John 4:40, commentary and pictures

After the woman brought word to the city, many Samaritans came out to see Jesus for themselves and earnestly urged Him to remain with them, and He accepted their hospitality and stayed there two days. During those two days He taught them in their homes and streets and at the well, answering their questions until their perplexity cleared, and many more believed because of His own words and confessed Him for themselves as the Christ, the Saviour of the world. They believed without demanding a sign and without seeing miracles, for He worked none among them except revealing the secrets of the woman's life, yet with teachable spirit emptied of prejudice they gladly received His word. Though a Jew, He set aside the customs and prejudices of His nation, sleeping under their roofs, eating food prepared by their hands, and mingling freely with this despised people, thereby breaking down the barrier between Jews and Samaritans and showing His grace was not limited by race or nation. Their speedy coming and conversion was the harvest of the seed sown through the woman's testimony, an object lesson that a field that looked discouraging was already white to reap when the Holy Spirit impressed the truth upon hearts.

Setting at Jacob's Well

John 4:40 belongs to the meeting at Jacob's well at noontide after a long journey since morning, where Jesus sat faint from hunger and thirst with no rope or water-jar to draw from the deep well and waited in the lot of humanity for someone to come to draw. Though as Maker of the ocean and controller of the waters of the great deep and opener of the springs and channels of the earth, He rested weary and was dependent on a stranger's kindness for even a drink of water. It stands against bitter enmity in which Jews avoided all dealing with Samaritans except necessary trade, condemned all social intercourse, would not borrow from a Samaritan nor receive bread or water, and would not ask a favor or seek to benefit them. Jesus broke that custom by asking a Samaritan for a drink rather than offering a kindness, because trust awakens trust, to find the key to the heart.

The sowing of truth in the woman happened while the disciples were away buying food, and they saw nothing in Samaria to indicate an encouraging field and fixed their thoughts on a great work to be done in the future, failing to see that right around them was a harvest to be gathered. Christ's saying about fields white already to harvest referred to these Samaritans coming out of the city at the woman's invitation. Through the Samaritan woman whom the disciples despised a whole city was brought to hear Jesus, because no sooner had she found the Saviour at Jacob's well than she carried the light at once to her countrymen and brought others to Him. She proved a more effective missionary than His own disciples, for at her report many Samaritans came, many out of curiosity to see and hear Him.

The verse belongs to the commencement and first public work of Christ's mission in Samaria at Sychar, where He preached with great power and gave many invitations of mercy and goodness. He gave the woman His richest instruction because He recognized her receptive heart and mind. The whole fourth chapter of John is to be read with earnest prayer, showing the working of the Holy Spirit upon human hearts in the Samaritans coming to Jesus and asking Him to tarry with them, which in perilous times no one should disregard. Their reception there shows that the gospel was not to be confined to the Jews and that Samaritans, too, were open to receiving Christ, as their later reception of Philip's preaching and belief in Christ showed. The Samaritans who welcomed Jesus and asked Him to stay were those who had previously treated Him rudely, and their welcome reflects His unchanged love toward them despite their earlier rejection.

Invitation and Two-Day Stay

After the woman told the men of the city about Jesus and invited people to come see Him, many Samaritans came out of the city to see and hear Him for themselves, many moved at first by curiosity. They welcomed Him and earnestly asked, besought and urged Him to tarry and remain with them, not satisfied with a short conference and wanting their friends also to hear Him. He accepted their hospitality and abode there two days.

During those two days He labored among them and sowed the Word of life, teaching them in their homes and streets and at the well. There they crowded about Him with questions and eagerly received His explanations of things that had been obscure, until their perplexity cleared away like darkness giving place to day. Many listened to His words, repented of their sins, and believed on Him as their Saviour.

After laboring two days among the Samaritans, He left them to continue His journey to Galilee.

Belief Without Sign or Miracle

Many first believed because of the woman's testimony that brought them to hear Him for themselves, and during the two days many more believed because of His own words and teaching, moving from hearing her word to firsthand encounter until they knew for themselves. Their invitation to remain led to more people hearing Him and believing, so that their coming and conversion became the harvest of the seed sown through her witness.

Those who believed came to know and confess for themselves from new joy that He is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world and Redeemer, in contrast with the Jews' suspicion and unbelief.

They received His teaching and accepted Him as a teacher sent by God and the promised Messiah without demanding a sign or seeing miracles, for He performed no miracles among them except revealing the secrets of the woman's life. With a teachable spirit emptied of prejudice they were glad for His word, listened eagerly, crowded about Him with questions, and were willing to receive Him until their perplexity cleared away like darkness giving place to day. Their faith without a sign contrasts with a questioning, superficial, conditional belief that is interested in Jesus from selfish motives for some temporal favor and accepts or rejects Him according as He does or does not perform the work required. This was seen in the sign-dependent faith of the centurion and many Jews who saw Christ come with all the power of His majesty, His grace manifested in mighty healings and in the mighty outpouring of His Spirit, yet would not recognize Him because prejudice reigned in their hearts so that even the mightiest miracles had no effect.

