Bible Reading
John 4:1-42 “Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. And he had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, 'Give me a drink.' For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, 'How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?' (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, 'If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.' The woman said to him, 'Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.' Jesus said to her, 'Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.' The woman said to him, 'Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.' Jesus said to her, 'Go, call your husband, and come here.' The woman answered him, 'I have no husband.' Jesus said to her, 'You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.' The woman said to him, 'Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.' Jesus said to her, 'Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.' The woman said to him, 'I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.' Jesus said to her, 'I who speak to you am he.' Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, 'What do you seek?' or, 'Why are you talking with her?' So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 'Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?' They went out of the town and were coming to him. Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, 'He told me all that I ever did.' So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, 'It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”
[21:35]John 15:9-11 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
[45:55]Luke 7:36-50 “One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, 'If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.' And Jesus answering said to him, 'Simon, I have something to say to you.' And he answered, 'Say it, Teacher.' 'A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?' Simon answered, 'The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.' And he said to him, 'You have judged rightly.' Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, 'Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.' And he said to her, 'Your sins are forgiven.' Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, 'Who is this, who even forgives sins?' And he said to the woman, 'Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
[48:25]Observation questions
- What details in John 4 show that the Samaritan woman was separated from the normal life of her town? [24:27]
- What does Jesus offer the woman before he speaks about her past, and how does she initially understand his offer?
- After Jesus reveals that he knows her story, what subjects does the woman raise, and what does Jesus tell her about true worship?
- What does the woman do after meeting Jesus, and how do the people of her town move from believing her testimony to hearing Jesus for themselves? [36:54]
Interpretation questions
- Why might Jesus’ choice to travel through Samaria and speak with this woman matter for people who feel ashamed, excluded, or too far gone for God? [29:39]
- Jesus brings the woman’s hidden story into the open without turning away from her. How does this show the difference between Jesus exposing sin to heal and people exposing someone’s sin to shame them? [27:05]
- The Samaritan woman’s invitation is simply, “Come and see.” Why is a personal story a helpful beginning for pointing someone toward Jesus, while still not being the final basis for that person’s faith? [42:02]
- In John 15, how does Jesus connect remaining in his love, obedience, and joy? Why is it important that salvation comes through Christ’s cross rather than through keeping commands well enough? [47:29]
Application questions
- Where might shame, regret, or the opinions of others be causing you to keep your distance from Jesus or from Christian community? What would it look like to bring that part of your story honestly to him? [53:32]
- The Samaritan woman came to Jesus carrying an ordinary water jar and left to tell others about him. What “jar” might you be holding onto—something you look to for life, control, comfort, or acceptance—that cannot truly satisfy?
- Think about your own story: How were you trying to save yourself, how did Jesus meet you, and how is he changing your life now? What is one simple, honest way you could share that story with someone this week? [41:39]
- Is there a particular person God may be inviting you to approach with a gentle “come and see” rather than pressure, arguments, or a polished presentation? What could that invitation look like in a real conversation?
- What hard question about God, suffering, sin, or faith tends to make you anxious or unsure? How could regular Scripture, prayer, and time with Jesus help you listen well and respond without flippancy or panic? [44:35]
- Where do you tend to treat Jesus’ commands as a way to earn God’s acceptance instead of as a response to his love? How might remembering Christ’s forgiveness change one area of obedience from duty into trust and joy? [54:08]
