In John's Gospel, transitional sections involve specific details of time, place, and people. One such transition is marked in John 4:1-6 when Jesus and his disciples leave Judea to go to Galilee, stopping at a town in Samaria called Sychar. This happens because Jesus discovers that the Pharisees know about his baptisms surpassing John's. Jesus rests at Jacob's well at about midday when a Samaritan woman comes to draw water, leading to a remarkable conversation (vv. 7-15).

The woman was taken aback when a Jewish man approached her at the well. Due to her gender, Samaritan background, and past experiences with men, she held no status in that society. Not only does Jesus ask her for a drink, he does so even though no one else is present. Jesus would do what was right, no matter the circumstances, even if the events lent themselves to misinterpretations, suggesting he might be in the wrong (cf. v. 27). So often, people see the right they should do, recognize it could be misinterpreted, and allow fear to prevail over courage. One aspect of Jesus' greatness of character is that fear of man never prevailed over what virtue prompted him to do.

At noon, the hottest part of the day, Jesus and the woman are alone and facing various reasons not to converse: Jesus is male and Jewish, while the woman is female and a Samaritan. The Samaritans are not considered pure Jews in terms of race or religion. They only believed in the Pentateuch, or the first five books of the Bible, and at one time constructed a temple on Mount Gerizim. The Samaritan woman may have visited the well by herself during the day to avoid being judged by her community. Due to her history of multiple marriages and current relationship status, she is looked down upon. However, Jesus overlooks racial or social differences and humbly requests a drink from the woman. While conversing at the well, Jesus reveals himself as someone who can provide "living water," representing the gift of everlasting life.

The woman becomes curious and discovers that Jesus knows everything about her. She inquires about the dispute between the two temples, to which Jesus responds that the Jews are correct. However, genuine worship is not solely dependent on the place of worship but on the spirit and truth of God. When the woman mentions that the Messiah will clarify everything, Jesus informs her that she is talking to him!

The disciples were surprised to see Jesus alone with the Samaritan woman. The writer recalls that she hurriedly left her water jar to bring her neighbors to meet Christ. As the people from Sychar came out to meet him, Jesus referred to verses from the Old Testament and used harvest language that would have been familiar to his Jewish disciples. Jesus was inviting his disciples to participate in the fulfillment of God's plan for the world, which included the gathering of people from all around the world. Even Samaritans were being saved. Jesus confirmed that this was what had been promised long ago.