John – Chapter 4

New Testament54 Verses

Chapter Summary

Chapter 4 of John begins: "When Jesus therefore understood the Pharisees had heard that Jesus maketh more disciples and baptizeth more than John" The chapter centers on Jacob, Joseph and John. Across its 54 verses, two threads run through the text: family and covenant relationships and faith and trust in God. The Church invites us to read this chapter within the whole sweep of salvation history, where every page points toward Christ.

1When Jesus therefore understood the Pharisees had heard that Jesus maketh more disciples and baptizeth more than John

2(Though Jesus himself did not baptize, but his disciples),

3He left Judea and went again into Galilee.

4And he was of necessity to pass through Samaria.

5He cometh therefore to a city of Samaria, which is called Sichar, near the land which Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

6Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well. It was about the sixth hour.

7There cometh a woman of Samaria, to draw water. Jesus saith to her: Give me to drink.

8For his disciples were gone into the city to buy meats.

9Then that Samaritan woman saith to him: How dost thou, being a Jew; ask of me to drink, who am a Samaritan woman? For the Jews do not communicate with the Samaritans.

10Jesus answered and said to her: If thou didst know the gift of God and who he is that saith to thee: Give me to drink; thou perhaps wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

11The woman saith to him: Sir, thou hast nothing wherein to draw, and the well is deep. From whence then hast thou living water?

12Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank thereof, himself and his children and his cattle?

13Jesus answered and said to her: Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but he that shall drink of the water that I will give him shall not thirst for ever.

14But the water that I will give him shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into life everlasting.

15The woman said to him: Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come hither to draw.

16Jesus saith to her: Go, call thy husband, and come hither.

17The woman answered and said: I have no husband. Jesus said to her: Thou hast said well: I have no husband.

18For thou hast had five husbands: and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband. This, thou hast said truly.

19The woman saith to him: Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.

20Our fathers adored on this mountain: and you say that at Jerusalem is the place where men must adore.

21Jesus saith to her: Woman, believe me that the hour cometh, when you shall neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, adore the Father.

22You adore that which you know not: we adore that which we know. For salvation is of the Jews.

23But the hour cometh and now is, when the true adorers shall adore the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father also seeketh such to adore him.

24God is a spirit: and they that adore him must adore him in spirit and in truth.

25The woman saith to him: I know that the Messias cometh (who is called Christ): therefore, when he is come, he will tell us all things.

26Jesus saith to her: I am he, who am speaking with thee.

27And immediately his disciples came. And they wondered that he talked with the woman. Yet no man said: What seekest thou? Or: Why talkest thou with her?

28The woman therefore left her waterpot and went her way into the city and saith to the men there:

29Come, and see a man who has told me all things whatsoever I have done. Is not he the Christ?

30They went therefore out of the city and came unto him.

31In the mean time, the disciples prayed him, saying: Rabbi, eat.

32But he said to them: I have meat to eat which you know not.

33The disciples therefore said one to another: Hath any man brought him to eat?

34Jesus saith to them: My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, that I may perfect his work.

35Do not you say: There are yet four months, and then the harvest cometh? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, and see the countries. For they are white already to harvest.

36And he that reapeth receiveth wages and gathereth fruit unto life everlasting: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

37For in this is the saying true: That it is one man that soweth, and it is another that reapeth.

38I have sent you to reap that in which you did not labour. Others have laboured: and you have entered into their labours.

39Now of that city many of the Samaritans believed in him, for the word of the woman giving testimony: He told me all things whatsoever I have done.

40So when the Samaritans were come to him, they desired that he would tarry there. And he abode there two days.

41And many more believed in him, because of his own word.

42And they said to the woman: We now believe, not for thy saying: for we ourselves have heard him and know that this is indeed the Saviour of the world.

43Now after two days, he departed thence and went into Galilee.

44For Jesus himself gave testimony that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.

45And when he was come into Galilee, the Galileans received him, having seen all the things he had done at Jerusalem on the festival day: for they also went to the festival day.

46He came again therefore into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain ruler, whose son was sick at Capharnaum.

47He having heard that Jesus was come from Judea into Galilee, sent to him and prayed him to come down and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.

48Jesus therefore said to him: Unless you see signs and wonders, you believe not.

