Can some one help me about a verse in the bible? I do not understand what it means?

Question

John 4: 1 - 42
It's the one when Jesus goes up to the woman at the well.
I have this for a religion homework question, and the questions are:

1) How was Jesus' action unusual
2) What is the message of this story

I can't figure out how Jesus action was unusual. I'm guessing because he went up to the woman to talk to her. She had five husbands it says, so I assume she's a sinner?? Would that be how he action is unusual? And as for the meaning . . . I have no clue?

Can some one help me out? Thanks!

Answer 1

Anything contained in the so called NT doesn't mean anything at all.

Answer 2

Jesus purposefully sent all of His disciples into town to buy food, and He stayed behind at this particular well, because He said He was tired. He was tired, but He also knew that this Samaritan woman would come to draw water. He didn't want the disciples there because He knew that what He would say to this woman would cause her shame if others heard. He sent them away to spare her dignity. The Samaritan woman drew water alone. I don't know if she always drew water all by herself, or if this was a one time occurance. If she always drew water by herself, one could imagine that it was because the other women didn't like her due to her behavior. So when Jesus asked her for a drink, she was shocked that He was even speaking to her, for she was not only a Samaritan (an enemy of the Jews), but a woman (sexism abounded in earlier times).

This is what she said:
"You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?"
And this is probably what she meant (emphasis is mine):
"You are a JEW and I am a Samaritan WOman. HOW can you ask me for a drink?" Maybe she had her hands on her hips and was shaking her head a bit like he was a bit strange.

Then Jesus said "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."
The living water means the gift of salvation and eternal life with our God.

"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"
Now, by her mentioning Jacob, she MAY have been asserting her right to draw water, or she may not have been. Maybe she was basically saying, "Who the heck do you think YOU are, mister?" (I'm not sure what she meant).

Skipping ahead a bit, Jesus said, "Go, call your husband and come back." "I have no husband," she replied. Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."
This must have astonished her, because He just told her information that He shouldn't have been able to know, as they were strangers to each other. The exact reason that she had five husbands and was now living with #6 isn't known to us, but it can be logically said that this woman was seeking something that men could not fill for her. She had an inexplicable need for something MORE, and she may have thought that men would satisfy her. Now it doesn't say that they all died, and it doesn't say that she was a widow, so that makes me think that most or all of her ex-husbands were still alive. Whether she left them or they left her or both isn't known either. She probably had a low self-image - she may have been the "town tramp". That may be why the other women weren't friends with her.

Then the conversation between Jesus and the woman goes into a bit about each other's worshipping styles, and she eventually said, "I know that Messiah is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us." Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."

She must have believed Him, because she left her water jar, went back to the town and said to the people, "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" They came out of the town and made their way toward him. Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman's testimony. They asked Jesus to stay with them a couple days, and because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."

The message is that Jesus took one broken woman, fixed her, and she went on to lead others to Him. He binds up the brokenhearted and sets the captives free. I guess the message is, no matter what you've done, and no matter how bad you've been, God can heal you and use you to glorify Him. Glorify just means to act in such a way that others can see God through you.

Answer 3

At that time women would go to the well in groups in the morning and evenings, being in the middle of the day you know she was shunned. Second and most important is that Jews avoided Sumeria like the plague, they would not even speak to a Sumerian. It was most unusual that a Jewish man would ask a Sumerian woman for water. The point was and is that Jesus goes to the sinners, and what He gives is eternal.

Answer 4

Jesus was a Jew and Jews did not associate with Samaritans, as the woman was one. Jews in those days wouldn't be caught dead talking to Samaritans.

The message of the story is that Jesus satisfies our thirst eternially where other things like idols etc leave us thirsty and hungering for more.


If you need help in the future you should save this site. You can look up passages in the bible and get different translations which will help with the understanding of them.

http://www.biblegateway.com/

Answer 5

The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans).

He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back."

17"I have no husband," she replied.

Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."

19"Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. 20Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.

(Jesus wanted her (you and me also) to know that his message is open to all, Jews and Gentiles!! and we are open to worship him anywhere. )

14but 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."

"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world." Amen

Answer 6

The unusual act in here was the fact that Jesus was a Jew and she was a Samaritan. In those times, Jews never spoke to Samaritans, they were considered the trash of the earth. Couple that with the fact that he was conversing with a woman who had a sordid reputation, and that He asked her for a drink of water. The point of the story is that no one is beyond the grace of God, and the gospel is for everyone.

Answer 7

Well, the woman for one was a Samaritan, meaning that she was not Jewish. Jesus had said that he wanted to look for the "lost sheep of Israel" first, then the gentiles. His first priority was his own people, and the fact that he revealed himself as the Messiah to a gentile woman is extraordinary because he had yet to really do that with his own people. In fact, he even told the apostles to withhold that information from the Jews until he was ready to admit who he was. And yes, it has to do with sin. He's basically saying that anyone can be forgiven no matter what they've done, Jew or Gentile.

Answer 8

Well the Account in John Chapter 4 tells the story of How Jesus used his knowledge of people and their heart condition he asked the woman whom he knew was a samaritan to give him a drink and she was suprrised because she wasa samaritan ( samaritans came from the ten tribe kingdom of Israel that broke away from the two tribe kingdom during the reign of Solomons son and decided not to practice true worship of God but went off and practiced idolatry ect )so there was hatred against them for their apostasy which grew stronger with the passing of timeany way jesus used this opportunity to teach her something valuable by skill use of questions he got her to reason on the kingdom message without insulting her or what sh worshipped that was false he had respect for women and she went off and told everyone in the village about jesus and they had to come and see for themselves that he was indeed the Messiah this was a for gleam of what was to happen in 36 C.E. when the preaching of the good news was to opened up to the Gentiles starting with cornelius in 36 C.E. by Peter prior to that time it was preached only to the Jews who by and large rejected Jesus hope that helps Gorbalizer

Answer 9

Jesus behavior was unusual because, not only was this woman a known sinner (probably a prostitute, many believe that the reference to many husbands means many men with whom she had acted like a "wife" [eg. had sex with them]), but also because this woman was a Samaritan. At that time, Jews and Samaritans hated each other, and often would have nothing to do with each other, refusing even to eat or talk with one another.

The message of the story (as I see it) is that Christ loved this woman and died for her despite her sins and differences. He saw through the cultural/ethnic boundaries and was even able to love her with all her life's problems.

Answer 10

I wish I could help you more than this, but I'm not in front of scriptions and can't recall all the details. I do know that it had nothing to do with her being married to 5 men (because I didn't recall that). I am pretty sure part of the factor was that she was from a different tribe/group/region (a Samaratin), and also that she was a woman. Jesus was not bias or a respecter of persons, he preached to all willing to listen and comforted those in need. Good luck.

Answer 11

Yes unusual because the people of the time saw him hanging with a known sinner. Jesus said that, "if anyone is without sin throw the first stone." He then said, "go and sin no more."
I think He is telling us that we need to forgive everyone and not judge because we are all sinners.
It was showing the forgiving nature of God.