John 4:9, commentary and pictures

The verse lays bare the deep hostility between Jews and Samaritans who had no dealings with one another, so the woman is astonished that a Jewish man asks a Samaritan woman for a drink at Jacob's well at Sychar, where He sits weary and thirsty and dependent on a stranger. By asking for water He deliberately sets that custom of avoidance at naught, using a request for kindness to cross the social and religious divide, mingle freely with Samaritans, and open the way to speak with her. Through ordinary talk about the well He offers something infinitely better and of far greater value, living water that satisfies the craving of mind and heart and springs up into everlasting life. His earnest words stir her heart so that she leaves her water-pot, goes into the city to invite others to meet Him, and her report brings many Samaritans to believe on Him. He treats her as a friend with pity and love, condemning her sinful life yet directing her to divine grace, showing a love not confined to any sect, party, race, nation, territory, or caste.

Hostility and Historic Setting

The saying lays bare a deep hostility in which Jews and Samaritans held no dealings and no social association with one another, so that a Samaritan woman is astonished when a Jewish man asks her for a drink. Her question turns on exactly that divide, why one who is a Jew would seek water from one who is a woman of Samaria. Necessary trade might still be permitted, yet rabbinical rule condemned social contact, to the point that a Jew would not accept even bread or water from a Samaritan hand. That refusal extended even to speech, for Jews would decline so much as to speak with Samaritans.

The refusal to deal was a Pharisaic custom rooted in prejudice, a separating barrier built up between the peoples. Underneath lay religious disagreement over what constituted true worship. The enmity ran so deep that opponents could hurl Samaritan itself as an insult.

The encounter happens at Jacob's well at Sychar in Samaria. There Jesus sits weary and thirsty, dependent on a stranger for a drink. Even in weariness He uses the meeting with one woman to open spiritual conversation.

She does not know who is near her. She sees nothing especially worthy in Him, and even asks whether He claims to be greater than Jacob. While thirsting for truth, the Truth stands beside her able to enlighten her, and she does not yet recognize Him.

Christ Crosses the Divide

Jesus deliberately crossed the social and religious divide by asking the Samaritan woman for water, using a simple request for kindness to build trust and open a way to speak with her and offer her the water of life. Her surprised question why a Jewish man would ask a Samaritan woman for a drink exposed that barrier, for Jews and Samaritans had no dealings with one another. Through ordinary talk about water at Jacob's well He created a conversation in which He could present something of far greater value.

Though Himself a Jew, He set the custom of avoidance at naught and mingled freely with Samaritans, accepting their hospitality, sleeping under their roofs, eating at their tables food prepared and served by their hands, teaching in their streets, and treating them with utmost kindness, courtesy, and human sympathy. By the tie of human sympathy He drew their hearts to Himself, and by divine grace brought them the salvation which the Jews rejected. His sympathy and social kindliness recognized the dignity of humanity, so that His words fell upon thirsty souls with blessed, life-giving power, awakening new impulses, making men long to become worthy of His confidence, and opening to these outcasts of society the possibility of a new life.

He did not make His work to constantly thrust upon the Samaritans that they were wrong, nor did He reproach the woman for coming to draw water. Instead He used the meeting to offer her the fountain of living water, something of far greater value than what she came to draw. He treated her as a friend with pity and love, condemned her sinful life, and directed her to divine grace as its remedy. His pitying love was not confined to any sect or party, race or nation, territory or caste, and His preaching at Sychar showed He did not share the intolerance of His people.

His visit to Samaria and even the Samaritans' rude treatment of Him did not lessen His love and mercy toward them. They later welcomed His messengers and received the gospel He brought.

Living Water Offered

Surprised that a Jewish man would ask a Samaritan woman for water, since Jews and Samaritans had no dealings with one another, she met Him at Jacob's well where His request for ordinary water crossed that social divide and opened a way to speak with her. He did not reproach her for coming to draw water, though she was living contrary to God's Word and saw nothing especially worthy in Him, even questioning whether He was greater than Jacob. Through that ordinary talk about the well He offered her something infinitely better and of far greater value, living water, the joy and hope of the gospel. That living water satisfies the craving of mind and heart and springs up into everlasting life.

At first she understood His words in terms of relief from the daily labor of drawing water, but the conversation led her to recognize her need. He saw her, a despised woman at Sychar's well, as an individual with an open, receptive heart, and He shared with her His richest instruction. To such hearers open to receive truth He speaks plainly with no parables, revealing the Father and the service acceptable to Him who reads the heart. In that same plain speech He declared Himself to be the Messiah.

The earnest conversation with this one Samaritan woman shows His deep personal interest in a single soul and how He teaches hearts open to receive truth.

Belief and Widening Witness

His earnest and eloquent words stir her heart with deep personal interest in a single soul. Moved by them she leaves her water-pot and leaves her errand at the well to go into the city and invite her friends to meet Christ. The woman whom others and even the disciples despised finds the Saviour and immediately carries the light to her countrymen.

Her report brings a whole city to hear Him. His attention and earnest words to one woman help lead many Samaritans of that city to believe on Him. The saving influence of those words has continued through the years since then.

His ministry does not depend on having a large audience. One person reached by Christ can become a means of bringing many others to the Saviour, for a single listener whose understanding is convinced can carry the message to many. Though weary He uses patient, good-hearted, thoughtful work with one person to teach spiritual truths and reach both her and the wider Samaritan community. That steady, thoughtful interest proves more lasting than excitement stirred by debate.

Prophecy Fulfilled and Mission

In asking for a drink while offering the water of life at Jacob's well, His work fulfills the promise in Eden that the Seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head, a work He will continue until every soul has been tested and tried.

