John Chapter 4: “If You Knew the Gift of God”
1. The Journey Through Samaria
“He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. He had to pass through Samaria.” (John 4:3–4)
The words “He had to” signify not geography but divine necessity — the will of the Father.
Christ does not avoid the despised land of Samaria; He enters it deliberately.
St. Augustine remarks:
“He who came to seek what was lost must needs pass through Samaria, for the rejected place became the field of His mercy.” (Tractates on John XV.1)
Samaria, once the seat of idolatry and division, now becomes the place of revelation and unity — the first sign that the Gospel will reach “to the ends of the earth.”
2. The Weary Savior
“Jesus, wearied as He was with His journey, sat down beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.” (John 4:6)
At noon, when the sun burns strongest, the Lord sits weary by the well.
His physical thirst reveals His divine thirst — the longing of God for the soul of man.
St. Augustine says:
“He was weary in the flesh, but the strength of the weary rested on the well. He thirsted for her faith, not for water.” (Tractates on John XV.6)
This is the paradox of the Incarnation: the Creator sits tired in creation, thirsting to give living water.
3. “Give Me a Drink”
“There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give Me a drink.’” (John 4:7)
She comes alone — at noon, avoiding others. Shame and isolation mark her soul.
Yet Jesus begins with a request, not a command. He who gives everything first asks for something small, inviting her into communion.
St. John Chrysostom observes:
“He begins with thirst, to kindle desire; He asks for what He will Himself bestow.” (Homilies on John XXXII.1)
The divine humility opens the door for human response.
4. Breaking Barriers
“The Samaritan woman said to Him, ‘How is it that You, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?’” (John 4:9)
This is shock and suspicion mingled.
Jews avoided Samaritans; rabbis did not speak to women in public.
But grace ignores prejudice.
St. Ambrose notes:
“He who made both male and female speaks to the woman; He who made all men speaks to the Samaritan. Grace knows no distinction where faith is born.” (On Virgins III.2.16)
By initiating dialogue, Christ restores her dignity — she is not an object of scorn, but a person to be addressed, a soul to be loved.
5. The Gift of God
“Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give Me a drink,” you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’” (John 4:10)
This is the heart of the Gospel: the Gift of God is Christ Himself, and the living water is the Holy Spirit.
St. Augustine explains:
“The living water is the grace of the Spirit, which quenches not bodily thirst but the burning of concupiscence and the dryness of unbelief.” (Tractates on John XV.11)
She does not yet understand, but grace has begun to stir her heart. Desire is awakening.
6. The Well and the Water
“Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; where do You get that living water?” (John 4:11)
Her eyes see only the visible.
Yet even her misunderstanding serves faith — she is drawn from curiosity to contemplation.
The “well” symbolizes human religion, deep but unable to reach living water.
Christ Himself is the true well — in Him heaven and earth meet, and from His pierced side will flow the Spirit.
St. Ambrose writes:
“The well is Scripture, and the water is the meaning hidden beneath; but unless Christ draws it out for us, we thirst still.” (On the Patriarchs I.9)
7. “Whoever Drinks of This Water…”
“Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.” (John 4:13–14)
All earthly satisfactions are temporary; only divine love satisfies eternally.
Christ does not condemn her desire but redirects it toward its true object.
St. Augustine says:
“She sought water; He promised the Spirit. She thought of a well; He spoke of a fountain within her. For he who believes has a well of water springing up to eternal life.” (Tractates on John XV.14)
This is the transformation of desire — not suppression but sanctification.
8. The Wound Revealed
“Go, call your husband, and come here.” (John 4:16)
Now comes the moment of truth.
Grace that awakens must also heal.
Jesus touches the wound of her past not to shame her but to cleanse her.
“I have no husband.”
“You are right… you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband.” (v.17–18)
He reveals all she has done, yet without condemnation. His omniscience becomes mercy, not judgment.
St. Augustine comments:
“She found in Him not an accuser but a physician. To confess is to lay bare the wound; to hear the truth is to receive healing.” (Tractates on John XV.16)
9. The Awakening of Faith
“Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.” (John 4:19)
Her title for Him grows — from “Jew” to “Sir,” from “Sir” to “Prophet,” and soon to “Messiah.”
Faith progresses step by step: curiosity → respect → recognition → worship.
