John 4

John 4 is the fourth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible.

Jesus surpasses John

The Pharisees learn that Jesus is baptizing more people than John the Baptist, although it says that "...in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples". Jesus learns this, leaves Judea, and returns to Galilee.

Samaritan woman

Christ and the Samaritan Woman at the Well by Angelica Kauffman, 1796.

Jesus then goes to the Samarian town of Sychar, and rests at Jacob's Well. His disciples go into the town to get food. While Jesus is waiting for them, a Samaritan woman comes to the well and Jesus asks her for a drink. The woman is surprised and says that Samaritans and Jews do not associate. Jesus responds that if she really knew who he was, she would have asked for the "water" that Jesus was offering. "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman asks for this "water" and Jesus tells her to go and find her husband and bring him back. The woman states she has no husband, and Jesus says that in fact she has had five husbands and is now living with a man who is not her husband. She then believes that he is a prophet. Jesus then teaches her about worshipping God, how it has been done in the past, at certain locations, and how it will be done properly in the future. "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth." The woman then says that the messiah will come and explain all. Jesus declares that he is the messiah.

His disciples return and the woman returns to town, tells people that Jesus knew all about her, and wonders if he is the messiah. The people decide to go and see for themselves. The disciples meanwhile try to give Jesus some food but he refuses, saying that his food "...is to do the will of HIM who sent me and to finish his work".

The people from town come and Jesus talks with them and they convince him to stay for two days teaching. His words convince them that he is "...the Savior of the world".

The royal official's son

He then travels back to Galilee where the people welcome him. He goes to Canaan where a royal official asks him to heal his sick son. Jesus seems annoyed because people only seem to believe in him if he performs miracles. Nevertheless, Jesus says the boy will be healed. The official goes back home to find his boy well again. According to John, this is Jesus' second miracle (after Marriage in Cana).

External links

• Text at Wikisource
• Bible gateway