Application Questions:

1. What makes the Samaritan woman an unlikely missionary? Can you name any persons or groups of people that you are reluctant to engage with gospel concern?

2. What makes the Samaritans of Sychar an unlikely mission field? Why should their story encourage, or even excite you about sharing the gospel?

3. What makes Jesus’ Samaritan journey a lesson in our unavoidable mission? How does His purpose, motivation, and concern in this story challenge your own?

Application Questions:

1. As you read these stories of Jesus, how easily do you see yourself in the people He encounters? Why is it important to identify yourself first with the people Jesus meets before looking for lessons from His example?

2. How does Jesus’ engagement with the Samaritan woman surprise you? What about His treatment of her speaks most powerfully to your own heart?

3. What do you find yourself turning to again and again for fulfillment, satisfaction, or meaning? What are you likely to pursue or seek to obtain this week? How might you actively look to Jesus to satisfy you instead?

Application Questions:

1. People like to refer to “God’s plan” when looking for comfort, encouragement, or validation. Why do you think this is so? When does the reality of “God’s plan” not feel so helpful? What place do you tent to occupy in “God’s plan” when you think about it?

2. Why does John the Baptist celebrate Jesus’ rise in prominence, even though it seems to mean his own loss? Can you relate to his perspective? How does his perspective confront you?

3. How have you experienced the supremacy of Jesus in your own life?

Application Questions:

1. What do you think of when you hear the term “born again”? How does that thought compare to what Jesus points to in this passage? Do you tend to think of being “born again” as something you choose for yourself, or something that God has to do for you?

2. Which element of the gospel message do you find hardest to accept as true or possible? Total forgiveness of sin? Radical personal transformation? Eternal life? How does Jesus’ use of the story of Moses’ bronze serpent encourage you in your difficulty?

3. Do you ever struggle from the idea that God might be reluctant to act for your good? How can hearing the famous John 3:16 passage in its context give you greater confidence to trust in God’s heart toward you?

Application Questions:

1. “Convenient worship makes a convenient God.” What do you think of this statement? Have you seen this idea play out in your life?

2. What are some ways that you tend to make your worship of Jesus transactional? How are you waiting for Him to prove Himself to you? What do you expect to receive from your acts of worship?

3. Is your worship of Jesus fueled by the amazing things He does or the amazing person He is? How should you think of His actions and character together to fuel right worship?

Application Questions:

1. How is this story from Jesus’ life different from others? How do you see Jesus’ real humanity as He attends a wedding?

2. What surprises you about Jesus’ exchange with Mary? Does it have an effect on how you think about approaching Jesus with your concerns? What do you think He wants you to take away from this scene?

3. How does this story reveal Jesus’ heart for you? Does He only care about the “big” things in your life, or the bare necessities?

Application Questions:

1. Of the four characters we meet in this passage, which do you think you have the most in common with? How does making these kinds of connections help you get into the story?

2. If Jesus asks you directly, “What are you seeking?”, how would you respond? Take some time to consider this question for yourself.

3. Do you realize that, like Nathanael, Jesus is well aware of you, inside and out? How does His familiarity with your heart and your circumstances provide comfort for you? How does it make you uncomfortable?

Application Questions:

1. Thinking of what John the Baptist says and why he says it, which of his three descriptions of Jesus is most impactful for you? Why?

2. In what ways is a figure like John the Baptist relatable to you? In what ways does he seem unrelatable? Do you think that the disconnect you feel is because of the uniqueness of his experience, or because of your own lack of familiarity with his experience?

3. How does John’s testimony about Jesus inform you about who Jesus is and how you should represent Him? How does John’s own experience encourage you as you seek to know Jesus better and point others to Him?