John 4, Part 1

The Woman at the Well

Jesus talking with a Samaritan 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.

Ask follow-up questions. Asking follow-up questions allows students to express what they have learned, deepen their understanding of gospel truths, and think about how those truths relate to their lives. Take care not to rush through a long list of follow-up questions. It is usually better to ask a few questions and give students time to respond thoughtfully.

Student preparation: Direct students to the activity in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families for John 2–4 that invites them to look for everyday items in their homes that could be used to teach spiritual truths. Invite students to bring items they find to class, if possible, and to prepare to explain the spiritual truths that could be taught using them.

Possible Learning Activities

Learning about Jesus Christ

If students brought items from the student preparation activity, consider inviting them to share before examining the following images.

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?

If needed, consider asking students questions that would help them make comparisons between water and Jesus Christ, such as “Why are they both essential?” “How often do we need them?” “What is the thirstiest you have ever been? When is a time when you have needed Jesus Christ the most?”

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.

Consider displaying the picture of the woman at the well from the beginning of the lesson. Students may have studied this account as part of their gospel study for Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families. Give them opportunities to share what they learned before teaching the following content.

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?

If needed, explain that the living water represents Jesus Christ and His gospel. The topic of living water will be explored in greater depth in the next lesson.

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?

It may be helpful to point out that the Savior knew the woman’s sins but did not look down on her because of them. He also helped her to understand the true nature of worship and that all those who worship God in spirit and truth are accepted by Him, regardless of their race or culture.
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.

Taking upon Ourselves the Name of Jesus Christ

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)

Consider inviting students to respond to the following questions in their study journals. It may be beneficial to discuss student responses as a class when they finish.

What did you learn or feel about Jesus Christ during this lesson?
What actions did you feel prompted to take as you studied today?

Commentary and Background Information

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

Map 11 - The Holy Land in New Testament Times

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)

Supplemental Learning Activities

The woman’s changed perspective

Invite students to notice the words the Samaritan woman used to refer to the Savior in John 4:9, 11, 19, 29. Based on these terms, discuss how the woman’s understanding of Him changed.

John 4:34. “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me”

The Apostles had been in the city buying food during the Savior’s interaction with the woman at the well. When they returned, they offered Jesus some meat (see John 4:31).Invite students to read John 4:32–34, looking for what the Savior was focused on instead of eating. Consider discussing what these verses teach about Jesus Christ, His love for all of Heavenly Father’s children, and His focus on helping each of us progress.

John 4:35. The fields “are white already to harvest”

The example of the Samaritan woman in John 4:28–29, 39–42 and the words of Jesus Christ in John 4:35 could be used to lead a discussion about sharing the gospel. Consider showing a picture of wheat ready to be harvested and explaining that when grain is ready for harvesting, it is often described as “white.” The following questions could be used as part of the discussion:

What do you think made this woman so eager to share her testimony with others? How can you follow her example?
What do you think the Savior was teaching His Apostles when He said that the fields were “white already to harvest”? (John 4:35).
In what ways are the fields around you ready to harvest?