John Chapter 4
A Samaritan Woman and a Nobleman Meet Jesus
A. The Samaritan Woman
1. (John 4:1–4) Jesus travels from Judea to Galilee, passing through Samaria
Text:
“Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria.” (John 4:1–4, NKJV)
Notes and Commentary:
a. When the Lord knew… He left Judea: Jesus was fully aware of the growing tension with the Pharisees. His increasing popularity—evidenced by His baptizing ministry surpassing John’s—meant that opposition from the religious leaders was inevitable. However, the time for open conflict in Jerusalem had not yet come. In obedience to the Father’s perfect timing, Jesus withdrew northward to Galilee. His departure was not out of fear but in accordance with divine purpose, showing His absolute submission to the Father’s plan.
b. Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples): John 3:22 earlier mentioned that Jesus and His disciples engaged in baptizing. This baptism, like John’s, symbolized repentance and purification in anticipation of the Messiah’s kingdom. Importantly, Jesus Himself did not personally baptize, likely to prevent divisions or misplaced loyalties. The disciples’ involvement prepared them for their future role in establishing the church. On the Day of Pentecost, when about three thousand were baptized (Acts 2:41), their earlier experience under Jesus’ direction was foundational.
i. This detail also demonstrates continuity between John’s ministry and Christ’s. Both emphasized repentance, cleansing, and identification with God’s redemptive work.
ii. As one commentator observed, “By baptizing, He attested the unity of His work with that of the forerunner. By not Himself baptizing, He made the superiority of His position above that of John the Baptist to be felt”
Jesus delegated the act, but the authority was His.
c. He needed to go through Samaria: The shortest route from Judea to Galilee was through Samaria, but devout Jews often avoided this path. Centuries of hostility lay behind this division.
i. In 722 B.C., the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom of Israel and deported most of its inhabitants. The few who remained intermarried with foreign settlers, producing the mixed race of Samaritans. Later, when Judah fell to Babylon in 586 B.C., similar scattering occurred. Those who remained also intermingled with outsiders.
ii. As a result, the Samaritans developed a hybrid religion, blending Mosaic traditions with pagan practices. They acknowledged the Pentateuch but rejected the Prophets and Writings. They built their own temple on Mount Gerizim, which the Jews destroyed in 128 B.C. Because of this, Jews viewed Samaritans as spiritual half-breeds, despised even more than Gentiles.
iii. Some Jews traveling from Judea to Galilee would cross eastward over the Jordan River to avoid Samaritan territory entirely, lengthening their journey but avoiding contact. Yet John records that Jesus “needed to go through Samaria.” This necessity was not geographical but theological. It was a divine appointment. Jesus had come not only for Israel but for all who would believe in Him, including those despised by the Jews.
iv. His mission to Samaria foreshadows the later expansion of the gospel to “all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8, NKJV). The “need” was a matter of obedience to the Father’s will, as Jesus deliberately sought out those whom others would reject.
Application:
Jesus’ decision to pass through Samaria reveals His redemptive purpose and His disregard for man-made barriers of race, tradition, and prejudice. Where religion excluded, Christ included. His mission was not shaped by human hostility but by divine necessity. Just as He “came to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10, NKJV), His route through Samaria was an intentional step toward breaking down walls and offering living water to the outcast.
2. (John 4:5–6) Jesus comes to a well in Sychar of Samaria
Text:
“So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.” (John 4:5–6, NKJV)
a. Now Jacob’s well was there:
The mention of Jacob’s well ties this passage deeply into Israel’s history and covenantal promises. The city of Sychar was the ancient site of Shechem, the capital of the Samaritans. This location was filled with rich biblical associations:
This is where Abram first arrived when he entered Canaan from Babylonia. “Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land” (Genesis 12:6, NKJV).
It was at Shechem where God first appeared to Abram in Canaan and renewed His promise to give the land to his descendants. “Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him” (Genesis 12:7, NKJV).
Abram built another altar nearby and called upon the name of the Lord. “And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord” (Genesis 12:8, NKJV).
This was the place where Jacob returned safely with his wives and children after his sojourn with Laban. “Then Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan Aram; and he pitched his tent before the city” (Genesis 33:18, NKJV).
Here Jacob purchased a piece of land from Hamor the Canaanite. “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” (Genesis 33:19, NKJV).
Jacob built an altar there, calling it El Elohe Israel (God, the God of Israel). “Then he erected an altar there and called it El Elohe Israel” (Genesis 33:20, NKJV). This forever linked Jacob to this site, establishing the historic connection between him and the well that later bore his name.
Shechem was also the site of tragedy, where Dinah, Jacob’s daughter, was defiled, leading to Simeon and Levi’s bloody retaliation against the city (Genesis 34).
Jacob himself confirmed that he gave this land to Joseph. “Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow” (Genesis 48:22, NKJV).
Centuries later, when Israel entered the land under Joshua, the bones of Joseph were buried here. “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” (Joshua 24:32, NKJV).
At Shechem Joshua renewed Israel’s covenant, calling the nation to faithfulness and proclaiming, “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15, NKJV).
The choice of this site is not incidental. By meeting the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, Jesus situated His ministry within the deep covenantal history of Israel. The same place where God first promised the land to Abraham, and where Israel renewed covenant commitment under Joshua, now became the setting for Christ to reveal Himself as the giver of living water, offering a new covenant not bound to land but to Spirit and truth.
i. Some scholars note that “Sychar,” which means “drunken,” may have been a contemptuous nickname applied by the Jews to Shechem (Alford).
b. Being wearied from His journey:
Here the Apostle John emphasizes the true humanity of Jesus. After walking all day in the sun, He was physically exhausted. Though John has been careful throughout his Gospel to show us Christ’s deity, he also underscores His full participation in human weakness.