Their faith rested on the Scriptures that the Messiah would redeem not Jews only but the world, as foretold through Moses as a prophet sent from God, through Jacob that to Him would be the gathering of the people, and through Abraham that in Him all nations would be blessed. Although they had discarded all sacred writings except those of Moses because the Jews had applied the glory of Christ's second coming to the first advent, Jesus swept away those false interpretations so that many accepted the later prophecies and His own words about the kingdom of God. Their response shows that people who have not previously heard the truth may be more receptive to hearing it than those who have already received evidence of God's work, proving where God is working can be discerned without wonderful miracles.

Crossing Jewish Prejudice

Though a Jew, He set at naught the Pharisaic customs and prejudices of His nation and mingled freely with the Samaritans in the face of those prejudices. When this despised people asked Him to remain, He accepted their hospitality and abode with them two days, staying in their homes and sleeping with them under their roofs. He ate with them at their tables, partaking of food prepared and served by their hands, and He taught in their streets and among them. In all of this He treated them with the utmost kindness, courtesy, and human sympathy.

That sympathy and social kindliness recognized the dignity of their humanity and drew their hearts to Him by the tie of human sympathy. His words fell upon their thirsty souls with blessed, life-giving power, awakening new impulses in them. To these outcasts of society was opened the possibility of a new life. His teaching brought light to people troubled by darkness, superstition, doubts, and uncertainty.

His willingness to live and eat among them broke down the barrier between Jews and Samaritans and began to break down the barrier between Jews and Gentiles. His preaching in Sychar showed He did not share Jewish intolerance, but that His love and grace were not limited by race or nation. He freely crossed the Jewish-Samaritan divide to bring salvation to people widely regarded as unworthy, showing the gospel was not to be confined to the Jews. While He drew them by human sympathy, His divine grace brought to them the salvation which the Jews rejected. His example in this taught the disciples to replace prejudice and hatred with pity and sympathy, a lesson they later carried into their own work.

Pattern for Gospel Workers

The two days were a speedy harvest following the sowing of truth in the woman at the well while the disciples were away buying food. She carried the report into the city and invited people to come see Christ, and at her report many Samaritans came out, many out of curiosity to see and hear Him. Their coming was an object lesson to the disciples and teaches lessons to all interested in the salvation of souls, for Christ's saying about fields white already to harvest referred to these Samaritans coming out of the city. The outcome came because the Holy Spirit impressed the truth upon Samaritan hearts, proving a field that looked discouraging was ready to reap. Their conversion was the harvest of the seed sown through her testimony, as many first believed because of the woman's witness that brought them to hear Him for themselves, and during the two days many more believed because of His own words and teaching until they knew for themselves and confessed He is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

Through the Samaritan woman whom the disciples despised a whole city was brought to hear Jesus. No sooner had she found the Saviour at Jacob's well than she carried the light at once to her countrymen and brought others to Him. She proved a more effective missionary than His own disciples, for the disciples saw nothing in Samaria to indicate an encouraging field and fixed their thoughts on a great work to be done in the future, failing to see that right around them was a harvest to be gathered. Even so small a beginning could lead many people to receive the message when her witness brought her countrymen to hear Him.

Christ's work was largely composed of personal interviews with faithful regard for the one-soul audience. The intelligence received by that one soul was carried to thousands, bringing the Samaritans to urge Him to tarry with them so He remained among them two days after they asked Him to remain. This giving of personal attention by staying two days shows His method of reaching the many through the one. This experience of Christ and His disciples, in which people believed and welcomed Jesus, would be repeated in the world.

That personal work gives the pattern for educating youth to help youth, in which in seeking to do this work they gain an experience that qualifies them to become consecrated workers in a larger sphere. Thousands of hearts are reached in the most simple, humble way, as the most intellectual and gifted are refreshed by the simple words of one who loves God spoken as naturally as the worldling speaks of earthly things, while well-prepared and studied words have little influence. The true honest words of a son or daughter of God spoken in natural simplicity unbolt the door to many souls long locked.

The two days illustrate how quickly truth sown by Christ bore fruit and how those who received it could help others come to hear and believe for themselves. His time with them let Him sow the Word of life among them, and their ready response shows how truth shared with others can lead them to hear Christ for themselves and believe. Those who receive the living water can become sources of life to others, and sowing the gospel among people waiting for light can lead to a harvest of believers. Those who receive the truth can lead others to see the truth in Jesus, and their example encourages people who know the truth to share it with others.

Their coming and conversion show that people beyond the established churches were ready to hear and needed active efforts to reach them. Their eager welcome and desire to hear more illustrate how truth sown by Christ can take root. Many more believed because they heard His own words and came to know Him as the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

That earlier work left believers in Samaria who were not persecuted, so the persecuted little flock scattered from Jerusalem later found a safe asylum among them. Their welcome of Jesus prepared the way for the Samaritans to later welcome His followers and provide them refuge during persecution, when many who had once been enemies became believers. His reception there shows that the gospel was not to be confined to the Jews and that Samaritans too were open to receiving Christ, belonging to His first public work among them where He preached with great power and they showed willingness to hear Him with deep interest. Their later reception of Philip's preaching and belief in Christ showed that the Samaritans were also to receive the gospel.

The stay belongs to the commencement of His mission work with the woman of Samaria and shows one of His many invitations of mercy and goodness. It means no one need remain in ignorance and questioning whether God will hear prayer and give mercy, grace, favor and salvation. For His teachings are positive with authority, not guesswork, His voice and words and articulation in perfect harmony with His subject.