Note: Some of the notes come from The Preachers Sermon and Outline Bible on John 4
Title: Jesus’ Mission
Theme: To show how Jesus viewed missions and how we should also.
Text: John 4:1 - 42
The Mission
Joh 4:1 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples),
3 He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. 4 But He needed to go through Samaria.
Jesus didn't want there to be no conflict between his ministry and the ministry of John there was no competition between them they were working for the same cause. He realized they could do more separate branching out.
Note the words, "He must needs go through Samaria." The word must (edei) means necessity, compulsion, destiny. Jesus was driven to go through Samaria for the sake of His mission. Samaria needed the gospel as much as other areas. (The word "must" is so often used in connection with Jesus' mission that it makes an excellent word study. Cp. John 3:14; John 9:4; John 10:16; John 12:34; John 20:9.)
Joh 3:14 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
Joh 9:4 "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.
Joh 10:16 "And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
Joh 12:34 The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?"
Joh 20:9 For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.
— Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible - Commentary
Why? Logically it would seem like it was the easiest route, yet it is well known that Jews did not go through Samaria. They did not like each other. It was back and forth we see this in Luke 9 as the Samaritans rejected Jesus and his disciples to stay with them. I believe by this time the Jews had become accustomed to avoiding the Samaritans. Jesus even tells his disciples in Mark 10:5-6 to no go to the Samaritans, they were not ready for the gospel.
We discussed this a few Wednesday nights ago as we were looking at the disciples. I encourage you to come out as we will be looking at John next Wednesday.
Samaritans were not well like by the Jews
- They were considered “half-breeds” in their race and also in their religion
- They were known to mix the religion of the Jews with that of pagan practices
- The Samaritans also despised the Jews so it worked both ways
Yet Jesus has this mission. He has got to go through Samaria. Why? Because this is who Jesus is, he was a man who saw people as who they are, lost and living without God. Jesus could see beyond race. We find this in the New Testament church they had to get past their religious beliefs to reach everyone. By the time we get though acts all the barriers has be broken.
Second reason is that Jesus had compassion, he saw the sick and wanted to help.
The Compassion of Jesus
: sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it.
Proverbs 19:17 He who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, And He will repay him for his good deed.
1 Corinthians 12:25-26 that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
1 John 3:17 But whoever has the world's goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?
1 Corinthians 9:22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some.
Mar 1:41 Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed."
Mar 6:34 And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.
Mar 8:2 "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.
(Joh 4:5) So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
In other words there is a lot of spiritual significance here.
(Joh 4:7) A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." 8) For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9) Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 10) Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."
It is significant that this chapter is found right after Jesus speaking to Nicodemus. It is almost as if John is showing us how Jesus is reaching to the religious leaders but also to those who are broken and needing of the Messiah.
Very similar to Jesus opening up a spiritual conversation with the woman at the well
Jesus and Nicodemus
Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (Joh 3:4) Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" (Joh 3:5) Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. (Joh 3:6) "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
11) The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12) "Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?" 13) Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14) "but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."
This is the crux of the gospel message “Living water”.
Prophetic word of Jeremiah
"For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water" (Jeremiah 2:13).
Note several facts about the living water.
1. The living water comes from Christ. He and He alone is its source.
"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink" (John 7:37).
"And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely" (Rev. 21:6).
2. The living water keeps a man from ever thirsting again. His inner thirst is gone forever. It is quenched and fully satisfied.
"In that day there shall be a fountain opened...for sin and for uncleanness" (Zech. 13:1).
"And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not" (Isaiah 58:11).
3. The living water is "a well of water" placed "in" the man. The well is not placed outside the man, not placed anywhere out in the world, not in his home, nor in his business. It is placed "in" him.
"He that believes on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive)" (John 7:38-39).
4. The living water springs up and continues to spring up and bubble, flowing on and on. It is ever in motion.
"Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation" (Isaiah 12:3).
5. The living water springs up into everlasting life. It will never end.
"For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes" (Rev. 7:17. Cp. Ezekiel 47:1-12, the river of life.)
"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Rev. 22:17).
(Note: Jesus interpreted what He was saying in John 7:37-39. All five of the above facts are seen fulfilled in the Holy Spirit.)
— Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible - Commentary
(Joh 7:38) "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
(Joh 4:15) The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."
This is where we are at. People are thirsty. Let us skip down to the end
Could you imagine what this woman had been through. Some people look at her with disdain because of where she was (5 husbands and living with another man) but how did she get there. Not sure but it could be that when she got married it was a happy marriage. There was joy and a celebration. Maybe he committed adultery and they got a divorce. Then she married again hoping for more. Then this marriage failed. Finally by the fifth she is dark and cold on the inside ruining her own marriages. So she gives up and just lives with the man. We are not told but there is probably more to the story.
She was thirsty looking for someone to fill the void.
Jesus was telling the Disciples that they would minister to thirsty people. People who were already prepared.
(Joh 4:27) And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?" (Joh 4:28) The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, (Joh 4:29) "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" (Joh 4:30) Then they went out of the city and came to Him. (Joh 4:31) In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." (Joh 4:32) But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know." (Joh 4:33) Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?" (Joh 4:34) Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. (Joh 4:35) "Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! (Joh 4:36) "And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. (Joh 4:37) "For in this the saying is true: 'One sows and another reaps.' (Joh 4:38) "I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."
God will use all kinds of methods to get a persons attention.
(Joh 4:16) Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." (Joh 4:17) The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' (Joh 4:18) "for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."
Notice the praise.
(Joh 3:17) "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Again Don’t get distracted – We are here to help not to get caught up in theological arguments.
(Joh 4:19) The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. (Joh 4:20) "Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship." (Joh 4:21) Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. (Joh 4:22) "You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.
Get to the Point
(Joh 4:23) "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. (Joh 4:24) "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (Joh 4:25) The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When He comes, He will tell us all things."
As I said earlier, everyone is thirsty and everyone is looking for the Messiah “the anointed one, the savior”
(Act 4:12) "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
(Joh 4:26) Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."
John 6:51:"I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever;"
John 8:23: And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I AM from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
John 8:12: Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I AM the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
John 8:58 Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."
John 10:9: "I AM the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."
John 10:11: "I AM the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
John 10:36: "do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?
John 11:25: Jesus said to her, "I AM the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
John 14:6: Jesus said to him, "I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
John 15:1: "I AM the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
John 19:2: Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'He said, "I am the King of the Jews."'"
Acts 7:32: Stephen speaking of Moses' encounter at the burning bush "saying, 'I am the God of your fathers-- the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' And Moses trembled and dared not look."
Acts 9:5: And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" And the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads."
The most important of all the statements is in John 8:24 after he tells them I am not of this world.
"Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am [He], you will die in your sins." ( he is not in the original). He is communicating to them he is the same I AM that Moses met at the burning bush which commissioned him.
Conclusion – Missions
Missions is not just doing and preaching for our selves but it is preparing others to share the gospel. Many times it is sending others to share. If we could only see our life is bigger than what we have but it is what we lay out and what we prepare for the lost and even for the next generation.
(Joh 4:39) And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did." :40) So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41) And many more believed because of His own word. 42) Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world." 43) Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.
