John 4

Go Deep

(John 4)

Read John 4:1-26. What stands out to you?

In John 4:4, we read that Jesus had to go through Samaria. We are not told why, but do you have any hunches? If so, what are they?

What can we learn from the fact that Jesus broke with prevailing standards to speak with a Samaritan woman? Why did he do it?

If you were open to people of other ethnicities and races, what would that look like in your situation?

How would you describe the woman’s attitude in John 4? Does it change as the conversation unfolds?

Does Jesus control the conversation? Where is he leading it? For what reason?

Why do you think Jesus first announced his kingship (that he is the Messiah) to a non-Jewish, non-male person?

When the disciples return from the village and find Jesus speaking to this woman, they were surprised. Why were they surprised? Why didn’t they ask Jesus why he was talking to her?

If they had asked Jesus, how do you think he might have answered?

Read 4:28-29, 40-42. Describe the woman’s testimony? Was it a good one? Why did it have the impact it did? Is there any lesson for us here?

Read Exodus 3:1-15. From what you can see and from what you’ve learned, what is the significance of the name God reveals to Moses?

Read John 8:23-24 (“If you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins” - literal) and John 8:51-59 (“Before Abraham was, I Am” – literal). Why did Jesus regularly use “I Am” in reference to himself?

Do you believe Jesus’s use of the emphatic “I Am” in John 8 is significant? Why? Did the people present think it was significant? How can you tell?