DRAFT NOTE LESSON 30 – THE WOMAN AT THE WELL

Reading Text: John 4:1-42

SMV: “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters”. Isaiah 55:1

JMV: “Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation”. Isaiah
12:3

1. Objective:
The students will be able to gain insight into some spiritual truths about true worship
and understand the source, meaning, and impact of living water.

2. Opener:
Students may be asked to describe how God orchestrated the events that led to their
salvation.

3. Keywords:
Living Water, Truth, True Worship, Testimony, Evangelism

4. Background:
As Jesus made His way from Judea to Galilee, he “had to” pass through Samaria.
We would do well to recall the historical relationship between Israel and Samaria.

Under Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, Israel split was into two fragments (1 Kings
12): the northern kingdom of Israel, led by the rebel Jeroboam, and the southern
kingdom of Judah, under Rehoboam. Because Jeroboam feared that the two
kingdoms might reunite, he established a counterfeit religion, with its own place of
worship - Bethel (1 Kings 12:25-33). Later, a wicked northern king named Omri built
the city of Samaria, which he made his capital, the capital of the Northern Kingdom.
He also built a temple and an altar to Baal, a heathen deity (1 Kings 16:24-34).
Eventually, the name of this city became synonymous for the entire Northern
Kingdom, and thus its name, Samaria.

After repeated warnings from God’s prophets, divine judgment finally came at the
hand of the Assyrians, who defeated Israel and scattered the middle and upper
classes throughout the other nations they had conquered. They replaced the
dispersed Israelites with heathen from other lands (2 Kings 17:23). These heathen
intermarried with the remaining Israelites resulting in a nation of half-breeds, a most
distasteful and evil thing for a devout Jew (see Ezra 9 and 10; Nehemiah 13). Worse
yet, the true religion of Israel became intermingled with heathen idolatry.

When the Jews of the Southern Kingdom of Judah were later taken captive by the
Babylonians, they were allowed to maintain their racial and religious identity. After
their 70 years of captivity were completed and they were granted permission to
return to their own land, a number did so. When these returning exiles set out to
rebuild the temple and Jerusalem, the Samaritans offered to help them and were
summarily refused (Ezra 4:2). In about 400 B.C., the Samaritans constructed their
own rival temple on Mount Gerizim. This greatly increased hostilities between the
Jews and the Samaritans.
The Samaritans professed to believe in the God of Israel and awaited the coming of
Messiah (see John 4:25). They accepted only the first five books of the Law, but
rejected the rest of the Old Testament Scriptures. Amidst these hostilities, Jesus
knew there were some souls in Samaria who will answer God’s call, so he must
needs go through Samaria. This lesson is about the meeting of Jesus with a
Samaritan woman at the well.

Discussion Points/Life Application:

1. Events around the conversation of Jesus with the woman at the well (John 4:1-
10)
2. Awakening of the woman to her spiritual need (John 4:11-26)
3. The Impact of the message on the woman

