An interpretation of John 4: 5-42 Jesus’ mission, though in its early stages, was creating anxiety and division amongst the religious authorities. Jesus’ only solution was to leave Judea and go to Galilee along the quickest route through Samaria. Samaritans were not considered worthy descendants of God’s chosen people, having intermarried with invaders, such as Assyrians and Babylonians, and adopting elements of foreign religion into their own. E.g. Mount Gerizim was the holy mount, not Mount Zion. In need of refreshment, Jesus stopped at the Samaritan village of Sychar, thought to be near Shechem and Jacob’s well. With His disciples away buying food, Jesus was able to share His message with a woman on a one-to-one basis. The fact that He was prepared to talk to a woman, and a Samaritan at that, was unbelievable. Jesus may well have been in need of a drink but offering this woman the gift of God’s living water, such that her spirit would be wholly replenished forever, took precedence. She also needed to know of life beyond the material realm, meant for those who worshipped God in spirit and truth,. The time had come when places like Mount Gerizim and Jerusalem counted for nothing when worshipping God. Jesus’ message had such an incredible impact that the woman immediately became a disciple for Him to her own people. Here was an awakening also for His disciples in understanding that God’s mission went out even to those whom the Jews had disliked to now. God’s plan included Samaritans too, and Jesus revealed the truth to them before moving on. Once in Galilee, He still needed to prove Himself before people committed themselves to Him. How frustrating! The father who came to Him had sufficient faith, however, to believe Jesus when told that his child would not die. Finding it to be so, the man eagerly encouraged his own family to believe. Jesus is an incredible role model for everyone who has faith. Every day, opportunities present themselves to share God’s truth and we must be willing to do so, despite our own immediate needs. God knows we need sustenance and strength to do our work and we can be sure that these will be met, even if it’s not when it suits us.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 06:06:03 +0000
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