John 4:1-26 “Living Water” (October 12th, 2025)

In the story of the woman at the well, we see a powerful picture of God’s relentless pursuit of those who are far off, and His willingness to cross every human boundary to offer the gift of living water. The journey begins with a reminder from Jeremiah 2, where God laments that His people have forsaken Him—the fountain of living waters—and have instead dug for themselves broken cisterns that cannot hold water. This ancient indictment is not just for Israel, but for all of us who seek satisfaction and meaning in things that ultimately leave us empty.

Jesus, weary from His journey, sits at Jacob’s well and initiates a conversation with a Samaritan woman—a person doubly marginalized by her ethnicity and her personal history. In doing so, He shatters social, cultural, and moral barriers. The woman’s isolation, seen in her coming to the well at noon, is met by Jesus’ intentional presence. He offers her living water, a metaphor for the Holy Spirit and the new life that only He can give. This water is not earned; it is a gift, freely given to all who recognize their need and come to Him.

The woman’s story is one of repeated disappointment—five husbands and a current relationship outside of marriage—yet Jesus does not shame her. Instead, He reveals that her deepest thirst is not for human love or acceptance, but for the life only God can give. Her brokenness becomes the very means by which she encounters Christ. Jesus redirects her from surface-level concerns to the heart of true worship: not in a particular place, but in spirit and truth, through Himself.

This encounter challenges us to examine the “cisterns” we have dug—those things we turn to for comfort, identity, or escape. It reminds us that only Jesus can satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts. The living water He offers is not a temporary fix, but a wellspring of eternal life. Our past, no matter how broken, can become a testimony to God’s grace when we bring it to Him. As we gather as God’s people, we are called to drink deeply from this well, to find our unity and hope in Christ, and to extend His invitation to others who are thirsty.

Key Takeaways

• 1. God’s Living Water Crosses Every Boundary God’s pursuit of us is not hindered by our social status, ethnicity, or moral failures. Jesus intentionally enters the places of deepest division and shame, offering Himself as the source of true life. No barrier—whether self-imposed or constructed by others—can keep Him from reaching us with His grace. [34:21]
• 2. Broken Cisterns and the Illusion of Satisfaction We are all tempted to seek fulfillment in things that cannot ultimately satisfy—relationships, achievements, substances, or approval. These “broken cisterns” may offer temporary relief, but they leave us spiritually dehydrated. God’s grace is often revealed when these pursuits fail, pointing us back to the only source of living water. [05:06]
• 3. The Gift of Living Water Is Freely Given, Not Earned Jesus makes it clear that the living water He offers is a gift, not a reward for good behavior or religious effort. Our role is not to manufacture faith or worthiness, but to recognize our need and receive what He alone can give. This gift is the Holy Spirit, who brings new birth and lasting satisfaction. [41:03]
• 4. Our Deepest Wounds Can Lead Us to Christ The Samaritan woman’s painful history was not wasted; it became the very path that led her to a life-changing encounter with Jesus. In God’s providence, our failures and wounds can become the means by which we are drawn to Him. When surrendered, our past becomes a testimony to His power to redeem and transform. [46:15]
• 5. True Worship Flows from Encountering Jesus Worship is not about location, ritual, or outward conformity, but about meeting God in spirit and truth through Christ. Jesus is the true temple, the meeting place between God and humanity. As we drink from the well of His grace, our lives become a living proclamation of His salvation, and we are empowered to invite others to come and see. [49:27]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [02:52] - Jeremiah’s Warning: Broken Cisterns
• [04:08] - God’s Provision and Israel’s Rebellion
• [16:14] - Prayer for the Church and the World
• [18:18] - Introduction to John 4: The Woman at the Well
• [20:21] - Living Water: A Surprising Gift
• [22:34] - The Geography and Division of Samaria
• [25:00] - The Roots of Jewish-Samaritan Hostility
• [27:13] - Jesus Crosses Social and Moral Boundaries
• [30:22] - The Humanity and Deity of Jesus
• [31:28] - The Samaritan Woman’s Isolation
• [34:21] - Barriers to God and the Power of Grace
• [36:06] - The Gift of Living Water Explained
• [41:03] - The Freeness of God’s Gift
• [44:56] - Jesus Exposes the Heart’s True Thirst
• [49:27] - True Worship in Spirit and Truth
• [56:30] - The Invitation: Come and Drink
• [57:32] - The Lord’s Table: Fulfillment of Passover
• [59:51] - Signs, Salvation, and the New Covenant
• [65:16] - Final Song and Benediction

Bible Reading

John 4:1-26 (ESV) —
> 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.”

Observation Questions

1. What boundaries—social, cultural, or moral—did Jesus cross in his conversation with the Samaritan woman? ([32:44])
2. According to Jesus, what is the “living water” he offers, and how is it different from the water in Jacob’s well? ([36:41])
3. How does the woman’s personal history come up in the conversation, and how does Jesus respond to it? ([43:21])
4. What does Jesus say about the true place and nature of worship? ([49:27])

Interpretation Questions

1. Why do you think Jesus chose to speak with someone who was so isolated and marginalized, both by her community and by her personal choices? What does this reveal about God’s heart? ([34:21])
2. The woman at the well had tried to find fulfillment in relationships, but was still left empty. What are some “broken cisterns” people turn to today, and why do they fail to satisfy? ([45:16])
3. Jesus says the living water is a gift, not something earned. How does this challenge the way people often think about religion or spirituality? ([41:03])
4. When Jesus talks about worshiping “in spirit and truth,” what does he mean, and how does this change the way we think about worship today? ([49:27])

Application Questions

1. Are there any boundaries—social, cultural, or personal shame—that you feel keep you from coming to Jesus or from reaching out to others? How might Jesus’ example challenge you to cross those boundaries? ([34:21])
2. What are some “cisterns” (things, habits, or relationships) you have turned to for comfort, identity, or escape that have left you feeling empty? What would it look like to bring these to Jesus? ([45:16])
3. The living water is a gift, not a reward. Do you ever find yourself trying to “earn” God’s love or approval? How can you remind yourself to receive his grace freely? ([41:03])
4. Think about a time when your own failures or wounds led you to a deeper encounter with God. How did God use your brokenness to draw you closer to him? ([46:15])
5. Jesus redirected the woman from surface-level concerns to the heart of true worship. Are there ways you focus on outward things—like routines, places, or appearances—instead of meeting God in spirit and truth? What would it look like to shift your focus? ([49:27])
6. The woman’s story became a testimony to God’s grace. Is there a part of your past that you are ashamed of, but that God might want to use as a testimony? How could you share your story to encourage someone else? ([55:00])
7. As a group, how can we help each other “drink deeply” from the well of Christ, and extend his invitation to others who are thirsty? ([52:41])