In Judea, for some months Jesus preached and his disciples
baptized people in the Jordan River. But realising that the Pharisees were
about to cause a crisis, Jesus decided to leave Judea and return to Galilee.
From Jerusalem to Galilee through Samaria, according to Josephus, was a
three-day journey. In John 4:4, we are specifically told, "Now he had to
go through Samaria" (NIV). What was the need to mention that Jesus must go
through Samaria? This short verse will reveal several historical facts and most
importantly, great biblical lessons.
1. The Historical Background
Saul was the first king of Israel; he reigned for 40 years.
David, the next king, reigned over Israel for 40 years. Solomon, son of David,
also reigned as king of Israel for 40 years. Under these three kings, from 1050
to 930 B.C., Israel had been a united kingdom. But after these three kings
Israel was divided into two, the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern
Kingdom of Judah.
In 722 B.C., Sargon, the king of Assyria, captured the
Northern Kingdom. Many Israelites were carried away as captives. People of
other nations came and settled in Samaria. Intermarriage took place and this
resulted in a mixed race. The mixed people came to be called Samaritans. Their
religion was also corrupted by idol worship introduced by the outsiders who
settled in Samaria.
Jews considered the Samaritans to be spiritually unclean.
They hated seeing or meeting Samaritans, on the assumption that their sins
would contaminate them too. They would not use or touch any article that
belongs to the Samaritans. They would not walk in the land of the Samaritans.
If they are compelled to set foot in the land of the Samaritans, they would
take off their shoes and shake off the dust as soon as they cross it.
In 587 B.C., the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar II
destroyed Jerusalem, and the Jewish people were taken to Babylon as prisoners.
The Jewish people returned to their homeland after 50 years. When they
returned, the Samaritans offered their help in rebuilding the temple. The offer
was immediately rejected by the Jews. This was a chance for them to get
reconciled, but they missed it. As centuries passed by, the Jews and the
Samaritans moved farther and farther apart and then they became hostile
enemies. The deadly hatred that subsisted between these two nations is known to
all. The Jews cursed them and believed them to be accursed. Their most merciful
wish to the Samaritans was that they might have no part in the resurrection,
or, in other words, that they might be annihilated. There might have been an
open war between them during the time of Jesus. But the entire province was
under Roman rule, and they feared the Romans.
The Bible clearly says that Jesus had to go through Samaria
to go to Galilee. This was unusual. Jews journeying from Judea to Galilee or
from Galilee to Judea prefer not to set foot upon the soil of Samaria. They
would follow the valley along the River Jordan. Jesus went through Samaria to
show us that he had come not for one nation or a selected people but for the
entire world.
3. The Samaritan Woman
The first stopping place of Jesus was at Jacob’s Well near
the village of Sychar (modern day Askar). The Journey was long and tiring
because it involved walking 20 miles and climbing 3,000 feet. It was noon, the
sixth hour, when Jesus and His disciples reached Jacob’s Well. The disciples
had gone to Askar to buy food because this was the ordinary time of dinner
among the Jews, when a woman from the city of Sychar came to draw water at the
well.
4. Jacob's Well
Jacob dug this well upon the land which he bought from the
children of Hamor (Genesis 33:19). Later, Jacob gave the land to his son Joseph
(Genesis 48:22). Jacob’s Well is about 100 feet deep. A large church has been
constructed over the well. The well lies inside the church in a separate room.
Water is dispensed to visitors and tourists as a souvenir in little bottles by
an attendant priest.
5. The Place and the Time
There were abundant springs in Askar. So why had the
Samaritan woman walked so far to draw water? Being a woman of questionable
character, she preferred to go to Jacob’s Well outside the village rather than
the more frequented wells in the village. The normal time to carry water is in
the early morning or near sunset. But being aware of her own dishonourable
personal life, she had chosen this time of day to avoid other people. Noon is
the most likely time when there will be no one at any well.
Then Jesus asked her for a drink. She has reasons to be
shocked since Jews and Samaritans are hostile toward each other. A Jew asking a
drink of water from a Samaritan was an unheard-of thing. Jews do not talk to
women in public. A Jew would not even acknowledge his daughter, his sister, or
his wife in public. The Samaritan woman must have been taken aback by a Jew
daring to ask her for a drink, more so because of her ill reputation.
“How is it that you, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a
Samaritan woman?” she demanded. But Jesus was not interested in discussing
national prejudice. The motive of Jesus in speaking to her was to bring her a
spiritual blessing. So Jesus began to tell her about the “Living Water”.
