It’s a picture of a well. This morning, we will be looking at the story of the woman at the well, who has an encounter with Jesus. The title of my message this morning is The Woman at the Well (and Worship), because the big application at the end of the message will be about worship. We see in verse 23, “True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.” I want to linger there at the end of my message.

But we need to get there by starting at verse 1. By way of outline this morning, I want to just give you some words that help to identify the main idea of the sections of this passage. The first word is:

1. Wisdom (verses 1-3)

We see this in the first three verses. See if you can detect it.

John 4:1-3
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.

Last week we saw the ministry of Jesus increasing, and the ministry of John the Baptist decreasing. This was according to plan. John knew that he wasn’t the Christ. John knew that he was the forerunner, pointing people to Jesus. John, himself said, “He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). This was taking place in chapter 3.

When Jesus learned that the Pharisees heard about the increasing ministry of Jesus (verse 1), Jesus had the wisdom to discern that the Pharisees would be turning their hostility, from John to Jesus, himself. So, in verse 3, we find Jesus leaving Judea (where the Pharisees were concentrated) and traveling to Galilee (where the persecution would be less). I think that this shows the wisdom of Jesus, as his hour has not yet come, and for the future existence of his ministry.

In chapter 3 and verse 24, John mentions how John the Baptist had not yet been put in prison. Had Jesus remained in Judea, he may well have found himself in prison as well. So, he left the region. Now, as the gospel progresses, we will see Jesus, anticipating the hour of his death upon the cross, where he will pay the penalty for our sins. But that time is not now. For now, he is seeking safety up north.

We come to our second word this morning.

2. Walking (verses 4-5)

That’s how they traveled back then. There were no cars or busses or trains. They walked. It was a three-day walk from Judea to Galilee. We read in verse 4:

John 4:4
And he had to pass through Samaria.

At this point, a map would help. It says in verse 3 that Jesus left Judea and departed for Galilee. Now, it only makes sense that (as verse 4 says), that he “had to pass through Samaria.” Samaria was right in the middle of these two nations. But there are some who argue that this was not the regular custom of the Jews. They say that there was so much racial tension between the Jews and the Samaritans, that the Jews would rather walk around Samaria, than go through Samaria. Now, I’m not sure that this is the case, especially as it would add two more days of walking to get there. If you are walking, I think that you want to get to your destination as quickly as possible, making your travel easier. Isn’t this how you drive? You generally take the shortest, fastest route to get where you are going. That’s why Jesus went through Samaria on his way to Galilee.

But I find it interesting here to see how John says this. He doesn’t say that Samaria was along the way to Galilee. He doesn’t say that Jesus (and his disciples) traveled through Samaria on their way to Galilee. Rather, he said,

John 4:4
And he had to pass through Samaria.

He could have gone around, like some did. But it was because Jesus had a divine appointment with a woman in Samaria that he “had to pass through Samaria.” He had to meet this woman at the well. So, in verse 5, we see where he went in Samaria.

John 5:5
So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.

On the map, you can see the town of “Sychar.” it’s nestled between two mountains, Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. These are the mountains upon with the blessings and cursings of the Mosaic Law were to be spoken when the people entered the promised land. This is what Moses told the people of Israel to do when they entered the land. You can read about it in Deuteronomy, chapter 27. This is what Joshua did when the people of Israel entered the land. You can read about it in Joshua, chapter 8.

Half of Israel was on Mount Gerizim. They pronounced the blessings of the covenant in unison. The other half of Israel was on Mount Ebal. They pronounced the curses of the covenant in unison. It was this big object lesson to be imprinted on the hearts of the Jews, that they must be obedient to the covenant if they would ever expect the blessings of God in their lives.

But that’s not what John points out about Sychar. Rather, he refers to another Old Testament passage: Genesis 33:19, when Jacob came and camped in that area, and purchased a field there, where Joseph was eventually buried (Joshua 24:32). Near this field there was a well. It was called, “Jacob’s well.” Look at verse 6.

John 4:6
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.

This well was named after Jacob, who had purchased the field nearby. Now, the significance for us this morning is that Jesus was 3. Weary (verse 6)

This is my third word by way of outline:

3. Weary (verse 6)

We often think about Jesus as a “Super-man.” A man who lived among us with “Super-human” strength. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! Able to walk on water. Able to cast out the strongest of the demons. To be sure, Jesus was a strong man. But here we get a glimpse into his humanness. Jesus was

John 4:6
wearied as he was from his journey.

After a day and a half of walking, Jesus was fatigued and sitting beside the well to rest and recoup his energy. Verse 6 tells us that it was the sixth hour, that is, six hours into the day. That is, high noon! The sun was blazing down upon him and he was seeking some rest. I think that this ought to encourage us, because Jesus felt fatigue. He knew what it was to be tired.

