John 4 - Wesley's Explanatory Notes

Bible Comments
  • John 4:6 open_in_new

    Jesus sat down — Weary as he was. It was the sixth hour — Noon; the heat of the day.

  • John 4:7 open_in_new

    Give me to drink — In this one conversation he brought her to that knowledge which the apostles were so long in attaining.

  • John 4:9 open_in_new

    How dost thou — Her open simplicity appears from her very first words. The Jews have no dealings — None by way of friendship. They would receive no kind of favour from them.

  • John 4:10 open_in_new

    If thou hadst known the gift — The living water; and who it is — He who alone is able to give it: thou wouldst have asked of him — On those words the stress lies. Water — In like manner he draws the allegory from bread, John 6:27, and from light, John 8:12; the first, the most simple, necessary, common, and salutary things in nature. Living water — The Spirit and its fruits. But she might the more easily mistake his meaning, because living water was a common phrase among the Jews for spring water.

  • John 4:12 open_in_new

    Our father Jacob — So they fancied he was; whereas they were, in truth, a mixture of many nations, placed there by the king of Assyria, in the room of the Israelites whom he had carried away captive, 2 Kings 17:24. Who gave us the well — In Joseph their supposed forefather: and drank thereof — So even he had no better water than this.

  • John 4:14 open_in_new

    Will never thirst — Will never (provided he continue to drink thereof) be miserable, dissatisfied, without refreshment. If ever that thirst returns, it will be the fault of the man, not the water. But the water that I shall give him — The spirit of faith working by love, shall become in him — An inward living principle, a fountain — Not barely a well, which is soon exhausted, springing up into everlasting life — Which is a confluence, or rather an ocean of streams arising from this fountain.

  • John 4:16 open_in_new

    Jesus saith to her — He now clears the way that he might give her a better kind of water than she asked for. Go, call thy husband — He strikes directly at her bosom sin.

  • John 4:17 open_in_new

    Thou hast well said — We may observe in all our Lord's discourses the utmost weightiness, and yet the utmost courtesy.

  • John 4:18 open_in_new

    Thou hast had five husbands — Whether they were all dead or not, her own conscience now awakened would tell her.

  • John 4:20 open_in_new

    The instant she perceived this, she proposes what she thought the most important of all questions. This mountain — Pointing to Mount Gerizim. Sanballat, by the permission of Alexander the Great, had built a temple upon Mount Gerizim, for Manasseh, who for marrying Sanballat's daughter had been expelled from the priesthood and from Jerusalem, Nehemiah 13:28. This was the place where the Samaritans used to worship in opposition to Jerusalem. And it was so near Sychar, that a man's voice might be heard from the one to the other. Our fathers worshipped — This plainly refers to Abraham and Jacob (from whom the Samaritans pretended to deduce their genealogy) who erected altars in this place: Genesis 12:6-7, and Genesis 33:18, Genesis 33:20. And possibly to the whole congregation, who were directed when they came into the land of Canaan to put the blessing upon Mount Gerizim, Deuteronomy 11:29. Ye Jews say, In Jerusalem is the place — Namely, the temple.

  • John 4:21 open_in_new

    Believe me — Our Lord uses this expression in this manner but once; and that to a Samaritan. To his own people, the Jews, his usual language is, I say unto you. The hour cometh when ye — Both Samaritans and Jews, shall worship neither in this mountain, nor at Jerusalem — As preferable to any other place. True worship shall be no longer confined to any one place or nation.

  • John 4:22 open_in_new

    Ye worship ye know not what — Ye Samaritans are ignorant, not only of the place, but of the very object of worship. Indeed, they feared the Lord after a fashion; but at the same time served their own gods, 2 Kings 17:33. Salvation is from the Jews — So spake all the prophets, that the Saviour should arise out of the Jewish nation: and that from thence the knowledge of him should spread to all nations under heaven.

  • John 4:23 open_in_new

    The true worshippers shall worship the Father — Not here or there only, but at all times and in all places.

  • John 4:24 open_in_new

    God is a Spirit — Not only remote from the body, and all the properties of it, but likewise full of all spiritual perfections, power, wisdom, love, holiness. And our worship should be suitable to his nature. We should worship him with the truly spiritual worship of faith, love, and holiness, animating all our tempers, thoughts, words, and actions.

  • John 4:25 open_in_new

    The woman saith — With joy for what she had already learned, and desire of fuller instruction.

  • John 4:26 open_in_new

    Jesus saith — Hasting to satisfy her desire before his disciples came. l am He — Our Lord did not speak this so plainly to the Jews who were so full of the Messiah's temporal kingdom. If he had, many would doubtless have taken up arms in his favour, and others have accused him to the Roman governor. Yet he did in effect declare the thing, though he denied the particular title. For in a multitude of places he represented himself, both as the Son of man, and as the Son of God: both which expressions were generally understood by the Jews as peculiarly applicable to the Messiah.

  • John 4:27 open_in_new

    His disciples marvelled that he talked with a woman — Which the Jewish rabbis reckoned scandalous for a man of distinction to do. They marvelled likewise at his talking with a woman of that nation, which was so peculiarly hateful to the Jews. Yet none said — To the woman, What seekest thou? — Or to Christ, Why talkest thou with her?

  • John 4:29 open_in_new

    A man who told me all things that ever I did — Our Lord had told her but a few things. But his words awakened her conscience, which soon told her all the rest. Is not this the Christ? — She does not doubt of it herself, but incites them to make the inquiry.

  • John 4:35 open_in_new

    The fields are white already — As if he had said, The spiritual harvest is ripe already. The Samaritans, ripe for the Gospel, covered the ground round about them.

  • John 4:36 open_in_new

    He that reapeth — Whoever saves souls, receiveth wages — A peculiar blessing to himself, and gathereth fruit — Many souls: that he that soweth — Christ the great sower of the seed, and he that reapeth may rejoice together — In heaven.

  • John 4:37 open_in_new

    That saying — A common proverb; One soweth — The prophets and Christ; another reapeth — The apostles and succeeding ministers.

  • John 4:43 open_in_new

    He went into Galilee — That is, into the country of Galilee: but not to Nazareth. It was at that town only that he had no honour. Therefore he went to other towns.

  • John 4:52 open_in_new

    He asked the hour when he amended — The more exactly the works of God are considered, the more faith is increased.