John 4:42, commentary and pictures

The Samaritans first believed because the woman told them He had told her all she ever did, then they heard Him themselves for two days and moved from faith on her word to personal knowledge that He is indeed the Messiah, the Christ. Their confession means His saving work extends beyond Israel and the Jews to all nations and all mankind, to people of every class with no nationality or condition beyond His love. He reached them across bitter Jewish-Samaritan enmity, mingling freely with the despised, accepting their hospitality and teaching in their streets with kindness that awakened their thirsty souls to new life. Their hearing shows the Holy Spirit impresses truth on hearts that listen, clearing doubts, convincing of need, and leading to acceptance of Him as Saviour and Redeemer without demanding a sign or miracle. Their example therefore calls each believer to hear Christ for himself and search Scripture personally, so faith rests on firsthand conviction rather than on another's testimony alone.

Setting at Jacob's Well

John 4:42 closes the story at Jacob's well with the Samaritans confessing Jesus as the Christ, the Saviour of the world. The meeting unfolded across bitter Jewish-Samaritan enmity, in which Jews avoided all dealing and social intercourse with Samaritans, would not borrow from them nor receive kindness, bread, or water, and did not seek to benefit them. Jesus sat by the well faint from hunger and thirst after a long journey since morning under the noontide sun, His thirst increased by cool water near yet inaccessible because He had no rope nor jar and the well was deep, sharing the lot of humanity as He waited for someone to draw. When a woman of Samaria came to fill her pitcher He asked her for a drink, for in the East water was called the gift of God and to offer drink to the thirsty traveler was a sacred duty, yet hatred kept her from offering kindness. With tact born of divine love He asked rather than offered a favor because trust awakens trust, seeking the key to her heart. He was the Saviour, the King of heaven come to this outcast soul asking service at her hands, He who made the ocean, controls the waters of the great deep, and opened the springs and channels of the earth, resting from weariness and dependent upon a stranger's kindness for even a drink of water.

He told the woman of her broken commandments and the sins of her life, yet showed He was her friend who loved and pitied her and that God would receive her as His child if she would forsake her sins. In joy she hurried away to the nearby town to call the city to come see the man who told her life and all she ever did. The people came out to Him, many first believing through her testimony, some coming at first out of curiosity to see and hear Him. At their request He stayed two days and taught them, laboring with the Samaritans, and many who listened repented of their sins and believed on Him as their Saviour, many more believing because they heard Him themselves. After the two days He left them to continue His journey to Galilee.

The verse closes the talk with the woman of Samaria and the Samaritans where the mission work of Christ commenced. It means the teachings and invitations of mercy and goodness of Christ are positive with no guessing, spoken as one having authority. His voice and words and articulation were in perfect harmony with the subject. So no soul need remain in ignorance and questioning whether mercy and grace and salvation can be found in God, whether the Lord will hear prayer and have mercy and give favor.

The despised woman at Sychar was among the hearers to whom Christ gave His richest teaching. He met her personally and recognized her receptive heart.

From Testimony to Conviction

Many first believed because of the woman's testimony that He told her all things she ever did, then they asked Him to stay with them and He stayed two days, and many more believed because they heard Him themselves and knew He is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. Their belief no longer rested on her word alone but became their own conviction through hearing His teaching, a move from faith based on her report to personal knowledge that He is indeed the Messiah. Their response came among people hungry to hear the truth, showing the value of personally hearing His word and the swiftness of harvest after sowing, as the seed of the woman's message and His teaching yielded a larger company of believers. These Samaritan believers afterward gave the persecuted flock scattered from Jerusalem a safe asylum rather than persecuting Christians.

The Holy Spirit impressed the truth on their hearts as they heard Him, so they knew for themselves that He is the Messiah, the Saviour of the world. Many came at first out of curiosity at the woman's report to see and hear Him, many believed because of her testimony and asked Him to stay, and many more then believed because they heard Him themselves and not only because of her word. By believing they drank the water of life He gives, and their words stand as a complete and full testimony to the truth. Those who received His words would carry the truth to others.

As they heard Him explain what they had not understood, their minds became clear and they were brought to the Saviour of the world. His teaching relieved their doubts, convinced them of their need for a Saviour, and led them to accept Him as their Saviour and Redeemer. They recognized Him as the Christ and the Saviour of the world, reflecting salvation offered beyond the Jews even as He taught among Samaritans despite the prejudice separating the peoples.

