Jesus Talks to a Woman in Samaria

4   ¹The Pharisees* heard that Jesus was making and baptizing* more followers than John. ²(But really Jesus himself did not baptize people. His followers baptized people for him.) Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard about him. ³So Jesus left Judea and went back to Galilee. ⁴On the way to Galilee Jesus had to go through the country of Samaria. ⁵In Samaria Jesus came to the town called Sychar. This town is near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. ⁶Jacob's well was there. Jesus was tired from his long trip. So Jesus sat down beside the well. It was about noon. ⁷A Samaritan* woman came to that well to get some water. Jesus said to her, "Please give me a drink of water." ⁸(This happened while Jesus' followers went to town to buy some food.) ⁹The Samaritan* woman answered, "I am surprised that you ask me for a drink! You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman!" (Jews are not friends with Samaritans.* ) ¹⁰Jesus answered, "You don't know about the thing God gives. And you don't know who I am that asked you for a drink. If you knew these things, you would have asked me and I would have given you living water." ¹¹The woman said, "Sir, where will you get that living water? The well is very deep, and you have nothing to get water with. ¹²Are you greater than Jacob* our father* ? Jacob is the one that gave us this well. He drank from it himself. Also, his sons and all his animals drank water from this well." ¹³Jesus answered, "Every person that drinks this water will be thirsty again. ¹⁴But the person that drinks the water I give will never be thirsty again. That water I give will become like a spring of water flowing inside that person. That water will bring that person life forever." ¹⁵The woman said to Jesus, "Sir, give me this water. Then I will never be thirsty again. And I will not have to come back here to get more water." ¹⁶Jesus told her, "Go get your husband and come back here." ¹⁷The woman answered, "But I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right to say you have no husband. ¹⁸Really you have had five husbands. But the man you live with now is not your husband. You told me the truth." ¹⁹The woman said, "Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.* ²⁰Our fathers worshiped on this mountain. But you Jews say that Jerusalem is the place where people must worship." ²¹Jesus said, "Believe me, woman! The time is coming when you will not have to be in Jerusalem or on that mountain to worship the Father (God). ²²You Samaritans* worship something that you don't understand. We Jews understand what we worship. Salvation comes from the Jews. ²³The time is coming when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. That time is now here. And those are the kind of people the Father wants to be his worshipers. ²⁴God is spirit. So the people that worship God must worship in spirit and truth." ²⁵The woman said, "I know that the Messiah is coming." (Messiah is the One called Christ.* ) "When the Messiah comes, he will explain everything to us." ²⁶Then Jesus said, "That person is talking to you now. I am [the Messiah]."

Pharisees The Pharisees were a Jewish religious group that claimed to follow carefully all Jewish laws and customs. baptize(d), baptizing Greek word meaning to immerse, dip, or bury a person or thing briefly under water. Samaritan(s) From Samaria. Samaritans were part Jewish, but some Jews did not accept them as pure Jews. Jews are not friends with Samaritans Or, "Jews don't use things that Samaritans have used." Jacob Father of twelve sons from whom the twelve family groups of Israel descended. fathers Important ancestors of the Jews, especially the leaders of the twelve Jewish family groups. prophet A person that spoke for God. Prophets could tell things that most people could not know. Christ The "anointed one" (Messiah) or chosen one of God.