Paths in Biblical Studies

Book of John · Chapter 4 of 21

John 4: Verse-by-Verse Commentary (with Videos)

54 verses · 7 video commentaries from 5 courses · Berean Standard Bible

1When Jesus realized that the Pharisees were aware He was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John

2(although it was not Jesus who baptized, but His disciples),

3He left Judea and returned to Galilee.

4Now He had to pass through Samaria.

5So He came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.

6Since Jacob’s well was there, Jesus, weary from His journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

7When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”

8(His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

9“You are a Jew,” said the woman. “How can You ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

10Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God and who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

11“Sir,” the woman replied, “You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where then will You get this living water?

12Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock?”

13Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again.

14But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”

15The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water so that I will not get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

16Jesus told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”

17“I have no husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said to her, “You are correct to say that you have no husband.

18In fact, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. You have spoken truthfully.”

19“Sir,” the woman said, “I see that You are a prophet.

20Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place where one must worship is in Jerusalem.”

21“Believe Me, woman,” Jesus replied, “a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

22You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.

23But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him.

24God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”

25The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.”

26Jesus answered, “I who speak to you am He.”

27Just then His disciples returned and were surprised that He was speaking with a woman. But no one asked Him, “What do You want from her?” or “Why are You talking with her?”

28Then the woman left her water jar, went back into the town, and said to the people,

29“Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”

30So they left the town and made their way toward Jesus.

31Meanwhile the disciples urged Him, “Rabbi, eat something.”

32But He told them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

33So the disciples asked one another, “Could someone have brought Him food?”

34Jesus explained, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.

35Do you not say, ‘There are still four months until the harvest’? I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ripe for harvest.

36Already the reaper draws his wages and gathers a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may rejoice together.

37For in this case the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true.

38I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; others have done the hard work, and now you have taken up their labor.”

39Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”

40So when the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him to stay with them, and He stayed two days.

41And many more believed because of His message.

42They said to the woman, “We now believe not only because of your words; we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man truly is the Savior of the world.”

43After two days, Jesus left for Galilee.

44Now He Himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.

45Yet when He arrived, the Galileans welcomed Him. They had seen all the great things He had done in Jerusalem at the feast, for they had gone there as well.

46So once again He came to Cana in Galilee, where He had turned the water into wine. And there was a royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum.

47When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Him to come down and heal his son, who was about to die.

48Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.”

49“Sir,” the official said, “come down before my child dies.”

50“Go,” said Jesus. “Your son will live.” The man took Jesus at His word and departed.

51And while he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was alive.

52So he inquired as to the hour when his son had recovered, and they told him, “The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.”

53Then the father realized that this was the very hour in which Jesus had told him, “Your son will live.” And he and all his household believed.

54This was now the second sign that Jesus performed after coming from Judea into Galilee.

John 4 Section and Chapter Commentary

John 4:1-42

The Samaritan Woman at the Well: A Literary Character

The story of the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4 is best understood as a literary construction rather than a historical account. Attempts to provide historical background for her character, such as her five marriages indicating a 'loser' status or her coming to the well at noon due to ostracism, are speculative and often detrimental to gender issues and Jewish-Christian relations. The narrative portrays her as a successful evangelist, which contradicts the idea of her being marginalized.

Summarized by AI · Face to Face on the Bible: John · History, Theology, and Propaganda in John: Amy-Jill Levine and Hugo Méndez · watch the clip

John's distinctiveness from the Synoptics

John's Gospel is fundamentally different from the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). It contains substantively different material, such as the stories of the Samaritan woman (John 4), the man born blind (John 9), and Lazarus (John 11), which are not found in the Synoptics. Additionally, John features far less verbatim agreement with the Synoptics, a different structural emphasis on Jerusalem, and a theological shift where Jesus himself becomes the 'good news,' evidenced by his 'I am' sayings.

Summarized by AI · The Mysteries of the Synoptic Gospels: Discovering Matthew, Mark, and Luke · Lecture 1: What is a "Gospel"? What Are the "Synoptic" Gospels? · watch the clip

John 4:5-26

Jesus's Body Posture and Imperial Imagery

Early depictions of Jesus, such as 'Jesus at the well,' sometimes show him adopting similar body postures to those seen in imperial statues like the Prima Porta of Augustus. This visual parallel suggests an intentional connection between Jesus and the powerful imagery associated with Roman emperors.

Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · The Mausoleums of Hadrian and Augustus · watch the clip

John 4:46-54

Remixing Synoptic Episodes

The author of John actively borrows and reshapes entire episodes from the Synoptic Gospels to align with his unique theological agenda. For instance, the story of the official's son in John 4, which parallels the centurion's servant in Matthew and Luke, is infused with John's specific vocabulary and themes. This 'remixing' prepares the reader for Jesus' subsequent discourse in John 5 on spiritual resurrection and eternal life, using the same key terms.

Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · What's the Point of John's Gospel? · watch the clip

John 4:46-53

John's symbolic narrative and miracles

John employs a highly symbolic narrative where major stories and miracles represent the theological ideas Jesus expresses in his discourses. For example, Jesus secretly turning water into wine (John 2:7-9) symbolizes his teaching to Nicodemus that one cannot know where the Spirit comes from when it transforms a person (John 3:8). Similarly, the healing of the official's son (John 4:46-53) symbolizes how Jesus' word brings spiritual life and resurrection.

Summarized by AI · The New Testament: Exploring the Christian Bible · Lecture 11: John | Reimagining Jesus · watch the clip

John 4 Verse Notes

John 4:9

Samaritans as a Test Case

Samaritans serve as a critical test case for the concept of 'neighbor' due to their close yet often contentious relationship with Jews. They shared similar religious practices but had rival temples and traditions. The Gospel of John 4:9 highlights this tension, stating that Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans, even as the narrative later shows interaction.

Summarized by AI · The Parables of Jesus: Jewish Insights into Gospel Ethics, Humor, and Provocation · Lecture 2: Samaritans, Priests, and Levites | How History Impacts Parable Interpretation · watch the clip

John 4:24

Humans become spirit and gain eternal life

As children of God, humans are said to possess God's nature and become 'spirit,' as God is spirit (John 4:24). Jesus teaches that 'that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit' (John 3:6). This transformation into spirit grants humans eternal life or immortality in this present life, a concept distinct from the Synoptic emphasis on future eternal life.

Summarized by AI · The New Testament: Exploring the Christian Bible · Lecture 11: John | Reimagining Jesus · watch the clip

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