The Gramazin Blog
11
Jun
Jesus and the Samaritan Woman
Take Every Passage to Prayer - Volume 2, The Gospels
Tuesday June 11, 2024
Matthew 4:12, Mark 1:14, Luke 4:14, John 4:1-42
Father, who are the last people on earth I would want to share the gospel with? Please give me the courage, and the opportunity, to share the gospel with them. There are no coincidences with You. When two people “bump into each other”, there is a divine purpose behind it. Please give me insight as to what Your purposes might be for me when I meet strangers along the path of my life. Please give me a heart that loves the souls of those who are lost, regardless of how messy and broken their lives are. Father, please give me Your living water that refreshes every aspect of my life every hour of every day. You know everything about me. It humbles me. Please forgive me, in Jesus’ name, for every sin I have committed. Please heal me where I need to be healed. Please help me to grow where I am weak. Please use the unique combination of skills and opportunities that You have given me to build Your Kingdom. Father, please help me to worship the true living God with all of my heart, soul, and mind and with all of my passion and desire. Please use me to plant the seeds of salvation in people’s hearts. Please also use me to reap the harvest of the seeds planted by others. Father, please give me a heart that longs for a relationship with You, longs to worship You, and longs to serve You above everything else. Pease use my testimony to bring people to salvation. Please use my testimony to inspire other believers to share theirs. Please inspire millions of believers across our land to enjoy the sharing of their testimony with people who need to know that Jesus Christ really does change lives in the 21st century. Amen.
Father, the last we heard of Jesus was in John 3:22 when we are told that Jesus went into the Judean countryside and baptized people. It is clear from John 3:26 that many people came to Jesus to be baptized, so much so that John and his disciples discussed how Jesus is now baptizing more people than they were. John instructed his disciples not to be concerned about this development. It was a good thing to happen.
We now begin John 4 with Jesus receiving word that people are talking in the region that He is baptizing more people than John. However, we receive a little clarification – it was not Jesus who was baptizing people; it was His disciples.
Upon learning that John the Baptist had been arrested, Jesus made the decision to leave the Judean countryside and head north and return to the region of Galilee. It is a logical assumption to make that Jesus, both a friend and ministry partner of John the Baptist, was once more in Herod’s crosshairs now that John the Baptist had been arrested. Jesus could not afford to be arrested, and perhaps executed, so early in His ministry. His destiny was to die on the cross in Jerusalem several years later. To secure that destiny, and to prevent Jesus from being arrested, the Holy Spirit led Jesus to Galilee.
We learn from John 4:46 that Jesus’ destination was Cana, the place where He had turned water into wine. There is significance to the statement in John 4:4 that Jesus “had to go through Samaria ” to reach his destination. He could have skirted around the hated land of Samaria, as many Judean travelers have done for centuries. However, Jesus chose to travel through Samaria. He was determined to do so (“had to”). Jesus is a peacemaker (Matthew 5:9, James 3:18). Jesus welcomes the rejected and outcast of society . The intentionality of Jesus to travel through Samaria is a beautiful reflection of His character. Jesus was also paving the way for the gospel to be preached to all lands, even to the hated land of Samaria (Acts 1:8).
Jesus and his disciples came to a town in Samaria named Sychar. The town is near the plot of land that Jacob had given to Joseph (Genesis 33:18-20, Genesis 48:21-22). He was tired from a long morning of walking, and He sat down at Jacob’s Well around 12 pm to rest and get a drink. His disciples went into Sychar to buy some lunch and bring it back to Jesus.
The text tells us that a Samaritan woman came to the well to draw water. I believe that Jesus knew, by the leading of the Holy Spirit, that this woman would come to the well at this time. Jesus came to meet her because He had a divine appointment on His “calendar”, so to speak, even if she wasn’t aware of it. The Holy Spirit intended to bring her salvation and the salvation of the town of Sychar. Jesus more than likely deliberately sent His disciples into town to get food so He could speak with her alone.
However, a public relations advisor to Jesus at the time the events in this passage took place, if there had been one, may have given Jesus three reasons why He should not have talked to this woman:
Jesus would ignore such advice. Why? Because He loved her soul and wanted her to be forgiven of her sin. He also loved the people in Sychar whom she loved. Jesus wanted to make a clear statement to all who read about this story that Jesus welcomes women into His Kingdom. Christianity is not a “men’s club.”
“Can I have a drink?”
“Uh, um, you are a male Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Remember, mister, we aren’t supposed to be talking, let alone sharing the water.”
“If you knew the Holy Spirit and who I was, you would be asking Me for living water. You too can have this living water if you ask me for it.”
Jesus is saying to the woman that He is God. He is saying that He is the source of all that a person needs in life. Unlike a mere drink of water that refreshes only for a short time, the water that Jesus gives refreshes and satisfies our hearts and minds forever. When we are connected to Him through the Holy Spirit, we too give that which is eternally refreshing to others who we touch in our ministry.
