John Chapter 4

[Ninna]

I will start this off with a few verses. Debra and I will alternate posting Scripture. I hope to see many comments, references, and life applications and I hope others will be blessed by our study of John, as I have been

NKJV:

1) Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John

2) (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples),

3) He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.

4) But He needed to go through Samaria.

We learned in Chapter 3 that there was jealousy among John the Baptist's followers and it got the attention of the Pharisees. IMO, it was not God's plan for Jesus to be a part of a hassle over baptism so He did what He often did when it was not part of God's plan, he left. What an example for me - when a situation is not God's will, I need to leave the situation!

The direct route from Judea to Galilee was through Samaria. Most Jews avoided Samaria because they did not consider the Samaritans to be pure Jews due to intermarriage with foreigners way back when. Jesus did not have that prejudice.

I am so thankful that Jesus does not look at our ancestry and background!

[Debra R]

Momof5-I will start this off with a few verses. Debra and I will alternate posting Scripture. I hope to see many comments, references, and life applications and I hope others will be blessed by our study of John, as I have been

Amen!
Thank you Momof5 .
I pray also that our Lord will bless and enlighten us with more knowledge of Himself, that we may know Him more. And I pray our Lord will bless all who read and study His word with us.

John 4:1) Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John

2) (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples),

3) He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.

4) But He needed to go through Samaria.

Momof5-We learned in Chapter 3 that there was jealousy among John the Baptist's followers and it got the attention of the Pharisees. IMO, it was not God's plan for Jesus to be a part of a hassle over baptism so He did what He often did when it was not part of God's plan, he left. What an example for me - when a situation is not God's will, I need to leave the situation!

Amen. That is so true. There are times when we get in situations that are not God's will. I have learned that when I trust in God's leading He will make it known those times we are not in His will and lead us in the right direction. Many times I was not sure the path I should be taking. When I couldn't hear His voice clearly and would just step out in faith trusting in His guidance. And I would ask God to let it be known to me His will in a certain situation. For Him to close the door or prepare the way smoothly before me.
And He was faithful even when I was confused over what to do, He watched over me and led me to where He wanted me. Our God is faithful.

Momof5-The direct route from Judea to Galilee was through Samaria. Most Jews avoided Samaria because they did not consider the Samaritans to be pure Jews due to intermarriage with foreigners way back when. Jesus did not have that prejudice.

I am so thankful that Jesus does not look at our ancestry and background!

Our Lord had a plan for those in Samaria which we will read about in this chapter .
Jesus had a planned meeting. As I think about this, in each of our lives Jesus also had planned His meeting with us.


(NKJ) John 4:
5) So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6)Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

We can read about this in Genesis......


Genesis 33:
19) And he bought the parcel of land, where he had pitched his tent, from the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for one hundred pieces of money. 20) Then he erected an altar there and called it El Elohe Israel.

I like this! El Elohe Israel means " a mighty God is the God of Israel."

Yes, our God is mighty!

It also tells of this place in Joshua....

Joshua 24:
32) The bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, they buried at Shechem, in the plot of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one hundred pieces of silver, and which had become an inheritance of the children of Joseph.

I have to go. It has been a very busy past few days. I am having to fill in for a coworker who is on vacation and am also in training for more job responsibilities. Pray for me .

Love you .
Be blessed
in Christ's love,
Debra

[judi<>><]

I think it is interesting to note that the Samaritans were those who were left behind in the land when the aristocracy and priests were carried off to Babylon. Not being among the classes who had the leisure time to study the Torah, these people did the best they knew how to hold on to the religious practices that had been left to them. To this day, there is a sect in Samaria that practices animal sacrifice!


But without the full knowledge of God's Word, the religion was quickly corrupted. Elements of the Canaanite religion were incorporated, the people intermarried with the Canaanites, and by the time the Jews returned from Babylon 70 years later...The Samaritans were no longer seen by them as Jews. In fact, these were the very people who opposed the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem...for they worshipped on their own Holy Mountain...

Yet Jesus had an appointment in Samaria. God keeps His covenants, even when we do not, and He knew there were children of His in Samaria who would also respond to the Gospel of His Son, and be brought into the Kingdom!

Isn't it wonderful to know that even when we are faithless...pulled away from God by the World...God is faithful!!!

[Ninna]

Yet Jesus had an appointment in Samaria. God keeps His covenants, even when we do not, and He knew there were children of His in Samaria who would also respond to the Gospel of His Son, and be brought into the Kingdom!

Isn't it wonderful to know that even when we are faithless...pulled away from God by the World...God is faithful!!!

Amen, judi! I love knowing that God is faithful always and not like me....

Thank you for the background information on the Samaritans. I pray that you will continue with us in this study

[Ninna]

You are in my prayers, Debra

Moving on a little....(we can always go back whenever we need to)


NKJV:

7) A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink.

8) For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

9) Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

Just like with the Samaritan woman, Jesus meets with us one-on-one. We learned from Judi why Jews had no dealings with Samaritans. I can imagine her astonishment that Jesus would talk to her, not only a Samaritan, but a woman!

I praise God that He is no respecter of persons and we shall soon see lives changed in that Samaritan town, just as Jesus changes our lives once we come to know Him and what He reveals to us about ourselves!

[Debra R]

Thank you Judi for sharing that info .

Judi-Yet Jesus had an appointment in Samaria. God keeps His covenants, even when we do not, and He knew there were children of His in Samaria who would also respond to the Gospel of His Son, and be brought into the Kingdom!

And that is what I was thinking on the other morning and about this verse.....


John 10
16) And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

All praise to our Lord for bringing in the lost sheep!

