I wish I knew this woman's name. I like her.
Let's do a quick (a very abbreviated!) history lesson to identify these Samaritan peoples. Under Kings Saul, David and Solomon, there was a united, strong kingdom of the Jews, ruled from Jerusalem. A division in the nation followed ... the northern part of the Kingdom became known as "Israel" and the southern part of the Kingdom was know as "Judah". Generation after generation of ungodly kings and priests reeked havoc on the two nations ... disobedience and disregard for God was rampant. Finally, judgment came. The nation of Israel was defeated by the Assyrians and carried away into captivity. The only people left were the poorest of the poor ... the ones Assyria did not want. Assyria then repopulated the land with their own nationals and peoples from other countries that had been conquered. Therefore, the populace of that region became a mixture of nationalities and ethnicity - truly a melted pot - Samaritans! Their religion became a mixture of the same variety that was represented by their prior nations. It's called theological pluralism.
Judah, who did have a few Godly kings, was later defeated by the Babylonians and carried away into captivity. The Babylonians did not have the same policy for re-population ... so the land lay dormant and empty except for the stragglers left behind. That captivity had an end. It lasted 70 years. After that time, a small number of Jews returned to their native land under Nehemiah and Ezra. They were to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and the Temple there. These returning Jews were DETERMINED to not repeat the same sins and violations against God that brought on the judgment. That is why they wanted nothing to do with this mix of people who are called "Samaritans".
Did you learn any lessons as you reflected on this chapter? I learn several ...
First, Jesus made contact. He opened dialogue. This woman is an unlikely candidate! Her nationality ... her gender ... her past ... her current lifestyle ... all make her easier to ignore than to engage. I fear that I often pre-judge whether or not someone will be receptive to the message of Christ. Only God knows who can "hear" and who does not have ears to hear. I am challenged in this chapter to stop pre-judging people by any external circumstance.
Second, I love the way Jesus always takes conversation from exactly where it is to things of the spirit, to things of God. The two of them were talking about water. OK - so water it is. Jesus then proceeds to introduce Himself in terms of water. And He moves the conversation from His need for a physical drink to her need for life! And this woman has "ears to hear" ... I like her!
Third, in spite of her lifestyle and the moral mess she had made of her life, the Lord talks with her, not at her. And, somehow, with His graciousness, she is confronted with her own sin yet seems to realize that she is safe with Him and her dignity is restored. I wonder if she doesn't go back into the town and talk to people that have avoided her for years. She is bold and courageous. I like her.
A fourth lesson is about worship ... listen to Max Anders in his commentary on John:
In this passage we find one of the strongest worship statements in the New Testament. Ten of John's thirteen uses of the Greek word for worship appear in these few verses. We learn immediately that place is irrelevant and that worship is not primarily in body - through physical motions and activities - but in spirit. The text does not refer to the Holy Spirit but an attitude of heart which acknowledges God and His sovereignty over our lives. Furthermore, worship must be done in truth - honestly, biblically, centered on Christ. This paragraph shows the difference between religion and the gospel: religion describes humankind's search for God; the gospel describes the way God reached down to humanity ... True believers must stop this mindless, endless, meaningless bickering about sites and sounds of worship. God is not interested in Jews or Samaritans, Presbyterians or Methodists, Calvinists or Arminians. He is interested in worshipers who must worship in spirit and in truth.
Do you think this woman "got it"? I think she did ... or she would not have run back into her town desperately wanting others - perhaps even ones who had mistreated her in the past - to hear as well. It is to this unnamed, obscure woman in a little backwater town called Sychar in Samaria that Jesus makes His first, clear statement that He is, indeed, Messiah.
And many of us join with these Samaritans and say with them the words that close verse 42:
We know that this man really is the Savior of the world.
And He is my Lord!
HALLELUJAH!!
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