She didn’t understand Jesus or who He was. She thought the living water He referred to was at the bottom of Jacob’s well. She has obviously been instructed that Jacob’s well was a master achievement that few could equal. His stunning accomplishment brought life giving water to many generations of Israelites, as well as their livestock, over the last millennium. She now questions Jesus, believing He is not as amazing as Jacob.
Jesus patiently describes again that He gives the water that satisfies the soul for eternity. However, she again misses the point, thinking Jesus is talking about drinking water once and her physical body never needing to drink again. She says such water will save her many trips to Jacob’s Well.
With fatherly love in His heart for her, Jesus pursues her soul. He is determined that she is going to understand who He is. It is time for Him to show her a “sign”, a miracle. He decides He is going to reveal His deep knowledge of who she is.
“Go and get your husband and bring him back here and I will explain more to you.”
“Uh, um, I am not married. I don’t have a husband.”
“I know. You have had five husbands and you are now living with a man you never married.”
“What? Are you serious? You know all about me? You must be a prophet, just like the ones who used to worship on this mountain. Oh, that’s right – you Jews think the only place to worship is in Jerusalem.”
“Woman, it is not where you worship that counts. It is whom you worship and how you worship Him. You Samaritans are not worshipping the true living God. We in Jerusalem do worship Him. But let me make something clear - our Father in heaven is not interested in religious ritual. He is interested in those who worship Him, the true living God (in truth), with all of their heart and soul (passions, desires, longings, interests that are transformed by the Holy Spirit).”
“Oh, I know You are trying to teach me about the Messiah. I’ve heard about Him. When He comes, He will explain everything to us. You don’t need to tell me anymore.”
“I am He who is speaking to you.”
Perhaps intimidated by being the only woman with His disciples returning to Him with food, she quickly left the scene, forgetting to take a jar of water with her. The disciples never questioned Him about why He was talking to a woman, of all people. They have come to the point where they believe all the things He does have a divine purpose and they don’t need to challenge His decisions.
Jesus has left a big impression with her. The seed of salvation has been planted with her. What a lesson for every believer! We are to share the gospel with people and then let the Holy Spirit do His “thing” inside the soul of the person who heard it. It may take years, or it may take the time it takes to walk from Jacob’s Well back into Sychar. However, at some point the seed will blossom into the tree of salvation.
A Testimony “Everyone, follow me back out to Jacob’s Well. There’s a guy there you’ve got to see. He has the ability to read right into your mind and know everything about you. He says He is the Messiah. What if He really is? I suggest you stop what you are doing and go out and check Him out.” |
Her sharing of her testimony sounds like she is an evangelist. The seed of the gospel has now grown into everlasting life for this woman.
While the crowds are following the woman back out to the well, the disciples are trying to get Jesus to eat something for lunch. He wasn’t interested. Jesus was most likely enjoying a time of fellowship with His Father, a time that was far more fulfilling to Him than consuming a meal:
- Perhaps He prayed for the return of this woman and asked for the Holy Spirit to bring her to faith.
- Perhaps He prayed that this woman would share within her community the good news that He has come.
- Perhaps He prayed about what He will say when a crowd follows the woman back out to Him.
- Perhaps He prayed about how He can honor His Father.
- Perhaps He prayed for the Father to help Him accomplish His mission on the cross of calvary.
Jesus tells His disciples that He has “food to eat that you know nothing about (NIV).” Fellowship with God.
However, Andrew, Peter, Philip, and the rest don’t get it. They think Jesus already ate a meal and He is saying He is full. If so, who brought Him the food?
“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work (NIV).”
Jesus wants His disciples to have the same heart for ministry. There are thousands upon thousands of people (like this woman) who need the good news of salvation through Jesus. It is a harvest of souls, just like a harvest of wheat, barley, oats, pomegranates, or olives. The “fields” of humanity are ripe for the Messiah. The time is now (not four months from now) to bring people to faith. Jesus promises them that if they lead people to faith in Him this very day they will earn a reward they can enjoy throughout eternity.
Jesus then tells His disciples what is about to transpire. Jesus already planted the seed with this woman, but the disciples are about to reap the harvest. Jesus knows a crowd of people are approaching who are ready to receive Christ. The disciples, who were not present when Jesus planted the seed, are about to walk the crowd through the final act of asking Christ into their hearts.
“Thus, the saying ‘One sows, and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor (NIV).”
As Jesus expected, many of the Samaritans came to faith in Jesus because of this woman’s testimony. A woman with a broken life. A woman with much heartache and sorrow. A woman with much shame. Her testimony led an entire town to salvation. What an encouragement for those of us in the 21st century who think our lives are too miserable or worthless to win souls for Christ!
The people asked Jesus to stay another two days with them and many more came to faith because of His teaching. They had their own experience with Jesus, and they now had their own testimonies that Jesus “really is the Savior of the world (NIV).”
