A Study on the book of John Chapter 4

JOHN 4:1 – 54
Bible Study Notes Rev. Betsy Perkins

Jesus Extends His Ministry

o Have you ever gotten dehydrated without realizing that you were thirsty?
o What does thirst feel like? How would you describe it?

Jesus and the Woman of Samaria (4:1-26):

Joe Boyd, Bible Experiment – Gospel of John (RightNowMedia), 47:35-55:45

o How did the woman respond when Jesus first spoke to her? Why did she react this way?
o It would have been unusual for a woman to be at the well at noon. What might this indicate?
o The term “living water” is what today we might call “running water”. What did Jesus mean in verse 10, when he said he could give her “living water”?
Again and again in this gospel Jesus talks to people who misunderstand what he says. He is talking at the heavenly level, and they are listening at the earthly level. But because the one God created both heaven and earth, and because the point of Jesus’ work is precisely to bring the life of heaven to earth, the misunderstandings are, in that sense, ‘natural’. N.T. Wright
o How does that “living water” become a spring within the person who drinks it (verse 14)?
What Jesus says about this ‘living water’ makes it clear that he’s talking about something quite different, something for which all the water on earth is just a signpost, a pointer. Not only will the water he’s offering quench your thirst so that you’ll never be thirsty again. It will become a spring bubbling up inside you, refreshing you with the new life which is coming into the world with Jesus and which is the life of the whole new world God is making. Later, Jesus will say something like this again, and John will explain that he’s referring to the Spirit (7:37-39). Here the promise remains teasing, cryptic and puzzling. N.T. Wright
o Why does Jesus suddenly turn the conversation to the woman’s personal life?
o The traditional description of this woman is that she had loose morals and poor character. Are there other possible explanations for her life situation?
o What does the woman ask Jesus about as soon as she perceives that he might be a prophet?
o How does Jesus respond to her question about worship?
o What can we learn about worship from what Jesus says?
o This woman is the first person to whom Jesus explicitly reveals himself as the Messiah. Why do you think he chooses to do so for this woman, in this place?

Sowing and Reaping (4:27-42):

o How do the disciples react to Jesus’ interacting with the Samaritan woman? Why?
o What does the woman do at the end of her encounter with Jesus? What do her actions reveal about the way Jesus affected her life?
o What is it that has satisfied Jesus’ hunger?
Jesus is on tiptoe with excitement at what has just happened. From the woman’s point of view, the conversation has thrown her into happy confusion: she seems to regard Jesus as a cross between a fortune-teller and a Messiah, but at least it’s give her the energy to go and tell other people about him. For Jesus, the turn the conversation has taken, and the woman’s reaction, have shown him that here, outside the boundaries of the chosen people, away from Jerusalem itself, there is a spiritual hunger which, in however muddled a fashion, is ready to hear what he has to say. N.T. Wright
o This woman became the first evangelist to the Samaritan people. What is the work of sowing and reaping that is happening in the world today? Is there some “reaping” for you to do?
o What does this story reveal about God’s attitude toward women? Toward those outside the “chosen people”? Toward those who have lived sinful lives?
o How do Jesus’ actions in this story encourage you to treat others?

Jesus and Royal Official (4:43-54):

Joe Boyd, Bible Experiment – Gospel of John (RightNowMedia), 55:45-56:30

o What is troubling to Jesus about his ‘welcome’ back to the region of Galilee?
o The royal official is desperate for his son’s healing, so why does he return home without insisting that Jesus come with him as he had asked?
o How was the boy healed?
o John tells us this healing is the “second sign” Jesus performs. What is the difference between a miracle and a sign? What are these miracles “signs” of?
o What is the response that Jesus wants from the ‘signs’ he is performing?
o Are we ever tempted to get more excited about a blessing we received rather than the God who loved us enough to give it?

Lord, may we be ‘thirsty’ and ‘hungry’ for the right things! Amen.

In light of this passage and our discussion, what one truth about God and about yourself stand out as something to “take to heart” this week?
Are there steps you will take, by God’s grace, to more fully apply it to your life?

Resources: NIV Zondervan Study Bible, 2015
N.T. Wright, John for Everyone, 2002
Max Lucado, Life Lessons from John, 2018
Joe Boyd, Bible Experiment – Gospel of John (RightNowMedia), 2014

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