The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
Not wanting anyone to perish!!
Yep, I know that’s not a scripture from John, but I thought it the perfect lead-in to our story for this week, and it explains why John said this:
Now he had to go through Samaria. John 4:4
What grabbed me as I read the scripture above was the use of the word “had”. Now it is true that it was shorter by far to reach Galilee by traveling through Samaria, but Jews never went through Samaria, and going around it added 100 miles to their trip. The Jews despised the Samaritans, and I could have made the word despised in all caps. Talk about cookies. Never Samaria.
In 722 B.C., the northern Kingdom was defeated by Assyria and the ten tribes were deported from Samaria into other regions of the Assyrian Empire. The King of Assyria forcibly settled other conquered peoples in Samaria to intermarry with any remaining Israelites to pollute their lineage and loyalty. God had ordered his people not to intermarry with foreigners for fear of what might and did take place. These other peoples brought their pagan gods with them, and the purity of the Israeli religion continued to be intertwined with paganism. They built their own temple on Mt. Gerizim, and rejected the Hebrew prophets and traditions. What resulted was what the Hebrews viewed as a population of half-breeds. By Jesus’ time, the Samaritans had spent 700 plus years as enemies. Jesus “had” to go through Samaria because he came for everyone, including Samaritans.
So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) John 4:5-9
Jewish men did not approach and speak to women they didn’t know. Never. And she was a Samaritan, besides. YIKES!!
And this wasn’t just any Samaritan woman. The Samaritan women drew water and gathered to talk early in the morning and at dusk. Never at noon. Too hot!! This Samaritan woman was there at noon, because it was the only safe time for her to go. She was the lowest of the low. No one else would have anything to do with her. She was a loose woman. Five husbands, and she was not married to the one she lived with. And yet, of all people, she was the one to whom Jesus made the following offer:
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
Jesus modeled for us the truth about His love. Everyone else saw this woman as the floozy that she appeared to be, but Jesus saw her not as who she was, but who she could become. Not only that, but because he did that, this lowest of the low was the tool Jesus used to bring many others to believe in him.
Never judge a book by its cover.
Jesus wouldn’t. We shouldn’t.
by Bruce Hanson
