No friendly intercourse of hospitality, such as implied mutual obligation. The ordinary dealings of buying and selling were not interrupted. See ver. 8.—C.
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest jthe gift of God,7 and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee kliving water.
j Ep.2.8. Is.9.6; 42.6; 49.6,8; 55.3,4. Ps.84.11. Is.44.3,4. Eze.36.27. ch.3.16. 1 Co.1.30. Ro.8.32.
7 The gift of God. Not one form of his gifts, but his gift in all forms. (1) His Son, Jn.3.16. 2 Co.9.15. (2) The gift of the Spirit, Jn.14.16. (3) Of pardon, Ro.5.16. (4) Of righteousness, Ro.5.17. (5) Eternal life, Ro.6.23, &c. Chiefly, however, it implies the gift of the Spirit through the word of truth (see ver. 14)—the 'living water' from Christ the Rock, 1 Co.10.4.—C.
11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, lthou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
12 Artn thou greater than our8 father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
8 False, 2 Ki.17.24.
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water oshall thirst again:
o ch.6.27,58.
14 Butp whosoever drinketh 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.
15 The woman saith unto him, qSir, Give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
18 For thou hast had five husbands;9 and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.1
9 Who, it seems, had divorced her for whoredom, and now she lived with another whoremonger. [Who were dead—(an event in such times, and in such a troubled country, by no means improbable); or who, or some of whom, had successively divorced her—an event in such a licentious country so common as not to be regarded.—C.]
1 Since our Lord admits the woman said truly, 'I have no husband'—then how came he to say to her, 'Go, call thy husband,' ver. 16? In ver. 16 the meaning is, 'Go call (him that is called) thy husband.'—In ver. 17, 'Thou hast well said, I have no (real) husband.'—C.
20 Our2 fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in sJerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.3
2 Ge.12.6; 33.18-20. Ju.9.7. There Sanballat had, on Mount Gerizim, built a temple for Manasseh, a Jewish priest, who had married his daughter.
3 Mount Gerizim, the sanctuary of the Samaritans, rose immediately beside the well; and the ruins of the temple which had been built upon its summit were visible from the spot where the woman stood. The great controversy between the Jews and Samaritans was whether worship ought to be offered up on Gerizim or Moriah. As Christ's words proved him to be a prophet, the woman seized upon the opportunity to have the question solved. Our Lord's answer embodies a great principle, that true worship is the worship of the heart, and is acceptable wherever offered.—P.
s De.12.5-11. 1 Ki.9.3. 2 Ch.6.6; 7.12,16. Ps.48.1,2; 78.68,69; 87.1,2; 132.13,14.
21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, twhen ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.Cited in WCF 21.6 · HC 80
22 Yeu worship ye know not what: we vknow what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.Cited in WLC 60 · WCF 10.4, 20.2 · HC 80, 117
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the xtrue worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit4 and in truth:5 for the Father seeketh such to worship him.Cited in WCF 21.6 · HC 80, 96, 117
24 Gody is a Spirit:6 and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.Cited in WSC 4 · WLC 7 · WCF 2.1, 21.6 · HC 80, 96, 117
y 2 Co.3.17. 1 Ti.1.17. Ro.1.9. Phi.3.3.
6 God is a Spirit. —Neither sun, nor moon, nor stars—neither a dead image of wood, stone, nor metal—neither beast nor man—revealed by no qualities but eternity of being, infinity of wisdom, almightiness of power, spotless holiness, tender mercy, and all-attractive love.—C.
25 The woman saith unto him, I know that zMessias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
z ch.1.41,49. Da.9.24-26. Is.42.1; 11.2,3; 61.1-3. Pr.1.20-23. De.18.15-18. ver.29,39.
27 Andb upon this came his disciples, and cmarvelled that he talked with the woman:7 yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?
31 In the meanwhile his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
33 Thereforei said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
i Mat.16.6-9. Lu.9.5. ch.12.16; 3.12.
34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me,9 and to finish his work.1
9 Job 23.12. Ps.40.8. ch.17.4; 6.38, with Is.61.1-3. Lu.19.10. It delights my soul to convert these Samaritans.
1 This is another of those great principles which John loved to record, as developed in the words of his great Master. It was absolutely true with regard to Christ; it is in one aspect true with regard to every man.—'Our meat,' that which supports life, is to do God's will. If we do it not we are under the curse, from which no human power or means can save us.—P.
35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; jfor they are white already to harvest.
36 Andk he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: lthat both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
k Mat.10.10. 2 Ti.4.8. 1 Th.2.19,20. Ro.1.13; 6.22.
l 1 Co.3.5-9. He.11.26. Re.18.20.
