John 4:25
The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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She's not just waiting for an answer; she's framing Jesus' claims within the ultimate hope of her people. Her statement reveals a profound, though incomplete, understanding that the Messiah would be the final authority, bringing definitive clarity to all life's questions, especially those about God and worship.
Jesus has just revealed he knows about her complicated marital history and challenged her understanding of worship, shifting the conversation from where to worship to how. In response, she deflects by bringing up the one figure who she believes will have all the answers – the promised Messiah – showing her deep yearning for divine clarity amidst her personal and spiritual confusion. She expresses a common expectation, shared by both Jews and Samaritans, that the Messiah will resolve all controversies, including their long-standing dispute over the proper place of worship.
She calls Him 'Messiah,' a name familiar to both Jews and Samaritans. But her understanding of His coming is far more profound than just a political or national figure.
The woman's statement, 'I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ),' reveals a shared hope across deeply divided communities. Both Jews and Samaritans anticipated a coming Messiah, grounding their expectation in the Scriptures, including the Pentateuch (the first five books of Moses).
A Common Hope, Different Expressions
While interpretations varied, the core expectation was a divinely appointed leader who would bring restoration and clarity.
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This shared, yet nuanced, anticipation shows that even in their division, God's people yearned for His promised intervention.
Her deepest longing isn't for political power or a change in location for worship, but for absolute clarity. She believes the Messiah will 'tell us all things.'
The woman's conviction that the Messiah 'will tell us all things' points to a profound understanding of His role as the ultimate revealer of truth. This isn't just about knowing facts; it's about understanding God's will, the nature of true worship, and the path to salvation.
Beyond Human Knowledge
Jesus, in revealing Himself to her, meets this deep yearning for truth head-on.
Understand the original words
Mashiach · Hebrew Noun/Title
The 'Anointed One,' the long-awaited King and Savior of Israel who fulfills the messianic prophecies of the Old Testament.
Christos · Greek Noun/Title
The Greek translation of the Hebrew 'Messiah,' confirming Jesus as the promised, divinely anointed King and deliverer sent by God.
The woman's reference to the Messiah reflects a deep-seated hope shared by Samaritans, rooted in their interpretation of the Torah. This hope was intensified by ongoing religious and political tensions with Jews and the desire for divine resolution to their questions about worship.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Assyrian Exile
The Northern Kingdom of Israel, with its capital Samaria, falls to the Assyrian Empire. Many Israelites are exiled, and foreign populations are resettled in the region, leading to the mixed Samaritan population.
c. 515 BC
Second Temple Completed
Following their return from Babylonian exile, the Jews complete the Second Temple in Jerusalem. This solidifies Jerusalem as the central place of worship for Jews, a point of contention with the Samaritans.
c. 400 BC
Samaritan Temple on Mount Gerizim
The Samaritans build their own temple on Mount Gerizim, establishing it as their primary place of worship in opposition to Jerusalem. This deepens the religious and cultural divide between Jews and Samaritans.
Early 1st century AD— this verse
Messianic Expectation
A widespread expectation of the Messiah's coming is prevalent among both Jews and Samaritans, fueled by prophecies in the Pentateuch and other writings. Samaritans have their own understanding of this figure.
c. AD 27-30
Jesus' Ministry Begins
Jesus begins his public ministry, traveling through Galilee and Judea, and eventually encountering the Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well. His teachings and actions challenge existing religious norms.
This passage introduces the concept of the Messiah and how Andrew immediately recognized Jesus as such, mirroring the woman's anticipation of the Messiah who would reveal all things.
Deuteronomy 18:15This Old Testament promise, which the woman likely understood, speaks of God raising up a prophet like Moses, a key expectation that the woman associates with the coming Messiah who will 'tell us all things'.
Isaiah 53:1-12This prophetic passage describes the suffering servant who would be despised and rejected, yet ultimately bear our iniquities – a profound truth about the Messiah's mission that goes beyond mere revelation and touches on atonement, which the woman's understanding of 'telling us all things' hints at.
John 16:12-13Jesus tells His disciples that the Spirit of Truth will guide them into all truth, echoing the woman's expectation that the Messiah would 'tell us all things' by fulfilling that revelatory role through the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:36Peter declares that God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ, directly validating the woman's anticipation and Jesus' own identity as the Messiah she was expecting.
ellicottJohn 4:25: "The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things."
(25) I know that Messias cometh. —She is puzzled by these new doctrines. “Father!” “Spirit!” what did all this mean? Was God in any real sense like the father who in childhood’s happy days had protected, and forgiven, and loved? Was the divine nature in any real sense approached by human nature in its highest and best moments, when it seemed lifted above earth,…
barnesJohn 4:25: "The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things."
I know that Messias cometh - As the Samaritans acknowledged the five books of Moses, so they expected, also, the coming of the Messiah. Which is called Christ - These are probably the words of the evangelist, as it is not likely that the woman would explain the name on such an occasion. Will tell us all things - Jesus had decided the question proposed to him Jo…
She's not just waiting for an answer; she's framing Jesus' claims within the ultimate hope of her people. Her statement reveals a profound, though incomplete, understanding that the Messiah would be the final authority, bringing definitive clarity to all life's questions, especially those about God and worship.
Jesus has just revealed he knows about her complicated marital history and challenged her understanding of worship, shifting the conversation from where to worship to how. In response, she deflects by bringing up the one figure who she believes will have all the answers – the promised Messiah – showing her deep yearning for divine clarity amidst her personal and spiritual confusion. She expresses a common expectation, shared by both Jews and Samaritans, that the Messiah will resolve all controversies, including their long-standing dispute over the proper place of worship.
Jesus has just revealed he knows about her complicated marital history and challenged her understanding of worship, shifting the conversation from where to worship to how. In response, she deflects by bringing up the one figure who she believes will have all the answers – the promised Messiah – showing her deep yearning for divine clarity amidst her personal and spiritual confusion. She expresses a common expectation, shared by both Jews and Samaritans, that the Messiah will resolve all controversies, including their long-standing dispute over the proper place of worship.
"The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.”" — She's not just waiting for an answer; she's framing Jesus' claims within the ultimate hope of her people. Her statement reveals a profound, though incomplete, understanding that the Messiah would be…
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