John 4

Wednesday,   Jan 20, 2016


Let's assume that you are already familiar with the account of the woman at the well.  That allows me to discuss some of the peripheral events.    For instance, have you ever wondered where the Samaritans came from?  For instance:  God gave the whole area to Israel, and they moved through it conquering it (beginning with Jericho, etc.) and then many years later David became king over the whole area, and his son Solomon subdued an even greater area.   There wasn't any "Samaria" then...where did it come from?     The Samaritans were created by a series of events that began when Israel turned to idol worship.  It goes like this:   Israel begins to worship idols, God becomes angry and punishes them by allowing the country to be conquered by the Babylonians.  After several campaigns they finally conquer the entire area, and march the people off into captivity.   However, they leave a few folks behind to work the land, and they move new people into the area to populate it.   These Jews who were left in the land gradually compromised their religious identity, and adopted some of the pagan practices of the people around them.  They considered themselves Jewish, but they didn't practice pure Judaism.    70 years later the captives are released from Babylon by Cyrus the Persian, and they return home to rebuild the temple, etc.   They find their "lost brothers" have intermarried with the surrounding people, and have begun to worship idols, and other false gods.   Of course, they immediately reject them.   The Samaritans react by building their own temple on Mount Gerazim, and they begin revising the religious history by saying that they are the true remnant, not the exiles, and that their temple is the correct one in which to worship Yahweh, not the temple in Jerusalem.   This is heresy to the Jews, but what can they do?  they are no longer a sovereign nation who can field an army and rout the infidels.  They have to put up with them.  So they do the next best thing...they shun them.    No self respecting Jew will set foot in Samaria, they consider even the ground it tainted there.   Samaritans are godless people, bound for hell because they have twisted and distorted God's Word.


While all of this is true, it doesn't seem to bother Jesus!   Samaria is about 50 miles north of Jerusalem, and when Jesus leaves Jerusalem and heads toward Galilee he plots a course right through Samaria.  The disciples are flabbergasted, they would prefer to walk the long way around, and avoid the area... after all, that's what we have done for years.


Worse yet,  Jesus approaches a woman while He is in the middle of this detestable country, and on top of that...she's a woman of poor reputation.   This seems to be going from bad to worse.  Had the disciples been there, they certainly would have done whatever they could to prevent this from happening.   As it turns out, it's a good thing they were gone!


Prejudice has long been the enemy of true evangelism.  In fact, overcoming our own prejudices may well be the most important part of preparing us to share the Gospel.   I think we are better prepared to tell others about Christ's love once we realize that God loves everyone equally...even those we have a problem with.  God even loves the people who are distorting and manipulating His Word.   While we allow our anger and indignation to carry us into acts of violence,  Jesus is working to reach out to the very same people so that they may be rescued from eternal damnation.


I pray that I will always be open and sensitive enough to God's leading that I don't have to be sent on a "chow run" so that God can get something done.


PR