“The Bad Samaritan”, John 4:1-30, Pastor Bob Leroe, Cliftondale Congregational Church, Saugus, Massachusetts
Jesus never avoided conflict, and He certainly did not look down on people who were different. We see Him showing kindness to Gentiles, and here (in John chapter 4) to Samaritans, who were maligned as half-breeds, a mixed race. They were Jews who had inter-married with Gentiles following the Assyrian captivity in 727 BC. Samaritans were treated as impure outcasts, ethnically and spiritually, and were excluded from Temple worship in Jerusalem. The Jews felt that the ancestors of the Samaritans had betrayed their heritage through intermarriage with foreigners. Jesus’ enemies sought to insult Him by calling Him a Samaritan (8:48). We see Jesus traveling directly through Samaria, while most Jews would detour around it, through Perea, east of the Jordan River (which took longer), simply to avoid contact with Samaritans. Jesus was not in a hurry; and His direct route choice was intended to demonstrate that He was above religious prejudice.
Jesus pauses at Sychar. In Genesis 33, Jacob purchased land in this vicinity, and had dug a well. This land was venerated as a sacred place by the Samaritans, who, like the Jews, claimed Jacob as their father. The Jews and Samaritans had a common ancestor; both drank from this well. It had been a tiring journey, and the noon-time heat was draining…but Jesus had a purpose beyond satisfying thirst.
A Samaritan woman approaches the well alone. She brings an empty jar to be filled, along with an empty life. Normally women would draw water in a group, and at a cooler time of the day. Her solitary task was likely to avoid contact with others; she was a moral outcast, whose reputation would be well known in her small town.
Jesus is waiting at the well. To the woman, this stranger may have appeared as a troublesome inconvenience. Jesus has no bucket, or even a cup, but He draws her into conversation. She is startled that a Jew would even speak to a Samaritan, let alone ask for a drink. Jews and Samaritans would not remotely consider sharing the same utensils or facilities. Samaritans were regarded as ceremonially unclean (spiritually defiled), along with anything they touched. Why would a Jew want to use her ‘polluted’ vessel to get a drink of water? Rabbinic teaching stated that to partake of a Samaritan’s bread was “like eating pork”. Also, in these times speaking to women was regarded as a scandalous waste of time—men wouldn’t even have substantive conversations with their own wives. (In contrast, I’m reading David McCullough’s biography of John Adams, who called his wife Abagail, “My worthiest and wisest friend.”) A rabbi of the times said “It is better that the words of the Law be burned than be delivered to a woman.” Jesus didn’t agree with that prejudice. For ethnic, religious, and gender reasons our Lord’s conversation is unconventional. We learn that God values us all, that we all possess dignity and worth, because our Savior came for all the world.
Prejudice is regarding one’s group as superior, and viewing others in a negative or hostile fashion. Bigotry assumes that one’s culture is the best—it may take leaving a comfort zone to discover the richness of diversity. Having lived overseas, I’ve known some “Ugly Americans” who, when overseas, refused to explore and enjoy living in a foreign land.
The woman objects to Jesus’ request—after all, he may be thirsty, but he is Jewish! Jesus responds by revealing that He is God’s gift to the world, one offering “living water” to all who thirst for God. In the Psalms we read, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs for God” (42:1), and “With the Lord is the fountain of life” (36:9). This water Jesus is speaking of refers to the new life He brings. All who thirst for God will be satisfied.
The woman isn’t prepared for spiritual conversation—she doesn’t sense the depth of this stranger’s words. She’s bewildered by Jesus’ claim—how can he give her a drink? He doesn’t even have a container, and the well was deep (according to archeologists, over 100 feet deep). Since this was Jacob’s well she may have interpreted Jesus’ words as a claim of superiority—was he dishonoring her people’s revered well by claiming to be better than the patriarch Jacob? She responds with a sense of outrage. Jesus is trying to awaken spiritual thirst and challenge her thinking. He wants to draw her to the well of salvation. Jesus is offering water better than the old order. Jesus is ushering in the Kingdom of God, a new order.