The hilly land of Samaria, bordered by the Mediterranean Sea on the west and the Jordan River on the east, lies between Judea and Galilee. Samaria occupied the land that was once allotted to the tribe of Ephraim and the western portion of the tribal land assigned to Manasseh (Joshua 16). These two tribes are named after the two sons of Joseph, the son of Jacob. Samaria was taken from the Canaanites by Israel. This land, which is now known as the West Bank, belonged to the ten northern tribes of Israel after the nation of Israel split into two (1 Kings 12). In Amos 3, God condemns the materialism of the people who dwell in Samaria, referring to their owning multiple homes and having their mansions adorned with ivory. The ten tribes of Israel were conquered by the Assyrians in 721 BC (2 Kings 18). Many of the people were exiled from the land so that the Assyrians could move into the region and take their place. The Israelites that remained intermarried with the Assyrians. This led to a perversion of their faith, a mixture of Jewish and pagan ideologies. Their faith was centered on Mount Gerazim. They accepted only the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament. In the books of Ezra and Nehemiah we learn that the Samaritans resisted the rebuilding of Jerusalem in the 5th century BC. All of these things led to the Samaritans being hated at the time of Jesus by the Jews in Judea.
Jesus welcomed women, the poor, and lepers during His three-year ministry. It is not surprising He also welcomes the Samaritans here.
Jacob’s Well is a short distance from Shechem. It is believed to be the well referred to in Genesis 29:1-3. Shechem was the capital of the Kingdom of Israel, the 10 northern tribes. Shechem was prominent in the life of Abraham. It was also the setting for the revenge of Simeon and Levi against the Shechemites when their sister Dinah was raped (Genesis 34). Joshua was in Shechem when he called the Israelites to choose God and not idols (Joshua 24).
The men on the roster of core disciples, thus far, are Andrew, Peter, Philip, and, perhaps, Nathanael/Bartholomew.
Women were, generally speaking, second class citizens in society. Their roles were mostly confined to bearing children and managing the home. Women were only permitted in restricted areas of the temple (Court of Women, for example) where they were required to sit separately from the men. They were not allowed in the temple at all during menstruation and for 40 days after they gave birth to a boy and 80 days after they gave birth to a girl. Women did not receive an education (their lack of education on the scriptures was a reason Paul wrote that women should not teach). However, it was the woman’s responsibility to see to it that the family did not violate the Law of Moses in the home, such as what foods will be served. A woman spent her life subject to a man, first to her father and then to her husband. She was expected to submit to her husband, who essentially purchased her in a marriage contract, and to serve his business interests. With respect to the legal system, a woman had few rights. She had no rights of ownership, and her income went to her male protector. Her father had the authority to arrange her marriage. She had as much rights as those of minor boys and slaves. Women were so degraded in Jewish society that the Talmud has a verse that says, “Blessed art thou, O Lord God, king of the universe, who has not made me a woman.” Men did not talk to women on the street or at a well for that matter.
The words for “living water” in Hebrew (????????) describe flowing fresh water that revives, sustains, and maintains. In Jeremiah 2:12-14, the Lord declares that the people have forsaken God, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns. Jeremiah 17:13 states again that the people have rejected God, the spring of living water. Zechariah 14:8 describes a future time when the Lord will reign over all the earth and streams of living water will flow out of Jerusalem. The words for "living water" in Greek (??? ????) describe breathing, real life, fulfilling life, endless life, and powerful life. Jesus says in John 7:38 that the believer has rivers of living water flowing from them. Revelation 7:17 says that Jesus, the Lamb, will lead His people to springs of living water.
What do we make of a woman who has had five marriages and is now living with a man? 1) She has suffered through an incredible sequence of grief, the likes of which few women in history have had to deal with, with one husband after another dying. She reached a point where she is not going to lose a 6th husband. She will live with a guy. 2) She has had the “misfortune” of choosing the wrong men to marry. They prove to be men of bad character. She is not going to marry such a man again. She will live with a man now. 3) She has “issues” of some kind, and she is unable to sustain relationships or emotional intimacy with men. One husband after another came to the conclusion they would rather live on the corner of the roof than with her. Perhaps she had a quarrelsome nature that made life miserable for her husbands (Proverbs 21:9, 25:24). Perhaps she is addicted to adulterous behavior, becoming unfaithful to each one of her husbands (Proverbs 2:16-19). No one is willing to marry her anymore. 4) There are “issues” in her family that are intolerable for her husbands. They flee from their in-laws and want nothing to do with them. The guy she is with now won’t marry her for this reason. 5) She was unable to bear children in a culture that stigmatized childless women. Ask Sarah and Elizabeth. The men loved her enough to marry her but discarded her when they discovered she couldn’t bear children. She lives with a guy now who may still be looking for another woman who can bear him children. Regardless of why this woman’s story is what it is, we can conclude that this woman’s life has been one long “soap opera of drama” and Jesus is interacting with a woman most likely in deep need of counseling.