5.1. Read John 4:1-12. With reference to the text, discuss the lessons we learn
from the events around the initial parts of the conversation of Jesus with the
woman at the well.
 He must needs go through Samaria’ indicates God knows where hungry souls
are and will woo them by the Holy Spirit.
 God can move heaven and earth to save a soul. e.g. Phillip and the Eunuch
Matthew 10:29,31; I Samuel 16:7
 Jesus arose above racial prejudice, looking down others and a holier than thou
attitude in reaching a soul.
o Three things about this woman seem to put her at a distinct disadvantage.
o First, she is a Samaritan. Second, she is guilty of sexual immorality, and
third, she is a woman. We have already commented about the way the
Jews felt toward the Samaritans. We are not left in doubt as to how the
Pharisees would have dealt with such a woman:
 Jesus conversation with the Samaritan woman was quite fascinating from a soul
winning perspective.
 In contemporary terms, our Lord already has two strikes against Him so far as
being able to share the truth of salvation with the woman at the well. He is a Jew;
she is a Samaritan. He is a man; she is a woman.
 In spite of this, our Lord succeeds in getting this woman’s attention (godly
wisdom at work).
 In asking her for a drink of water, Jesus catches this woman completely off guard.
Jews did not share eating or drinking utensils with Samaritans.
 The woman cannot help but inquire of Jesus why He would ask the unthinkable.
Our Lord’s willingness to cast aside cultural barriers gets this woman’s attention.
 Each interchange brings her closer to faith. The conversation moves from literal
drinking water to the spiritual “water” of salvation.
 Evangelism Skills: It is important we understand that the natural man cannot
discern the things of the spirit. Like Jesus, we need to start with what people
know to get their attention. They can then relate the physical to the spiritual. The
woman at first did not fully understand what Jesus was talking about but thank
God she said give me this water. Then she became aware of her spiritual need.
5.2. Read John 4:13-26. Here the woman is awakened to her spiritual need.
Discuss the lessons we learn from her discourse with Jesus here, linking it with
the impact of drinking living water and the spirit of true worship.
 The woman wants this water and this makes Jesus to proceed to inform her that
He has better water—living water—water that produces eternal life, water that
permanently quenches thirst – Isaiah 55:1
 He is not speaking of actual water, but symbolically of the salvation which He
brings.
 Jesus has now moved to the deepest level of this woman’s need, her need for
cleansing from sin.
 To do this, He gently exposes sin in her life. He does so by telling her to bring her
husband. She tells Jesus she has no husband.
 Jesus has told this woman enough for her to (correctly) conclude that He has
divine knowledge. He is, at a minimum, a prophet. She reasons from what He
has told her that He could go on to tell her virtually everything she has ever done.
 Her sexual sins may be only the “tip of the iceberg,” but she is convinced He
knows the whole iceberg. And she is right!
 Our Lord brings this woman to the point where she understands that she is a
sinner, in need of salvation, where she understands that her (Samaritan) religious
system cannot save her, and that salvation comes only through faith in Jesus as
the promised (Jewish) Messiah.
 Her grasp of who Jesus is continues to grow, until she eventually trusts in Him as
the Messiah - John 7:37-39
 Natural Water vs. Living Water: Natural water sustains life on earth and can be
thought of in the context of this lesson as any means of sustenance, comfort and
happiness in this life. Living water on the hand is a soul’s spiritual nourishment
from God, sustaining the soul to everlasting life. The spirit of God typifies this
spiritual nourishment.
 Condition for receiving living water: Living water is the spirit of God that
comes in, at salvation. The condition is confession and admission of sins and
repentance, the woman was honest and truthful and she met the condition. As
many as will admit that they are wrong and confess their sins Jesus will save
them.
 Understanding True Worship: People often ask which church is right, God will
reveal to you which one to go but the most important truth is God is a spirit they
that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth - 2 Corinthians 3:17.

5.3. Read John 4:27-38. Jesus taught his disciples about the urgency of
spreading the Gospel message. The woman at the well was a great example in
doing so. What can we learn from her evangelistic spirit?
 The Power of Testimony. A good sign of a sound conversion is willingness to tell
others, and lead them to Jesus. They too will receive and tell others. The
Samaritans asked Jesus to stay, they wanted more.
 She left her water pot and ran to the city to proclaim the news. She testifies to her
towns people of the Christ, and they believe her testimony, John 4:29, 30 Isaiah
52:7
 Spiritual blessing is more important than material blessing.
 The Need for Labourers. Jesus said my meat is to do the will of my
father…..The harvest truly is great, but labourers are few. God needs Christian
 who will uphold the standard of the gospel and are ready to deny themselves of
earthly pleasures in order to work for Jesus. Spreading the news of salvation
should be more important than eating our natural food.
 The time for the harvest is now— not later. It seems that the statement, “There
are four more months and then comes the harvest” is a way of saying that
harvest time is still a ways off. That may be true for the grain harvest, but it is not
true for the harvest of souls about to take place right there, within moments.
 There is no time to lose, no time to waste. Harvest time has come.

6.0. Wrap Up/Conclusion:

Jesus is still at the well of salvation today waiting to give every honest heart the living
water. Ho, everyone that thirst come ye to the waters and with joy draw out of the
wells of salvation