Love God Greatly - Our Security for Eternity: The Gospel of John Sample

Read: John 4:1–42

SOAP: John 4:13–14

Jesus replied, “Everyone who drinks some of this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks some of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again, but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.”

The Jews and the Samaritans did not like each other. The Samaritans were descendants from the nation of Israel and exiles of the Assyrian empire. The Jews were descendants of those from the nation of Judah taken to captivity in Babylon. The Jews viewed the Samaritans as less than Jews because they were descendants of the Israelites who had intermarried with foreign exiles. The tensions between the groups continued to mount, and the groups rarely interacted. Normally, when Jews traveled from Jerusalem in the south to Galilee in the north, they would avoid Samaria altogether, even though the route was longer. Jesus’ choice to travel through Samaria shows us His message was not only for the Jews but for the whole world.

The woman Jesus met at the well was in a desperate situation, in need of forgiveness, protection, and care. When Jesus commented on her five previous husbands and her current situation of living with a man who was not her husband, He highlighted her need for freedom from sin, true restoration, and unconditional love.

Jesus came to save and care for women and men just like this woman. She was trapped in sin, like we all are, desperate for healing, forgiveness, and care. Women in first-century Israel could not provide for themselves; they were dependent on a husband to meet their needs. This woman needed saving from both her sin and her desperate need for provision. Jesus stepped in, willing to save her and offer her forgiveness and true life in Him.

She came to the well to get water—the source of life. When she encountered Jesus, He instead offered her eternal life. The same way water is the source of life, the Spirit is the source of life. The Spirit, however, offers eternal life, something water is unable to provide. When the woman was in desperate need, Jesus offered her everything she would ever need: Himself. He alone can offer us eternal life, because He is the Son of God and the only way to eternal life.

Jesus explicitly acknowledged to the woman that He is the Messiah. The woman believed Him. She accepted His gift of living water and told everyone in her town what she had seen. When we believe in Jesus for who He is, our testimony will overflow to everyone we meet.