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Summit Church
See The Signs Pt 4 | Living Water | Jim Ladd
Locations & Times
Summit Church
7200 S Clinton St, Centennial, CO 80112, USA
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 10:45 AM
The Big Idea: Jesus comes to your hiding spot and offers you a better way.
Remember the purpose of John's Gospel (20:31): "That you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah and by believing you may have life in His name."
HOW TO STUDY THIS (Skill Moment)
This week, do what we set up last week: put Nicodemus and this woman side by side.
Nicodemus — male, Jewish, respected religious leader, comes to Jesus at night, by choice, with status to protect. This woman — Samaritan, shamed, anonymous, meets Jesus at noon, by accident, with nothing left to protect. Two completely different people. Same offer. Same Jesus.
When you're studying a Gospel, look for these deliberate pairings. Writers put contrasting stories back-to-back on purpose. The contrast itself is the sermon — it tells you this isn't an offer for the religious insiders only. It's for everyone, on every rung of respectability.
This week, do what we set up last week: put Nicodemus and this woman side by side.
Nicodemus — male, Jewish, respected religious leader, comes to Jesus at night, by choice, with status to protect. This woman — Samaritan, shamed, anonymous, meets Jesus at noon, by accident, with nothing left to protect. Two completely different people. Same offer. Same Jesus.
When you're studying a Gospel, look for these deliberate pairings. Writers put contrasting stories back-to-back on purpose. The contrast itself is the sermon — it tells you this isn't an offer for the religious insiders only. It's for everyone, on every rung of respectability.
Great News for Dry Souls:
ONE: He Wants to Drink from Your Cup
(4:1–9)
Verse 4 says Jesus "had to go through Samaria." Geographically, that's not quite true — most Jews crossed the Jordan to avoid Samaria entirely because of centuries of racial and religious hostility between the two groups.
"Jesus had a divine appointment."
This is the dominant interpretation among modern Johannine scholars.
The necessity is not geographic - It is theological.
Jesus "must" go because the Father has work for Him there.
ONE: He Wants to Drink from Your Cup
(4:1–9)
Verse 4 says Jesus "had to go through Samaria." Geographically, that's not quite true — most Jews crossed the Jordan to avoid Samaria entirely because of centuries of racial and religious hostility between the two groups.
"Jesus had a divine appointment."
This is the dominant interpretation among modern Johannine scholars.
The necessity is not geographic - It is theological.
Jesus "must" go because the Father has work for Him there.
Throughout John, δεῖ ("must") usually refers to God's saving plan.
Examples:
* "The Son of Man must be lifted up." (3:14)
* "We must work the works of Him who sent me." (9:4)
* "I have other sheep... I must bring them also." (10:16)
John deliberately uses the same verb in 4:4.
Thus Jesus is not simply taking a road.
He is obeying the Father's mission.
Examples:
* "The Son of Man must be lifted up." (3:14)
* "We must work the works of Him who sent me." (9:4)
* "I have other sheep... I must bring them also." (10:16)
John deliberately uses the same verb in 4:4.
Thus Jesus is not simply taking a road.
He is obeying the Father's mission.
Jesus didn't have to go through Samaria. He chose to, because He had an appointment with somebody the rest of His world had written off.
He sits down at Jacob's well, tired from the journey, and asks a Samaritan woman for a drink. That single request breaks at least two social rules at once: a Jewish man speaking publicly to a woman, and a Jew accepting a drink from a Samaritan's vessel.
She says it herself — verse 9 — "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?"
And He knows her story - to drink from the cup of a sinner would taint Him. NOT.
She says it herself — verse 9 — "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?"
And He knows her story - to drink from the cup of a sinner would taint Him. NOT.
TWO: He wants you to drink from His Cup
Word Study — Hydōr Zōn (ὕδωρ ζῶν): "Living water" had a literal meaning in that culture — fresh, moving water from a spring, as opposed to stagnant well water. So her first response is practical: "Sir, you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep." Same misunderstanding pattern as Nicodemus — grabbing the literal layer.
But Jesus is reaching for the Old Testament image of God Himself as the spring of living water
Jeremiah 2:13
"My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water."
Jeremiah 17:8 - they will be like a tree planted by the water, sends out roots..
Psalm 1 - that person shall be like a tree planted by streams of water...
Ezekiel 47 - water flowing from the Temple...
Revelation 22 - Eden restored - river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb...
But Jesus is reaching for the Old Testament image of God Himself as the spring of living water
Jeremiah 2:13
"My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water."
Jeremiah 17:8 - they will be like a tree planted by the water, sends out roots..
