Henry Ogbuchi July 14th 2024 - The Samaritans
Question 1:
In John 4, Jesus Ministered to a Variety of people, name them?
Answers:
The sinful Samaritan woman.
The many Samaritans who trusted in Him
His Own Disciples.
A nobleman and his household.
Question 2:
What did they have in common?
Answer:
Faith in Jesus Christ.
The Word – John 4:1-42
Mixed race – partly Jew and partly Gentile.
That grew out of the Assyrians captivity of the ten northern tribes in 727 BC.
Rejected by the Jews because they could not prove their genealogy.
Established their Alternate center for worship on Mount Gerizim (parallel to Jerusalem temple).
Believed the Jews were demonically possessed – Even accused Jesus to be a Samaritan (John 8:48).
Orthodox Jews avoided Samaria because there was a longstanding, deep seated hatred between them and the Samaritans.
John 8:48 John 8:48 — King James Version (KJV 1900)m
John 8:48 — New Living Translation (NLT)
Four Stages of Experience
Stage 1: He is “a Jew” (vs 7-10).
It’s unusual for a Jewish man to even be in Samaria.
It was out of the ordinary that a man would be talking to an unknown woman in a public place.
This woman was a Samaritan, a member of a hated mixed race with track record of living in sin.
No respectable Jewish would talk to a woman under these circumstances. But JESUS did
Gospel is for everyone- irrespective of race, tribe, or social position.
Jesus’s LOVE towards the woman(us) rose above all the petty distractions of men. (John 4:16)
Stage 2 “Greater than Jacob” (vs 11-15)
If he had something better, why asking for water gotten from Jacob’s well. Salvation
The woman was ignorant of 3 important facts (Who He was, what He had to offer and how she could receive it) -Messiah/Christ
Jesus, fruitful vine by the spring (Jacob’s well) that ran over the wall (of separation between the Jews and the Samaritans). Gen 49:22
Of course, Jesus is greater than Jacob – greater than the well itself.
He provides the “breath” (spirit) of God (John 3:8; 20:22).
He is the bread of life (John 6:48).
He is the light of life (John 1:4-5).
He gives us the water of life (John 7:37-39)
Stage 3 “A Prophet” (vs 16-24)
Jesus pointed out the woman’s sin in a loving manner: He praised her for telling the truth and revealed that He knew her sin.
Jesus progressively guided her with His words into a full revelation of who He is.
Jesus fruitful vine by the spring (Jacob’s well) that ran over the wall (of separation between the Jews and the Samaritans). Gen49:22
Salvation is from the Jews because Jesus is born a Jew, as a descendant of David. (Jesus’ Hebrew name, Yeshua, literally means “salvation”).
Today our worship to/of God is not confined to a physical location.
We can worship God anywhere, at any time because through faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit is inside us, and we have a true revelation of who God is.
Stage 4 “The Christ” (vs 25-30)
Knowing who “Messiah/Christ” is and that HE will come - IN SPITE OF HER IGNORANCE.
“When he does- and will reveal the secrets of the hearts (will teach ALL things.) -WHAT A GREAT CONFIDIENCE!
She was (Just as us) least likely prospect for salvation, Yet Christ used her to win almost an entire village. EFFECTIVE EVENGALISM
The Samaritans - Lessons Learnt
Never underestimate what can happen when you sincerely impact one person.
Jerusalem -John 2:23 to Judea -John 3:22 then to Samaria -John 4:4 AND Samaritans declared Jesus as the “SAVIOR” of the world. ‘vs42 (Perfect Parallel to Act 1:8)
The unnamed Samaritan woman was a fruitful believer: bore fruit (“many believed”), more fruit (“many more believed”), and much fruit today. (John 15:1-5)
Our Lord, “Jesus Christ, the Messiah” has set the example.
If we follow, He will give us the harvest.
Amen.
