The Gospel Project Unit 21:4 Jesus and the Samaritan Woman
Today’s Bible Lesson is from John 4.
At the time Jesus was on earth, Jews and Samaritans didn’t get along. 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 foreign beliefs as well.
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, so 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 her 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.”
Explain to kids that the living water Jesus offers is the Holy Spirit. (See John 7:37-39.) The Holy Spirit is a gift that He is eager to give us when we ask Him. Those who receive His grace will never be thirsty again.
Big Picture Question: What makes people special?
People are special because we are made in God’s image, as male and female, to know Him.
Key Passage: John 3:16- “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him, will not perish but have eternal life.”
Worship ideas that connect with today’s lesson:
- Sold Out by Hawk Nelson
- Way Maker by Christian Songs for Kids
- The Blessing (KIDS) featuring kids from different nations
Questions to discuss with your kids after watching the lesson:
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- What did Jesus ask for when He first saw the Samaritan woman? (a drink of water, John 4:7)
- What did Jesus say would happen to a person who drinks the living water? (He will never thirst again. It will become a well in him. He will have eternal life; John 4:14)
- Where did Jesus say people will worship God? (anywhere, in spirit and truth; John 4:23-24)
- What is the living water Jesus spoke about? Guide kids to see that the living water is a picture of what the Holy Spirit is like. When we believe the gospel, Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to live within us. He helps us to love and obey God and fills our lives with joy and love so that we can “overflow” joy and love onto other people.
- What does it mean to worship God in spirit and in truth? Discuss how everyone worships something, but only believers worship the one true God. Point out that worshiping in spirit means that our very core, including our emotions, is involved in worshiping God. Explain that worshiping in truth means we worship the true God when we understand the wonderful truth of what He has done for us.
- How can we receive “living water”? Remind the kids that the Bible teaches everyone who believes the gospel will be saved. Help them understand that when we believe the gospel, we repent of sin and love God. God forgives our sin, gives us new hearts, and sends the Holy Spirit to live in us and help us obey God out of love.TAKE AWAY • Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to those who believe. Anyone can be a believer because Jesus loves all people. The gift of salvation is freely offered to us.