Let first take a look at why Jesus “must” go to meet the Samaritan woman. Their conversation then talked about the living water of the Holy Spirit. We can see what happened in the past regarding what the woman did. In the last time, we discussed in detail through the Greek in Strong’s Concordance regarding “1016 The worship place in New Testament”, and see that the worship must be in spirit and in truth. Finally, we can see that the woman chose to testify immediately. As the results, the Samaritans believed because they heard Jesus themselves.
The conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman is described in John 4:3-42. Therefore, we have to read quite a few verses. Regarding the meeting place, it is clearly stated in John 4:3-5, “He left Judea and went away again into Galilee. And He had to pass through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.” Please be aware that He didn’t have to go through Samaria to go to Galilee since He could take a longer path through the east coast of Jordan river to avoid Samaria. At that time, Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Many Jews choose such way to avoid Samaria.
Let us take a look at the reason why He had to go through Samaria. At the beginning, in John 4:8, it says, “…His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.” Thus, later on it says in John 4:27, “At this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, …” And in John 4:34, it says, “Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.” From these verses, we can see the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He had to go through Samaria to talk to this woman.
These verses tell us why they had the conversation. “and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)” (John 4:6-9)
In their first conversation in John 4:10-14, they talked about the living water, “Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” She said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?” Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.””
If one compares these verses with the following, you can see that Jesus was talking about rivers of the Holy Spirit. “Now on the last day (the Feast of Booths), the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'”” (John 7:37-38) In 2 Corinthians 4:7, it says, “But we have this treasure (the inside aboding Holy Spirit) in earthen vessels (old self), so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.” If we deny our old self, the treasure will come out, which is rivers of the living water.
Although Jesus met the woman the first time, He know what she did in the past. In John 4:15-18, it says, “The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.” He said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.” The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.”” Thus, the woman thought first that He was a prophet as in John 4:19-20 says, “The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.””
Next is what says in John 4:19-20 which talks about the fact that worshiping must be in spirit and truth. We have already discussed this in detail in “1016 The worship place in New Testament.”
Because what she said, Jesus admitted that He is Christ in John 4:25-26, “The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”” This is just like what happened in the other time where Jesus admitted the fact after the other said so. In Matthew 26:63-64, it says, “But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.””
After this, she chose to take an immediate action to testify as said in John 4:28-30, “So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and said to the men, “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?” They went out of the city, and were coming to Him.” As the results, “From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all the things that I have done.”” (John 4:39) “So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. Many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.””(John 4:40-42)
Therefore, sometimes, we have to take immediate actions just like what the Bible says, “Do not quench the Spirit.” (1 Thessalonians 5:19)
(Verses refer to those in NASB unless otherwise specified.)
(You can get all articles in “https://a-christian-voice.com/” under “On spiritual understanding about life.”)
aChristianVoice 一個基督徒的聲音 