John 4, Part 1

The Woman at the Well

On His way to Galilee, Jesus taught a Samaritan woman at a well about the “living water” He offers. She came to know for herself that Jesus was the Christ. This lesson is intended to help you recognize your need for the Savior and feel His love for you.

Learning about Jesus Christ

In your study of the scriptures, you may have recognized that the Savior often taught spiritual truths using experiences and objects that were familiar to the people. Examine the following images, and contemplate the spiritual truths we can learn about the Savior by comparing water to Him.

• In what ways do you think water can relate to and teach you about Jesus Christ?

Ponder the following questions to reflect on your need for Jesus Christ.

• Do you feel as much or more need for Jesus Christ as you do for water in your life? Why or why not?

In this lesson, you will study an account in which the Savior helped a woman understand that her spiritual need for the Savior was greater than her physical need for the water she came to draw. As you study, pay attention to promptings of the Spirit that help you recognize your need for the Savior and His desire for you to receive the blessings only He can offer.

The woman at the well

While traveling from Judea to Galilee, Jesus passed through Samaria (see John 4:3–4). If you have access to the Latter-day Saint edition of the King James Bible, it may be helpful to identify these locations using map 1, “ Physical Map of the Holy Land,” in the Bible Maps section of your scriptures.

During the Savior’s time, Jews traveling between Judea and Galilee often took a longer route to avoid passing through Samaria because of hatred that existed between the Jews and Samaritans. Jesus was likely tired and thirsty from His journey when He sat down at a well in the heat of the day (see John 4:6). While He was there, a Samaritan woman also came to draw water.

Study Jesus’s teachings to the Samaritan woman in John 4:5–14, looking for what you learn about the Savior. You may also want to watch the video “Jesus Teaches a Samaritan Woman,” located at ChurchofJesusChrist.org, from time code 0:00 to time code 2:01 while following along in your scriptures.

• How would you describe the way the woman acted toward the Savior in these verses? Why do you think she acted this way?

• What do you think Jesus was teaching when He said that He could give living water to this woman?

Read John 4:15–26, looking for the love and compassion Jesus demonstrated toward this woman as their interaction continued. Think about how the Savior’s teachings relate to you. You may also want to watch the video “Jesus Teaches a Samaritan Woman” from time code 2:02 to 4:11 while following along in your scriptures.

• How do you think the Savior helped the woman realize her need for the living water He offered?

• What can you learn from the Savior’s desire to help this woman despite her imperfections?

• How does this account help us understand how the Savior feels about each of us—even with our own imperfections?

Read John 4:28–30, looking for how the Samaritan woman reacted after Jesus told her He was the Messiah. Compare what you just read with the way the woman first reacted to Jesus as they began their conversation.

• What do you think it was about her interaction with Jesus that caused her to change?

• How has Jesus Christ changed or influenced the way you think?

• What choices can you make today to help you draw closer to Jesus Christ?

Elder Robert C. Gay of the Presidency of the Seventy shared some of the truths we can learn from this account. You may want to watch the video “Taking upon Ourselves the Name of Jesus Christ” from time code 7:41 to 9:23. This video can be found on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

One of my favorite scriptures is John 4:4, which reads, “And he must needs go through Samaria.”

Why do I love that scripture? Because Jesus did not need to go to Samaria. The Jews of His day despised the Samaritans and traveled a road around Samaria. But Jesus chose to go there to declare before all the world for the first time that He was the promised Messiah. For this message, He chose not only an outcast group but also a woman—and not just any woman but a woman living in sin—someone considered at that time to be the least of the least. I believe Jesus did this so that each of us may always understand that His love is greater than our fears, our wounds, our addictions, our doubts, our temptations, our sins, our broken families, our depression and anxieties, our chronic illness, our poverty, our abuse, our despair, and our loneliness. He wants all to know there is nothing and no one He is unable to heal and deliver to enduring joy.

His grace is sufficient. He alone descended below all things. The power of His Atonement is the power to overcome any burden in our life. The message of the woman at the well is that He knows our life situations and that we can always walk with Him no matter where we stand. To her and to each of us, He says, “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but [shall have] a well of water springing up into everlasting life” [John 4:14].

(Robert C. Gay, “Taking upon Ourselves the Name of Jesus Christ,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2018, 99)

1. Answer one or both of the following questions in your study journal:

• What did you learn or feel about Jesus Christ during this lesson?

• What actions did you feel prompted to take as you studied today?

Optional: Want to Learn More?

John 4:4. Why is it significant that Jesus traveled through Samaria?

Jews typically traveled around Samaria rather than passing through it because of the hostility that existed between Jews and Samaritans. Great animosity had developed between the Jews and the Samaritans “because the Samaritans had apostatized from the Israelite religion” (Guide to the Scriptures “ Samaritans,” scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org; see also Bible Dictionary, “Samaritans”). However, John noted that Jesus Christ “must needs go through Samaria” (John 4:4), clearly highlighting the Savior’s intention for the work He would do there.

John 4:24. Is God a spirit?

Some may be confused by Jesus’s statement in John 4:24 that God is a spirit. The Joseph Smith Translation of this verse provides an important clarification: “For unto [true believers] hath God promised his Spirit” (Joseph Smith Translation, John 4:26 [in John 4:24, footnote a]). Modern revelation also teaches that God has a body of flesh and bones (see Doctrine and Covenants 130:22–23; see also Genesis 5:1–3; Hebrews 1:1–3).

How did her interaction with Jesus Christ impact the woman at the well?

President Bonnie H. Cordon, Young Women General President, taught:

Christ was compassionately aware of [the woman at the well] and her needs. He met the woman where she was and started by talking about something familiar and common. If He had stopped there, it would have been a positive encounter. But it would not have resulted in her going to the city to proclaim, “Come, see … : is not this the Christ?” [John 4:29]. Gradually, through the conversation, she discovered Jesus Christ, and despite her past, she became an instrument of light, shining the way for others to see.

(Bonnie H. Cordon, “That They May See,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 79)