Jesus Met a Samaritan Woman

John 4:1-42

“I am the way, the truth, and the life.” John 14:6

Dear Parents,

At the time Jesus was on earth, the social food chain went like this: Jews don’t talk to Samaritans. The strife between the two groups stretched back hundreds of years, to the Babylonian exile.

When the Babylonians attacked Judah, they moved a large group of God’s people away from their homes. But some of the people—the poorest, sickest, least able to work—were left behind in the region that became known as Samaria. The exile lasted 70 years. During that time, those left in Samaria began to mingle with their neighbors to the north. They intermarried and practiced foreign customs. While the Samaritans still believed in God, they adapted their beliefs.

The Jews who returned home from Babylon to rebuild God’s temple in Jerusalem rejected this new way of life. They were dedicated to obeying and worshiping God, and they didn’t agree with the Samaritans’ practices. The Samaritans opposed the Jews’ efforts to reestablish their nation. In time, the Jews’ hate for the Samaritans grew—so much so, that a Jew traveling from Judea to Galilee would take a longer route to travel around Samaria rather than through it.

Jesus broke down barriers when He traveled to Galilee by way of Samaria. Even more surprising, Jesus stopped at a well around noon and asked a Samaritan woman for a drink. Jewish men did not speak to women in public.

But Jesus was kind to her, and He offered a gift—living water. The woman didn’t understand, but Jesus revealed His knowledge of her past. He even gave her a glimpse of the future. The Samaritan woman expected a Messiah to come and fix everything. Jesus said, “I am He.”

Jesus offered the woman something no one else could give her—living water. Jesus wasn’t talking about water that she could physically drink; Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit who would satisfy her spiritual thirst. Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to those who come to Him by faith.

Check this session’s Activity Page and Big Picture Card as well as the Gospel Project for Kids Family App for ways to interact with the Bible content this week.

 KEY PASSAGE: John 14:6

BIG PICTURE QUESTION:

• Who did Jesus say He is? Jesus said He is God’s Son.

BIBLE STORY:
JESUS MET A SAMARITAN WOMAN

• Jesus talked to a Samaritan 
woman at a well.
• Jesus told the Samaritan woman 
He is God’s Son.
• The woman believed and told 
others about Jesus.

FAMILY DISCUSSION STARTERS:

• Why did Jesus choose to travel through Samaria?
• Was it a coincidence that Jesus was at the well when the woman came?
• Can we get the living water Jesus talked about? How?

FAMILY ACTIVITY:

• Think of someone who does not have many friends. How can you show God’s love to him?
• Set up a water or lemonade stand in your neighborhood. Donate the money raised to an organization that provides clean drinking water to developing countries.