September 27 Small Group Guide

Your Story Matters  

Primary texts: John 4:4–30, 39–42; Psalm 139:1–5  

Big idea: Jesus knows the whole story and still moves toward us with truth and grace.  

Bottom line: Your past may explain part of your story, but Jesus gets the final word.  

Opening: We often tell different versions of our story depending on who is listening. In John 4, a woman meets  Jesus, who knows her story already. His knowledge does not end the conversation; it opens the way to a new  one.  

Opening question: When is it easiest to be yourself, without feeling that you need to manage how others see  you?  

Now he had to go through Samaria.  5  So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground  Jacob had given to his son Joseph.  6  Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat  down by the well. It was about noon. 7  When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will  you give me a drink?”  8  (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9  The Samaritan woman said to him,  “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate  with Samaritans ] )  10  Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have  asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11  “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with  and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?  12  Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave  us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” 13  Jesus answered, “Everyone  who drinks this water will be thirsty again,  14  but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed,  the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15  The woman said to him,  “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” 16  He told  her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” 17  “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are  right when you say you have no husband.  18  The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now  have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” 19  “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you  are a prophet.  20  Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must  worship is in Jerusalem.” 21  “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the  Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.  22  You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship  what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.  23  Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true  worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father  seeks.  24  God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” 25  The woman said, “I know  that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” 26  Then Jesus  declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” 27  Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find  him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” 28  Then,  leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,  29  “Come, see a man who told  me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”  30  They came out of the town and made their way toward  him John 4:4–30  

Many Samaritans Believe  

39  Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me  everything I ever did.”  40  So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed  two days.  41  And because of his words many more became believers. 42  They said to the woman, “We no longer  believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is  the Savior of the world.” . John 4:39–42  

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. 2  You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my  thoughts from afar. 3  You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4  Before a  word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. 5  You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand  upon me. Psalm 139:1–5 

1. Jesus meets her at the well  Jesus begins a conversation across a divide between Jews and Samaritans. He asks the woman for a drink  and offers her “living water.”  

 What surprises you about how Jesus starts this conversation?  

 How does Jesus treat her as a person rather than as a category?  

 Psalm 139 says God knows us thoroughly. Does being known by God feel comforting, unsettling, or  both? Why?  

Leader note: John tells us the woman came to the well at noon but does not tell us why. Leave room for what  the text does and does not say about her circumstances.  

2. Jesus speaks truth with grace  Jesus knows about her relationships and speaks plainly. He continues to engage her and offers her life.  

 What do you notice about the way Jesus brings up a difficult part of her story?  

 What is the difference between conviction that leads toward Jesus and shame that drives someone into  hiding?  

 Why might we want grace without facing the truth, or face the truth without receiving grace?  

Reflection: Is there something you need to speak honestly about with Jesus or a trusted person? No one  needs to share details with the group to answer.  

3. Jesus gives her a new center  Their conversation moves to worship, and Jesus reveals that He is the Messiah (John 4:20–26).  

 What does Jesus say the Father seeks in worshipers?  

 What labels or past experiences can become the center of a person’s identity?  

 How might knowing Jesus change the way we describe ourselves?  

4. Her story becomes an invitation  The woman goes to her town and says, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did” (John 4:29).  Many come to Jesus, then hear Him for themselves.  

 What has changed between her first conversation with Jesus and her return to town?  

 What makes “come and see” an invitation someone could offer even without having every answer?  

 According to verses 39–42, what part did her testimony play, and what happened when the  townspeople met Jesus themselves?  

Take a Step This Week  Choose one response:  

 Bring it to Jesus: Set aside time to encounter Jesus honestly about a part of your story you usually  edit out.  

 Receive grace: Write down a label you have carried. Beside it, write what this passage shows you  about how Jesus meets people.  

 Offer an invitation: Tell someone one honest sentence about how Jesus has met you or invite them to  explore who He is.  If helpful, prepare a simple two-minute testimony: What was happening in my life? How did Jesus meet  me?  

What is He changing now? You can speak about a work still in progress.  

Closing Prayer  Jesus, You know us fully and still move toward us. Give us courage to face the truth and receive Your grace.  Help us release the labels that have defined us, trust You with our stories, and invite others to know You for themselves. Amen