Psalm 103:13-14 says this: "As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust." What the LORD knew in the Old Testament, through Jesus, he now knows by experience. Jesus knows what it is to labor to the point of exhaustion. So, in your fatigue, remember that God has compassion to us and he understands our own limitations.

OK, let’s move on to our fourth word. We have seen 1. Wisdom (verses 1-3) The wisdom to leave Judea. 2. Walking (verses 4-5) The way that Jesus and his disciples traveled. 3. Weary (verse 6) The humanity of Jesus. Now, our fourth word.

4. Woman (verses 7-9)

John 4:7
A woman from Samaria came to draw water.

It may appear here that we don’t know much about this woman. She is unnamed. She seems to be alone. Just a face in the crowd. But actually, we learn a lot about this woman here in verse 7. First of all, she’s a Samaritan.

I mentioned before of the racial tension between the Jews and the Samaritans. This racial tension is deep-seated, going back nearly 800 years, when Assyria came and destroyed Israel in 722 B.C. The remaining Jews in Samaria intermarried with the Assyrians, something that the law of Moses strictly prohibited. So, the Jews of Judea saw these Samaritans as traitors to their nation; as sinners who were to be avoided.

The fact that this woman is alone at the sixth hour to draw water also tells us something. In the culture of the day, you didn’t draw water at high noon when it was hot. You drew water in the evening, when it was cooler. But it wasn’t only the temperature that kept you away from the afternoon drawing of water. If you drew water in the evening, there would be a bunch of other women at the well. Each evening was a social time for the women. The fact that she was alone gives us a hint that she was more of an outcast, who didn’t get along with the other women, so she drew her water in the midday.

Anyway, verse 7 continues:

John 4:7-8
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.)

This helps to set the entire context now. Jesus and his disciples had come to Sychar. They needed some food. The plan was simple. The disciples would enter the city and purchase the food. Jesus would stay at the well and rest a while. So Jesus was alone and weary, and he was thirsty. So he asked this woman for a drink. For us, that might not be such a big deal, but in light of the racial tension of the day, it was very strange.

The woman articulated how strange it was for Jesus to even interact with her. Look at verse 9.

John 4:9
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.)

But Jesus had another agenda. It comes in verse 10 with our next point, which I am simply calling:

5. Water (verses 10-15)

I'm using this word because a discussion ensues about water. Look at the interaction, beginning in verse 10.

John 4:10-12
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.”

This is so much like the interaction that Jesus had with Nicodemus back in chapter 3. Remember when Jesus spoke with him about the new birth? Nicodemus went to the physical absurdity of what Jesus was saying. He said, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (John 3:4). It seems as if the entire conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus was on two levels. Nicodemus didn’t understand what Jesus was saying (John 3:10).

So also, this woman goes to the absurdity of what Jesus said. She points out that he doesn’t have anything to draw water. No rope, no container, no funnel. Further, she points out how deep the well is. Jesus needs these things if ever he would get water for himself. But Jesus spoke about two things in his response: Who he was, and the water that he could give.

I think that’s why she transitioned to talk about Jacob, the one for whom the well is named. This man before this woman may claim to be somebody great, but he was certainly not greater than Jacob, one of the patriarchs, who drank from this very well some 1800 years ago. Jesus, just like with Nicodemus, speaks of the supernatural.

John 4:13-14
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.”

Jesus may have physical thirst and may be in need of physical water. But Jesus has another water that he can give. It’s the water of life! We cannot live without water. We need water every day, several times each day. We can drink this morning, but by afternoon, we will need to drink again. Jesus uses this analogy to speak about the water that he can give. Jesus can give us water such that we would never be thirsty again! Because, his water gives eternal life!

When we get to John, chapter 6, we will see Jesus say something similar about bread. "Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst" (John 6:35). That is, Jesus is the source of spiritual nourishment. If you come to him, if you believe in him, your spiritual hunger and thirst will be completely satisfied! Such is the greatness of Jesus!

Have you come to Jesus? Have you believed in Jesus? The gospel of John is calling you to drink of Jesus! So, church family, drink!

When we get to John, chapter 7, we will see Jesus say something similar, yet again! "On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water"' (John 7:37-38). This is the application of the gospel of John! Are you thirsty? Are you longing for the spiritual refreshment, that will satisfy you for eternity? Then come to Jesus! Come and drink from Jesus! Have the attitude that this woman had:

John 4:15
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.”

Now, she may not have understood everything that Jesus was offering her. He was offering the spiritual water that leads to eternal life. She was still thinking about physical water that would mean that she would never have to come to draw water again in the heat of the day! But she did say, “Give me this water!” Do you say that of Jesus? What a great prayer to pray to Jesus, “Give me this water!” Even today if you are longing for life, then cry out to Jesus, right now! “Jesus! Give me this water!”

