Jesus Crossed the Line: The Woman at the Well in John 4

Culture draws lines everywhere: political, ethnic, generational, moral. Does Jesus stay on one side of them? No. In John 4, He went out of His way to meet a Samaritan woman at a well, crossing lines of ethnicity, gender, and shame. He crossed them to redeem her to His side, never to join a side. When you hide behind your own lines, you limit your worship, because the God you worship has none.

Why did Jesus go to the well in Samaria?

Jesus went to Samaria to meet one woman. He intentionally moves toward the people society moves away from, and He restores them to belonging. Many Jews traveling between Judea and Galilee went around Samaria to avoid Samaritans. John says Jesus "had to go through Samaria" (John 4:4).

He sat down at Jacob's well around noon. That's the hottest part of the day and the wrong time to draw water. The woman likely came then to avoid everyone else. Jesus was waiting.

Pastor Marty Sloan called this a divine appointment. A divine appointment is a meeting God sets up before you know it's coming. "Jesus is looking for you before you start looking for him," he said. Jesus didn't come only for crowds, kings, or religious leaders. He came for people just like you.

What is the living water Jesus offers?

Living water is the life Jesus gives that satisfies your deepest thirst. Everyone worships something. Whatever you build your life on becomes the well you drink from. Most wells leave you thirsty again. When you worship the wrong things, you will keep thirsting. Your natural cravings often point to a spiritual vacancy only Jesus can fill.

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

John 4:13 to 14

Consider the difference between a well and a spring. A well can be capped off or run dry. A spring keeps flowing. God never runs out of grace, love, mercy, or provision.

The culture likes to treat symptoms. Jesus addresses the source. When you change the source you drink from, the symptoms start to change too.

Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?

Isaiah 55:1 to 2

What lines did Jesus cross?

Jesus crossed at least three lines in this one conversation. Interestingly, the woman drew the first line herself: "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (John 4:9).

• The ethnic line (status). Jews and Samaritans did not associate. Samaritans had blended Jewish belief with pagan worship, so the divide was both ethnic and religious.
• The gender line (society). A male rabbi speaking with a woman in public broke the social rules of the day, when women were treated as worth far less than men.
• The moral line (sin). Jesus knew she had been married five times and was living with a man who was not her husband. He came near anyway. He spoke to her with both truth and grace, inviting her to end the cycle of searching.

When culture says there's a line and you buy into it, you end up living hidden behind that line. Jesus didn't answer her with "You're right. See you." He kept talking, and the line broke down.

How do our lines limit our worship?

Lines limit your worship because the God you worship has no lines. Pastor Marty said it three times: you can't worship a God who has no lines if you stand behind your lines all the time.

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.

John 4:23 to 24

Worship is about what you surrender to God, wherever you happen to stand. In God's kingdom there is only one line. It leads to the foot of the cross, and everyone has to get in it.

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:28

Ephesians 2:19 says you are "no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household."

God gave the gifts of ethnicity, birthplace, and language. Calvary is a church of more than 70 nations, which Pastor Marty lovingly calls "God's crayon box." Heaven will be full of worshipers from every nation, tribe, and tongue standing together before the throne. Galatians 3:27 says believers have "clothed" themselves with Christ, and you put Him on daily, because culture pulls you back behind your lines every day.

What lines do people hide behind today?

People hide behind many lines, and Jesus crosses every one. Here are a few Pastor Marty named:

• Sin. Some people enjoy their sin and still feel a constant sense that it won't work long term.
• Unmet expectations about God, church, or people. There is no perfect church. Church is a place for the weary, broken, and hurting, and it was never a trophy ceremony for people who have it all together.
• Offense. Believers can't stay offended, because God has forgiven our offenses against Him.
• Shame. You may limit your life because you're afraid someone will find out what you've done.
• Regret. You made choices you knew were wrong, and now you live with the hurt.

For example, Pastor Marty once sat on a runway in Florida for over an hour because the gate was full. He was tired, hungry, and frustrated. He still flies. In the same way, one disappointing experience is no reason to quit the church.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

The woman who hid at the well at noon ran back to town telling everyone, "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did" (John 4:29). Shame no longer controlled her.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18

If you want to read more on how Jesus treated insiders and outsiders, Pastor Marty recommended The Insider and the Outcast by Timothy Keller.

Common questions

Who was the woman at the well?

She was a Samaritan woman Jesus met at Jacob's well in John 4. She came to draw water at noon, likely to avoid others, and had been married five times. After talking with Jesus, she told her whole town about Him.

Why didn't Jews and Samaritans get along?

Samaritans blended Jewish belief with pagan worship and worshiped on a different mountain, so the divide was both ethnic and religious. Many Jews avoided traveling through Samaria entirely. Jesus went through it on purpose.

What does living water mean in John 4?

Living water is the life Jesus gives, which becomes a spring welling up to eternal life. Ordinary water leaves you thirsty again. What Jesus gives satisfies your deepest need and never runs dry.

What does it mean to worship in spirit and truth?

In John 4:23 to 24, Jesus says true worship isn't tied to a particular mountain or place. It's about surrendering your whole self to God. Worship is limited when you hold on to the lines that divide you from others.