John Chapter 4: Importance of Knowing
It is interesting that the Gospel of John attributed Jesus leaving Judea to Samaria to the Pharisees – that they heard that He made and baptised more disciples than John.
After talking to a prominent Pharisee about baptism into the kingdom, he proceeded to talk to an obscure woman of Samaria, a descendant of Jacob living near the plot of ground Jacob gave to his son Joseph (vs 12,5).
Joseph was one who was set apart from his brethren, but after his physical separation, he yearned to remain forever with his brethren after his death (Gen 49:26; 50:24-26; Deut 33:16). He was finally buried in the Promised Land near wear Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman (Jos 24:32). The mention of this fact is suggests that the woman at the well was an apt representation of the northern tribes, often referred to as Ephraim, separated from the nation of Judah, and scattered among the nations by the Assyrians.
Jesus now sought to enlighten the unnamed Samaritan in order to bring her and others in Samaria back to the fold of God.
Knowing the God of Israel
Just as He did to the Jewish Pharisee, Jesus now tells the Samaritan woman what she did not know:
You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. (Jn 4:22)
The woman humbly acknowledged her ignorance: “I know that Messiah is coming… when He comes, He will tell us all things” (v25). This evoked a very rare response from Jesus, who told her plainly He was the very Messiah.
It will not be wrong to assume that she will soon be among the “true worshippers” who “worship the Father in spirit and truth”
Knowing the gift of God
Known to God from eternity is His plan to bless us, both Jews and Gentiles (Acts 15:18), but mankind does not know (Is 45:21). The words of Jesus to the woman by Jacob’s well is for us as well:
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. (Jn 4:10)
When the conversation ended, the woman who came to the well to draw water left her waterpot and went her way to tell others about her amazing encounter with the Saviour (v28-29). Certainly not the behaviour of one who’s thirsty!
Knowing the will of God
While the woman seemed to have found the answer to her innermost thirst, the disciples of Jesus didn’t know the food that Jesus had to eat (v32-34). They were no better than the woman at Jacob’s well who could not go beyond the mundane understanding of things.
The Jews were baffled about the spiritual temple, Nicodemus could not grasp the idea of rebirth, and now even the disciples themselves were lacking in spiritual understanding (see 1 Cor 2:10-14).
Knowing with certainty
When it comes to matters of eternal importance, we need to be certain about what or whom to place our trust in. The men of Samaria were as wise as the Bereans who heard the apostles later. They were not reckless either way – dismissing the testimony of a woman of low standing, or believing her wholeheartedly without checking the facts.
The conclusion was arrived at not in a matter of mere hours, but the seekers of truth spent two days with Jesus before saying 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 Saviour of the world.” (Jn 4:42)