Now, it’s interesting here that Jesus doesn’t say, “Here you go. Here’s your water. It’s yours. You have eternal life.” Instead, he makes a strange request.

John 4:16
Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”

What a strange thing to say, unless you knew something, and were getting at something.

John 4:17-18
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.”

Here’s my word for this section:

6. Weddings (verses 16-19)

It’s the best “W” word that I could come up with. But think about this woman. Think about her past. She had five husbands. She had five weddings. She had five men. The man she has now is not her husband. So, she can rightly claim, “I have no husband” (verse 17). And Jesus said that her statement was true (verse 18). The woman affirmed that everything that Jesus said was true.

John 4:19
The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.

This gives us some insight into what sort of woman she was. She went from marriage to marriage to marriage to marriage to marriage. At the time, she was living with a guy who wasn’t her husband. Perhaps this is why she was at the well alone, in the middle of the day. She was a bit of a social outcast. She was shunned by the other women. But Jesus knew that, and Jesus pursued her! Such is the love of Jesus. He reaches across gender lines. He reaches across social lines. So for us, it doesn’t matter whether we are a man or a woman. It doesn’t matter whether we are American or Mexican or Chinese. Jesus offers eternal life to us, if we are but willing to receive it.

So why, when this woman asked for this living water from Jesus, did he bring up her marriages? I think it’s because she needed to deal with her sin. She needed to recognize her sin. She needed to know that the living water that Jesus offers, cleanses us from our sin! It purifies us to walk with God! But at this point, I’m not sure that she was willing (just yet) to deal with her sin. Because, she quickly changes the subject away from her weddings to the question of worship.

This is my seventh and final word this morning:

7. Worship (verses 20-26)

Look at verse 20.

John 4:20
Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.”

On one hand, this is an abrupt change of subject, But on the other hand, this question gets at the way to God. Further, it gets at whether this woman is really willing to follow after a Jew, whose beliefs about the worship of God was so different than the view of the Samaritans.

See, there was a major dispute in the day between the Jews and the Samaritans. The Jews, in accordance with the entire Old Testament Scriptures, held to Jerusalem as the place where the temple was built, where worship was to take place. The Samaritans, on the other hand, holding only to the law of Moses, held that worship was to take place in Gerizim, as the patriarchs were closely related to Gerizim. The law of Moses speaks nothing of Jerusalem. If you remember at the beginning of my message, I spoke about Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal being in Sychar. They were within eyeshot of these mountains.

It was convenient for the Samaritans to offer the Mosaic Sacrifices on Mount Gerizim, as they would have been turned away in Jerusalem. So, they had a place of worship. As a footnote, they still offer up sacrifices in Gerizim today. During the Passover, they slaughter lambs and offer them on an altar in worship to the Lord^[1]. Anyway, this woman asked Jesus, “So where is the right place of worship.” The answer that Jesus gives is one of the clearest and most definitive statements about worship in all of the Bible. He begins in verse 21.

John 4:21
Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.

To us, this may not seem so shocking, but to this woman, this would have been a great shock. Because the question of worship was a battle between the Jews and the Samaritans had lasted for years. It was always seen as a polar option. Is Jerusalem the place? Or is Gerizim the place. They had never considered a third option. The third option that Jesus brings is that a day will come when the place of worship is no longer important.

Of course, we know today that this is true because we have worshiped the Lord this morning, neither in Jerusalem or on Mount Gerizim. We have worshiped the Lord in Loves Park, Illinois. Because the day that Jesus talked about has come. It came when he died on the cross, providing the way of salvation. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). We come to God through Jesus, not through a temple on Mount Gerizim or in Jerusalem. We come to God through Jesus!

Do you remember what happened the moment Jesus died? The veil of the temple was ripped in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). That signified the new day that had arrived! The sacrifices of the temple were no longer needed! We come to God through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus.

Jesus continues in verse 22 by answering the question the woman asked:

John 4:22
You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.

Basically, he says that the Jews were correct and the Samaritans were wrong. He says to this women, “We are correct. You should listen to me.” But notice how he didn’t start with this. He started with the day when it all would change. It was the day that this woman was to look forward to seeing and experiencing. Then, Jesus returns to this day in verse 23.

John 4:23-24
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.

Though the place of worship was to change, the heart of worship has always been the same. True worshipers of God come to him in spirit and truth. What a great word for us. When we come to God, we must come in this way; in spirit and in truth.

There is question whether the “spirit” here refers to the “Holy Spirit” or the human spirit. Certainly both are true. We must come to God with a willing and joyful spirit, delighted to be worshiping the Lord. We must come to God, indwelt and empowered by the Holy Spirit. If our spirit within us is sour or unrepentant, the Lord won’t receive our worship. If the Holy Spirit isn’t the source and power of our worship, then all we do is merely vain human attempts at pleasing the Lord. I don’t know whether Jesus had one or the other in mind. They both are true. In fact, it is the Holy Spirit that stirs our spirit to worship the Lord with our whole heart!