They were ready to receive Jesus as a teacher sent by God and to accept Him as the promised Messiah without requiring a sign or miracle to establish His divinity. Though He performed no miracles among them, they received His teaching, felt their need of a Saviour, and accepted Him as their Redeemer, while many Jews rejected Him. Their faith stands in contrast to questioning, conditional, sign-dependent unbelief that is interested in Jesus from selfish motives, desires some special temporal benefit through His power, and stakes acceptance or rejection on whether He performs the work required and shows signs and wonders. That unbelief remains ignorant of spiritual disease and terrible need of divine grace, staking faith on the granting of the favor sought. Their welcome of Him and acceptance of salvation stood in contrast to Jewish rejection and prejudice against other peoples.

People who have not previously heard the truth, like these Samaritans coming to hear Christ for themselves, may be more open to it than those who have received evidence of God's work and resist it.

Saviour of the Whole World

The confession is that Jesus is the promised Messiah whose saving work reaches beyond Israel and the Jews to all nations, to the whole world and all mankind. No nationality or social condition places anyone beyond His love, for He presents Himself as Saviour to people of every class, rich and poor alike, and His mission is not limited to the Jewish people. That faith rested on the promise of Scripture that the Messiah would bring blessing beyond Israel to all nations. It was formed as the Samaritans heard His teaching for themselves, without requiring a sign, and their welcome of Him and acceptance of salvation stood in contrast to Jewish rejection and prejudice against other peoples.

He came as prophecy foretold, not in royal display to free Israel from foreign rule and exalt Israel and subdue other nations, but in humble humanity to save from sin, to satisfy the soul's longings, and to give life its ultimate reward, as the one of whom Moses and the prophets wrote. The Jews refused to acknowledge Him in this role because they expected a majestic, powerful king who would compel the Gentiles to obey, not a meek and lowly servant who suffered humiliation. Their pride and mistaken expectation of worldly exaltation blinded them to the prophecies of His first coming, and Satan sought to keep them from recognizing Him by blinding them to those prophecies and leading them to expect a mighty worldly king. The prophecies gave sufficient evidence to unprejudiced minds that He was the Son of God and Saviour, yet the nation rejected Him and continued offering sacrifices while waiting for the Messiah who had already come.

His death made Him the Redeemer of mankind, for He gave Himself as the only offering for sin, and both Jews and Gentiles must believe in Him to be saved. His crucifixion and resurrection are sacred truths that anchor His disciples and give hope, calling all people to look to Him as their only hope, to walk in the way opened by His self-sacrifice, and to keep God's law. God overruled His enemies' attempt to prevent His authority, but this providence did not lessen their guilt. Presenting Christ in this role, together with His redeeming love and the cross, alongside the theory and evidence of the truth, can help hearers respond to the truth, win them to Him, and bear fruit to God.

He is God manifest in the flesh, the mystery hidden for ages, with matchless attractions that charm all who look to Him. Looking to Him gives life, while acceptance or rejection of Him decides eternal interests. The apostles' witness gives assurance that He is the Son of God on whom believers can rely, and martyrs who suffer and die for their faith testify that He is able to save completely.

John the Baptist taught his disciples to look to Jesus and follow Him as the great teacher and promised Messiah, and his own work was to prepare the way for Christ's ministry. John stood as God's representative to show the connection between the law and the prophets and the Christian dispensation, his work and ministry pointing back to the law and the prophets while pointing forward to Christ. Though his unselfish life marked with humility and self-denial and his fervent, sincere, courageous teachings, exhortations and reproofs led people to think he might be the promised Messiah, he did not turn to court favor or applause nor seek worldly honor or dignity. He earnestly assured his followers he was not the Christ and sought every opportunity when attention was directed to him to direct it to One mightier than himself.

Individuals among the Jews will yet receive Him as Saviour of the world, recognize that prophecy was fulfilled, and see the great sin of their nation in rejecting and crucifying Him. Unbelief in Him as the true Messiah and Saviour of the world will increase and spread before His second coming, spreading alarmingly.

Harvest and Crossing Barriers

The confession is the speedy harvest Jesus meant when He said the fields are white already to harvest. Sowing the gospel by testimony is followed quickly by an ingathering when hearers meet Christ for themselves and see the truth in Him, as sowers and reapers work together for the salvation of souls while Christ sows the Word of life in minds and opens them to the word of life. After the woman left Him to call the city to come see the man who told her life, the people came out to Him, and many first believed through her testimony. At their request He stayed two days and taught them, and many more believed because they heard Him themselves, moving from faith based on her word to personal knowledge that He is indeed the Messiah, the Christ, the Saviour of the world. Their coming was an object lesson to the disciples, teaching all who seek the salvation of souls how such sowing leads to reaping, and showing how a few can pass the light until a larger company believes.