Hydration is essential for life, and one drink will not satisfy. If we deprive ourselves of water we will perish. Yet there are people who are spiritually dieing of thirst who refuse to drink the living water Jesus freely offers. They drink instead from the troubled streams of the world. The water we drink will sustain us in life—but the water Jesus offers provides for life eternal. In ch 7 Jesus urges, “Let anyone who is thirsty come and drink; rivers of living water will flow from the heart of those who believe in Me” (vss 37-38). Jesus is making a significant claim about Himself.
The woman takes Jesus’ words literally and asks for the water He offers, without perceiving His intent. Her response may well include a touch of sarcasm; I can hear her asking, “Sure--give me this water” –as though humoring Him. She likely wondered if this stranger a madman or magician!
We receive the ‘living water’ through faith and repentance, which leads to our Lord’s abrupt request to get her husband. God does not offer eternal life without first dealing with sin.
Every conversation Jesus has is different—He doesn’t use a ‘canned’ approach, but meets each individual where they are, and responds according to their needs. He adapts His message to where they hurt. Some have called this conversation a model of counseling. Jesus leads the woman to realize her condition.
Jesus reveals His knowledge of her personal life, including her sin of adultery. He asks a question and reveals the answer. His purpose is not to shame her but to help her see her need for forgiveness. Turning to God means turning from sin—repentance is walking in a new direction. Jesus describes the woman’s situation in such a way that she could see what a complicated mess she had made of her life. Jesus cared enough to confront, but in a way that communicated compassion and concern.
A natural response to being ‘found out’ is to deflect guilt, which is exactly what the Samaritan woman does. She attempts to divert the conversation by changing the subject. No one likes their hidden, sinful past revealed, and by shifting the conversation to theological differences she likely hoped to prevent any further disclosure of her tainted private behavior. Theological discussions can be intellectually stimulating, so long as they don’t refer to our personal lives!
The Jews and Samaritans had an ongoing debate regarding the proper place of worship. The woman appears genuinely interested in this controversy and seizes the opportunity to get a “genuine prophet’s” viewpoint. In Deuteronomy 12 God tells Moses to “seek the place the Lord will choose” (vs 5) for worship. The Jews selected Jerusalem, but the Samaritans worshipped at a place where Abraham built an altar, on Mount Gerizim. The differences were so bitter that when the Jews returned from exile in Babylon the Samaritans offered to help rebuild the Jerusalem Temple but their kindness was refused. Both turned to Scripture to argue their positions. Religious and political arguments can get quite heated!
Jesus answers in a way the woman would have never anticipated (starting @vs 21). He uses her distraction to explain the quality of true worship. The location of worship is not nearly as important as the attitude of the worshippers. Where we worship isn’t as important as how we worship. True worship, Jesus explains, is “in spirit and in truth.” Without spirited praise, our worship will be dry and lifeless. Worship not offered “in truth” becomes irrelevant. There are churches that have one, but not the other. We need a balance of content and passion. Churches that are merely intellectual turn into schools; churches that are too feeling-oriented become pep rallies. Worship needs both substance and fervor.
“A time is coming and has now come”, vs 23. Jesus is inaugurating a new era. One thing only Jesus knew was that the Temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed again in 70 AD, which would set the stage for the spread of the Gospel—a time when worship could no longer be location-driven, and the debate over where to worship would no longer be relevant.
Jesus also sets the record straight concerning God’s plan—the Samaritans accepted only the Pentatuch—the 5 books of Moses, giving them a limited view of God; however Genesis 49:10 promises that the deliverer/Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah. This is why Jesus insists, “salvation is from the Jews” (vs 22). He clearly aligns Himself with His people.
All this talk about a new kind of worship must have reminded the Samaritan woman about the coming of the Messiah. She dismisses the subject, saying in effect, “A day is coming when all these religious problems will be cleared up.” The Messiah would naturally be in a position to explain all mysteries. Jesus declares that the “day” has arrived! He announces, “I am He”, and the woman drops everything and runs to the village. Jesus didn’t exactly tell “everything” she ever did, but you can catch the excitement in her words. We need to catch the same enthusiasm in telling others how Jesus has touched our lives and has quenched the thirsting of our souls!
