John 3:31 He that comes from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaks of the earth: he that comes from heaven is above all.

Human beings talk and share and explain their thoughts concerning many things, but we are all earthly, even the best preacher is still of the earth and earthly.

Too often people look to human teachers and preachers and other members who are considered to be spiritual leader, and expect much from them. But people can let their followers down, they can make mistakes, sometimes even serious blunders. Our faith must not rest on people, it must rest on the One Who came from heaven.

John the Baptist in this his last recorded message, directs people away from himself, for he is only of the earth, earthly. He urges them to look to Jesus, in whom our hopes of eternal life are to be centered.

He is above all, Creator and sustainer of all, Who came to this earth from heaven, to teach us of heavenly things. He is the link between earth and heaven, the only name by which we MUST be saved.

NOTE:
We are going through the book of John -- almost finished with chapter 3.
The purpose of this thread as stated in the OP

Originally Posted by Daryl

What I would like for us to do is to study the book of John as much as possible verse by verse. I invite each one of you to participate in this most wonderful study.
Feel free to use other references in the Bible and the SOP to enhance this study.
My goal is to cover at least a minimum of one verse each day.

It's interesting how this message (earthly vs heavenly) runs throughout this chapter.

Jesus tells Necodemus
3:12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you heavenly things?
3:13 And no man has ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

Then we hear John the Baptist testifying
John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
3:31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

How important it is to lift our eyes and minds from all the temporal earthly things and ideas, and focus on heavenly things -- Jesus, sitting on the right hand of God, connecting us earthlings to all the splendor of heaven itself. Why are we so focused on earthly things? (Myself included --look up! Lift up your heads for your redemption drawth nigh)

John 3:32 And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.
3:33 He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.
3:34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure [unto him].

The amazing thought has been brought home several times in John -- Christ, the Creator of the Universe, the One with God, Who was God, and with God, in the heavenly realms, came down here to this dark world to testify of God's character and plans. He came to share heavenly truths and bring salvation to a lost race.

The sad thing which is also stressed again and again is that the people He came to share these glorious truths with, did not receive His testimony.

John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

Christ came as a human filled with the Holy Spirit to bring life and truth to the world.

But though the sad note of rejection is repeated again and again, there is also a happy note!
Those who received and believed Christ's testimony are being sealed and know and fully believe that God is TRUE. His promises are true. God has sealed him, because he is true"; namely, with his holy Spirit; see ( 2 Corinthians 1:22 ) ( Ephesians 1:13 ) ( 4:30 ) .

John 3:35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.
3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.


Companion texts:
John 5:20 For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that He himself doeth.
John 13:3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands,

John 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.


When Jesus came to earth as the Redeemer, the whole destiny of the earth was given into his hands. He took the burden of humanity that he might save men from the consequences of their sins.

He is not only our Savior and Redeemer, He is also our High Priest, our Advocate and Judge.
"Having suffered human affliction, cruelty and temptation, he is qualified to understand the frailties and challenges of people. His love and mercy are mingled with His judgment upon them. Therefore, the Father has given this work into the hands of his Son, knowing that He who victoriously withstood the temptations of Satan, in behalf of man, will be all-wise, just, and gracious in pronouncing their eternal destiny". 2SP169

"All power is given into His hands, that He may dispense rich gifts unto men, imparting the priceless gift of His own righteousness to the helpless human agent." (14 MR 129)

"There is only one true religion, only one way to heaven; only one light to illuminate the way as the pilgrims press on. As we follow on to know the Lord, we shall acknowledge at every step that Christ is the Light of the world, that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; and we shall find that the path that He bids us follow is ?as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day? (Proverbs 4:18).
Letter 126, Aug. 7, 1902

All other ways lead to destruction.
BELIEVE in Jesus.

To the Jews first
Then to the Samaritans
Then to all the world.

In Chapter two and three, Jesus was witnessing to the Jews.
There was the wedding feast,
And there was Nicodemus.

In Chapter four, Jesus now reaches out to Samaria
We are introduced to the woman at the well,

And later in the chapter Jesus honors the request of a Gentile.

John 4:1-4 Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John?
although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples.
So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. But He must needs go through Samaria.

Some have calculated that Jesus was about five to six months in Judea (from Passover till beginning of harvest) and from these verses, it appears that He was attracting a verily large number of followers. (More than John the Baptist) and His disciples were baptizing them.

"The priests and rabbis had been jealous of John's influence as they saw the people leaving the synagogues and flocking to the wilderness; but here was One who had still greater power to attract the multitudes. Those leaders in Israel were not willing to say with John, ?He must increase, but I must decrease.? They arose with a new determination to put an end to the work that was drawing the people away from them" DA180.

Aware that these leaders were planning a "divide and conquer" strategy by igniting and fanning the feelings of jealousy between John's followers and Christ's followers, Jesus quietly left the area.
John had done a great work of preparing people for the coming of Christ. Jesus was building on the groundwork John had laid, and by no means did He want two opposing parties to arise between people who basically believed the same message.

But why go to Galilee by passing through Samaria -- the territory of the Samaritans? Relations between Jews and Samaritans were not all that friendly?

Jesus spent many hours in prayer communicating with His Father. God revealed to Him the events He would meet. And thus Christ knew what God's plan for Him that day was. He knew there was someone out there in Samaria, that He needed to talk to!!!!

John 4:5 Then they came to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
4:6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour...
his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy food.

It's interesting that Jesus MUST travel through Samara on his way to Galilee. There were other routes He could have taken. Most Jews would have taken a different route as Jews and Samaritans did not like each other and preferred to have nothing to do with each other. Why?


