John 4:1-42

1 Assone as the Lorde had knowledge how the Pharises had hearde that Iesus made and baptised moo disciples then Iohn

2 (though that Iesus him selfe baptised not: but his disciples)

3 he lefte Iewry and departed agayne into Galile.

4 And it was so that he must nedes goo thorowe Samaria.

5 Then came he to a cyte of Samaria called Sichar besydes the possession that Iacob gave to his sonne Ioseph.

6 And there was Iacobs well. Iesus then weryed in his iorney sate thus on the well. And it was about the sixte houre:

7 and there came a woman of Samaria to drawe water. And Iesus sayde vnto her: geve me drynke.

8 For his disciples were gone awaye vnto the toune to bye meate.

9 Then sayde the woman of Samaria vnto him: how is it that thou beinge a Iewe axest drinke of me which am a Samaritane? for the Iewes medle not with the Samaritans.

10 Iesus answered and sayde vnto hir: yf thou knewest the gyfte of God and who it is that sayeth to the geve me drynke thou woldest have axed of him and he wolde have geven the water of lyfe.

11 The woman sayde vnto him. Syr thou hast no thinge to drawe with and the well is depe: from whence then hast thou yt water of lyfe?

12 Arte thou greater then oure father Iacob which gave vs the well and he him silfe dranke therof and his chyldren and his catell?

13 Iesus answered and sayde vnto hir: whosoever drinketh of this water shall thurst agayne.

14 But whosoever shall drinke of ye water yt I shall geve him shall never be more a thyrst: but the water that I shall geve him shalbe in him a well of water springinge vp in to everlastinge lyfe.

15 The woma sayd vnto him: Syr geve me of that water that I thyrst not nether come hedder to drawe.

16 Iesus sayde vnto her. Go and call thy husband and come hydder.

17 The woman answered and sayde to him: I have no husband.

18 Iesus sayde to her. Thou hast well sayd I have no husbande. For thou haste had five husbandes and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband. That saydest thou truely.

19 The woman sayde vnto him: Syr I perceave yt thou arte a prophet.

20 Oure fathers worshipped in this mountayne: and ye saye that in Hierusalem is the place where men ought to worshippe.

21 Iesus sayde vnto her: woman beleve me the houre cometh when ye shall nether in this moutayne nor yet at Ierusalem worshippe the father.

22 Ye worshippe ye wot not what: we knowe what we worshippe. For salvacion cometh of the Iewes.

23 But the houre commeth and nowe is when the true worshippers shall worshippe the father in sprete and in trouthe. For verely suche the father requyreth to worshippe him.

24 God is a sprete and they that worshippe him must worshippe him in sprete and trouthe.

25 The woman sayde vnto him: I wot well Messias shall come which is called Christ. When he is come he will tell vs all thinges.

26 Iesus sayde vnto hir: I that speake vnto the am he.

27 And eve at that poynte came his disciples and marvelled that he talked with the woman. Yet no man sayde vnto him: what meanest thou or why talkest thou with her?

28 The woma then lefte her waterpot and went her waye into the cite and sayde to the men.

29 Come se a man which tolde me all thinges yt ever I dyd. Is not he Christ?

30 Then they went ont of the cite and came vnto him.

31 And in ye meane while his disciples prayed him sayinge: Master eate.

32 He sayde vnto the: I have meate to eate that ye knowe not of.

33 Then sayd ye disciples bitwene them selves: hath eny ma brought him meate?

34 Iesus sayde vnto them: my meate is to doo the will of him that sent me. And to fynnysshe his worke.

35 Saye not ye: there are yet foure monethes and then cometh harvest? Beholde I saye vnto you lyfte vp youre eyes and loke on ye regios: for they are whyte all redy vnto harvest.

36 And he ye repeth receaveth rewarde and gaddereth frute vnto life eternall: that bothe he that soweth and he yt repeth myght reioyse to gether.

37 And herin is the sayinge true yt one soweth and another repeth.

38 I sent you to repe yt whero ye bestowed no laboure. Other men laboured and ye are entred into their labours.

39 Many of the Samaritas of that cyte beleved on him for ye sayinge of the woma which testified: he tolde me all thinges yt ever I dyd.

40 Then when the Samaritas were come vnto him they besought him yt he wolde tary wt the. And he aboode there two dayes.

41 And many moo beleved because of his awne wordes

42 and sayd vnto the woman: Now we beleve not because of thy sayinge. For we have herde him oure selves and knowe that this is even in dede Christ the savioure of the worlde.

John 4:1-42 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 JOHN 4

In this chapter the apostle cautions against seducing spirits; advises to try them, and gives rules by which they may be known, and by which they are distinguished from others; and then returns to his favourite subject, brotherly love. He exhorts the saints not to believe every man that came with a doctrine to them, but to try them, since there were many false teachers in the world; and gives a rule by which they may be tried and judged, as that whatever teacher owns Christ to be come in the flesh is of God, but he that does not is not of God, but is the spirit of antichrist that should come, and was in the world, 1Jo 4:1,2, but, for the comfort of those to whom he writes, he observes, that they were of God, and had overcome these false teachers, through the mighty power of the divine Spirit in them, who is greater than Satan, and all his emissaries, 1Jo 4:4. He distinguishes between seducing spirits, and faithful ministers of the word; the former are of the world, speak of worldly things, and worldly men hear them; but the latter are of God, and they that have any spiritual knowledge of God hear them; but such as are not of God do not heal them, by which may he known the spirit of truth from the spirit of error, 1Jo 4:5,6. And then the apostle returns to his former exhortation to brotherly love, which he enforces by the following reasons, because it is of God, a fruit of his Spirit and grace, and because it is an evidence of being born of God, and of having a true knowledge of him; whereas he that is destitute of it does not know him, seeing God is love, 1Jo 4:7,8, and having affirmed that God is love, he proves it, by the mission of his Son, to be a propitiation for the sins of such that did not love him, and that they might live through him; wherefore he argues, that if God had such a love to men, so undeserving of it, then the saints ought to love one another, 1Jo 4:9-11. Other arguments follow, engaging to it, as that God is invisible; and if he is to be loved, then certainly his people, who are visible; and that such who love one another, God dwells in them, and his love is perfected in them; and that he dwells in them is known by the gift of his Spirit to them, 1Jo 4:12,13, and that God the Father so loved the world, as to send his Son to be the Saviour of it, before asserted, is confirmed by the apostles, who were eyewitnesses of it; who also declare, that whoever confesses the sonship of Christ, God dwells in him, and he in God; and who had an assurance of the love of God to them, who is love itself; so that he that dwells in God, and God in him, dwells in love, 1Jo 4:14-16. And great are the advantages arising from hence, for hereby the saints' love to God is made perfect; they have boldness in the day of judgment, since as he is, so are they in this world, and fear is cast out by it, 1Jo 4:17,18, but lest too much should be thought to be ascribed to love, that is said to be owing to the love of God to them, which is prior to theirs to him, and the reason of it, 1Jo 4:19. And the chapter is closed with observing the contradiction there is between a profession of love to God, and hatred of the brethren, seeing God, who is invisible, cannot be loved, if brethren that are seen are hated; and also the commandment, that he that loves God should love his brother also, 1Jo 4:20,21.