Thank you for your prayers Momof5 .

Momof5-Just like with the Samaritan woman, Jesus meets with us one-on-one. We learned from Judi why Jews had no dealings with Samaritans. I can imagine her astonishment that Jesus would talk to her, not only a Samaritan, but a woman!

And in Acts we read it was unlawful for them to speak with the Samaritans.


Acts 10
28) Then he said to them, "You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

As I read the next verses I wanted to dwell on "living water".


John 4
10) Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, "Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."
11) The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?


Here are a few verses speaking on "living waters".

Jeremiah 2
13) "For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters,
And hewn themselves cisterns--broken cisterns that can hold no water.


Jeremiah 17
13) O LORD, the hope of Israel,
All who forsake You shall be ashamed.


"Those who depart from Me
Shall be written in the earth,
Because they have forsaken the LORD,
The fountain of living waters."

Psalm 36
9) For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light.

The Lord God is the "living waters".

The Lord Jesus is the "living waters".

Have to go now.
Have a very blessed day!
In Christ's love,
Debra

[Ninna]

I tried to post last night and kept getting an error message saying I could post once every 60 seconds (even though I hadn't posted anything) so finally I said


Yes, Lord Jesus is the living water and our salvation.

Isaiah 12:3 - Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

John 4:10 - Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, "Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."

I am so eternally thankful that I know the gift of God and asked Him, and He gave me living water.

[Debra R]

Hi Brenda, praying for you .

Sorry you were having trouble posting.

I'm still trying to get my house in order . Been decorating. I kept my grandson this weekend. He also kept me busy. But I'm back, finally, and ready for more verses .







John 4


12) Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?"


13) Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,

14) but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."


15) The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."

Momof5-I am so eternally thankful that I know the gift of God and asked Him, and He gave me living water.

Me too .



John 6:35) And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.




John 7:38) He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."



You think the living water is also the Holy Spirit?

Just a few thoughts for tonight.

Be blessed

in Christ's love,

Debra

[Ninna]

Thanks for the prayers, Debra With the Lord's help, I am getting back on track. Every time I have tried to post anything the last couple days, I have been interrupted or sidetracked I will be back posting tomorrow.

[Debra R]

Thanks for the prayers, Debra With the Lord's help, I am getting back on track.

Brenda, dear sister , I am glad you are doing okay. I know your heart must still be grieving for your adopted son. I don't think he will forget all you have done for him and the love you've shown him in the time that he was with you. We will keep him in prayer and our Father will watch over him. Everything will be okay. Love you, dear sister .


I thought I would post a few more verses. Oh, and I wanted to say that BadDog had a great discussion in the bible study forum on the woman at the well. Here is the link... http://bibleforums.org/showthread.php?t=20282


A few more verses.....

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

17) The woman answered and said, "I have no husband."
Jesus said to her, "You have well said, "I have no husband,'

18) for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."


Have to go now.
God bless.
In Christ's love,
Debra

[Ninna]

A few more verses.....

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

17) The woman answered and said, "I have no husband."
Jesus said to her, "You have well said, "I have no husband,'

18) for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."

Jesus brought up the woman's husband to expose her sin to her, just as today, Jesus exposes my sin and tells me about myself, most of the time things I do not want to hear!

[Debra R]

John 4:19) The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.

20) Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."

21) Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.

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

23) But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

24) God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

[Debra R]

Thinking on verse 19 .....

John 4:19) The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.




Matthew 21:11) So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."

It took me awhile to find this verse in Isaiah talking about Jesus being in Galilee. I thought there was another one but I can't find it. But this one is good.


Isaiah 9:1) Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed,
As when at first He lightly esteemed
The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
And afterward more heavily oppressed her,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
In Galilee of the Gentiles.

2) The people who walked in darkness
Have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
Upon them a light has shined.

That was us too. We walked in darkness and then Jesus dispersed the darkness and became our light. We thank you Lord Jesus for your light.

I hate to remember when I walked in darkness. I don't want to ever go back there.
It sometimes terrifies me to think of it. I would rather not live if Jesus wasn't in my life.

Be blessed in Christ's love,
Debra

[Ninna]

I am finally back to post!!!

20) Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."

Judi covered this very well in an earlier post. The Samaritan tradition was that Mount Gerazim, where they worshipped, was where Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac, and where later he met Melchizedek.

21) Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.

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

The Messiah came from the Jewish people. Romans 9: 4,5 - Who are the Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from who, according to the flesh, Christ came who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.

23) But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

24) God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

Where we worship does not matter, but how we worship and who we worship. Prayer is a key part of worship. 1 Timothy 2:8 - I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. Since God is Spirit, we have the liberty to worship anywhere. I am reminded of 2 Corinthians 3: 17: Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. My opinion is that we must be born again to worship.

Jesus is Truth. We worship God through Jesus Christ.

Just a few thoughts this afternoon......

[Debra R]

Great post Momof5!!!

My opinion is that we must be born again to worship.

Jesus is Truth. We worship God through Jesus Christ.

Just a few thoughts this afternoon......

Amen!

And through the previous chapters we were continually told "you must be born again."
That is the only way anyone will be able to worship the Living God, through Christ Jesus!


Philippians 3:3) For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,


Thought I would post a few more verses ....


John 4:
25) The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (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."

27) And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"

28) The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men,

29) "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?"

30) Then they went out of the city and came to Him.

I can imagine the woman talking with Jesus, being so excited, even leaving her waterpot, running to tell those in her village about Him and all of them coming out to see Jesus.
To me, that is wonderful!

God bless you .
In Christ's love,
Debra