Jesus' behavior shocked the woman at the well. Colossians 1:19-20 says: For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.. Another of the characteristics of the Samaritan woman is about her spiritual condition. Jesus promises living water that gives eternal life and invites her to bring the rest of her householdspecifically, her husbandto receive the goodness he is offering. Certainly, five marriages is a high number. Lord, help me know what questions to ask and give me the courage to always ask like a child. Men did not usually speak to women alone in the absence of their husband or some other male from their family. The Argument from Contingency: A Proof for God, 6 Verses to Cling to When You Are Overwhelmed. I looked with fresh eyes at the characteristics of this woman and instead of shunning her, I thought, Lord, I want to be like her!. John 4:1-30 & 39-42. When she replied that she had no husband, He said, You are right when you say you have no husband. To explain the origins of the Samaritans, we must go back to the days of the kings. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. He made Himself known to her, as He must to all who truly come to know Him. She was an honest woman (John 4:16-18). After King Solomon ruled over the Israelites Gods people the unwise actions of his son Rehoboam in the tenth century BC led to a schism in which the kingdom was split into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, each with its own king. She was so happy that she ran to tell the rest of her village and the whole town was saved. Samaritans were a group of people who were part Jew and part Gentile. All of her questions and persistence led her to come face to face with the Living God. The story begins as Jesus and his disciples are traveling from Jerusalem in the south to Galilee in the north. Like all Samaritans, she traces her ancestry back to Jacob. Perhaps like the Samaritan woman, we need only acknowledge our place of brokenness, that place where we are attempting find satisfaction: I have no husband.. The Samaritan woman was considered inferior because of her sex, ethnicity, and relationship history, but none of that mattered to Jesus because he saw her need for salvation. It didnt help that the temple, where Gods people were to worship, was located in the southern kingdom. The woman at the well had been searching for fulfillment from people. The woman *said to Him, Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Lets take a deeper look into Gods Word. From the fall of the rebellious northern kingdom of Israel, to a mixed idolatrous religion, to a people group hated by the Jews, the Samaritans had a rocky history. Years ago as I pondered this poor soul we know as the Samaritan woman, I thought this is who I am, rejected, abandoned, full of shame, and longing for a drink of living water, but not even knowing what it was I longed for. John 4:1-42). What can we learn from the woman at the well? What do you hear the Spirit saying to you/your family/your church/your community. She struggled with shame, which is evident by the time of the day she journeyed to the well. Meanwhile those who were taken to Babylon remained strict in Jewish practices. She was a social outcast. Jesus transgresses boundariesJew and Samaritan, male and She is the co-author ofDear Hero and has 200+ bylines in publications ranging fromThe Christian Communicator toKeys for Kids. What does it mean to worship in Spirit and Truth? To the Jews, a Samaritan was more revolting than a Gentile (pagan); Samaritans were half-breeds who defiled the true religion. Jesus treats people as individuals, accepting them with love and compassion. The Jews and Samaritans were related. We have heard the old saying curiosity killed the cat. I have come to learn that the Lord loves inquiring minds. of when He spoke of Himself having living waters (John 4:10). He is not surprised by our evil desires, but rather He seeks to reconcile us to the Father in spite of them (Hebrews 7:25). The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. Jesus did it to set women free to access the gospel in full. Equipping Christian Women to Abide in God's Word. All rights reserved. There is a lot that we could dig into within this discourse between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. And that was at the temple they had built for themselves at Mount Gerazim. Several hundred Samaritans still live in Israel and continue to practice their faith centered on the Pentateuch and Mount Gerizim. She wanted to avoid the awkward stares and murmurs that she was sure to encounter if she came with the other women. Nearly all of us are the Samaritan woman. How do we proceed? Jesus and the woman discussed their views on worship, and the woman voiced her belief that the Messiah was coming. She was ashamed of her past and the way she was living at the time when she talked with Jesus. He asked her to go get her husband. It was about noon, the hottest part of the day, and a Samaritan woman came to the well at this inconvenient time to draw water. One of his most famous parables is that of the good Samaritan. Even though the earthly Jesus felt tired and thirsty, he