Day Five: Jesus And The Woman Of Samaria
Held within this precious passage are hidden keys to unlock many of the troubles of our own day.
In the time of Jesus, the Jews and Samaritans were essentially bitter enemies. Over 700 years prior, the Assyrians had conquered the Northern half of Israel (which included Samaria), so the Jews of Israel considered the Samaritans, their northern neighbors, to be half-breeds as a result of centuries of conflict.
As part of an international resettlement policy, the Assyrians left a remnant of Israelites in the land but then repopulated the rest with people from many different conquered nations. This intermingling of people eventually resulted in the people of Samaria being considered Jewish half-breeds by the Israelites of the Southern Kingdom.
The tension between the Jews and the Samaritans was so high that many faithful Jews of Jesus’ time would refuse to walk through Samaria, and instead choose the longer route around Samaria.
“And he had to pass through Samaria (John 4:4).” Jesus had a habit of rejecting the idea that we should simply walk around our issues. Instead, he confronted division and tension head-on.
In this passage, we read that Jesus entered Samaria and began a conversation with a Samaritan woman. This unnamed woman responded with sheer shock that this Jewish man would speak to her. She said, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria (John 4:9)?” This would not be the greatest shock of her day.
Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life (John 4:13-14).”
The woman recognized something powerful was taking place and begged for the water spoken of by Christ. This eternal water of life that Jesus offers could be gathered with a bucket, but must be received by faith. It was offered to her, and it is offered to you. Take. Drink. Receive. Live!
This story’s interplay of Jews and Samaritans, adulterous women and the messiah, demonstrates that it does not matter who we are, where we’re from, or what sins we have committed in our past.
The adulterous woman at the well from Samaria proves this once and for all: The promise of divine water welling up inside is for each of us. May we never forsake it.
Like a raging river, our walk with Christ is to produce a steady flow of godliness both inside our souls and outside into the lives of others around us.
This water cannot be controlled, and it cannot be tamed, for its source is Christ himself. The best way to show Christ our fervent love is by continually drawing from his inexhaustible resources. The reserve will never run low for he is eternal. We cannot come too frequently or ask for too much, for he delights in our asking. There is no excuse in a Christian’s life for an empty well or a sluggish soul. Pray for greater depth of indwelling grace.
In the time of Jesus, the Jews and Samaritans were essentially bitter enemies. Over 700 years prior, the Assyrians had conquered the Northern half of Israel (which included Samaria), so the Jews of Israel considered the Samaritans, their northern neighbors, to be half-breeds as a result of centuries of conflict.
As part of an international resettlement policy, the Assyrians left a remnant of Israelites in the land but then repopulated the rest with people from many different conquered nations. This intermingling of people eventually resulted in the people of Samaria being considered Jewish half-breeds by the Israelites of the Southern Kingdom.
The tension between the Jews and the Samaritans was so high that many faithful Jews of Jesus’ time would refuse to walk through Samaria, and instead choose the longer route around Samaria.
“And he had to pass through Samaria (John 4:4).” Jesus had a habit of rejecting the idea that we should simply walk around our issues. Instead, he confronted division and tension head-on.
In this passage, we read that Jesus entered Samaria and began a conversation with a Samaritan woman. This unnamed woman responded with sheer shock that this Jewish man would speak to her. She said, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria (John 4:9)?” This would not be the greatest shock of her day.
Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life (John 4:13-14).”
The woman recognized something powerful was taking place and begged for the water spoken of by Christ. This eternal water of life that Jesus offers could be gathered with a bucket, but must be received by faith. It was offered to her, and it is offered to you. Take. Drink. Receive. Live!
This story’s interplay of Jews and Samaritans, adulterous women and the messiah, demonstrates that it does not matter who we are, where we’re from, or what sins we have committed in our past.
The adulterous woman at the well from Samaria proves this once and for all: The promise of divine water welling up inside is for each of us. May we never forsake it.
Like a raging river, our walk with Christ is to produce a steady flow of godliness both inside our souls and outside into the lives of others around us.
This water cannot be controlled, and it cannot be tamed, for its source is Christ himself. The best way to show Christ our fervent love is by continually drawing from his inexhaustible resources. The reserve will never run low for he is eternal. We cannot come too frequently or ask for too much, for he delights in our asking. There is no excuse in a Christian’s life for an empty well or a sluggish soul. Pray for greater depth of indwelling grace.
Posted in Lent
No Comments