38 Io sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: pother men laboured, and qye are entered into their labours.
39 Andr 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.
40 So swhen the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
42 And said unto the woman, uNow we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that vthis is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.Cited in WSC 24 · WCF 14.2
A.M. cir. 4034. A.D. cir. 30.
v 1 Jn.4.14; 2.2. Mat.18.11; 20.28; 28.18,19. Lu.2.10,11,32; 19.10. Mar.16.15,16. ch.3.14-18; 6.37. 1 Jn.4.14.
44 For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.2
2 Our Lord's own or native country was Judea—his town, Bethlehem—and being honoured in Samaria, the land of strangers, he departs into Galilee, his adopted country, where, 'his own' at Jerusalem having rejected him, he is again received with honour. Thus Schleusner's change of 'for' into 'though,' is rendered, as it is rather unnatural, utterly unnecessary.—C.
45 Thenz when he was come into Galilee, the Galileans received him, having seen aall the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast.
z Mat.4.23,24. Mar.1.14. Lu.4.31,32.
a ch.2.13-23. Lu.13.1. Ex.23.14-17; 34.23. De.16.1,16.
46 So Jesus came again into bCana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman,3 whose son was sick at Capernaum.
47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besoughtc him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.
49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, ecome down ere my child die.
e ch.11.21,32,37. Mar.5.35,36.
50 Jesus saith unto him, gGo thy way; thy son liveth. And the man hbelieved the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.
52 Then inquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.
Notes
Ver. 10, 14. Christ himself, in all his offices, work, and fulness, is God's gift granted freely to sinners; and the water which he gives is the Holy Ghost, in his person, operation, graces, and comforts, which solidly satisfies the soul, weans it from the cares of this world, prevents its perdition, and gradually prepares for, and seek to bring, the eternal and inexpressible holiness and happiness of the heavenly state. 35-38. The coming of yonder crowds of Samaritans to hear and believe on me, betokens the near approach of the gospel dispensation, in which multitudes, both Jews and Gentiles, will be converted to me;—as instruments in which ye shall be honourably owned and supported, and at last amply rewarded, in their and your own eternal salvation;—and shall, together with John Baptist and the ancient prophets, who sowed the good seed of the Word, rejoice in your success:—and being sent by me to preach the gospel in all the world, and having the advantage of all my labours, as also that of the preceding prophets, ye shall perfect that blessed work, which we only began, in the conversion and eternal salvation of men.
Ver. 11. Nothing to draw with. Travellers in the East frequently carry a leathern bucket, with which they draw from public wells by means of the rope and wheel.—The well is deep. Maundrell estimates the depth of the well called Jacob's at thirty-five yards, with five yards depth of water in the bottom. It is cut in the solid rock—what kind is not mentioned—and if it really be the well which Jacob dug, which can scarcely be doubted, it affords an interesting view of the engineering skill, perseverance, and expenditure of those ancient times. C.
**Reflections.—**Those who hate the gospel will always be exasperated at its success. And if duty do not require us to stand, it is best to avoid their resentment by flight. Alas, how our sins pained our Redeemer, hunted him to and fro as a vagabond, fatigued him with travel, pinched him with hunger and thirst, exposed him to insult, and the want even of a draught of water! But cheerfully he laboured in seeking and saving that which was lost. Freely was he given by God. Abundant was his fulness of the Spirit, of grace, and every other permanent blessing: and he is earnestly intent on the full bestowal of them! And yet how are his blessings refused, even by such as infinitely need them, and for whom they are prepared! But so pungent are his convictions, so plain his instructions, so spiritual his exhibitions of God and his worship, so attracting his discoveries of himself and his Spirit, that even a heart hardened in whoredom and prejudice could not withstand them. And yet, alas, how often is the believer's sensible fellowship with Christ interrupted when at the very sweetest! A remarkable renovation of heart produces a deep concern for the salvation of others. No shame, no pains, are counted too much to win them to Christ. Perpetual and powerful are the labours of a Saviour; and inexpressible his delight in saving sinners, particularly the Gentiles. Happy is it when the labours of one generation of ministers prepare remarkable fruitfulness for their successors. And greatly efficacious is the gospel when preached and heard as indeed the Word of Christ. It often does most good where it could have been least expected; and helps the bitterest enemies cordially to apply Jesus as their own Saviour. But aggravated is their wickedness who misimprove the best opportunities. Happy are those troubles which graciously direct sinners to him and his salvation; and when staggerings of heart issue in the firmness of faith. Happy is it when heads of families, great and small, are given to fervent prayer, and deeply concerned for the real and eternal life of children and servants; and when new favours from Christ, and a comparison of spiritual experiences, confirm men's faith; and especially when whole families are converted by his grace!