John 4:16-26 – Bible Study & Exploration
Jesus Tests the Samaritan Woman at the Well
(Verses 16-18) It’s time for this conversation to take a different course. Jesus tests the Samaritan woman at the well by asking her to go get her husband and come back. She’s truthful with Jesus. She tells Him that she doesn’t have a husband.
Jesus commends her for your honesty. But Jesus takes her honesty and He adds to it by revealing the whole truth of her sinful ways. Jesus is the light of the world. The light overcomes the darkness. Nothing will be hidden that is concealed in the dark.
We see Jesus doing exactly as He said would happen as recorded by Luke.
“For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.” (Luke 8:17)
(Verse 19-20) Look carefully at how the Samaritan woman responds. The One who has fulfilled the law of Moses perfectly is revealing to her the laws that she has violated.
There’s one thing that sinners do not want to be confronted with and that’s their own sins.
If you’re the spirit of lawlessness that exists in the world today. What do you do about sin that you hate to be reminded of? You turn it on its head. Then suddenly, the sins that made you feel uncomfortable are now a good thing and nothing to be ashamed of. This is exactly what God spoke of through the prophet Isaiah and Paul’s letters to Timothy.
“Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.” (Isaiah 5:20)
“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,” (1 Timothy 4:1-4)
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” (2 Timothy 3:1-7)
This is precisely where we have evolved as a society today. It’s just as it was spoken of about the last days (hours) that we are currently in. This is why so many people are baffled as to what’s taking place before our eyes.
Let’s get back to the Samaritan woman at the well.
The Shame of the Samaritan Woman at the Well
The Samaritan woman feels her shame as Jesus brings her sins into the light for her to see. Look closely at how she reacts.
She quickly changes the subject. The woman turns the conversation in the direction of temple worship. She makes a distinction between where the Samaritans worship and where the Jews worship.
She referring here to Mt. Gerizim in the region of Samaria as the mountain where her ancestors worshiped. There is no mention of this mountain anywhere in the New Testament except for its reference here in the story of the Samaritan women at the well.
At the foot of Mt. Gerizim is the city of Shechem. Shechem is one of the most referenced cities in the Old Testament. The valley where Shechem sat had Mt. Gerizim to the south and Mt. Ebal to the north.
It’s here where the ceremony of blessings and curses took place. This was the ceremony given to Moses to perform with the Israelites that’s described in Deuteronomy 27:9-26.
According to Genesis 12:6-7, Mt. Gerizim was the place where Abraham would build an alter. A while after, according to Genesis 33:18-20, Jacob would also build an alter there. Eventually, the Samaritans would attempt to rival the temple in Jerusalem by building their own on this mountain top.
Mt. Gerizim was not only a place of extensive history, but it was also the central point of worship for the Samaritans for centuries.
Jesus happily goes along with her diversion to the topic of the temple. But His teaching, which is the central theme in John’s gospel continues in perfection since coming from the perfect teacher.
No matter what a person brings to Christ, He has much to teach us. Thus deserves our full reliance and attention.
You Must Worship in the Spirit and in Truth
(Verses 21-24) Notice how the Samaritan woman at the well first considered Jesus to be a prophet in verse 19. In quick fashion, Jesus is about to bring her to believe who He really is.
But first, He’ll address her comments on the temples of worship. The Samaritans only accepted the Pentateuch, which are the first five books of the Old Testament. The Jews, on the other hand accepted the entire Old Testament.
The Samaritans had spirit but they lacked the whole truth, which were the remaining books on the prophets that comprise the Old Testament. If they had accepted the entire Old Testament, they would’ve known that the Temple was moved to Jerusalem. In the case of the Jews, they had the whole truth (Old Testament) but didn’t understand the role of the Holy Spirit in worship.
Jesus is about to turn the tables on temple worship and religious rituals. The day has come when the requirement to worship God will not be in a temple. But rather, worship will be done in the Spirit (Holy Spirit) and in truth (the Word).
In other words, you must be born again. You must accept this message of the kingdom of God and the covenant, between Jesus and His church that He’s extending to all mankind.
You cannot worship in Spirit if you don’t have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in you. And you can’t receive the Holy Spirit unless you put your full faith and trust in Jesus Christ and are born again. It is then that you’ll be able to worship God in the Spirit and in truth.
The Samaritan Woman at the Well Believes
(Verses 25-26) She responds to the Messiah (Jesus) who is explaining to her all these things, that she’s waiting for the Messiah to come to explain to her all these things.
She demonstrates a desire to understand the things that Jesus is speaking of. She also expresses the fact that they are waiting for Him to arrive.
Then Jesus seals the deal with three closing words. He turns her unbelief into belief by saying, “I am He.”