John 4:3 “He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. 4 And he must needs go through Samaria.”
It is quite obvious from the text why John emphasized that our Lord “must needs go through Samaria”! It is true that the most direct route from where He was, to where He was going, was through “Samaria” and it is well established that the Jews were not welcome there and the Samaritans were not welcome among the Jews. A deep animus had existed between these two branches of Israel for nearly a thousand years, ever since Jeroboam led a revolt that divided the nation of Israel and set up the Northern nation and set up two golden calves, telling them that those calves were the gods that led their ancestors out of Egypt. Then, later they were conquered by the Assyrians who even further corrupted religious teachings among them. So, by the time the New Testament opened, they were a confused mess, they were so corrupted that the Lord told them “Ye worship ye know not what” (John 4:22). Yet, even in the very heart of all that confusion, there were some who were looking for the “Messias” to come and had faith to know that “he” would “tell” them “all things” (John 4:25); that is, He would straighten out their confusion and comfort them. Our Lord well knew that He had beloved Children among these people. Later, He would say, “other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd” (John 10:16)! Indeed, “he must needs go through Samaria” for there was a precious little child of grace coming to Jacob’s well and He purposed to meet her there! And there, the Savior gave her a drink far better than any water ever drawn from Jacob’s well, He gave her “the water that” caused her to “never thirst”; and it was like “a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14); this was that Spiritual Water concerning Jesus Christ the Son of God. The point is, no matter how corrupt a nation and a people may become, our Lord NEVER forgets His Children, though they may suffer long and hard!