Jesus was not a “superman” immune to weariness. As the incarnate Word, He voluntarily submitted to the frailties of human flesh. Hebrews reminds us, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15, NKJV).
i. “Sat thus by the well” – Maclaren notes that the little word “thus” intensifies the description, emphasizing utter weariness. It paints the image of Jesus sitting in complete fatigue, resting His whole weight on the stone curb of the well.
ii. As Bruce observes, “While our Evangelist insists that it was the divine Word that became flesh in Jesus, he insists at the same time that what the divine Word became was flesh.” Jesus was no phantom but fully man, subject to thirst, hunger, and tiredness.
iii. The well itself has a remarkable continuity. As Trench wrote, “This ‘spring’ of Jacob is beyond doubt that known today by Samaritan, Jew, Christian, and Moslem alike as the ‘spring’ or ‘well’ of Jacob.” Its preservation through centuries testifies to the weight of biblical history.
c. It was about the sixth hour:
John tells us the encounter occurred around the sixth hour, which by Jewish reckoning was about noon. This was the hottest part of the day, when most women would avoid fetching water. Jesus, weary and thirsty, sat at the well at precisely the time when no one else would normally be there—except for one woman whose life was about to be transformed.
This detail again underscores divine providence. What appeared to be chance—a tired man resting in the heat of the day—was actually the orchestration of a divine appointment.
3. (John 4:7–9) Jesus speaks with a Samaritan woman
Text:
“A woman of 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. 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.” (John 4:7–9, NKJV)
a. A woman of Samaria came to draw water:
Her arrival in the heat of the day is telling. Normally, women came to the well in the morning or evening when it was cooler, and they came in groups for fellowship and safety. The fact that this woman came alone at noon indicates either social isolation or shame. She may have been an outcast, excluded from the companionship of other women because of her reputation.
Bruce notes, “Women usually came to draw water in company, and at a cooler time of the day.”
Adam Clarke adds a cultural observation: “The Jews say that those who wished to get wives went to the wells where young women were accustomed to come and draw water; and it is supposed that women of ill fame frequented such places also.”
The text paints her as a complex figure: burdened by a checkered past, yet with a conscience that longed for truth. Maclaren observes, “She is of mature age, and has had a not altogether reputable past. She is frivolous, ready to talk with strangers, with a tongue quick to turn grave things into jests; and yet she possesses, hidden beneath masses of unclean vanities, a conscience and a yearning for something better than she has.”
It is also striking to imagine that the disciples, heading into town, may have passed her along the way. As Boice notes, “We can be certain at this stage of their lives Peter and the others would never have moved off the path for any woman, much less a Samaritan and perhaps one with loose morals at that. Perhaps she had been pushed aside or made to wait while the body of Galileans marched by.”
Jesus, however, did not avoid her. He waited exactly where and when she would come, showing that divine providence governs even the ordinary timing of a woman fetching water.
b. Jesus said to her:
By tradition, Jewish rabbis avoided speaking to women in public, even to their own wives or daughters. To converse with a Samaritan woman, and to request a drink from her vessel, crossed multiple cultural boundaries.
Barclay records that the strict rabbis forbade greeting women in public. Some Pharisees were even nicknamed “the bruised and bleeding Pharisees” because they would close their eyes at the sight of a woman and stumble into walls.
Jesus disregarded these man-made restrictions. His love transcended social taboos. By asking this woman for water, He not only treated her with dignity but also invited her into a dialogue that would lead to eternal truth. John 4:27 later confirms that even His disciples were astonished that He spoke to her.
c. Give Me a drink:
This simple request carries profound meaning. The Creator of the universe, who is Himself the fountain of living waters, humbled Himself to ask for a drink from an outcast woman.
Godet insightfully notes, “He is not unaware that the way to gain a soul is often to ask a service of it.” Jesus begins by receiving rather than giving, thereby opening her heart.
Spurgeon comments, “He felt that his miraculous power was to be used for others, and in his great work; but as for himself, his humanity must bear its own infirmity, it must support its own trials: so he keeps his hand back from relieving his own necessities.”
Here is one of the paradoxes of the gospel:
He who gives rest to the weary is Himself weary (John 4:6).
He who is Israel’s Messiah speaks to a Samaritan woman.
He who has living water asks for a drink from a well.
It is reasonable to think she gave Him the water He asked for, and that her question in verse 9 followed as He drank or after He finished.
d. How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?
Her surprise is immediate and genuine. As John explains, “For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.” The hostility between these groups was ancient and bitter.
Clarke reminds us, “The deadly hatred that subsisted between these two nations is known to all. The Jews cursed them, and believed them to be accursed. Their most merciful wish to the Samaritans was, that they might have no part in the resurrection; or, in other words, that they might be annihilated.”
For this woman, to be spoken to kindly by a Jewish man, let alone a rabbi, was astonishing. Jesus’ words broke through barriers of ethnicity, gender, and morality.
This moment stands in deliberate contrast with the previous chapter. In John 3, Jesus engaged in theological discussion with Nicodemus, a respected Pharisee, a man of influence and standing. In John 4, He engaged a Samaritan woman of questionable reputation, one despised by society. Together, these encounters show that the gospel addresses both the highest and lowest in the eyes of the world. The religious elite and the social outcast alike must come to Jesus for life.
4. (John 4:10–12) Jesus interests the woman in living water
Text:
“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.’ 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? 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?’” (John 4:10–12, NKJV)
a. If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, “Give Me a drink”:
Jesus immediately elevated the conversation from physical thirst to spiritual realities. He stirred the woman’s curiosity by pointing her to three things:
The gift of God – Jesus speaks of salvation itself, the free and gracious gift of God. Paul later wrote, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23, NKJV). She did not yet realize that the water Jesus offered symbolized eternal life.
The identity of the speaker – The woman saw Him as merely a weary Jewish traveler. But Jesus hinted at His true identity. If she knew who He was, she would be the one begging from Him.
