Next, we see that the woman at the well is gaining understanding, albeit slowly.
John 4:19 ESV The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.
She is beginning to understand a little more, but not enough. A prophet is not able to give “living water,” that will quench thirst forever. A prophet is not able to provide “eternal life” to anyone. Spiritual revelation comes slowly, little by little. “But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day” (Proverbs 4:18 ESV).
But now a subject comes up that is of vital importance:
John 4:20-24 ESV Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” (21) Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. (22) You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. (23) 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. (24) God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Question 3. What is the main subject Jesus addressed with this woman in John 4 verses 20-24?
In this chapter, Jesus helped this woman understand that the quenching of thirst, and worship, go together. From this, we can infer that if we learn how to drink of Jesus, receiving the Holy Spirit at the cross, the natural response will be worship of God. And when we worship God, we no longer look for something alluring and beautiful to worship!
And so, at the cross, Jesus was struck, was beaten and punished for you, and now you may drink long and often, quenching your thirst in His forgiveness, renewing your strength in His love for you, satisfying your heart in the water of the Holy Spirit that flows from the cross.
The woman at the well saw that her sin had not satisfied her, and she finally made the connection between “this water” and her life of sin. At the end of her encounter with Christ, we read:
John 4:28-30 NIV Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, (29) “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” (30) They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
The Samaritan woman had gone from man to man in an attempt to satisfy her cravings. She was likely filled with the shame of her life of sin, which is why she was out at the well around noon when nobody else was there.
But Jesus came to her, spoke kindly to her, offered her true satisfaction in the living water He would give her, and with it would come true worship to her heart. She was quenched and filled, and as a result, this Samaritan woman would make the same progression that all believers experience: she would go from thirsting to worshiping to evangelizing.
Question 4. Reading John 4:28-30, why do you think the woman left her water jar?
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