On a hot, dry Middle Eastern day a lone rabbi stranger from across the Jewish border asks a world-weary local woman for a cup of water. Centuries of animosity and religious ideology stand behind their conversation about God, worship, human need, and the future. Their dialogue in John 4 is often studied and often misunderstood, as is the woman in the middle of it and the Messiah who is leading it. This study of the encounter between Jesus Christ and the "Samaritan woman" in John 4 is designed for individual and group study and discussion. Its six chapters can be divided into an eight weeks or a longer time frame of study. The chapters include ample historical and cultural context, detailed exposition of the verses (1-42) that tell this narrative, discussion questions at the end of the chapters, and references for further study. The author is a long-term Bible teacher, college professor, and administrator. The study takes a historical/grammatical hermeneutical approach and a high view of Scripture.