The living water He could give – This was more than natural water. Jesus offered something spiritual, eternal, and life-giving. “Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3, NKJV).
i. Here is an important principle: “If you knew… you would have asked.” If believers truly grasped what God offers in Christ, we would pray far more earnestly. Our failure to pray is often rooted in not realizing the richness of the gift available to us.
ii. Another principle is that Jesus often addresses people as if they already had a measure of spiritual understanding. He does this intentionally to awaken desire, pressing us to think beyond the surface.
b. He would have given you living water:
The phrase “living water” had a double meaning. In common speech, it referred to fresh spring water—flowing, bubbling, and vibrant, as opposed to stagnant cistern water. But Jesus used it symbolically to describe eternal life through the Spirit.
The Old Testament repeatedly associated living water with God Himself:
“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 2:13, NKJV).
“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” (Jeremiah 17:13, NKJV).Later Jewish and Samaritan traditions also linked the Messiah with streams of life. As Bruce notes, Samaritan liturgy for the Day of Atonement spoke of the Taheb (their messianic figure): “Water shall flow from his buckets” (an allusion to Numbers 24:7, NKJV).
Thus, Jesus took a familiar concept and revealed its deeper, divine fulfillment in Himself. He, the Messiah, is the fountain of life, offering not temporary relief but eternal satisfaction.
c. You have nothing to draw with:
The woman’s response shows she was still thinking on a natural level. Without a bucket, how could Jesus draw from a well that was both ancient and deep? Ironically, the disciples may have carried with them the leather pouch typically used for drawing water, leaving Jesus without the practical means to drink. This provided the perfect opening for Jesus to contrast physical means with spiritual provision.
Her limitation of understanding echoes what Paul later wrote: “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14, NKJV).
d. Are You greater than our father Jacob…?
Her final question reflects both reverence and doubt. Jacob was revered as a patriarch by both Jews and Samaritans. To claim superiority to Jacob would have sounded audacious. Yet Jesus was indeed greater—greater than Jacob in authority, in provision, and in covenantal fulfillment.
Jacob dug a well that sustained physical life for generations. Jesus offers living water that grants eternal life.
Jacob gave his descendants land. Jesus gives His followers a place in the Father’s house (John 14:2).
Jacob, though a patriarch, needed water to live. Jesus, as the Son of God, is the source of living water itself.
Whether her question was cynical or sincere, it set the stage for Jesus to reveal Himself as the Messiah. The fact that she later believed (John 4:28–29) suggests her question came from genuine searching, not mere mockery.
5. (John 4:13–15) Jesus describes the effect of the living water He offers
Text:
“Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 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.’ The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.’” (John 4:13–15, NKJV)
a. Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again:
Jesus began by contrasting the temporary satisfaction of earthly provision with the eternal satisfaction of His gift. The Samaritan woman, like all in her village, had to draw water daily from Jacob’s well to quench her thirst. This cycle of thirst and temporary fulfillment is a fitting picture of the human soul apart from Christ.
Every attempt to satisfy the God-given thirst for meaning and life—whether through wealth, pleasure, power, or religion—ultimately leaves one empty. As the prophet Isaiah wrote, “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance” (Isaiah 55:1–2, NKJV).
b. Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst:
Here Jesus made a staggering claim: He alone can provide lasting satisfaction for the deepest needs of the human spirit. The gift He offers is not external and temporary, but inward and eternal.
i. People continually seek to quench their spiritual thirst through substitutes—entertainment, relationships, philosophies, addictions—but none suffice. Only what Jesus gives satisfies completely. As He later declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35, NKJV).
ii. Drinking in Scripture is often a metaphor for receiving God’s provision by faith. To drink requires no merit, no payment, and no preparation—only willingness to receive. Spurgeon vividly illustrates: “What does a thirsty man do to get rid of his thirst? He drinks. Perhaps there is no better representation of faith in all the Word of God than that. To drink is to receive—to take in the refreshing draught—and that is all. A man’s face may be unwashed, but yet he can drink; he may be a very unworthy character, but yet a draught of water will remove his thirst. Drinking is such a remarkably easy thing, it is even more simple than eating.”
iii. This spiritual satisfaction is not from a one-time sip, but an ongoing relationship. If one feels empty after coming to Christ, the answer is not that the water has failed but that we must drink again. Abiding in Christ is a continual act of receiving from Him.
c. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life:
The gift Jesus offers is not only sufficient for satisfaction; it becomes a continual source of life within the believer. The imagery shifts from a stagnant pool to an artesian spring, welling up with vitality.
This points forward to the indwelling Holy Spirit, whom Jesus later describes: “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive” (John 7:37–39, NKJV).
The Spirit’s presence not only satisfies but overflows into eternal life and blessing for others. The fountain within the believer testifies to the permanence of salvation: it is not a temporary draught but an everlasting spring.
d. Sir, give me this water:
The woman’s response was still rooted in practicality rather than spirituality. She thought of convenience: no more daily trips to Jacob’s well. Her words reveal she misunderstood the true nature of Christ’s offer.
This reflects the tendency of fallen man to interpret God’s promises in terms of earthly comfort rather than eternal life. Just as the crowds later followed Jesus for loaves and fish (John 6:26), she initially sought Him for relief from labor, not for salvation.
Yet even in her misunderstanding, her words reveal the beginning of desire. She asked for what Jesus offered, even if she did not yet grasp its full meaning. Christ’s gentle unfolding of truth would soon lead her to understand that the true water He gave was not to quench physical thirst, but to bring new life to her soul.
6. (John 4:16–19) Jesus speaks of her sinful life
Text:
“Jesus said to her, ‘Go, call your husband, and come here.’ The woman answered and said, ‘I have no husband.’ Jesus said to her, ‘You have well said, “I have no husband,” for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.’ The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.’” (John 4:16–19, NKJV)
a. Go, call your husband, and come here:
Jesus abruptly shifted the conversation from abstract talk about water to the woman’s personal life. At first glance, this might seem like an odd request, but it was deliberate and purposeful.
