11.09.07
The Acceptance in Samaria (John 4:5-42)
The Acceptance in Samaria (John 4:5-42)
Last week we left off with verse 4 Now he had to go through Samaria. There were other route Jesus could have taken, but He deemed it necessary to go through Samaria. Looking at His choices, He may have went this way to avoid territory ruled by Herod, but it seems more likely that Jesus HAD to go through Samaria because this was His Father’s will.
The journey would have began at sunup. The travel would have been in the cooler portion of the day (morning) and at noon they arrive in Sychar. Jesus, experiencing the same physical tiredness as all the other travelers, sits down near Jacob’s well while the disciples head into the village to purchase food. While there, a Samaritan woman comes to draw water.
Here’s an interesting scenario. There was more than likely another well closer to the village this woman came from. But this woman didn’t go there, she traveled a greater distance to keep away from the folks in the village. Jesus – being a practical guy, makes the initial approach to the woman asking her to give Him a drink. I mean, wells are deep, and Jesus had nothing to draw out water with.
This Samaritan woman immediately recognized that He was a Jew – not a Samaritan – and expressed her consternation at His request in verse 9 You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.). You see, Jews had rejected the Samaritans for hundreds of years as an impure race. Such a request coming from a Jewish man was the height of absurdity.
In verse 10 Jesus reveals that He is the gift of God who could supply living water. In dealing with Nicodemus He also referred to Himself as God’s gift. Now a Samaritan learned the same thing. The fact of the matter is, she recognized it would be a miracle for anyone to get living water, but this man couldn’t even get the regular stuff without some miracle – He didn’t even have a way to draw it! So – at a well that was Jacob’s gift to his children, would this man offer a greater benefit to her than the well provided? Jesus contrasts the temporary fulfillment or satisfaction of quenching thirst the water from the well would give to the water He offered that would permanently quench her thirst.
This caused a pause. After remembering and thinking about the daily burden of carrying water from the well to her home (again, thinking of the physical benefit), she says ‘sign me up!’ But, after creating the interest, the desire of the benefits this water provided, Christ needs to show more than just a desire – He wants to show the desperation of the need. So He tells her to call to her husband and come back.
This is a problem. The woman replies back with the fact of not having a husband. Christ then reveals his omniscience by reminding the woman that she had 5 husbands and the man she had now taken up residence with was not her husband. She hadn’t told the whole story, but didn’t need to – Jesus knew. You may argue she never intended to hide her life’s story from Jesus, but I would counter with the fact that she couldn’t hide it even if she tried.
The woman understood this was supernatural. In verse 19 she confesses that Jesus came from God in her recognizing that he was a prophet, but Jesus was much more than that. So – not being an unintelligent woman, she figures Jesus should be able to settle the issue that had divided the Jews and Samaritans for generations. We pick up on this in verse 20. She wanted to know what the proper approach to God was (where the Jews said it was or where the Samaritans said it was – the physical location).
Jesus replied that the conflict existed in part because of a misunderstanding of the nature of God. If God is corporeal (Having material or physical form or substance; Affecting or characteristic of the body as opposed to the mind or spirit), the He is confined to one place; and the place in which He dwells would be the only acceptable place of worship. If God is noncorporeal, then God may be worshipped anywhere. It’s not about the place, it’s all about the heart and the relationship to the Person of Christ.
It’s getting clearer for the woman. Verse 25 reveals that she knew the Messiah is coming. To her surprise, in verse 26 she is told that she is talking to Him.
So far this woman has had 4 great revelations given to her by Christ:
1. The revelation concerning new life (He came to give everlasting life)
2. He revealed the spiritual need of the woman (her immoral relationships with the man she lived with)
3. He revealed the nature of the Father (declaring God is spirit and can be worshipped in any geographical location)
4. He revealed Himself as the Messiah
Now the disciples return. What is our teacher doing conversing with a woman? A Samaritan woman at that? You see – Jewish men did not engage in conversations with women, this would make them ceremonially unclean. But, the disciples didn’t say anything TO Jesus about it. Then, they offer Him food (which He rejects). They are pretty certain He wouldn’t have eaten any food from others – that certainly would have made Him ceremonially unclean (wasn’t prepared to Jewish standards).
What they didn’t get was that the one doing God’s will would be sustained by God’s grace. God wanted Jesus to minister to this woman, and He apparently felt no hunger will doing God’s will and work. In verse 38 the disciples are reminded that they were sent to reap! And while Christ was talking with the disciples, the woman was engaged in letting others know what she had experienced. She invited any and all to see for themselves without imposing her own conclusions on them. What a concept!
She testifies, and folks take her up on it – they want to see this Jesus. As a result, many believed. Their faith was based in part on the testimony of this woman. She bore witness to what she saw. Others believed because of the words of Christ.
This turn of events likely left the disciples all messed up. Jesus saying He was the Messiah-Savior of the Samaritans…and they RESPONDED to Him? Note they made no comment on the day’s events.
And us – will we testify? What if people respond? What would our response be?
