Twelve Extraordinary Women by John MacArthur
Week 9: Chapter 8 — The Samaritan Woman: Finding the Water of Life
Read Chapter 8 of Twelve Extraordinary Women. Primary passages: John 4:1–42.
Previewing Week 9 of Twelve Extraordinary Women
Read 3 of 8 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 14-week guide when you’re ready.
This nameless woman came to a well at noon, alone, to avoid being seen — and instead became the first recorded person to whom Jesus explicitly revealed Himself as the Messiah. MacArthur wants us to see what kind of grace that represents.
Discussion Questions
8 questions1.MacArthur sets the scene carefully: a Samaritan, a woman, a sinner, at noon — every detail underscores her isolation. Why did she come to the well alone in the heat of the day? What does that detail tell you about her life before this encounter?
2.Jesus opened the conversation by asking her for a drink — a request that crossed multiple social, religious, and ethnic boundaries. MacArthur notes that Jesus initiated with vulnerability, not with accusation. How does Jesus's method here model the way we should approach people who are far from God?
3.Jesus gradually moved the conversation from physical thirst to spiritual thirst — from well water to "living water" to "a spring of water welling up to eternal life." MacArthur traces this escalating dialogue. Where do you see yourself in the woman's progression from confusion to interest to conviction to faith?
a.What substitutes do you reach for when you are spiritually thirsty, the way she had reached for relationships?
b.What was the turning point in the conversation when her deflection gave way to genuine inquiry?