John 4:39

‘And from that town many of the Samaritans believed on him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all things that I ever did.”

The woman's testimony had convinced the townspeople that here might be the Taheb. It was a time of great expectation in Palestine, and there are special times when small things produce great results. The writer recognises that this could only be as a result of the activity of the Spirit. God was clearly at work. It would appear that they saw some change in this woman who had candidly told them that this man had laid bare her past life, something of which they also knew, and that it helped to convince them. It was apparent to them that something had happened, that she was no longer the loose woman that she had been. To some extent they believed even before they met Jesus Himself, for they would never have believed that this woman would ever be involved in religious excitement. Their rapid and genuinely responsive faith was intended to be in deliberate contrast with those Jews whose faith was lacking (John 2:23) and with Nicodemus the ‘ruler of the Jews' who continued to hesitate.