Sitting by the Well

John 4:1-26

Jesus travels through Samaria on the way to Galilee. (1-6)

Lesson: Jesus wants to invest in you.

Are you listening?

Jesus talks with a Samaritan woman about “living water”. (7-18)

Lesson: True satisfaction only comes from God.

From where do you seek satisfaction?

Jesus teaches the Samaritan woman about authentic worship. (19-26)

Lesson: Worship is about a person, not a place.

Are you an authentic worshipper?

1. Read John 1:1-6. What circumstances prompted Jesus to travel from Judea to Galilee, and why did these circumstances influence him so much? Where did Jesus go and why? What was Jesus doing in verse 6 and why was he doing this? What do we learn in these verses about the humanity of Jesus, and what does this mean regarding how Jesus relates to us as humans?

2. Read verses 7-13. How would you summarize the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan Woman in verses 7-12? What was the tone of their interaction? What kind of “water” is Jesus promising in verse 13? What does Jesus mean by the phrase “never be thirsty again”? What was Jesus teaching the Samaritan Woman in these verses? What can we learn from these verses that we can apply directly to our lives? What is the only true source of satisfaction in our lives and how do we tap into that source?

3. Read Verses 16-24. What do you learn about the Samaritan Woman in verses 16-19? What do you learn about Jesus in verses 16-19? What did Jesus teach the Samaritan Woman about worship in verses 21-22? What do you learn about God in verse 24? What does it mean to worship in “spirit and truth” in the context of these verses? What do you learn about worship in these verses that applies directly to your life?

4. Read verses 25-26. What point is the Samaritan Woman making to Jesus in verse 25? How does Jesus respond? Read Exodus 3:13-14. In light of these verses in Exodus, what is Jesus claiming in verse 26? Why was this claim so significant to the Samaritan Woman, the original readers, and to us personally?