The Woman at the Well

This is a simplified version of the Bible story found in John 4:1-42, written for children to understand. For the original version, please refer to the Bible passage.

Once Jesus was traveling from one place to another, and he had to go through Samaria. He was tired from his journey and sat down beside a well in a town called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. It was hot and about lunchtime.

A woman from Samaria came to the well to draw water, and Jesus asked her for a drink. The woman was surprised because Jews like Jesus didn’t usually talk to Samaritans like her. She asked him why he was asking her for a drink.

Jesus replied, “If you knew the gift of God and who I am, you would have asked me for living water. Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never be thirsty again. The water I give will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

The woman was intrigued and asked Jesus where he could get this living water. Jesus said that the water he was talking about was special and could only come from him.

Then, Jesus said something surprising. He asked the woman to call her husband and come back. The woman told Jesus that she didn’t have a husband. Jesus said, “You’re right, you’ve had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband.” The woman was surprised that Jesus knew about her life and realized that he must be a prophet.

The woman and Jesus then talked about worshiping God. The woman said that her people worshiped on a mountain, but the Jews worshiped in Jerusalem. Jesus said that the time is coming when people will worship God in spirit and truth, and it won’t matter where they are. Jesus told the woman that he is the Messiah, and she was amazed.

Just then, Jesus’ disciples came back and were surprised that Jesus was talking to a Samaritan woman. However, they did not ask him any questions about it.

The disciples were worried that Jesus hadn’t eaten, but he told them that his food is to do the will of God. Jesus told them that the fields are ready for harvest and that they would reap the benefits of the work that others had done before them.

The woman was so amazed by Jesus that she left her water jar at the well and went back to town to tell everyone about him. She said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could he be the Messiah?”

Many people from the town went to see Jesus because of the woman’s testimony. They asked him to stay with them, and Jesus stayed for two days. While he was there, many more people believed in him because of his teachings.

As Jesus was leaving, the Samaritan woman’s neighbors told her, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

Biblical Lessons

  • Jesus offers living water that can quench our thirst forever.
  • Jesus knows everything about us, even things we try to keep hidden.
  • Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior of the world.
  • We should worship God in spirit and truth.
  • We should share the good news of Jesus with others.

Related Stories

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Jesus and the Woman with Bleeding

Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant

Nicodemus and the Secret of Being Born Again

Jesus Heals Many