Theme

God sent Jesus to save the whole world.

Questions

• In John’s gospel, this is the next detailed encounter Jesus has with someone after his meeting with Nicodemus (John 3). How does John’s description of the woman differ from the way he talks about Nicodemus? Why does he tell her story this way?
• Why do you think John notes the time when the woman came to the well (v.6)? Why do you think she chose this time of the day? (Jewish time tended to be calculated from sunrise, or approx. 6am).
• Why was it surprising for Jesus to speak to the woman (v.9)? Given who Jesus is, why was it not surprising (think about what you have learned about God’s love for the world from John so far)?
• Think about some qualities of water (eg it cleans, it refreshes, etc.). How do these qualities help you think about living water (look forward to John 7:37-44 where Jesus uses similar language, and back to Isaiah 44:1-5).
• In v.17 the woman tries to deceive Jesus – she doesn’t lie, but she also doesn’t tell the whole truth.
  • Why do you think she tried to deceive him about having a husband?
  • Are there things in our lives which we try to cover up from Jesus? Why do we do that?
• Would you say that this is a story about hope for the woman? At what point do you sense she finds hope in her conversation with Jesus?
• The enmity between Samaritans and Jews even affects views about proper worship.
  • What does Jesus’ answer to the woman in v.21-24 tell you about worship?
  • What do you think it means to worship in spirit an in truth (look at Ezekiel 36:26-28 for an idea)?
• Why do you think the disciples were surprised to find Jesus speaking to the woman? Why didn’t they say anything about it? (v.27)
• When they ask Jesus about food, he gives them a surprising answer (v.34). Compare this with part of the passage for next week (John 6:27-29). If food is about nourishment, what does it tell you about kind of things which nourish our lives?
• What is Jesus saying to his disciples in v.35-38 (compare with Matthew 9:35-38)? Is it significant that he’s having this conversation in Samaria, outside of the ‘acceptable’ places for God’s people to be found?
• There are two reasons given for many of the Samaritan people realising Jesus was saviour not just for the Jews, but for them, and for the whole world (v.39-42):
  • What are the two reasons?
  • Can you think of a time when someone’s testimony, and God’s words have spoken to you about some aspect of faith?
• In reading this passage, what have you found the most surprising or challenging?