Pinelake Student Ministry

Christ 5.0 - Small Group Lesson 12

DRINK UP
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Key Question
What does God offer me?

Biblical Truth
Through His Son Jesus, God offers grace to all people, even those
who some might consider unworthy and unacceptable.
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Activity/Introduction
Ask: “When you use the word „stranger‟ what do you mean? What makes a stranger
strange? Do you think strangers would find you strange as well? What kinds of
differences identify those we might meet as strangers? If you saw Jesus, would you
think He was a stranger?”

Say: “Today, we will look at the story of two people who were seemingly strangers to
each other – Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. Despite their differences,
their encounter changed lives forever.”

Scripture
Have your small group read John 4:4-26.

Observation
Use any of the questions below.

1. What things about today‟s Bible passage stand out to you?

Encourage small group members to discuss any observations they have.

2. What are some reasons that Jesus, as a Jewish man, would not have wanted
to interact with the woman?

First, she was a Samaritan. Samaritans were a mixed race of part Israelite
and part Gentile. Because of their racial and religious differences, Jews did
not associate with Samaritans. Drinking from the same vessel as a
Samaritan would have meant ceremonial defilement for a Jew. Second, the
woman’s history with being married multiple times would have made it likely
that a respectable Jewish man would have avoided her as a sinful woman.

3. How did Jesus steer the conversation to sharing the gospel?

Jesus started the conversation with a simple request. When the woman

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Christ 5.0 - Small Group Lesson 12
expressed surprise since Jesus was a Jew and she was a Samaritan, He
shifted the discussion to spiritual matters. He did so in a way that made the
woman curious.

4. What did Jesus mean when He referred to “living water”?

Living water meant God and eternal life that a relationship with God through
Jesus brings. Jeremiah wrote of God referring to Himself as living water in
Jeremiah 2:13 and 17:13.

5. How did Jesus know that the woman had five previous husbands and was
currently with a man who was not her husband?

Jesus was a man as shown by His physical tiredness and need for water in
john 4:6-7. However, He was also God the Son, which meant that He knows
everything about every person.

6. What was Jesus‟ message on true worship?

Jesus stressed the importance of worshipping what you know. We cannot

worship God if we do not know Him. Where people worship is not as
important as whom they worship and that their worship is real. Real worship
is worshipping God the Father in spirit and in truth. Worshipping in spirit
means that our worship is not just outward. It must come from within us.
Worshipping in truth includes not worshipping our own version of God but
worshipping Him as He really is.

7. Read John 4:39-42. What was the result of Jesus‟ conversation with the
woman?

The woman shared what happened with many people in her town. They
believed in Jesus as a result of her testimony. Lives were changed forever
because she shared her experience with Jesus.

Application
Use any of the questions below.

1. What are ways you think that today‟s Bible passage applies for us today?

Encourage students to identify applications for today from the Bible passage.

2. Have you ever had a conversation with someone that you felt God had
orchestrated? What happened?

Have as many students as would like share their experiences. Discuss how
God creates “divine appointments” for us to talk to others about Him. We
should be sensitive to those times and trust that God will give us the words to
speak.

3. What are some barriers that would prevent you from sharing the gospel with
people who are different from you? How can you overcome those barriers?

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Students could mention barriers such as discomfort with sharing to people

with whom they don’t have much in common, fear, prejudice, etc. The way to
overcoming these types of barriers is to rely upon God rather than on
ourselves. The Holy Spirit empowers believers to move past all barriers to
accomplish the will of God.

4. Do we focus more on physical needs or spiritual needs? Why?

If we are honest, most of us would have to admit that we usually focus much
more on physical needs than on spiritual needs. It is easy for us to push
spiritual needs to the side but it is not easy to do so for physical needs for
things like food, water, and shelter. However, ultimately it is our spiritual
needs that are more important.

5. What does it mean to thirst for God? What things would a person who was
thirsting for God do? Why do we so frequently not thirst for God?

When people are really thirsty for water, they can’t get their minds off water.
They eagerly anticipate water. They search for water to find. Water is their
top priority. Thirst for God results in the same types of actions. People who
are thirsty for God think about God. They search for Him. God is their top
priority. We often do not thirst for God because we mistakenly think that our
thirst is being quenched already. Things of this world – and even things
related to church – can get in the way of thirst for God Himself.

6. Describe a time when worshipping God was especially meaningful to you.

What do you think was different about that time of worship as compared to
other times?

Encourage several students to share their experience of worship.

7. What does it mean to you that Jesus was the Messiah (the Christ)?

Most of the students at Pinelake don’t have Jewish heritage. The Jewish
people were (and many still are) looking for the Messiah – the anointed one
who would come and restore greatness to the Jewish people. For us, the fact
that Jesus was the Messiah – the Christ – means that we have an opportunity
to become God’s children and spend eternity with Him through believing in
Jesus.

Prayer
Ask students to pray that they will be receptive to God‟s divine appointments in their
lives.

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Background Information for Small Group Leaders

(Biblical information for small group leaders to prepare for small group time. This is not intended to be
used necessarily for discussion during small group time.)

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Christ 5.0 - Small Group Lesson 12

The focus passage for this week is John 4:4-26.