Culturally, His request would have appeared proper. A lengthy public conversation between a Jewish man and a Samaritan woman was already stretching social boundaries. To include her husband would make the interaction more acceptable by cultural standards.
Spiritually, this question was an entry point into her conscience. She wanted living water without dealing with the state of her soul. Jesus knew that genuine salvation requires facing sin honestly.
This moment reflects what Jesus later declared: “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8, NKJV). His goal was not to shame her but to bring her to the place where conviction could lead to repentance.
b. I have no husband… you have had five husbands:
Her reply was technically true but intentionally incomplete. She did not expect this Jewish stranger to know the full story. Yet Jesus, with divine knowledge, revealed the painful truth: she had been married five times and was now living with a man outside of marriage.
Spurgeon insightfully remarked, “Christ has different doors for entering into different people’s souls. Into some, He enters by the understanding; into many, by the affections. To some, He comes by the way of fear; to another, by that of hope; and to this woman He came by way of her conscience.”
By exposing her life, Jesus touched the deepest wound and shame she carried, showing that the living water He offered was for sinners, not for the self-righteous.
c. And the one whom you now have is not your husband:
Here Jesus cut through all pretense. The man she was with was not her husband, which exposed her current state of sin.
i. Jesus’ words make a crucial distinction: living together is not marriage. He recognized the difference between a covenant union before God and a mere arrangement of cohabitation. This directly confronts the modern confusion where society equates living together with marriage. To Christ, marriage is not defined by cultural convenience but by covenant.
ii. Jesus also showed that not every relationship labeled as “marriage” is valid in God’s sight. For example, illegitimate unions may be socially recognized but are not blessed by the Lord.
iii. Alford is correct when he notes: “I am persuaded that the right account is found, in viewing this command, as the first step of granting her request, ‘give me this water.’ The first work of the Spirit of God, and of Him who here spoke in the fullness of that Spirit, is, to convince of sin.” Before she could receive the living water, she had to face her thirst and brokenness honestly.
This aligns with the pattern of salvation: exposure of sin comes before cleansing. As Paul wrote, “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God” (Romans 3:19, NKJV). Only when guilt is exposed can grace be received.
d. Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet:
Her response shows both amazement and deflection. On one hand, she acknowledged Jesus’ supernatural knowledge of her life. On the other hand, she stopped short of admitting her sin or repenting. She recognized His prophetic insight but had not yet recognized her need for forgiveness.
Spurgeon points out the subtle failure in her reply: “It would have been better if she had perceived that she was a sinner.” She correctly discerned that Jesus was a prophet but missed the more pressing truth—that she stood guilty before God and in need of grace.
Still, her words were a step forward. For a Samaritan woman to call a Jewish stranger a prophet was no small admission. Jesus had successfully stirred her conscience, bringing her closer to the realization of who He truly was.
7. (John 4:20–26) The Samaritan woman and Jesus discuss worship
Text:
“‘Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 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. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.’ The woman said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When He comes, He will tell us all things.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am He.’” (John 4:20–26, NKJV)
a. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain:
The Samaritan woman quickly shifted the focus from her personal sin to a theological dispute. Her reference was to Mount Gerizim, where the Samaritans built their rival temple to compete with Jerusalem’s. Whether her statement was genuine confusion or a deliberate evasion, it was a way of deflecting from Jesus’ probing into her conscience.
This is a common human tendency—when confronted with sin, people often retreat to religious or doctrinal debates instead of repentance.
Yet Jesus did not take the bait. He refused to get lost in arguments over religious geography. His concern was her soul, not her debating skills.
b. You worship what you do not know:
Jesus confronted Samaritan worship as deficient. The Samaritans had built their religion on partial revelation, accepting only the first five books of Moses and discarding the rest. They claimed Moses commissioned an altar on Mount Gerizim, but this was a distortion of God’s Word.
i. Jesus made a sharp distinction: “You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.” His “you” and “we” were emphatic. He firmly placed Himself in line with Jewish revelation and against Samaritan corruption.
ii. Barclay summarized it: “The Samaritans took as much of scripture as they wished and paid no attention to the rest.” Their eclectic, selective worship led to error.
iii. In contrast, the Jews, despite their failings, preserved God’s promises and the line of salvation. The Messiah would come through the Jews, just as Paul later affirmed: “What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God” (Romans 3:1–2, NKJV).
c. The hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father:
With this statement, Jesus made one of the most revolutionary announcements of His ministry. True worship would soon be detached from physical locations altogether.
i. The significance of Jerusalem’s temple, central in the Old Covenant, would be fulfilled and transcended in Christ. The veil would be torn (Matthew 27:51), and access to God would be opened for all believers.
ii. As Dods observed, “One of the greatest announcements ever made by our Lord; and made to one sinful woman.” The coming hour pointed to the new covenant established by His death and resurrection.
iii. Alford notes that this prophecy included the future conversion of Samaritans, later fulfilled in Acts 8:4–25 when Philip preached Christ in Samaria.
d. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth:
This is the foundational principle for New Testament worship. Worship is not confined to buildings, rituals, or geographic centers.
i. To worship in spirit means that worship flows from the heart and is empowered by the Holy Spirit. It is concerned with inward reality, not outward ceremony. Paul later wrote, “For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3, NKJV).
ii. To worship in truth means worship aligns with God’s revealed Word. It is not man-made, superstitious, or hypocritical. True worshipers come honestly before God, acknowledging their sin and resting in His grace. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17, NKJV).
iii. The Father is not indifferent to worship. He actively seeks those who will worship Him this way. This shows His desire for relationship and fellowship with His people.
e. I who speak to you am He:
When the woman expressed her hope that the coming Messiah would resolve such disputes, Jesus gave her one of His clearest self-disclosures: He is the Messiah.
i. This is significant because Jesus did not reveal His identity this plainly to the Pharisees or even at first to His own disciples. Yet to a Samaritan woman with a sinful past, He declared, “I who speak to you am He.”
ii. This reveals Christ’s grace—He does not wait for the morally upright or religious elite to seek Him. He reveals Himself to sinners who need Him.
iii. This moment also marks a turning point: the Samaritan woman began with curiosity (“Give Me a drink”), moved to respect (“Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet”), and now heard the climactic truth that the Messiah Himself was speaking with her.