kept his divine appointment with this woman. Your email address will not be published. But she quickly changed the direction of the conversation to talking about his prophetic gift and worship. Salem Media Group. The Samaritan woman knew what it was like to be dealt some bad blows in life but she did not use that as an excuse to be rotten to others. Let Him give you His water today. It was about 6 p.m. when they met. It is possible that she had been married five times and all her husbands Many of the people of Israel were led off to Assyria as captives, but some remained in the land and intermarried with foreigners planted there by the Assyrians. He says: Jesus answered her, If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water. - John 4:10. Her current situation, living with a man who is not her husband, could be the result of several possible scenarios. There were even Pharisees who were called the bruised and bleeding Pharisees because they shut their eyes when they saw a woman on the street and so walked into walls and houses! (Barclay). Christ and the Samaritan Woman depicts a Biblical scene in which Jesus, while traveling with his disciples in the region of Samaria, meets a Samaritan woman at a well.Jesus asks the woman for water for his bucket, defying the custom of Jews and Samaritans avoiding each other in society. They were hated by the Jews because of this cultural mixing and because they had their own version of the Bible and their own temple on Mount Gerizim. After asking the Samaritan woman for a drink, He responds to her by offering her something greater. When Jews returned to rebuild Jerusalem, they were opposed by Samaritans. But, she did not. So, what did it mean to be a Samaritan? Above all, the story, which unfolds in John 4:1-40, suggests that Jesus is a loving and accepting God, and we should follow his example. What Do We Learn from Reading Jesus Genealogy? 17 The woman answered and said to Him, I have no husband.Jesus *said to her, You have correctly said, I have no husband; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this which you have said is true. John 4:16-18. When she discovers his identity as the Messiah she leaves her water jar, much like the disciples left their nets, and becomes an effective evangelist to her community. Actually, although she was not living her best life, she was living in expectation of Jesuss coming. She had an encounter with Jesus. This interaction between Jesus and the woman at the well can teach us some truly deep lessons of confrontation, compassion and freedom. She said to the people, Come and see a man who has told me everything Ive done! By the 20th century the Samaritan population dwindled to fewer than 200 individuals, but it grew steadily to about 800 in the 2010s. Even the metaphorical use of water in regard to Wisdom owes much to its related and . Drawing water alone in the heat of the day could only indicate one thing. God the Son Incarnate: The Doctrine of Christ by Stephen Wellum. Cast out. By asking her about her past 5 husbands and the current state of her life, he forced her to acknowledge that she was not living a life worthy of her worth. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.. She decides to take their theological discussion a step further and asks him about the proper place for worship, one of the major differences between Jews and Samaritans. People in the world, like the Samaritan woman at the well, need to know the consequences of their sin. He tells us to ASK, SEEK, and KNOCK. Its only through the waters of His Spirit abiding in us that we are able to live, worship, and commune with Him. Read my full disclosure. The Samaritans were a people group in the Bible that lived in the area of Israel following the Assyrian conquest. And that means hes always wanting to hear from us. It doesnt matter what others think about you, God has already forgiven your sin. The Samaritans were mongrels in the eyes of Jews. She is working on her first book to be published in 2016; an autobiographical teaching of the Song of Solomon. Over and over, Jesus comes to the weak and broken. Why did Jesus stop to talk to her? her life. Antagonism between the Jews and Samaritans sometimes caused tension along this route (Luke 9:52), but, because of its speed, it was the route taken by most Jews going to Jerusalem,[158]except, perhaps, the strictest Jews who avoided the route to prevent contracting Perhaps most importantly, we should notice that Jesus does not condemn her status but simply acknowledges what you have said is true (4:18), as he continues to engage her in theological dialogue, to which we now turn. What did Jesus mean when He said, You worship what you do not know in John 4:22? For centuries Jews and Samaritans had rejected each other. We are called to daily take up our cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:24-26). Jesus was telling her that a time was coming when worship would no longer be focused in a specific place, temple, or mountain. Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. He gives us new desires and a new purpose, that will not be found in any earthly thing, but only in His kingdom (Colossians 3:4-10, Matthew 6:33, Romans 8:28). Understanding properly how worship as it was in the beginning and worship as it is now relate to worship in the world without end helps . And not any Messiah, the One we meet is weary too. As a Samaritan, she had similar beliefs so she should have know what Jesus was saying. They survived through the time of Jesus, and even, in limited numbers, to the present day. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/woman-at-the-well-700205. Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. Then in church a few weeks ago, we meditated on the verses of Jesus encounter with this woman from John 4. Alyssa Roatstudied writing, theology, and the Bible at Taylor University. All this happened approximately seven-hundred years earlier. Who was she really? There was a teaching among the Samaritans that God could only be worshipped in one place. The longer she talks with him, the more her understanding grows until she sees the full truth: Jesus is the Messiah. So, it seems most likely that her many marriages were not a result of her choice.[1]. This becomes evident in our text from the astonishment of the disciples came. By reaching out to the Samaritans, Jesus showed that his mission was to all people, not just the Jews. The passage tells us that Jesus had to pass through Samaria (John 4:4) as He was going from Judea to Galilee. What surprised you in this Bible study session? She had five husbands and she was living with a man who was not her husband. Up to this point, she was searching for fulfillment in things that only left her wanting more. 2) Salvation comes only to those who confess and repent of their sin and desire forgiveness. These half-Jewish, half-Gentile people became known as the Samaritans. Someone who helps others is often referred to as a good Samaritan. But what is a Samaritan? Jesus stayed two days, teaching the Samaritan people about the Kingdom of God. of She asked for the water, and He responded that she should get her husband and come back. However, the contents of this blog post may not be modified, compiled, combined with other content, copied, recorded, synchronized, transmitted, translated, formatted, distributed, publicly displayed, publicly performed, reproduced, given away, used to create derivative works and otherwise used or exploited (including for-profit or commercial gain) without the creators expressed permission. The Samaritan woman speaks to us about kindness and treating people like human beings, even when we ourselves get the rotten end of the stick. In reply Jesus said: A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. In response, Jesus speaks of a future time when all true worshipers of God will worship not in a particular place but in the Spirit and in truth (4:23-24). The next best item to buy. It really is timely because America is recognizing women this month. First, he spoke to her despite the fact that she was a woman. Jews generally did not associate with these people because their ancestral roots were racially and religiously mixed. It would have been the heat of the day and most people during that time would have been resting. She is probably remembered by some, more for her moral condition than anything else. As the story progresses, we learn that this Samaritan woman comes to the well regularly at this time of day ( John 4:15 ).). God, you who met the Samaritan woman at the well that day. Both kingdoms devolved into corruption and sin, despite repeated warnings from prophets sent by God. The Jewish attitude towards Samaritans is faithfully reflected in the New Testament, especially in Jesus' controversial choice of a "good Samaritan" to attack over-pious Jewish practices (Luke 10:30-37). the city and began telling others about Him. Jacob's Well is mentioned by name once in the New Testament in a passage ( John 4:5-6) which says that Jesus "came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the field which Jacob gave to his son Joseph. She was a perceptive woman (John 4:19). As he pressed the point, telling her that with this water she would never thirst again, her attitude became rotten. Ashamed. Let me say YES Give me what I long for. The story of the woman at the well is one of the most well known in the Bible; many Christians can easily give a summary of it. In my weakness He is made strong. She was a receptive woman (John 4:13-15, 21-25). I have no husband. It would have been easy for her to make up a story about her husband being dead or unavailable but she didnt. 5 Faith lessons from the woman with the issue of blood, Jesus and the rich young ruler 7 modern lessons from an old Bible story, 7 Powerful faith lessons from the prodigal son. Finally, we see Jesus revealed as the Messiah. Also, for providing a wealth of contextual detail. We have been given a command and commission from Jesus Himself to go and tell the world what He has done for them. She ran to communicate with the townspeople, and she started with them where they were. Here are a couple I recommend: Check Out These Other Posts and Resources: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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