I believe there are two stories set in parallel: Jesus with the woman at the well and the Disciples with the people in Sychar town. This verse should not be bracketed; it is not a side thought. It has only been bracketed because some translators have not seen how it fits the overall story.
Let’s examine it:
Stories in parallel – the switch points
- Jesus had to go through Samaria . 4:4
- When a Samaritan woman came to draw some water. 4:7
- His disciples had gone into town to buy food. 4:8
- Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking to a woman. 4:27
- Leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and told the people, 4:28
- Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi eat something.” 4:31
Notice how the story switches back and forth between Jesus and his disciples. John wants you to keep what the disciples were doing in mind. It is like a movie that is switching from one scenario to another. You just know these two situations are going to meet and the tension is building.
While Jesus is at the well he uses the opportunity to talk to a Samaritan woman and talk to her about the Living Water, Worship and the Coming Messiah.
Meanwhile the disciples are in town. They have gone there to buy bread (meat – KJV).
- What do they talk about with the Samaritans in town?
- They could have talked about the Bread of Life.
John 4:38 indicates they said nothing. “I have sent you to harvest what you have not laboured for. Others have laboured, and you have entered into their labour.” (ISV) In fact the woman was responsible for the townsfolk coming to faith, when the disciple were there and should have said something. The very next verse makes it clear to us. John 4:39 says “Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony!”
- The woman, τῆς γυναικὸς, is in the emphatic position in the sentence.
- John wants you to get the point of who was responsible for the Sycharians coming to faith:
- The woman, not the disciples, of which John was one.
But sometimes our prejudices get in the way of our usefulness to the Lord. Is that happening to you? Take a moment to think about it.
Next Gem we will look at a word play that is going on that makes it even clearer to us that verse 4:8 is right in the very centre of this story and not on a sideline.
Man’s way leads to a hopeless end…God’s way leads to an endless hope.
Anon
The trouble with being in the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat.
Anon