Seeking Jesus First Feb. 5, 2026

Jesus Had to Pass Through Samaria

Today’s Reading: John 4:1–6
(Read the full passage before reflecting below.)

“But He needed to go through Samaria.” (John 4:4, NKJV)

At first glance, this sentence sounds like geography. In truth, it is theology.

Jesus did not have to go through Samaria to reach Galilee. Faithful Jews often went around it. Samaria was avoided territory—religiously compromised, ethnically divided, and socially inconvenient. But John tells us plainly: He needed to go through Samaria. This was not a shortcut. It was a divine appointment.

The necessity here is not logistical; it is redemptive. Jesus was not compelled by roads, but by love.

This moment reveals something essential about the heart of God. Grace does not wait for people to find the right path. Grace steps into the places others avoid. From the beginning of this Gospel, John has shown us a God who moves toward darkness, not away from it. The Light shines in the darkness—and the darkness cannot overcome it.

We are also told that Jesus was weary from His journey. This is not incidental detail. The Son of God, through whom all things were made, sat down by a well because He was tired. This reminds us that the Incarnation is not theoretical. Jesus did not merely appear human—He entered fully into our weakness. Yet even in weariness, He does not abandon obedience.

This is deeply instructive. Obedience does not require endless strength; it requires a willing heart. Jesus models a life surrendered to the Father’s will, even when tired, even when unseen, even when misunderstood. Love moves Him forward when comfort would suggest stopping.

The well itself matters. Wells in Scripture are places of meeting, covenant, and provision. Long before this moment, God met His people at wells. Now, the Giver of living water sits at one, preparing to meet a woman whose life has been marked by thirst she cannot name. She does not yet know why she came—but heaven does.

This devotion also confronts our assumptions. We often interpret “need” through preference or efficiency. Jesus defines need by purpose. Where others see risk or inconvenience, He sees assignment. Where others see boundaries, He sees harvest. He does not ask whether Samaria deserves grace—He brings it because the Father loves.

John is preparing us for something more than a conversation. He is showing us how God moves in the world. Salvation history advances not only through sermons and signs, but through quiet obedience to the Father’s leading. A single sentence—He needed to go through Samaria—opens the door to one of the most personal, revealing encounters in all of Scripture.

As we begin this chapter, it is worth pausing to ask ourselves a gentle question: where do we believe God would not go? Who do we assume is unlikely, unworthy, or unreachable? The path Jesus walks in John 4 corrects us. He does not avoid the broken. He goes directly to them.

And perhaps most beautifully, He arrives early and waits.

Jesus’ ministry in Samaria does not begin with confrontation or correction, but with presence. He sits. He waits. He prepares to speak life into a place long neglected by religious systems but never forgotten by God.

Today, let this truth settle into your heart: God’s purposes are not hindered by cultural boundaries, personal weariness, or human prejudice. When He “must” go somewhere, it is because love has already gone ahead.

Grace does not wander aimlessly.
Grace walks with intention.
And grace always arrives right on time.