8. (John 4:27–30) The woman tells her neighbors
Text:
“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?’ The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, ‘Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?’ Then they went out of the city and came to Him.” (John 4:27–30, NKJV)
a. The disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman:
The return of the disciples interrupted Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman. They were shocked—not only that He was speaking with a Samaritan, but that He was speaking with a woman at all. In that culture, a rabbi was not supposed to engage in such extended public conversation with a woman, especially one of questionable reputation.
Yet, as Dods notes, “Their silence was due to reverence. They had already learned that He had reasons for His actions which might not lie on the surface.” Similarly, Morris observes, “They had learned enough to know that, while Jesus did not always respect the conventions of the Rabbis, He had good reasons for what He did.”
This shows the disciples’ growth. They did not yet fully understand Jesus’ methods, but they trusted His wisdom.
b. The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city:
Moved by her encounter with Jesus, the woman abandoned her waterpot at the well. This was more than a practical oversight; it symbolized her shift from physical concerns to spiritual awakening.
The abandoned waterpot is the detail of an eyewitness. John, present at the scene, remembered vividly how she left the vessel behind.
It also illustrates how the encounter with Jesus reordered her priorities. She came seeking water for her body, but she left with living water for her soul.
Bruce notes, “If she had avoided the company of her fellow-citizens before, she was a changed woman now; she must seek them out and share her news with them.”
c. Come, see a Man who told me all the things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?
The woman’s testimony was compelling in its simplicity. She did not offer theological arguments or elaborate proofs. She simply shared her personal experience: Jesus knew her life and spoke truth into it.
i. Once shamed and isolated, she now boldly sought out the very people who had despised her. The grace of Christ gave her confidence and transformed her into a witness.
ii. She declared that Jesus had told her “all things that I ever did.” While this was an exaggeration, it revealed how deeply His words pierced her conscience. Morris notes, “This pardonable exaggeration indicates the profound impression that Jesus’ knowledge of her private life had made on her.”
iii. Remarkably, she did not feel condemned by His knowledge of her sin. Instead, she felt loved and safe in His presence. Where others would have rejected her, Jesus offered acceptance with truth. For this reason, she ran to invite others: “Could this be the Christ?”
iv. Clarke records that Jewish tradition expected the Messiah to discern the secrets of the heart, citing Isaiah 11:2–3: “The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. His delight is in the fear of the Lord, and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears” (NKJV). It is likely the Samaritans expected similar qualities of the Messiah.
Her tentative question—“Could this be the Christ?”—was an invitation for others to see for themselves. Effective evangelism often works this way: pointing others to Christ, rather than arguing them into belief.
d. Then they went out of the city and came to Him:
Her testimony was powerful enough to stir the interest of the townspeople. This is striking, given her low reputation. Yet the authenticity of her excitement compelled them to investigate for themselves.
The results show the effectiveness of personal testimony. This woman, once marginalized, became the first evangelist to the Samaritans. Her invitation, “Come, see a Man,” brought many to Christ. Later in John 4:39 we read: “And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, ‘He told me all that I ever did’” (NKJV).
The transformation of this woman illustrates the power of encountering Jesus. The one who came to the well in shame became the bold witness who brought her city to the Savior.
9. (John 4:31–34) Jesus teaches His disciples the source of His strength and satisfaction
Text:
“In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, ‘Rabbi, eat.’ But He said to them, ‘I have food to eat of which you do not know.’ Therefore the disciples said to one another, ‘Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?’ Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.’” (John 4:31–34, NKJV)
a. I have food to eat of which you do not know:
The disciples, returning from Sychar with provisions, naturally urged Jesus to eat. They were concerned for His physical needs. In their minds, His weariness at the well (John 4:6) required nourishment. Yet Jesus took the opportunity to redirect their attention from the physical to the spiritual.
i. Spurgeon commends the disciples’ care: “It is right for the spiritual man to forget his hunger, but it is equally right for his true friends to remind him that he ought to eat for his health’s sake: it is commendable for the worker to forget his weakness and press forward in holy service; but it is proper for the humane and thoughtful to interpose with a word of caution, and to remind the ardent spirit that his frame is but dust. I think the disciples did well to say, ‘Master, eat.’”
ii. Jesus was not denying the importance of food, drink, and rest. Rather, He revealed a greater priority: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4, NKJV).
iii. Dods comments, “The pronouns are emphatic: I am refreshed by nourishment hidden from you.” The disciples thought in terms of bread and meat; Jesus spoke of obedience and mission.
iv. Morgan summarizes it well: “In these words our Lord revealed the secret of His strength, and that of the weakness of His disciples.” Their perspective was fixed on earthly concerns; His was anchored in the Father’s will.
b. My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me:
Here Jesus revealed the true source of His refreshment. What sustained Him more than bread was doing the will of His Father. His satisfaction came not from material provision, but from obedience.
i. Notice that Jesus did not say, “My food is to do my Father’s will.” As Spurgeon noted, He instead emphasized His role as the sent One: “He does not even say, ‘My meat is to do my Father’s will.’ He takes a lower position than that of sonship, and dwells chiefly upon His mission, its service, and the absorption in the will of God which it involved.”
ii. This focus stands in direct contrast to Satan, who in his rebellion exalted his own will above God’s (Isaiah 14:12–15). Where Satan declared, “I will ascend… I will exalt… I will be like the Most High,” Jesus declared, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me.”
iii. Jesus’ words also affirm a truth experienced by countless saints: there is no deeper satisfaction than doing God’s will. The world promises happiness through self-indulgence, but such promises end in emptiness. As Spurgeon observed, “The man of the world thinks that, if he could have his own way, he would be perfectly happy, and his dream of happiness in this state or in the next is comprised in this, that his own wishes will be gratified, his own longings fulfilled, his own desires granted to him. This is all a mistake. A man will never be happy in this way.”
iv. Jesus Himself demonstrated this. Even though He was weary and hungry (John 4:6), the conscious act of doing His Father’s will refreshed Him. Alford insightfully notes: “The bodily thirst (and hunger probably, from the time of day) which our Lord had felt before, had been and was forgotten in the carrying on of His divine work in the soul of this Samaritan woman.”
c. And to finish His work:
Jesus’ satisfaction was not in merely beginning the Father’s mission, but in finishing it. Every step of His earthly ministry was directed toward the cross, where He would complete the work of redemption.
