John Trigilio, Jr., Rev. Now, good Jews did not go through Samaria. She already had five different husbands and was now living with a man who she never married. Being that Samaria was to the south of Galilee and north of Judea, Jesus had to go through Samaria to get to Jerusalem. She left her miserable old water pot and returned to the city to bring others out to meet her newly-found Messiah. Samaria Regional Council Chief Yossi Dagan called the victim “A wonderful woman, full of goodness, who went out in the middle of the day to exercise near her home. The Samaritans considered the Judeans to be apostates following the sanctuary leaving Shechem. Jesus brought the woman sharply from the future to the present with the words (translated literally), “I AM, the one who is speaking to you.” Jesus is the great I AM - not I will be, nor I was, but I AM. I’ll probably be returning to read through more, thanks for the advice! Her sorrow: To have lived in a way that relegated her to the margins of her society. Cause me to brave the social barriers and reach out to bring the good news to others that need You. Much later, the city of Samaria was built on a hill by King … John 4:28-30. The Samaritan Woman at the Well. She had been married five times and was living in sin with a man who wasn’t her husband. Yet, Jesus did not. Jesus was not held sway by social norms. Scholars say that Jews don't associate with Samaritans, especially men Jews to Samaritan women. The Contact. Does he speak the language of today? John 4 English Standard Version (ESV) Jesus and the Woman of Samaria. (Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, 1856.) They worshiped God on Mount Gerizim and not in Jerusalem. As with many other parts of Scripture, there is much more in this story than what appears on its surface. Samaria means "watch mountain" and is the name of both a city and a territory. Jews despised Samaritans, lower class heretics, so much that they wouldn’t even talk to them. Therefore, Jesus takes it one step further by revealing to her sin. Note: A more recent, better article on the Samaritan woman is here. Christ engages with a woman who has come to draw water from a well outside of the city of Sychar in Samaria. It is for us to serve ours, not theirs. 2. for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Gospel: John 4:5-42. The Judeans considered them to be idolaters because intermarriage merged idol worship with the worship of Yahweh. The story of the woman of Samaria teaches us that each person matters to Jesus. 4 And he had to pass through Samaria. I want to draw others to Jesus who knows me better than I know myself. Your email address will not be published. “Where there is no vision the people perish.” We need a God-given, prophetic insight into the future, if we are to walk in line with God in the present. He was well aware of the fact that Jews did not associate with Samaritans yet alone a woman. Mary Magdalene has been wrongly labelled as a prostitute, and the Samaritan woman has been regarded as a loose woman. Therefore, she went to draw others to Him. The woman went to tell the people of Samaria, and as a result, many Samaritans listened to Jesus and believed. He wanted to bring new life to her. In verse 25 the woman turns her attention to the future: “I know that Messiah is coming, who is called Christ; when he comes he will tell us all things.” Like many people she clung to the past (Jacob’s well) while she dreamt about the future. Samaria, like the woman at the well, had five husbands and was estranged from her true husband. 2 Kings xviii.9-12. Similarly, the Judeans considered the Samaritans to be apostates. Esther Horgan, 52, a resident of Samaria, was found lifeless last Monday night in the Reichan forest in northern Samaria, with signs of violence … The Samaritan woman at the well is no angel. If this is true, the transition from talking about “five husbands” to “true worship” naturally follows. Nicodemus would have studied the law, as a woman she would not have been formally taught the law. The pregnant phrase to underline in the incident at Sychar’s well which is so rich in spiritual instruction, is the announcement John gives at the beginning of the chapter, namely, “He must needs go through Samaria.” Still Jesus asked her for a drink. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. Nicodemus comes to Christ when it is fully dark, the woman comes to the well in full light. Later, Jesus would specifically mention Samaria when he told his disciples: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Why did he choose to go through Samaria on this journey? The Samaritans had also caused trouble when the Jews were seeking to reestablish themselves and their temple (Ezra 4). 