The Gospel According To John

by Richard St.James

No Dealings With The Samaritans

John 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,)
3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.
4 And he must needs go through Samaria.
5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
7 There 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.)
9 Then 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.”

Jesus Christ “must needs go through Samaria” [verse five] in order to meet somebody. What we see here in this passage is a eye-opener to the Jews and a precursor to what is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. [This is the movement of the gospel as shown in Acts 1:8. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

In verse nine the woman of Samaria asks a very good question:
“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.”

Who Are The Samaritans?

Strange! Why wouldn’t “the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.” Sounds like a mean spirited and unloving thing, doesn’t it? To understand why “the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans” till Jesus first coming to this earth, we will need to go back in time to the book of 2 Kings in chapter seventeen.

[The Bible is the ultimate HISTORY BOOK recording these events.] The northern ten tribes of Israel had “walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did” and “they departed not from them”. Generation after generation, “they departed not from them”, king, after king “they departed not from them.” Yes, these northern ten tribes had continually departed from THE LORD until there was no remedy but the JUDGMENT of GOD. The Scriptures show that Israel was removed out of the land and REPLACED by OUTSIDERS in 721 B.C. Let’s read starting in verse twenty-two.

“For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them; Until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day. And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.” [2 Kings 17:22-24]

So when Jesus Christ shows up seven hundred and fifty years later in Samaria [John chapter four] it will be with the descendents of these nations.

Why No Dealings?

Okay! But WHY will “the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans”? To answer this, turn to the book of Ezra chapter four. In verse four we have this: “Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, And hired counsellers against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue. Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort: Then wrote Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions; the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, the Dehavites, and the Elamites,

And the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Asnappar brought over, and set in the cities of Samaria, and the rest that are on this side the river, and at such a time.” [Ezra 4:4-10] WHY will “the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans”?

Simple these OUTSIDERS are the enemies of the Jews.

1. These OUTSIDERS want to weaken the Jews. [Verse four]
2. These OUTSIDERS want to trouble the Jews. [Verse four]
3. These OUTSIDERS hired lawyers to frustrate the Jews. [Verse five]
4. These OUTSIDERS raised accusations against the Jews. [Verse six]
5. These OUTSIDERS wrote letters against the Jews. [Verse seven through nine]
6. These OUTSIDERS labeled the Jews as rebels and bad citizens in the land. [Verse eleven through sixteen]

“Then 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.”

Therefore, there is good reason for the “Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans”. The Samaritans in past time were the Jews enemies. These OUTSIDERS were the enemies of the Jews. The LAND belongs to Israel. This is why the woman of Samaria is dumbfounded when Jesus Christ [A JEW] asked for a drink of water from her [An Enemy].

Outsiders And Enemies

Now friend is here another strange thing. Before we came to Jesus Christ and got BORN AGAIN we were all the enemies of God. Yes we were! We were friends of the world by nature from our first birth. [James 4:4] “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” Do you BELIEVE the BOOK? We were all outsiders [STRANGERS] too!

Here is the PROOF. [Ephesians 2:19] “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” Before salvation we were all outsiders. “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,” [Ephesians 2:1-4]

And praise God, getting saved by the blood of the Lamb of GOD makes us INSIDERS! Amen!

The Living Water

Return To Home

Return to King James Bible Study Index

The Gospel According To John

John 4:1 When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,

John 4:2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)

John 4:3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.

John 4:4 And he must needs go through Samaria.

John 4:5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

John 4:6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.

John 4:7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

John 4:8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)

John 4:9 Then 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.

John 4:10 Jesus 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.

John 4:11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

John 4:12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

John 4:13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

John 4:14 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.

John 4:15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

John 4:16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.

John 4:17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:

John 4:18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

John 4:19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.

John 4:20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

John 4:21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

John 4:22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

John 4:23 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.

John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

John 4:25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.

John 4:26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

John 4:27 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?

John 4:28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,

John 4:29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

John 4:30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.

John 4:31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.

John 4:32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.

John 4:33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?

John 4:34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

John 4:35 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.

John 4:36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

John 4:37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.

John 4:38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

John 4:39 And 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.

John 4:40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.

John 4:41 And many more believed because of his own word;

John 4:42 And 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.

John 4:43 Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee.

John 4:44 For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.

John 4:45 Then 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.

John 4:46 So 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.

John 4:47 When 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.

John 4:48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.

John 4:49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.

John 4:50 Jesus 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.

John 4:51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.

John 4:52 Then inquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.

John 4:53 So 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.

John 4:54 This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.