What does John 4:15 mean?
Judging by her response in verses 11 and 12, the Samaritan woman probably realized immediately that Jesus was not speaking literally of water and wells. At the same time, His teachings were often misinterpreted in a physical way. Her answer here might reflect a deep misunderstanding of the point Jesus is making. More likely, however, she is being somewhat sarcastic. She has already scoffed at Jesus for posing as someone greater than Jacob (John 4:12). Since Jesus is still speaking in mostly symbolic terms, she is probably rolling her eyes at Him at this point.Whatever the real motivation of her point, the woman now asks Jesus to provide her with the water He has been speaking of. Jesus' reply in the next verse is critically important to understand for two reasons. First, even though she is asking for the "living water," Jesus actually refuses her request at first. Since she doesn't understand what He's speaking of, she's actually not ready for it (Matthew 13:20–21). The gospel wouldn't be able to grow roots in her yet.
Secondly, Jesus response in the next three verses will grab every bit of the Samaritan woman's attention.