Just as our body thirsts and hungers, our soul thirsts and
hungers for God. Water quenches the thirst, refreshes and invigorates the body,
purifies things defiled, and renders the earth fruitful. To satisfy our thirsty
and hungry souls and cleanse our sinful selves we need the word of God, that is
the Bible, and the Word, that is Jesus Christ. The gifts and graces of the Holy
Spirit, which proceed from Jesus Christ their fountain, dwell in a believing
heart. Clean drinking water was not plentiful in the east. Tavelers often carry
leathern bottles or buckets and a rope also, to let them down into the deep
wells to draw up water. But how can he lack water who has in himself a living,
eternal spring?
6. The Temple on Mt. Gerizim
Then Jesus told her to go and bring her husband. Not
suspecting that a total stranger could know anything about her private life,
she replied, “I have no husband.” But Jesus knew everything about her and her
sinful past, which had marred her life. Feeling ashamed, uneasy, and unwilling
to talk about her private life, she quickly changed the subject. She said, “Our
fathers worshipped on this mountain….” Standing at Jacob's well one can see two
mountains, Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim. Since the Samaritans were not allowed to
worship in the Temple of Jerusalem, they had built a temple of their own on Mt.
Gerizim. But the Jews under the leadership of John Hyrcanus destroyed the
temple. The ruins of this temple can still be seen on top of Mt. Gerizim.
Jesus told her, "God is Spirit, and those who worship
Him must worship in spirit and truth.” True worship is not a matter of place
but of the condition of the heart.
7. The Promised Messiah
Both Jews and Samaritans looked forward to the coming of the
Messiah. So the woman declared that when the Messiah comes, he will tell them
everything. He let her know that he knew her heart, and the secret actions of
her life, and was therefore well qualified to teach her heavenly truths. Jesus
revealed to her that he is the long-awaited Messiah. When the Samaritan woman
heard this startling announcement, without a word she hurried back to Sychar.
She even forgot her jar of water. She called everyone and told them what
happened at the well. Soon, a crowd of Samaritans from Sychar was heading
toward the well to meet Christ.
8. A Question
All the people of Sychar knew the disgraceful character of
this Samaritan woman. So why did they take her message seriously and come out
to meet Jesus? There is good reason... the people most likely saw the
astonishing change that had come over her. Jesus transforms lives.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new!” (2
Corinthians 5:17)
Jesus stayed with the Samaritans for two days. Many
Samaritans of the city of Sychar confessed their faith in Jesus.
9. Why is it Hard to Love One Another?
Jesus met a Samaritan woman who had relationships with five
men. Jesus did not condemn her immoral past lifestyle. He was not ashamed to
talk to her. He even asked for a drink of water from her. Jesus did not say a
word of condemnation to the people of Sychar for their sinful ways of life.
Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, does not carry a rod to
hit people as soon as they commit a sin. Our past life is not important to
Jesus. All he wants is for us to humble ourselves in repentance and come to
him.
We are commanded to love God and to love others. What is
wrong with us that we find it hard to love one another? If our vertical
relationship, to love God, is wrong, then our horizontal relationship, to love
one another, will also go wrong.
Conclusion
Jesus went through Samaria because he came into the world
not only for Jews, but for the entire world. He went through Samaria to meet a
Samaritan woman and the people of her entire city. We go to church. We sing
hymns. We read the Bible. We give offerings. We pray. We have fellowships.
Sometimes we fast. Is that all? Do we stop there? There are many Samarias
around us, some not far away.
•Those who
have not heard the gospel of salvation-- our Samaria.
•People
dying of hunger and poverty-- our Samaria.
•Those
suffering from HIV AIDS or terminal diseases-- our Samaria.
•The
unmarried pregnant teenagers-- our Samaria.
•Orphans
and outcasts of the society-- our Samaria.
•People
living in drunkenness-- our Samaria.
•The
scorned widows-- our Samaria.
•Victims
of road mishaps and accidents-- our Samaria.
•Women in
the flesh trade due to compelling circumstances-- our Samaria.
•The old
and aged people who have no one to care for them-- our Samaria.
•Those
fending for themselves during natural disasters and calamities-- our Samaria.
Jesus went through Samaria, and as his beloved people, we
ought to follow in his footsteps by going to the Samarias he has called us to
go to. By going we are obeying him and glorifying his name.