Investigation
John 4:4–6 Jesus was making His way from Judea in the south to Galilee in the north.
Between Judea and Galilee was an area called Samaria. Samaritans were a mixed race
of part Israelite and part Gentile. Racist feelings caused most Jews to take the long way
around to the east through the Trans-Jordan. Jesus, not bound by racial prejudice,
chose to go through Samaria where He had a divine appointment with a woman at
Jacob‟s well in the city of Sychar. He was tired from His long journey. It was about noon
(the sixth hour in Jewish time) and Jesus sat down to rest by the well.

John 4:7–8 Why did this woman come alone to the well at noon? Most women came
together in the cool of the early morning and used the time to socialize. Jesus later
revealed that this woman‟s character would have been a possible topic for gossip.
Scripture is not clear, but she might have intentionally avoided being with other women.

It seems only natural that Jesus, a hot and thirsty traveler, would request water from a
woman drawing water for herself. But the request surprised her. The disciples would
have drawn the water had they not been buying food in town.

John 4:9–10 Because of their racial and religious differences, Jews did not associate
with Samaritans, which meant they definitely wouldn‟t share cups. Drinking from her
vessel would have meant ceremonial defilement for Jesus since He was Jewish, and
she was a Samaritan woman. So the woman‟s surprise was warranted. Jesus was more
interested in changing the woman‟s heart than in following religious rules of the day. If
the woman had only known who Jesus was, maybe her response would have been
different. He shifted the conversation from physical concerns to spiritual concerns. Jesus
implied that because of who He was, He could give her a gift from God that was greater
than ordinary water.

John 4:11–12 The well‟s source was at its bottom. The woman assumed this was the
living water to which Jesus referred. She wondered how Jesus could obtain this water
since He had nothing to reach it with. Jacob dug the well for his family and descendants.
The Old Testament does not tell us when Jacob dug the well, but it probably happened
around the events of Genesis 33:18–20. The well provided refreshment for many
generations. The woman probably doubted Jesus could provide greater refreshment
than Jacob.

John 4:13–15 As He often did, Jesus used a physical reality to illustrate a spiritual one.
Physical water refreshes the body for only a little while. Eventually, you have to draw
more. But Jesus spoke of water that would refresh the soul forever. Jesus‟ living water
serves as a well of eternal life that springs up within a believer. The woman had not yet
understood. She could not follow the symbolism. But she was aware of her physical
need for water. How wonderful it would be if she had “living water”! She would never
have to come back to Jacob‟s well. Now the tables had turned. She was asking Him for
a drink of water, just as Jesus had previously asked her.

John 4:16–18 In response to her request, Jesus asked her to go call her husband. The
request was proper because it was not considered good etiquette for a woman to talk to

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a man without her husband present. This was technically true, but Jesus knew the real
story. She had five husbands in the past and was now living with another man who was
not her husband. Jesus wanted her to admit that the cause of her spiritual thirst was her
sin. Jesus confronted the woman with her sin.

John 4:19–24 The woman changed the subject to religion. She brought up an ongoing
debate between the Jews and Samaritans about the proper place for worshiping God.
Samaritans believed Mount Gerizim was the proper place to worship God, but the Jews
believed Jerusalem was the proper place. The Samaritans followed the five books
written by Moses, and these books did not establish a place of worship. So the
Samaritans believed they could choose where they wanted to worship, and they chose
Mount Gerizim. This tradition was passed down, so the woman at the well brought it up
to Jesus.

Jesus would not be diverted. Instead of directly answering her question, he addressed
the heart of the matter. When Jesus told her “salvation is from the Jews,” He meant that
salvation has its origin in the Jews. He also explained that worship was not confined to a
place because God is Spirit. God desires worshipers who worship in spirit (absolute
sincerity) and truth (absolute reality). Worship involves much more than location.

To worship God in truth, you must know who He is. He has revealed Himself to us
through His Word. Apart from the work of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, humans
have a mixed-up view of God. But by His grace, we can worship Him in truth.

John 4:25–26 The woman had some idea of who the Messiah was supposed to be. She
knew the Messiah would reveal all truth. But Jesus declared He was the Messiah. Jesus
normally did not make such a public claim. Many times He had urged His disciples to
keep His Messiahship quiet. But in response to her statement, Jesus told her He was the
Messiah. Jesus‟ words translated “I . . . am he” are literally “I am.” The name God used
for Himself when he spoke to Moses was “I am” (Ex. 3:14). Jesus‟ use of these words
may have been a statement of His identity as God.

Importance
The woman at the well was astonished that Jesus was willing to talk to her, a Samaritan
woman (v. 9). Secondly, she was amazed that He knew all about her (v. 19). As with the
Samaritan woman, Jesus knows all about us, treasures us despite our sin and baggage,
and is willing to communicate with us. This Scripture passage is important because it
declares that through Christ God offers grace to all people, even those some might
consider unworthy and unacceptable.

Implications
Some people make a mistake by saying, “My life is a mess right now. I‟ll trust in Christ
when I clean it up.” In reality, we cannot clean ourselves up; only Jesus can change us.
Jesus did not tell the woman to clean up her life before she could experience His living
water. He met the woman at her personal point of need and understanding. How has
Jesus met you at your personal point of need? How has He changed your mind to better
understand Him? How can you share this personal change with your students?Some
people may think others are unworthy of God‟s grace because of their race, status, or
past sin. None of those issues prevented Jesus from sharing the truth with the woman.

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No one is excluded from His offer of “living water.” Are there any students in your group
who seem unreachable to you? How can you tear down the barriers to reach them with
God‟s love?

Portions of this material used with permission from Student Life Publishing.
© 2005 Student Life Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.