Jesus was surrendered to the Master’s will.
Jesus was on a commission from the Father.
Jesus came to do the Father’s work.
Jesus came to finish that work.
i. Morris connects this phrase to the cross: “The verb is cognate with that used on the cross, when Jesus cried, ‘It is finished’ (John 19:30).”
This shows that Jesus viewed His mission as a whole. The work begun at the well with one Samaritan woman was part of the same work that would culminate at Calvary. His satisfaction was in faithful obedience all the way to the end.
10. (John 4:35–38) Jesus teaches His disciples about the urgency of spiritual work and opportunity
Text:
“Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.” (John 4:35–38, NKJV)
a. There are still four months and then comes the harvest:
Jesus began with a proverb familiar to His disciples. In agriculture, there is always a waiting period between sowing and reaping. The phrase implied delay, patience, and the inevitability of time passing. But Jesus rejected this mentality for spiritual work.
i. Bruce notes that in Greek, “Yet four months and harvest comes” has a rhythmic form, suggesting it was a common proverb.
ii. Jesus’ point: there is no delay in God’s work. The harvest is not a distant possibility but an immediate reality. Spiritual urgency is required because opportunities can be lost. As Morris writes, “The harvest is ready. The wages are there. Let no man hang back. A harvest will not wait.”
b. Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!
Jesus called His disciples to see with spiritual vision. At that very moment, the Samaritans were leaving their city and walking toward Him, stirred by the woman’s testimony (John 4:29–30).
i. Tenney explains, “As he was speaking, the Samaritans were leaving the town and coming across the fields toward him. The eagerness of the people the Jews regarded as alien and rejected showed that they were like grain ready for harvesting.”
ii. The phrase “white for harvest” refers to grain at full ripeness, sometimes even past its prime. Jesus warned His disciples not to postpone labor under the excuse that conditions were not yet ready. The fields were ready now.
iii. Spurgeon presses the application: “Expect a present blessing; believe that you will have it; go to work to get it, and do not be satisfied unless you do have it.”
This statement cuts against the human tendency to procrastinate in evangelism. The world is perishing, and Christ’s command is urgent: look and reap.
c. He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life:
Jesus encouraged His disciples by reminding them of the reward and permanence of their work. Spiritual labor is not in vain.
Rewarded: “He who reaps receives wages.” God Himself rewards His servants, not only in eternity but often even now with joy and satisfaction. Paul echoed this truth: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58, NKJV).
Enduring fruit: Their labor would produce eternal results. Souls brought to Christ bear fruit that lasts forever, unlike earthly harvests which perish.
Shared joy: Both sower and reaper would rejoice together. No one’s role is diminished; whether planting seeds or gathering the crop, all labor contributes to God’s redemptive plan.
d. I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors:
Jesus reminded His disciples that their immediate opportunity was built on the work of others.
i. John the Baptist had prepared the way with his preaching of repentance. Jesus Himself had sown seeds in the woman’s heart. Now the disciples were about to reap as the Samaritans streamed toward them in faith.
ii. This principle is timeless in ministry. As Paul later wrote, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor” (1 Corinthians 3:6–8, NKJV).
iii. The disciples had to understand that evangelism is a shared work. Some sow, some water, some reap, but all laborers are fellow-servants of the same Master.
Theological Application:
Jesus here taught His disciples—and by extension the church—that spiritual work is always urgent, rewarding, and cooperative. The Samaritan woman’s transformation illustrates how God can take an unlikely instrument, plant the seed, and prepare a harvest. The disciples’ task was not to delay but to enter into that harvest with faith and obedience.
11. (John 4:39–42) Many Samaritans believe on the Savior of the world
Text:
“And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, ‘He told me all that I ever did.’ So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word. Then they said to the woman, ‘Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.’” (John 4:39–42, NKJV)
a. Many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him:
The initial wave of belief came through the testimony of the woman. Her transformation was so striking that her neighbors could not ignore it. She did not preach a sermon or argue doctrine; she simply testified to what Jesus had done in her life. This is a reminder that evangelism is not about eloquence but authenticity.
At this stage, the Samaritans’ understanding was limited. They did not yet grasp the cross or resurrection, but they believed Jesus was the promised Messiah. Their faith was genuine, even if their knowledge was incomplete. Like the disciples who first followed Jesus in John 1:41, they believed based on what had been revealed to them.
b. He told me all that I ever did:
The woman’s testimony centered on Jesus’ supernatural knowledge of her life. What amazed her most was not only that He knew her sins, but that He loved her despite them.
Many people fear exposure—“If others knew all that I ever did, they could not love me.” Yet Jesus’ omniscience is coupled with grace. As David declared, “O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off… Such knowledge is too wonderful for me” (Psalm 139:1–2, 6, NKJV). Jesus knew her sin fully, yet offered her living water freely.
c. He stayed there two days:
This detail is astonishing considering Jewish-Samaritan hostility. Jews typically avoided Samaritan villages altogether, passing through as quickly as possible. Yet Jesus not only stopped but lodged with them for two days, teaching and fellowshipping with those His own people despised.
i. Bruce notes: “That Samaritans should invite a Jewish teacher to stay with them, with no fear of a rebuff, shows how completely he had won their confidence.”
ii. Trench adds: “During the stay His reasoning and discoursing added greatly to the number of the believers and supplemented the woman’s work.”