49The ruler saith to him: Lord, come down before that my son die.

50Jesus saith to him: Go thy way. Thy son liveth. The man believed the word which Jesus said to him and went his way.

51And as he was going down, his servants met him: and they brought word, saying, that his son lived.

52He asked therefore of them the hour wherein he grew better. And they said to him: Yesterday at the seventh hour, the fever left him.

53The father therefore knew that it was at the same hour that Jesus said to him: Thy son liveth. And himself believed, and his whole house.

54This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judea. into Galilee.

Important Verses in John 4

When Jesus therefore understood the Pharisees had heard that Jesus maketh more disciples and baptizeth more than John

John 4:1

Jesus answered and said to her: If thou didst know the gift of God and who he is that saith to thee: Give me to drink; thou perhaps wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

John 4:10

God is a spirit: and they that adore him must adore him in spirit and in truth.

John 4:24

The ruler saith to him: Lord, come down before that my son die.

John 4:49

Historical Context

John belongs to the New Testament and was composed for the Church at the close of the apostolic age, led into the mystery of Christ's divinity. Chapter 4 of 21 belongs to the early movement of the book, where the narrative or argument is still unfolding. It is a narrative passage recounting concrete events in salvation history with 54 verses in the Douay-Rheims translation. Historical attention falls on Jacob, Joseph and John, the principal figures named in this chapter. The passage starts with these words: "When Jesus therefore understood the Pharisees had heard that Jesus maketh more disciples and baptizeth more than John" The chapter ends with: "This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judea. into Galilee. " Read against its original backdrop, The fourth Gospel begins before creation: 'In the beginning was the Word. Catholic tradition dates the book to the period described in its introduction: About AD 90-100, at Ephesus.

Who Wrote It

The Apostle John, the beloved disciple, according to early tradition

When It Was Written

About AD 90-100, at Ephesus

Catholic Commentary

Read at the narrative level, this chapter describes real persons, decisions, and consequences within Jesus as the eternal Word and source of life. A pivotal line is verse 1: "When Jesus therefore understood the Pharisees had heard that Jesus maketh more disciples and baptizeth more than John" The passage repeatedly touches on family and covenant relationships.

The Church teaches that every passage of Scripture must be read in light of Christ and the Magisterium (CIC 2340). Here, John's Gospel reveals Christ's divinity most clearly (CIC 241). The spiritual sense invites believers to recognize family and covenant relationships as part of God's pedagogy of salvation.

For Christians today, the chapter's lesson is clear: The family is the first school of faith, where love, obedience, and forgiveness are learned.. The Church invites us to receive this word not as antiquarian information but as living Scripture proclaimed at Mass and prayed in lectio divina.

Main Teachings

  • The family is the first school of faith, where love, obedience, and forgiveness are learned.
  • Faith is a gift and a decision: entrusting ourselves entirely to God and to His promises.
  • God invites His people to approach Him confidently in prayer, trusting that He hears and answers.

People in This Chapter

Jacob3 mentionsJoseph1 mentionJohn1 mention

Reflection for Today

As Catholics read John Chapter 4, we do so within the living Tradition that has guarded this text for two millennia.

The saints did not treat Scripture as antiquarian literature. St. Teresa of Avila, St. Francis de Sales, and countless others used passages such as this to fuel daily conversion. the Church as mother and teacher remains a practical lesson for modern disciples.

As you continue through John, carry this chapter's lesson into your family, parish, and work. Catholic faith is always ecclesial—God speaks to us as members of Christ's Body, not as isolated individuals.

💡Catholic Reflection • Church Teachings

Frequently Asked Questions

What is John Chapter 4 about?

John 4 contains 54 verses. It opens with "When Jesus therefore understood the Pharisees had heard that Jesus maketh more disciples and baptizeth more than John" and closes with "This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judea. into Galilee. ". The book as a whole is gospel.

What is a key verse in John 4?

One of the most significant verses is verse 1: "When Jesus therefore understood the Pharisees had heard that Jesus maketh more disciples and baptizeth more than John" It is often cited in Catholic teaching and preaching.

Who appears in John Chapter 4?

This chapter mentions Jacob, Joseph, John.

Who wrote John and when?

The Apostle John, the beloved disciple, according to early tradition. About AD 90-100, at Ephesus.

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