NLT Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition - Flipbook - Page 30
J ohn 4
•
page 1804
17“I
don’t have a husband,” the woman replied.
J esus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband—18for you have had five husbands,
and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the
truth!”
19“Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. 20So tell me, why is it that you Jews
insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here
at Mount Gerizim,* where our ancestors worshiped?”
21Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer
matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. 22You Samar
itans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for
salvation comes through the Jews. 23But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when
true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for
those who will worship him that way. 24For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must
worship in spirit and in truth.”
25The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When
he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26Then Jesus told her, “I Am the Messiah!”*
Jesus Tells about the Spiritual Harvest (28)
then his disciples came back. They were shocked to find him talking to a woman,
but none of them had the nerve to ask, “What do you want with her?” or “Why are you
talking to her?” 28The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village,
telling everyone, 29“Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he
possibly be the Messiah?” 30So the people came streaming from the village to see him.
31Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus, “Rabbi, eat something.”
32But Jesus replied, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.”
33“Did someone bring him food while we were gone?” the disciples asked each other.
34Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who
27Just
4:20 Greek on this mountain.
4:26 Or “The ‘I Am’ is here”; or “I am the Lord”; Greek reads “I am, the one speaking
to you.” See Exod 3:14.
4:19
Matt 21:46
John 7:40; 9:17
4:20
Deut 11:29; 12:5-14
Josh 8:33
4:21
Mal 1:11
1 Tim 2:8
4:22
2 Kgs 17:28-41
Isa 2:3
Rom 3:1-2; 9:4-5
4:23-24
2 Cor 3:17-18
Phil 3:3
4:25
Deut 18:15
4:26
Mark 14:61-62
John 9:37
4:29
Matt 9:37
John 7:26
4:34
John 5:30, 36; 6:38;
17:4
4:16-20 When this woman discovered that Jesus knew all about her
4:20-24 The woman brought up a popular theological issue—the
private life, she quickly changed the subject. Often people become uncomfortable when the conversation gets too close to home, and they
try to talk about something else. As we talk to others, we should feel free
to gently guide the conversation back to Jesus and what he has done for
us. Jesus’ presence exposes sin and can make people uncomfortable,
but only he can forgive sin and give new life. We must recognize and
embrace this tension that we will often experience when we share our
faith with others.
correct place to worship. But her question was a smoke screen, a diversion, to keep the conversation from becoming too personal and
vulnerable. Her lifestyle had most likely brought much ridicule and
rejection from others, and she probably expected this from Jesus as
well. Jesus directed the conversation to a much more important point:
The location of worship is not nearly as important as the one whom
we worship. Jesus knew that once the woman recognized him as the
Messiah, her life choices would change as she was transformed into a
person constantly refreshed with living water.
4:22 When Jesus said, “Salvation comes through the Jews,” he meant
that only through the Jewish Messiah would the whole world find
salvation. God had promised that through the Jewish people the whole
earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). The Old Testament prophets had
called the Jews to be a light to the other nations of the world, bringing
them to a knowledge of God and showing them God’s way to live and
how to treat others. They had also predicted the Messiah’s coming.
The woman at the well may have known of these passages and been
expecting the Messiah, but she didn’t realize that she was talking to him!
4:24 “God is Spirit” means that he is not a physical being limited to one
place. He is present everywhere, and he can be worshiped anywhere,
at any time. Where we worship is not what counts but how we worship. Is your worship genuine and true? Do you have the Holy Spirit’s
help? How does the Holy Spirit help us worship? The Holy Spirit prays
for us (Romans 8:26), reminds us of the words of Jesus (John 14:26),
cleanses our minds and consciences (Titus 3:4-7), and tells us we are
loved (Romans 5:5).
4:34 The nourishment Jesus was speaking of was his spiritual nourishment. His spiritual nourishment came from doing God’s will and, in this
case, helping to bring his work of salvation to this woman. For us, it
includes more than Bible study, prayer, and attending church. We are
nourished not only by what we take in but also by what we give out for
God. Later, Jesus referred to completing God’s work on earth (17:4).
Mediterranean
Sea
N
GALILEE
Cana
Nazareth
Mount Ebal
SAMARIA
Capernaum
Sea of
Galilee
Jordan River
JESUS RETURNS
TO GALILEE
Jesus stayed in
Sychar for two days,
then went on to
Galilee. He visited
Nazareth and various towns in Galilee
before arriving in
Cana. From there
he simply spoke the
word, and a government official’s son
in Capernaum was
healed. The Gospel
of Matthew tells
us that Jesus then
settled in Capernaum (Matthew
4:12-13).
Mount Gerizim
Sychar
Jerusalem
JUDEA
IDUMEA
PE
RE
A
Dead
Sea
0
0
20 mi
20 km
