Contrast Nicodemus and The Samaritan Woman

John 3 and 4 contain two one-to-one conversations with Jesus, but the conversation partners are very different.

The good news about Jesus is for everyone – good and bad alike

You could hardly get two more different people than Nicodemus the Pharisee from John 3 and the Samaritan woman from John 4

But they both desperately need what only Jesus can give

Nicodemus also needs to be born again of water and Spirit, 3:5

The respectable, educated, religious, moral, powerful, influential man tells us that we can’t be so good that we don't need Jesus

The unrespectable, immoral, peasant woman tells us that we can’t be so bad that Jesus wont give us what we need

The good news of Jesus is not just for religious somebodies like Nicodemus (ch 3) but for irreligious nobodies like this woman

Kostenberger, John, p112 contrasts:
place - Jerusalem - Samaria
time - night - noon
occasion - planned visit
sex - providential encounter
ethnic group - Jew - Samaritan
social status - high; ruler / teacher - low; immoral woman
attitude - respectful but incredulous - from antagonistic to witness
discourse - from dialogue to monologue - dialogue throughout
message - must be born again - worship God in Spirit and in truth