Dr. Ronnie Wolfe
Jesus, while in
Judea, had heard that the Pharisees rumored that Jesus was baptizing
more people than John, no doubt trying to discourage John from his work
of baptizing, which job was given to him by God. So Jesus then removed
to Galilee, leaving John to do his work in Judea.
On his way to
Galilee Jesus "must needs" go through Samaria, a city with no good
relationships with the Jews. There are varying views as to why Jesus
"must needs" go through Samaria, but I believe we all understand that it
was so that he could "work the works" of his Father, for the day will
come when he cannot work, and he fulfilled all the Father's will while
he was here on earth (John 9:4; 4:34). One meaning of the Greek word
translated "must needs" is "to do that which is right." If for no other
reason, Jesus went through Samaria, because it was the right thing to
When Jesus came to the city of Sychar, he came to the place
where Jacob's well was. This well becomes very important in the story of
Jesus' conversation with a woman who came to this well.
before we consider that conversation, let us think of the humanity of
Jesus as we see his weariness from the journey to Samaria. He was
wearied because of his flesh, having been made in the likeness of sinful
flesh (Rom 8:3), with all of the fleshly susceptibilities of the human
body. He was not "sinful flesh," but he was made like unto sinful flesh.
As we go through this story later, we will find that Jesus was
made, no only in the likeness of sinful flesh, but was "made sin" for
us, who knew no sin (2 Cor. 5:21) that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him.
Both human and divine, both sin and
sinless. This is the great mystery of the incarnation! He must be divine
to obey God's law perfectly; he must be human to be made sin for us,
dying on a cursed tree that we might by grace through faith in him have