St. John Chrysostom notes:
“The Lord leads her gently from earthly to heavenly things, from ignorance to illumination.” (Homilies on John XXXII.3)
Grace works gradually, drawing the soul upward by dialogue, not domination.
10. Worship in Spirit and Truth
“The hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father… true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.” (John 4:21–23)
Here Christ reveals the new order of worship.
No longer bound to place or ritual alone, true worship flows from the heart purified by the Spirit.
St. Cyril of Alexandria teaches:
“To worship in spirit is to offer not the blood of beasts but the faith of the heart; to worship in truth is to adore the Word made flesh.” (Commentary on John IV.2)
The “hour” He announces is the Cross, where the Spirit and truth are poured out.
11. “I Who Speak to You Am He”
“The woman said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming…’ Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am He.’” (John 4:25–26)
This is the first direct revelation of Christ’s Messiahship — and it is given not to a Pharisee or apostle, but to a sinful Samaritan woman.
Grace chooses the humble and confounds the proud.
St. Augustine marvels:
“She sought the well, and found the Fountain; she came a sinner, and returned an evangelist.” (Tractates on John XV.17)
The moment of recognition is also the moment of conversion.
12. The Abandoned Jar
“So the woman left her water jar, and went away into the city.” (John 4:28)
The jar she came to fill is left behind — a symbol of the old life, the burdens of sin, and the empty efforts to satisfy thirst apart from God.
She now becomes the bearer of living water to others.
St. John Chrysostom says:
“She left her jar to carry the message; she forgot the body’s thirst in the soul’s delight.” (Homilies on John XXXIII.2)
This is the mark of true conversion — joy that forgets itself in mission.
13. “Come, See a Man”
“Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” (John 4:29)
The once-shamed woman now becomes apostle to her people.
Her testimony is not theological argument but personal encounter: “He told me everything I ever did.”
St. Augustine notes:
“She preached Christ, though she had not yet learned doctrine. The love that filled her was her theology.” (Tractates on John XV.18)
Her simple invitation is the model of evangelization — “Come and see.”
14. The Fields White for Harvest
“Lift up your eyes, and see how the fields are already white for harvest.” (John 4:35)
As the Samaritans come out of the city, Christ points to them as the first fruits of the Gentiles.
The harvest of salvation begins not in Jerusalem but in despised Samaria.
St. Ambrose writes:
“He found one sinner and sowed in her the whole Church. The field was ready, the reapers were His apostles.” (On the Sacraments VI.3)
Thus the Gospel of John unveils not only conversion but mission — the call to bring others to the same living water.
15. Theological Summary
| Theme | Revelation |
| Jesus’ thirst | God’s longing for our love |
| Living water | The grace of the Holy Spirit |
| The well | Human religion fulfilled in Christ |
| Five husbands | The soul’s false attachments |
| Worship in spirit and truth | The new covenant worship through Christ |
| Abandoned jar | Conversion from earthly desire to divine joy |
| Harvest | The mission of the Church to all nations |
St. Augustine beautifully summarizes:
“He asked for water and gave the Spirit; He was thirsty, and He satisfied the thirsty; He was poor, and He made the poor rich.” (Tractates on John XV.19)
16. Moral and Spiritual Application
Let Jesus meet you where you are. He sits by your well — your place of thirst — and waits for you.
Hear His thirst for you. God desires your faith more than you desire His gifts.
Confess with trust. He knows your sins already, but longs to heal them.
Worship in spirit and truth. Let your prayer flow from the heart, illumined by the Word.
Evangelize joyfully. Leave behind the jar — your old fears and failures — and tell others, “Come and see.”
17. Christ the Living Fountain
In the Church’s life, this mystery continues:
In Baptism, the living water flows.
In the Eucharist, the thirst of God meets the thirst of man.
In Confession, the well of mercy cleanses the heart.
In the Spirit, the fountain of life springs up within.
St. Ambrose proclaims:
“The water which the Lord gives is the grace of the Spirit; it flows in the saints and becomes a river in the Church.” (On the Holy Spirit I.16.182)
18. Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, Fountain of Living Water,
You sat by the well to meet the sinner and quenched her thirst with grace.
Meet us also in our weariness, reveal to us the gift of God,
and draw from our hearts a spring that will never run dry.
Teach us to worship in Spirit and in truth,
and to bring others to drink of Your mercy,
who live and reign forever. Amen.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 