An abbreviated history:
--930 BC Israel divided into two nations, northern with capital in Samaria, and southern kingdom with capital in Jerusalem.
--732 BC Due to mixing their worship of God with idol worship the northern kingdom was conquered by Assyria. Many were killed, many were deported, but some were left in their homeland. The Assyrians also imported other conquered people to Samaria who intermarried with the remaining Israelites. Israelite culture and even worship style did not wholly disappear from the area. But the hybrid version was not acceptable to Jews in the Southern kingdom.
--597 BC Judea, which wasn't that faithful with their worship either, were conquered by Babylon. Again many were killed, many taken captive, but a few were left in their homeland, some of these fled to Egypt, but some intermingled with the survivors in the north.
--527 BC the first of the "converted" remnant Jews returned from Babylon to start rebuilding their temple and nation.
The Jews didn't want the Samaritans to help, and the Samaritans were not happy to have them back and made a lot of trouble for the returned Jews.
330 BC the Samaritans built their own temple on Mt. Gerizim
128 BC the Jewish leaders destroyed their temple on Mount Gerizim.
The hatred between the two groups was very strong during Jesus time on earth.


John, in the above scripture passage references history
But notice it references COMMON history when the Samaritans and Jews were all Israelites.

Jacob's well. This area had been temporal home for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the fore fathers of Israel (combined Israel and Judea ).
Mount Gerizim was the mount of blessing in Deut. 11:29, 27:12,
It stands central in the combined northern and southern land of Israelite.
It had been a place of worship in the very early years.
The Masoretic text, a dead sea scroll passage and the Samaritan Pentateuch all claim Moses ordered an altar of worship to be built on Mount Gerizim.
Mount Gerizim continues to be the centre of Samaritan religion to this day, and Samaritans ascend it three times a year: at Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot.
In the Samaritan mind, it was Mount Gerizim, not the temple mount in Jerusalem that was God's designated place of worship.

So these verses give us a bit of background as we venture into the story of the woman at the well.

THE WOMAN AT THE WELL
It would be good to read John chapter four and get an overview of the whole account.
So many points to consider.
What was the woman's attitude in the beginning?
How did it change?
How did Jesus guide the discussion to win her over?
How did His method differ from His conversation with Nicodemus?
What did Jesus say that got her so happily excited she invited everyone out be with Jesus?

John 4:6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with [his] journey, sat thus on the well: [and] it was about the sixth hour.
4:7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
4:8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
4:9 Then said the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, ask for drink of me,

Water is a rather dominate theme in this passage.

Centuries earlier, Jacob, in need of water for his household and flocks dug a well there.
Early every morning the women of the town come out to get their day's supply of water.
This particular woman however, comes in the heat of the day to get her supply of water.
Jesus is sitting at the very place where people come to get their water.
Jesus is thirsty and asks for a drink, but He is the source of LIVING WATER!!!

What is the spiritual meaning of water?


1. Water is seen as a symbol of life. Without water life ceases. All living things depend on water, for it is essential to life.

2. Water is seen as a purifying agent. Washing away dirt and filth. Water is seen as a symbol of cleansing and protecting in a religious sense.

3. Water is a driving force. There is power in moving water and steam. In our spiritual life we also need the power to move forward in faith
When we partake of the living water, that living water flows out from us to influence other people for God.

4, Water, quiet water, has a calming effect,, that brings peace

All that is true to in a limited degree with literal water,
But the Living Water Christ gives represents the greater reality
Eternal life, purified of sin, eager and enabled to work for Christ, and experiencing an inner peace even if the world around us is falling apart.

But in this part of the chapter, the woman is only interested in the literal water in the well.

4:9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
4:11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

Jesus was human. He was thirsty but didn't have anything with which to draw water.
He who made the ocean, who controls the waters of the great deep, who opened the springs and channels of the earth, rested from His weariness at Jacob's well, and was dependent upon a stranger's kindness for even the gift of a drink of water.

In that part of the world it was considered important to offer water to travelers. But this poor woman was thinking of other things. She had come to the well in the middle of the day to avoid the gossiper would heckle her or cast her contemptuous glances. She just wanted to get her water and get back home. Besides the traveler beside the well was a Jew, and she was a Samaritan.!

But Jesus was seeking a key by which to reach her with some living water!

John 4 :10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you, Give me to drink; you would have asked of him, and he would have given you living water.
4:11 The woman said unto him, Sir you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then have you that living water?
4:12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

The woman is skeptical. At this point she doesn't understand what this stranger is trying to say. But she is responding for she senses there is something unusual here. Yet she is still focused on the literal water in the well.

Jesus did not immediately answer the question in regard to Himself, but in a tone of voice that conveyed His earnestness He said, "Whosoever drinks of this water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."

This was not ordinary water this stranger was talking about.
Are we like the woman at the well who didn't realize at this point, to Whom she was speaking.

"Only One can meet that need! Jesus did not convey the idea that merely one draft of the water of life would suffice the receiver. He who tastes of the love of Christ will continually long for more; but he seeks for nothing else. The riches, honors, and pleasures of the world do not attract him. The constant cry of his heart is, More of Thee. And He who reveals to the soul its necessity is waiting to satisfy its hunger and thirst. Every human resource and dependence will fail. The cisterns will be emptied, the pools become dry; but our Redeemer is an inexhaustible fountain. We may drink, and drink again, and ever find a fresh supply. He in whom Christ dwells has within himself the fountain of blessing,--"a well of water springing up into everlasting life." From this source he may draw strength and grace sufficient for all his needs. {DA 187.3}