The woman brought others to Jesus as soon as she found Him herself, carrying the light at once to her countrymen so that a whole city and the townspeople were brought to hear Him. One person's witness can thus bring many to hear Jesus, and the response of a whole city shows how one person's faith can bring many others to Him. She proved a more effective missionary than His own disciples, whose thoughts were fixed on a great work to be done in the future and who saw nothing in Samaria to indicate an encouraging field, and did not see that right around them was a harvest to be gathered. Through the woman whom they despised that harvest was gathered, for in joy she hurried to the nearby town to call the people to come and see Jesus, they came to the well and asked Him to stay, He remained two days and taught them, and as they heard Him explain what they had not understood their minds became clear, many repented of their sins and were brought to the Saviour of the world.

Jesus crossed the religious and social hostility and prejudice separating Jews and Samaritans, setting at naught Pharisaic custom and Jewish prejudice and constantly thrusting no barrier upon them. Though He was a Jew He mingled freely with the despised Samaritans, accepted their hospitality, slept with them under their roofs, ate with them at their tables partaking of food prepared and served by their hands, taught in their streets, and treated them with the utmost kindness and courtesy and human sympathy. By sympathy and social kindliness He recognized the dignity of their humanity and drew their hearts by that tie, so His words fell upon their thirsty souls with blessed, life-giving power, awakening new impulses and opening to these outcasts the possibility of a new life. His divine grace thus brought them a salvation the Jews rejected.

Their ready welcome prepared the way for His messengers to find welcome and safety among them later. These Samaritan believers did not persecute Christians but gave the persecuted flock scattered from Jerusalem a safe asylum, welcoming His messengers and receiving the gospel, and Philip's preaching there gathered many believers to faith and baptism. His visit in words and acts of mercy won their hearts and showed salvation was for all mankind, not limited by division, custom, nationality, or Jewish exclusiveness. This mercy toward a woman from a despised people helped direct the disciples' work among both Jews and Gentiles, especially after His death broke down the barrier between them.

Call to Personal Faith

The Samaritan confession is the pattern for every believer, for their faith did not rest merely on the woman's report but on hearing Jesus for themselves and recognizing Him as the Christ, the Saviour of the world. No one can safely rely only on another person's explanation, testimony, faith or confession, but each must personally seek and hear Christ, search Scripture for himself, and gain firsthand knowledge of the truth and of Christ. In this way faith rests on personal conviction grounded in evidence rather than on another's word alone, and each one who has heard for himself can confess Him from settled personal knowledge. The woman herself listened and accepted Him without any miracle at all because she believed His word, and being glad for the light she went and published it to her neighbors, and the Samaritans though hated received it.

That same movement from borrowed testimony to personal experience is how confidence is gained, for after overcoming obstacles and opposition in His name and faithfully carrying responsibilities, believers know His faithfulness and power for themselves rather than relying only on others' experience. By meeting difficulties in His strength they gain personal knowledge of His faithfulness and saving power. They therefore know from personal encounter that Jesus is the Christ, the Saviour of the world, and can confess Him with confidence.

His work was largely made up of personal interviews and faithful regard for the one-soul audience, and the truth given to the one Samaritan woman in personal conversation was carried from that one soul to thousands. The harvest began when one woman shared the truth with others, and their own encounter with Jesus led them to faith, showing how a few can pass the light until a larger company believes. One person's witness can thus lead others to hear Christ directly and believe, as sowers and reapers work together for the salvation of souls. Those who receive the living water become givers and missionaries and sowers in their turn, helping others find life in Christ and carrying the seed of truth onward.

Their confession encourages every genuine Christian in fields regarded as very hard, for while many will not yield to the convicting power of God's Spirit, many are hungering for light and salvation and will receive the truth and testify as the Samaritans did. Though regarded as a very hard field, they were ready to receive the truth and acknowledged the Master's words. The command to lift up the eyes and look on fields white already for harvest and to reap and gather fruit unto life eternal means looking on the necessities of men, including the destitute Southern field and the colored people who are neighbors to be loved as self, not merely deplored and passed by. Knowing the doctrine comes by coming to the Scriptures with a teachable spirit ready to learn, with the heart emptied of prejudice, bringing ideas to the Scriptures instead of bringing the Scriptures to ideas. Discernment can then know where God is working without wonderful miracles, for miracles did the Jews no good because prejudice reigning in the heart kept them from recognizing Him even when majesty and grace were manifested in mighty healings and the outpouring of His Spirit, leaving even the mightiest miracles with no effect. Thousands of hearts are reached in the most simple, humble way when youth are educated to help youth, gaining by that effort the experience that qualifies them for consecrated work in a larger sphere. The true honest words of a son or daughter of God spoken in natural simplicity unbolt the door to many souls long locked and refresh even the most intellectual praised as the world's most gifted, spoken as naturally as the worldling speaks of what his mind feeds upon, while well-prepared and studied words have little influence.