The surprise of the woman that a Jewish man would ask a Samaritan woman for a drink shows the deep hostility and separation in which Jews and Samaritans had no dealings and did not associate with one another. The later reception of Christian believers in Samaria showed that this division and barrier was diminishing and decreasing. By the time Philip preached Christ in Samaria, the Samaritans welcomed the believers, listened to the message about Jesus, and received Christ's followers. In this the gospel was shown not to be confined to the Jews.

The Samaritans received the light of Christ and later welcomed His messengers and received the gospel, while the Jews rejected the salvation He brought by divine grace. Though a Jew, He set at naught the Pharisaic custom rooted in prejudice that built the separating barrier, and did not make His work to constantly thrust upon the Samaritans that they were wrong. He mingled freely with them, accepted their hospitality, slept under their roofs, ate at their tables food prepared and served by their hands, taught in their streets and among them, and treated them with utmost kindness, courtesy, and the tie of human sympathy. His visit to Samaria and even the Samaritans' rude treatment of Him did not lessen His love and mercy toward them, but by divine grace drew their hearts and brought them the salvation which the Jews rejected. The woman listened and accepted Him without any miracle, simply because she believed His word, was glad for the light, and went and published it to her neighbors, while Christ came to the Jews with majesty and grace shown in mighty healings and the mighty outpouring of His Spirit, yet prejudice reigned in their hearts so that even the mightiest miracles had no effect and they would not recognize Him.

He puts the new wine of kingdom truth and the precious lessons He came to give into the heart of the Samaritan woman though she was a sinner living contrary to God's Word. She at first did not recognize anything especially worthy in Him and questioned whether He was greater than Jacob, yet the encounter connects with the living water that springs up into everlasting life. The Jewish scribes and Pharisees would not receive that truth, being like old dried-up skin bottles that could not hold new wine, while she became a new bottle that could hold it. This proves the most convincing testimony of having truth is the attending spirit sanctifying the heart to be gentle, kind, forbearing, true and Christlike, in contrast to holding incorrect interpretations of Scripture and rejecting the revelation of the Spirit of God when ideas are crossed, even to murdering the Son of God. Her receptive response contrasts with the rejection of His work by those whose own interpretations were challenged.

After He spoke with the Samaritan woman the Samaritans came out and listened to Him. Their response shows that people who had not previously heard the truth could be more receptive than people who had already received evidence of God's work.

Doctrine and Scripture Connections

The question about a Jew asking drink of a Samaritan meets His request with controversy, singular to her, because the Jews thoroughly despised the Samaritans. It belongs to His invitations of mercy and goodness that cut away doubt about whether God will hear prayer and give mercy and favor. Here His mission work commences, leading to His offer of living water to her. Her case is presented to lift Him up and show God's matchless love for fallen humanity, that God gave His Son so that everyone who believes in Him may have everlasting life.

The depth of the hostility is seen in that their religious disagreement concerned what constituted true worship, and she found it strange that He, a Jew, asked her for a drink because Jews had no dealings with Samaritans. That enmity also appears when His opponents use Samaritan as an insult. His request crosses this division, which the good Samaritan's compassionate care also challenges. That hostility makes the Samaritan's compassionate care for a Jewish traveler especially striking, and contrasts with Christ's love for people who were His enemies.

The separation was such that Jews would refuse even to speak with Samaritans. The same kind of hostility toward another despised people is shown in the refusal to speak with Canaanites. The Canaanite woman knew of this barrier but appealed because she trusted His power and hoped for His mercy. He spoke important truths to one Samaritan woman at a well, showing His ministry did not depend on having a large audience. He is the source of living water, and that living water must also be in His followers, springing up to refresh those they influence. His work across that divide in reaching someone outside the learned Jewish audience and making the gospel known to a humble Samaritan woman shows that gospel invitations are for everyone. She represents those who hear and believe with practical faith, so that receiving the living water makes them a source of spiritual refreshment and missionaries who share with others.

Present Application and Warning

She was thirsting for truth while the Truth stood beside her able to enlighten her, and she did not know who was near her. Her condition pictures thirsting souls today who sit close by the living fountain yet look far away for refreshing water. Though they are told the water is close by, they will not believe it.

In apparently withholding from Christ the water He asked, the woman represents many who withhold from Him the recognition, sympathy, and love He hungers and thirsts for in return for His great love. That sympathy and love is the due of Him who purchased them with His own blood, and it cannot be withheld with safety. With a teachable spirit emptied of prejudice and ready to bring ideas to the Scriptures, a person believes the word and knows the doctrine without any miracle, simply because the word is believed. By contrast, a prejudiced heart rejects the light despite seeing majesty and grace in mighty healings and the mighty outpouring of the Spirit, so that even the mightiest miracles have no effect when prejudice reigns in the heart.

The most convincing testimony of having truth is the attending spirit that sanctifies the heart to be gentle, kind, forbearing, true, and Christlike. This stands in contrast to holding incorrect interpretations of Scripture and rejecting the revelation of the Spirit when ideas are crossed. Her meeting Christ's request for drink with controversy over a Jew asking drink of a Samaritan shows that gospel invitations of mercy and goodness cut away doubt about whether God will hear prayer and give mercy and favor. Here His mission work commenced in the offer of living water to one outside the learned Jewish audience, though she was a Samaritan stranger living in open sin, proving gospel invitations are for everyone.

His patient, good-hearted work with one listener whose understanding was convinced led her to carry the message to many others, and steady, thoughtful interest of that kind is more lasting than excitement stirred by debate. By sympathy and social kindliness He recognizes the dignity of humanity, setting at naught the custom of having no dealings with a despised people. His words fall upon thirsty souls with blessed, life-giving power, awakening new impulses, making men long to become worthy of His confidence, and opening to outcasts of society the possibility of a new life.