We must also come to God in accordance with the truth. Jesus says it is through him that we come. There are many who think that there are many ways to God. This leads to the thought that you can worship your own way. “As long as you are sincere” is often the saying. But that’s not right. We need to come to God in the way that he calls us to come. It is only through the sacrifice of Jesus that our worship will be accepted by the Lord. Jesus said, “No one comes to the father except through me” (John 14:6).

Now, these two words, “spirit and truth” are a good rubric for us to evaluate our worship of the Lord. Because, as it says at the end of verse 24,

John 4:24
those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

We must worship in this way for the Father to receive our worship. This is the same word that was used in verse 4. Jesus “had to go through Samaria.” We “must” worship in spirit and truth for God to receive our worship. The good news is that

John 4:23
the Father is seeking such people to worship him.

So are you worshiping the Lord in spirit and truth? There are plenty of people who think they worship because they have come to a church service or read their Bible and done their duty. But how often does the Lord say in the Old Testament, remove your sacrifices from me. Your multiplied sacrifices are a burden to me. Look in Psalm 50!

Psalm 50:7-14
“Hear, O my people, and I will speak;
    O Israel, I will testify against you.
    I am God, your God.
Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
    your burnt offerings are continually before me.
I will not accept a bull from your house
    or goats from your folds.
For every beast of the forest is mine,
    the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know all the birds of the hills,
    and all that moves in the field is mine.

“If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
   for the world and its fullness are mine.
Do I eat the flesh of bulls
   or drink the blood of goats?
Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
   and perform your vows to the Most High,

Basically it's saying the sacrifice is mine to begin with! Do you think you're coming with this great thing you can give to God? That's not the perspective of God. Look at Isaiah 1.

Isaiah 1:12-15
“When you come to appear before me,
   who has required of you this trampling of my courts?
Bring no more vain offerings;
   incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—
   I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.
Your new moons and your appointed feasts
   my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me;
   I am weary of bearing them.
When you spread out your hands,
   I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers,
   I will not listen;
   your hands are full of blood.

These are people worshiping in truth. God says offer a sacrifice, so let's go offer a sacrifice. We need to do the things he says to do. But their heart is far from it. There's sin within, and God says he won't listen because there needs to be the spirit of repentance and longing and following after God. He says in Isaiah 1:16-17,

Isaiah 1:16-18
Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
   remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
   learn to do good,
seek justice,
   correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
   please the widow's cause.

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
   they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
   they shall become like wool.

Come to God empty handed and say God, it's not the sacrifice, it's the spirit where I am coming—my heart and mind dependent on you. Worship of the Lord isn’t a matter of duty. It’s the desire of the heart that the Father seeks.

Psalm 100:1-3
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
   Serve the Lord with gladness!
   Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God!

There's a joyfulness here! There's a desire and a hunger. That's the spirit that God is requiring to come. We must also come with the truth. That our only worth before the Lord is in Jesus. Look at Jeremiah 9:23. “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches." In other words, when we come it's not because we are doing great things for God. But what should be boast of? "But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord" (Jeremiah 9:24). Coming in humility and grace, understanding the gospel and that it's not by righteousness that we ever enter the Lord's presence. It’s not our own works (Titus 3:5). We are weak vessels. When you come to church, we come because we are needy and empty and need God. We delight in Him. He doesn't need us! But we need him.

Spirit and truth. Some places swing hard on the spirit and some swing hard on the truth, but I say we need to balance those well and if anything our danger at Rock Valley Bible Church is being heavy on the truth. We need to swing right on that spectrum of both spirit and truth.

Now, after this great statement on worship, the woman focused upon the time element that Jesus mentioned. “An hour is coming,” Jesus said.

John 4:25-26
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.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

She was right. The Messiah was coming! Jesus said, “I am he.” Now, this isn’t one of the official seven “I am” statements in the gospel of John, (I am the bread of life, light of the world, door, good shepherd, resurrection and life, way/truth/life, true vine.) But it is an “I Am” statement. Jesus revealed that he is the Messiah! Look at who he revealed it to. A downcast Samaritan woman. How like God this is, that he has a heart for the downcast? We come to him not of our strength, we come because of our weakness (2 Corinthians 12). He chooses the weak of the world to shame the wise. He works by using poor, outcast, sinful people to work and transform for his might and his glory. He revealed that to this woman, and he reveals that to us. So precious is this verse 26.

John 4:26
Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am he."

Jesus is the Messiah that all the book of John is pointing us to, and we ought to believe in him and trust in him because he is the one directs us to God.

[1] https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Samaritans-perform-sacrificial-Passover-ritual-452001.