John 4:1-6

4 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), 3 he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. 4 And he had to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.

Later in this passage John will tell us “Jews have no dealings with Samaritans” [John 4:9]. But, one of the things the Old Testament prophets said would happen when the Messiah came is that He would draw all peoples to Himself. So, Jesus is here doing something unexpected for a Jewish man—deliberately placing Himself somewhere where He will have interactions with non-Jews. Why? So, He can fulfill his mission. This is what He says later in the Gospel:

32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself [John 12:32].

QUESTION OF THE DAY:
Looking ahead, we will see that the Samaritan woman Jesus talks to is much more open to His message than was Nicodemus, a “teacher of Israel” (see chapter 3). Why do you think that outsiders are sometimes more open to Jesus than insiders?