1. The Woman at the Well – John 4:4-12. This Woman of Samaria Bible Story is independent of all the others and can be read separately enabling parents of Sunday School teachers to tell the stories randomly or in the order in which the stories appear in the Christian Holy Bible. I need to think like Jesus and not be held to the customs of this world. He asks her to call her husband and thus she points it out that she does not have a husband. Now on to Christ and the Woman of Samaria. for the Jews have no … Is he the God of today? I have little doubt that the position today is much the same. In the ensuing exchange, the woman recognizes Christ as a prophet and returns to her people to proselytize. Amen. As a … This is what broke through to her heart. W. Jay. The Woman of Samaria. (2 kings 17). The Woman of Samaria. The story of the woman at the well follows on the heels of the account of Jesus’ interaction with Nicodemus, a Pharisee and prominent member of the Jewish Sanhedrin (John 3:1–21). The woman is obviously without a clue as to whom she is conversing with. Woman of Samaria Bible Story for Children, Teens and Adults. Here lies a test of a man or woman who claims to know God. Jesus wants me to think outside the box. There is an extent to which it is right to look to the future and the past. The woman then left her water pot, and went her way into the city, and said to the men,…. Jesus and His disciples were traveling through Samaria, north of Jerusalem, on the way to Galilee. The woman understood Jesus’ meaning immediately. He does not ask to be spiritually born, she asks for the living water. Typically, Jews avoided going through Samaria when traveling between Galilee and Judea. Does he meet the problems and needs of today? Credit Line Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection Reference Number 1933.1024 Extended information about this artwork The New Testament mentions Samaria in Luke 17:11–20, in the miraculous healing of the ten lepers, which took place on the border of Samaria and Galilee. They want to re-establish the reformation, or the revivals of previous centuries, or the Pentecostal movement, or - yes - the early church. The Woman of Samaria. the woman herself stood for Samaria; her five husbands stood for the five alien tribes; the man she was now living with, who was not her true husband, stood for the Samaritan religion. Bible> Library. I pray: Dear Lord Jesus, help me to see the world as You do. But first let’s take a look at history between Samaria and Judea at the time of Christ. When the woman of Samaria met Jesus she received something deeper than water from Jacob’s well; she received a deeper relationship with God. Luti has eliminated the anecdotal details of John’s account and pared down the narrative to the two key figures in this exchange. Samaritans were a blend of Israelites left behind when Israel was exiled by the King of Assyria circa 722 B.C. In this article I hope to dig a little deeper and find some of these hidden gems. In the heat of the day, a Samaritan woman of the town of Sychar came to draw water from Jacob’s well. and Assyrians that the King sent into the area. It seems that he went just to meet this woman. They, too, were looking for a Messiah to come. For her, at least, the hour of revelation was now. Conversation between Jesus & Samaritan Woman, Grace & Mercy: Two Sides of the Same Coin, Experience is Key to Knowing God’s Goodness. 9 Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) See also The New Covenant for more on this. (see John 4:9) First, we read that Jesus talked to the woman, asking her for a drink. Its freeness: in selecting for its object a profligate creature, not only without her desert, but without her desire. As I listened to her, I began to think about the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:4–42). We praise God for each saint who has like David “served his generation, and fallen asleep”. Kenneth Brighenti. Christ and the Woman of Samaria Origin Italy Date 1500–1505 Medium Tempera on panel, transferred to canvas Dimensions 27.3 × 46.3 cm (10 3/4 × 18 1/4 in.) Israel will triumph, they won’t break us.” “Esther left behind a husband and six orphans – two girls and four boys. He purposefully traveled to Samaria. 10 Jesus answered and said … Like the woman at the well, I, too, can get focused on the wrong thing and not see with the eyes of Jesus. Beneath lies a mine of spiritual truth and enlightenment, if our eyes are but open to see it. the woman of samaria. And I saw parallels immediately, even as I recognized the distinct qualities of each culture. He does not do it blatantly. John 4:9. Some people spend their lives trying to fight the battles of yesterday. Her life had not been easy. [1] Mixed up with a wrong crowd, this poor woman from Samaria has quite a reputation. The Woman of Samaria. It was about noon. In addition, Jesus continues His conversation with her in spite of all the social customs. She was a Gentile, and she was immoral, lost, helpless and hopeless, but the Lord loved her, and He revealed to her who He was, with the result that she was deeply convicted of her sin and came to know Him as her personal Saviour, her Friend and … To begin with, like thousands today, the Woman was blind to our Lord’’s personal testimony and power. θινος (alethinos - true), with many more references in John’s letters and the book of Revelation.) The Woman of Samaria. So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. “Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? Usually he would have gone the longer way. This is not the same as a dead adherence to some doctrinal position on eschatology. You are so welcome and thank you for leaving your comment. When the Israelites conquered the Promised Land, this region was allotted to the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim. Jesus’ request of the woman of Samaria is not surprising by modern standards, given the setting (v. 6), but the woman’s surprise is understandable (v. 9). Required fields are marked *. She questions his ability to draw water and if He is greater than Jacob. Murder in Samaria: 'She was a woman full of life, full of light' Elazar Roth, head of Tel Menashe's first-response team, describes searches for missing mother of six who was found murdered. And it came to pass in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, came up against Samaria, and besieged it. As a woman came to the well to draw water, Jesus intentionally drew her into a conversation with Him by asking her for a drink. John 4:1-42 . The Woman of Samaria She came to the well at midday, perhaps to avoid the gossipy women who usually gathered there each morning. Town and Country Sermons— Charles Kingsley. They, however, did not accept the any Old Testament writings beyond the Pentateuch as canonical. Then Jesus gently makes her see that He knows everything about her. This we will do if we are able to hear for ourselves the words that Jesus spoke to this woman: “I AM, the one who is speaking to you”. WOMAN OF SAMARIA The Woman Who Left Her Waterpot John 4. Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? It was being known by Him. They believed in the God of Israel, acknowledged Moses as His prophet, and accepted the Pentateuch as scripture. What kind of savages are we up against? Therefore, there was a great deal of tension between Judea and Samaria even in the time of Jesus’ ministry. The Woman of Samaria (John 4:7-30) 7 There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. For the custom was that a Jew was considered unclean if he used a drinking vessel handled by a Samaritan. Jesus gave her this revelation of himself, and we can see by her reaction that she received it. Spot on with this write-up, I absolutely think this website needs far more attention. This woman, an Israelite, is a … He stopped at a well about the noon hour and waited. This is where Jesus first got my attention. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Something must happen before we can give a personal testimony for Christ: we must have a knowledge of the Lord –- not in a detached, historical way, but personally. Nicodemus was a Jew and a ruler in the Sanhedrin, she was a Samaritan and an adulterer. Map of Samaria, Galilee and Judaea. "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a woman of Samaria? If we know something of God’s planned intentions we will not so easily find ourselves working in opposition to him, building up what he is pulling down, and trying to pull down what he is building up. There is, of course, no way the woman could have known the particular identity of Jesus as the bringer of salvation (v. 10). God is not the God of the dead, but of the living; not the God of the past or the future, but of the present. The fourth chapter of John’s gospel contains the familiar story of the woman of Samaria. John 4: 4-42 B ut he had to go through Samaria. They opposed the Samaritans because of the intermarriage with the Assyrians. So this woman moved into a present revelation. John 4:5-6 sets the scene for this narrative. For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans." This article looks at the Samaritan woman from Sychar without negative prejudices. It is important to understand the conflict between the two groups of people. In the conversion of the woman of Samaria, we have an example of this grace; an example —. Typically, Jews avoided going through Samaria when traveling between Galilee and Judea. John 4:1–26 records Jesus' encounter at Jacob's Well with the woman of Sychar, in which he declares himself to be the Messiah. The Woman of Samaria There is a prophetic significance about this, insofar as it is YEHOVAH's plan to reveal the Messiah to His Israel nation. Let’s explore the conversation Jesus had with the Samaritan woman at the well in John chapter 4. Being that Samaria was to the south of Galilee and north of Judea, Jesus had to go through Samaria to get to Jerusalem. … 4 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), 3 he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. By Rev. What We Can Learn from Samaritans From the fall of the rebellious northern kingdom of Israel to a mixed idolatrous religion, to a people group … Jewels of truth light up in verses which we have read a hundred times and seen little more than the printed words. He tells her of living water yet one can tell that she is focused on the physical whereas Jesus is speaking spiritually. This woman believed firmly in a coming Messiah, as many people do today, but it was not the kind of belief that changed her life, or enabled her to recognise him when he stood before her. Your email address will not be published. In John 4:4–42 we read about Jesus’ conversation with a lone Samaritan woman who had come to get water from a well (known as Jacob’s well) located about a half mile from the city of Sychar in Samaria. He reached across them to bring His message of salvation. Many others in her day who believed in the coming Messiah were among those who crucified him when he came. 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