Psalm 1 - that person shall be like a tree planted by streams of water...
Ezekiel 47 - water flowing from the Temple...
Revelation 22 - Eden restored - river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb...
THREE: He wants you to tell your story.
Being fully alive is your witness to the world. (4:27–42)
She leaves her water jar — small detail, big meaning. The thing she came for stopped mattering compared to what she'd just found. She runs into town — the same town she'd been avoiding people from at noon — and says, "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?"
Being fully alive is your witness to the world. (4:27–42)
She leaves her water jar — small detail, big meaning. The thing she came for stopped mattering compared to what she'd just found. She runs into town — the same town she'd been avoiding people from at noon — and says, "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?"
Question for the week: Are you more like Nicodemus — using your knowledge or your respectability as a shield, keeping Jesus at arm's length even while you're curious? Or are you sitting at the well at noon, exhausted from trying to fill a thirst that nothing keeps satisfying?
Either way, He's not waiting for you to clean up first. He sat down at the well before she said a word.
Either way, He's not waiting for you to clean up first. He sat down at the well before she said a word.
RESPONSE:
1. Confess your pain and broken cistern to God.
2. Ask for the Living Water of the Holy Spirit.
3. Share your story in your Oikos.
1. Confess your pain and broken cistern to God.
2. Ask for the Living Water of the Holy Spirit.
3. Share your story in your Oikos.
Discussion Guide
Week 4: Living Water
John 4:1–30, 39–42
Icebreaker Question
If you could sit down over coffee or a meal with anyone in the Bible besides Jesus, whom would you choose and why?
Discussion Questions
1. What stood out to you most from this week's message or from reading John 4? What caught your attention, challenged you, or encouraged you?
2. Jesus met the Samaritan woman in the place where she was hiding. Why do you think people sometimes hide from others—or even from God?
3. Jesus intentionally traveled through Samaria to meet this woman. What does that tell you about how Jesus views people who feel overlooked, ashamed, or forgotten?
4. Jesus asked the woman for a drink from her cup before offering her "living water." What does this reveal about the way Jesus begins relationships with people?
5. Jesus said everyone gets thirsty again from ordinary water, but He offers something that truly satisfies. What are some things people chase today hoping they will satisfy them, but never completely do?
6. When Jesus lovingly told the woman the truth about her life, He didn't shame her. Why is it important that Jesus speaks both truth and grace? Have you experienced one without the other?
7. Jesus said true worship is about worshiping "in Spirit and in truth." What do you think that means in everyday life—not just on Sunday morning?
8. The woman left her water jar and immediately told others about Jesus. What do you think changed in her heart during that conversation?
9. Let's compare Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman. Which person do you relate to more right now?
Nicodemus—curious, thoughtful, but cautious.
The Samaritan woman—tired, hurting, and looking for hope. Why?
10. This week's response was:
Confess your broken cisterns.
Ask for the Living Water of the Holy Spirit.
Help thirsty people find Jesus.
Which of these three steps feels like your next step this week? What is one practical way your group can encourage you to take it?
John 4:1–30, 39–42
Icebreaker Question
If you could sit down over coffee or a meal with anyone in the Bible besides Jesus, whom would you choose and why?
Discussion Questions
1. What stood out to you most from this week's message or from reading John 4? What caught your attention, challenged you, or encouraged you?
2. Jesus met the Samaritan woman in the place where she was hiding. Why do you think people sometimes hide from others—or even from God?
3. Jesus intentionally traveled through Samaria to meet this woman. What does that tell you about how Jesus views people who feel overlooked, ashamed, or forgotten?
4. Jesus asked the woman for a drink from her cup before offering her "living water." What does this reveal about the way Jesus begins relationships with people?
5. Jesus said everyone gets thirsty again from ordinary water, but He offers something that truly satisfies. What are some things people chase today hoping they will satisfy them, but never completely do?
6. When Jesus lovingly told the woman the truth about her life, He didn't shame her. Why is it important that Jesus speaks both truth and grace? Have you experienced one without the other?
7. Jesus said true worship is about worshiping "in Spirit and in truth." What do you think that means in everyday life—not just on Sunday morning?
8. The woman left her water jar and immediately told others about Jesus. What do you think changed in her heart during that conversation?
9. Let's compare Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman. Which person do you relate to more right now?
Nicodemus—curious, thoughtful, but cautious.
The Samaritan woman—tired, hurting, and looking for hope. Why?
10. This week's response was:
Confess your broken cisterns.
Ask for the Living Water of the Holy Spirit.
Help thirsty people find Jesus.
Which of these three steps feels like your next step this week? What is one practical way your group can encourage you to take it?