This shows Christ’s mission breaking ethnic and cultural barriers. He was not merely the Messiah of the Jews but the Savior of all nations. His two-day stay in Sychar foreshadowed the later Samaritan revival under Philip in Acts 8:5–8, when many more Samaritans came to faith through the preaching of the gospel.
d. Many more believed because of His own word:
The woman’s testimony drew them to Christ, but His word secured their faith. Her witness was the spark, but His teaching was the fire. Faith based on personal encounter with Christ is always stronger than secondhand reports.
This truth is confirmed later in John’s Gospel: “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free’” (John 8:31–32, NKJV).
e. We know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world:
The climax of the passage comes in the Samaritans’ confession. Their faith had matured from curiosity to conviction. They no longer relied on the woman’s testimony alone but had personal assurance: Jesus is the Messiah and the Savior of the world.
i. Clarke comments: “Not of the Jews only, but of the Samaritans, and of the whole Gentile world.” This statement anticipated the universal scope of the gospel—that Christ’s salvation would extend beyond Israel to every tribe, tongue, and nation (Revelation 7:9–10).
ii. Dods notes: “The title ‘Saviour of the World’ was of course prompted by the teaching of Jesus Himself during His two days’ residence.” In other words, Jesus Himself taught them about the global scope of His mission.
This declaration by Samaritans, despised by the Jews, underscores the wideness of God’s mercy. They recognized what many in Israel rejected: that Jesus is not just a tribal Messiah, but the Savior of all humanity.
Theological Application:
This section reveals the progression of faith:
First, faith through testimony (“because of the word of the woman”).
Then, faith through encounter (“because of His own word”).
Finally, faith through conviction (“we know… this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world”).
The Samaritan revival demonstrates the power of personal testimony, the necessity of direct encounter with Christ, and the ultimate goal of worshiping Him as Savior of all.
B. Healing of the nobleman’s son: the second sign
1. (John 4:43–46a) Jesus returns to Galilee
Text:
“Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee. For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast. So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.” (John 4:43–46a, NKJV)
a. A prophet has no honor in his own country:
Jesus’ return to Galilee followed His remarkable reception among the Samaritans, where many had believed (John 4:39–42). In stark contrast, His own people struggled with unbelief.
i. Galilee was “His own country,” where He had grown up in Nazareth and ministered throughout the region. Yet familiarity bred contempt. Because they thought they knew Him, they dismissed Him. If they had truly known Him, they would have honored Him as Lord.
ii. This principle is echoed in the Synoptic Gospels: “But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house’” (Matthew 13:57, NKJV; see also Mark 6:4). John highlights this same tension—the Messiah rejected by those closest to Him.
iii. Alford notes: “He betakes himself to Galilee therefore, to avoid fame, testifying that His own country (Galilee) was that where, as a prophet, He was least likely to be honoured.”
iv. This “false familiarity” remains a danger today. Many presume they know Jesus simply because they know the stories about Him. Yet this superficial knowledge can blind the heart to His majesty, producing indifference instead of worship.
b. Having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast:
The Galileans did receive Him, but their reception was shallow. Their enthusiasm was based not on recognition of Him as Messiah, but on the signs they had witnessed in Jerusalem.
i. It was customary for Jews in Galilee to travel to Jerusalem for the feasts, as required in the Law: “Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year… Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord God” (Exodus 23:14, 17, NKJV).
ii. Likely, they remembered Jesus cleansing the temple: “When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple… Then His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up’” (John 2:15, 17, NKJV). They may also have recalled His prediction of His resurrection (John 2:18–22) and the many signs He performed in Jerusalem (John 2:23–25).
iii. Yet, as Morris cautions: “The enthusiasm of the Galileans was not soundly based. It was dependent on the wonders arising from their sight of the signs, not on a realization that Jesus was indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. Their very acceptance of Him was thus in its way a rejection. They gave Him honor of a sort, but it was not the honor that was due to Him.”
Their “faith” was superficial. They were impressed with His miracles but blind to His true identity.
c. So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine:
John ties this moment back to the first sign recorded in Cana, the turning of water into wine at the wedding feast (John 2:1–11). Cana had already been a place of transformation and revelation. Now it would become the setting for the second sign, the healing of the nobleman’s son.
This reminds us that Jesus’ ministry was not random. Each place, each miracle, was chosen with purpose to reveal His glory and call people to deeper faith.
2. (John 4:46b–48) The nobleman and his sick son
Text:
“And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.’” (John 4:46b–48, NKJV)
a. Whose son was sick at Capernaum:
By this time, Jesus had shifted His residence to Capernaum (Matthew 4:13; John 2:12). Although Jesus was in Cana, about twenty miles (32 km) away, the nobleman made the journey in desperation.
i. The word “nobleman” literally means “a royal person,” suggesting he was likely an officer in Herod Antipas’ service (Alford). Despite his status, his wealth and position were powerless before his child’s illness.
ii. The affliction stripped away all pretense. He was not a court official at that moment, but a broken father. His rank and resources mattered nothing before death’s approach.
b. Implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death:
This plea was urgent and passionate. Few things cut deeper than a parent watching their child slip toward death.
i. Morrison captures it poignantly: “How vapid and vain was all the showy courtlife when there rang through it, in a voice he loved so well, the wild and delirious cries of raging fever!”
ii. The man’s urgency reveals faith, however imperfect. He believed that if Jesus came physically, his child could be healed. But his faith had to grow beyond proximity to resting in Christ’s word alone.
c. Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe:
Jesus’ response seems at first severe. Yet His rebuke was not only for the nobleman but for the Galileans in general. Their fascination with miracles had created a shallow faith that demanded proof before belief.
i. Signs and wonders can lead people toward faith (John 2:23), but they cannot guarantee it. The Israelites saw mighty wonders at Sinai, even hearing God’s voice (Exodus 19:16–20:1), yet soon worshiped a golden calf (Exodus 32:1–6).
ii. Paul later warned that Satan also works through lying wonders: “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:9, NKJV).
iii. Alford highlights the contrast: “These words imply the contrast between the Samaritans, who believed because of His word, and the Jews who would not believe but through signs and prodigies.”
