John 4

King James Version

Full text for John Chapter 4

1¶ When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,

2(Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)

3He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.

4¶ And he must needs go through Samaria.

5Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

6Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with [his] journey, sat thus on the well: [and] it was about the sixth hour.

7There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, ‹Give me to drink.›

8(For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)

9Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

10Jesus answered and said unto her, ‹If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.›

11The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

12Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

13Jesus answered and said unto her, ‹Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:›

14‹But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.›

15The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

16Jesus saith unto her, ‹Go, call thy husband, and come hither.›

17The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, ‹Thou hast well said, I have no husband:›

18‹For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.›

19The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.

20Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

21Jesus saith unto her, ‹Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.›

22‹Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.›

23‹But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.›

24‹God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth.›

25The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.

26Jesus saith unto her, ‹I that speak unto thee am [he].›

27¶ And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?

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

29Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

30Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.

31In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.

32But he said unto them, ‹I have meat to eat that ye know not of.›

33Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him [ought] to eat?

34Jesus saith unto them, ‹My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.›

35‹Say not ye, There are yet four months, and [then] cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.›

36‹And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.›

37‹And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.›

38‹I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.›

39And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.

40So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.

41And many more believed because of his own word;

42And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard [him] ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

43¶ Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee.

44For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.

45Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast.

46So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.

47When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.

48Then said Jesus unto him, ‹Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.›

49The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.

50Jesus saith unto him, ‹Go thy way; thy son liveth.› And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.

51And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told [him], saying, Thy son liveth.

52Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.

53So the father knew that [it was] at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, ‹Thy son liveth:› and himself believed, and his whole house.

54This [is] again the second miracle [that] Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Jesus, departing Judaea for Galilee, passed through Samaria where he met a woman at Jacob's well. He offered her "living water," revealed her past, and declared himself the Messiah, leading her and many Samaritans to believe. Subsequently, he healed a nobleman's son in Galilee from a distance, demonstrating his authority and eliciting faith from the nobleman and his household.

Medium Summary

Leaving Judaea due to the Pharisees' awareness of his growing discipleship, Jesus journeyed through Samaria and encountered a woman at Jacob's well. He initiated a conversation, offering "living water" that would eternally quench spiritual thirst, contrasting it with physical water. Jesus then revealed his supernatural knowledge of her personal life, prompting her to recognize him as a prophet. Their discussion progressed to the nature of true worship, which Jesus declared must be "in spirit and in truth," not bound by location. He then explicitly revealed his identity as the Messiah. The woman's testimony brought many Samaritans to Jesus, who believed in him as the "Saviour of the world" after hearing his own words. Following this, Jesus returned to Cana of Galilee and, from a distance, healed a nobleman's son who was at the point of death, leading to the nobleman and his entire household believing.

Long Summary

Chapter 4 begins with Jesus departing Judaea for Galilee, prompted by the Pharisees' awareness of his growing number of disciples. He chose to travel through Samaria, a region typically avoided by Jews, and rested at Jacob's well in Sychar. There, he engaged a Samaritan woman in conversation, asking for water, which surprised her due to the deep-seated animosity between Jews and Samaritans. Jesus then offered her "living water," promising that whoever drank of it would never thirst again, but would have a well of water springing up into everlasting life. He demonstrated his divine knowledge by accurately revealing her past marital history, causing her to recognize him as a prophet. Their dialogue then shifted to the proper place of worship, with the woman referencing Mount Gerizim and Jerusalem. Jesus declared that true worship transcends physical locations, asserting that the Father seeks worshippers who worship "in spirit and in truth," for "God is a Spirit." He then explicitly revealed his identity to her, stating, "I that speak unto thee am he," referring to the awaited Messiah. Upon the disciples' return, the woman left her waterpot and hurried to the city, testifying about Jesus, which led many Samaritans to come and hear him. Jesus then instructed his disciples about his spiritual "meat"—to do the will of God and finish His work—and spoke of the spiritual harvest, where the fields were "white already." Many Samaritans believed in him, first through the woman's testimony, and then more profoundly through his own words, acknowledging him as "the Christ, the Saviour of the world." After two days, Jesus continued into Galilee. In Cana, he was approached by a nobleman whose son was critically ill in Capernaum. Despite Jesus' initial remark about the need for signs, the nobleman's earnest plea moved him. Jesus simply declared, "Go thy way; thy son liveth," and the nobleman believed. Upon returning home, he found his son healed at the very hour Jesus had spoken, leading to his and his entire household's belief, marking this as Jesus' second miracle in Galilee.

Core Concepts

  • Living WaterJesus offers "living water" to the Samaritan woman, symbolizing the spiritual life and eternal satisfaction found in him, contrasting it with the temporary quenching of physical water from Jacob's well.
  • True WorshipJesus teaches that true worship is not confined to a specific geographical location like Jerusalem or Mount Gerizim, but is offered "in spirit and in truth" to God, who is a Spirit.
  • Jesus as MessiahJesus explicitly reveals his Messianic identity to the Samaritan woman, stating, "I that speak unto thee am he," a direct declaration of his role as the Christ.
  • Spiritual HarvestJesus speaks to his disciples about the "fields... white already to harvest," referring to the readiness of people, particularly the Samaritans, to receive the Gospel and believe, emphasizing the urgency of spiritual labor.
  • Breaking Social BarriersJesus intentionally engages with a Samaritan woman, a marginalized individual, defying Jewish social and religious customs of the time, demonstrating his universal mission and compassion.
  • Divine KnowledgeJesus demonstrates his supernatural knowledge by accurately revealing the Samaritan woman's past marital history, which serves to validate his prophetic authority and leads her to inquire further about spiritual matters.
  • Faith and HealingJesus heals the nobleman's son from a distance through his spoken word, emphasizing that belief in his authority, even without immediate physical presence or a visible sign, is sufficient for divine intervention and healing.