A Tour Through John, Lesson 9

<p>For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ <a href="https://www.douglasjacoby.com/tour-john-lesson-9/" target="_blank"><strong>website.</strong></a></p><p>4:1 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard, “Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John” 2 —although it was not Jesus himself but his disciples who baptized— 3 he left Judea and started back to Galilee. 4 But he had to go through Samaria. </p><ul><li>Jesus is concerned about his increasing notoriety. Remember, he is moving his ministry according to a special sense of timing. He doesn't want events to spiral out of control, or his life to end before he has completed the training of the Twelve.</li><li>Jesus was traveling from Judea (in the south) to Galilee (in the north). Whereas many Jews would have bypassed Samaria, crossing the Jordan so as not to have to go through it, Jesus opts for the direct route (v.4)!</li><li>Jesus challenges prejudice and shatters stereotypes!</li></ul><p>5 So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.</p><ul><li>"The sixth hour" (Greek text) must be translated into a modern time, and the equivalent is affected by our understanding of Jewish time.<ul><li>Starting at 6 am, this would yield a time of noon (TNIV, NLT). Beginning at noon, the time of 6 pm results (HCSB). (Water was usually drawn near sunrise and sunset, not in the heat of the day.)</li><li>To play it safe, several translations (NIV, NASB) simply say "the sixth hour."</li><li>On the other hand, it could be that because of her reputation in the town, she went to the well at an odd hour. I am not certain of the exact time, but it was a lonely part of the day, at last at Jacob's Well!</li></ul></li><li><a href="http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/jacobswell.html">Jacob's well</a> is still extant and still in use. It is at the foot of Mt. Gerizim, and you can sti