Jesus’ correction pressed the nobleman to move from shallow, sign-seeking faith toward genuine trust in His word.
3. (John 4:49–50) Jesus declares the nobleman’s son healed, and the nobleman believes the declaration
Text:
“The nobleman said to Him, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your son lives.’ So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.” (John 4:49–50, NKJV)
a. The nobleman said to Him:
Despite the rebuke, the father persisted. His status as a nobleman meant nothing; he begged as a desperate parent. Affliction is a great equalizer, reminding all that we stand helpless before sickness and death apart from God.
b. Sir, come down before my child dies!
The man’s request showed that he did not interpret Jesus’ earlier words as a rejection of miracles. Instead, he rightly discerned that Christ was rebuking shallow faith, not the act of asking for divine help.
i. Importantly, he did not plead noble birth, wealth, or influence. His plea was the misery of his son’s condition. Spurgeon comments: “He urged no merit, but pleaded the misery of the case. He did not plead that the boy was of noble birth — that would have been very bad pleading with Jesus; nor did he urge that he was a lovely child — that would have been a sorry argument; but he pleaded that he was at the point of death. His extremity was his reason for urgency: the child was at death’s door; therefore his father begs that mercy’s door may open.”
ii. His cry shows raw faith: even if limited, it trusted Jesus as the only hope for his child.
c. Go your way; your son lives:
Here Jesus brought the man to a decisive point. He would not go physically to Capernaum. Instead, He commanded the nobleman to trust His word alone.
i. This was a severe test of faith. The father had to believe without visible proof, relying solely on Christ’s authority. Yet he passed the test: “So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.”
ii. Maclaren notes: “It was worthy of His care to heal the boy; it was far more needful that He should train and lead the father to faith.”
iii. Clarke adds: “Had our Lord gone with him, as he wished, his unbelief could not have been fully removed; as he would have still thought that our Lord’s power could not reach from Cana to Capernaum: in order to destroy his unbelief at once, and bring him into the fulness of the faith of his supreme power, He cures him, being apparently absent, by that energy through which He fills both the heavens and the earth.”
iv. Jesus’ healing contained no dramatic gestures or spectacle. It was a simple word: “Your son lives.” Real faith accepts His word without demanding outward signs.
4. (John 4:51–54) The nobleman discovers that his son is healed and when it happened
Text:
“And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, ‘Your son lives!’ Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, ‘Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.’ So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, ‘Your son lives.’ And he himself believed, and his whole household. This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.” (John 4:51–54, NKJV)
a. Your son lives!
The nobleman had already believed Jesus’ word before he saw the evidence (John 4:50). Now, however, the evidence confirmed what his faith had already grasped. The joy of hearing the servants’ report must have been overwhelming.
i. The miracle was plain and verifiable. At the very moment Jesus spoke in Cana, the fever left the boy in Capernaum. The distance of about twenty miles proved that this was no coincidence or natural recovery. The word of Christ alone brought life.
ii. The servants reported that the fever left “yesterday at the seventh hour.” By Jewish reckoning, this was about 1:00 p.m. The nobleman clearly had not rushed home in panic. Instead, his slower return revealed his faith. He had hurried to Cana in fear, but he walked back in peace.
iii. Spurgeon notes: “The nobleman was so sure that his child was alive and well, that he was in no violent hurry to return. He did not go home immediately, as though he must be in time to get another doctor, if Christ had not succeeded; but he went his way leisurely and calmly, confident in the truth of what Jesus had said to him.”
b. And he himself believed, and his whole household:
The nobleman already believed in some sense when he left Cana (John 4:50). But this encounter deepened and solidified his faith. It moved from trusting Jesus for a miracle to trusting Him as Messiah.
i. Tasker observes the parallel: “His disciples believed on Him after the water had been turned into wine; the father and the rest of the household believed as the result of the healing of the boy: and in both cases the verb in the original is an inceptive aorist, ‘they put their faith in Him.’”
ii. His entire household followed him into belief. This included his family, servants, and dependents. Such household faith echoes other New Testament accounts (Acts 16:31–34, the Philippian jailer and his household).
iii. Barclay rightly points out the cost: “It would not be easy at the court of Herod to profess faith in Jesus. He would have mockery and laughter to endure; and no doubt there would be those who thought that he had gone slightly mad.” Nevertheless, his personal experience of Christ’s power emboldened him to confess faith, regardless of ridicule.
c. This again is the second sign:
John calls this healing the “second sign” Jesus performed in Galilee, following the turning of water into wine (John 2:1–11). The Gospel of John is structured around such signs, selected to reveal Christ’s glory and inspire faith (John 20:30–31).
The first sign (water into wine) persuaded His disciples.
The second sign (healing at a distance) persuaded a nobleman and his household.
The Samaritans, in between these two signs, believed without any miracle at all—simply by hearing His word.
This progression illustrates the various ways God brings people to faith: through miraculous power, through personal testimony, and through the direct word of Christ.
i. Both of the first two signs occurred in Cana. One at a joyful wedding celebration, the other in the shadow of tragedy. Jesus is Lord over both joy and sorrow, present in both life’s celebrations and life’s crises.
Theological Application:
This passage highlights the nature of true faith. The nobleman’s faith began with desperation, grew into confidence in Christ’s word, and matured into full belief in Him as the Christ. His story demonstrates that faith grows by trusting Christ’s word before seeing the evidence, then rejoicing when the evidence confirms what His word has promised.
