The Outreach Begins: Following the Christian Tradition
After leaving Jerusalem, Jesus then began teaching in Judea as well as in the area near his baptism, the Lower Jordan River. The time had come for Jesus to make his ministry more public. Jesus’ teachings and signs already had many believing him to be the Messiah. Meanwhile, John the Baptist’s mission was nearing its completion, having effectively paved the way for the Messiah.
John was baptizing in Aenon near Salim when some of the Jews questioned him about Jesus. “He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified—look, he is baptizing and people are coming to him.”
John responded by saying, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear witness that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. And what he has seen and heard, that he testifies; and no one receives his testimony. He who has received his testimony has certified that God is true. For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides in him.”
John had been denouncing Herod Antipas’ marriage to Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. Therefore, Herod imprisoned John the Baptist.
Jesus and John had been preaching the same message, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus, because of his numerous miracles, knew that the Pharisees touted him as more popular and dangerous to them than John. The time had not yet come for Jesus to confront the Pharisees or the high priests, so he decided to move north and begin the ministry in Galilee. However, rather than going through the route typically taken by Jews through Perea to Galilee, Jesus went through Samaria. This was done for two reasons. First, it would delay a direct confrontation with the Pharisees and second, it would help chip away at a wall of prejudice that was centuries old.
Following the Christian Tradition: In Samaria…the Woman at the Well
(John 4:5 – 30; 39-42)
The Samaritan region was not a favorite of the Jewish people. Actually, that’s an understatement. In reality, Jews and Samaritans had quite an adversarial relationship in the time of Jesus. The rivalry began when Assyria captured the area more than 750 years earlier. Many Assyrians settled the land and intermarried with Jews, which created a new race. Between issues of intermarriage and disputes over the construction of a new temple that ensued after the Jews reclaimed Jerusalem, the two groups despised each other. In fact, it was common practice for Jews to thank God in their prayer rituals that they were not Samaritans. Incidentally, they said the same prayer regarding women, which made Jesus’ next encounter all the more meaningful.
In Sychar, a small village in Samaria, Jesus rested at Jacob’s Well. It was around noon, which was the hottest time on most likely a very hot day. While his disciples went into the city to buy food, a Samaritan woman approached the well. The woman was alone. This was strange only because women usually performed this task in groups. In addition to that oddity, the woman was also drawing her water during the hottest time of the day. Because of the physical difficulties of lugging around a heavy water pot, this task was not only done with groups of women, but it was done during a cooler part of the day. From those two elements we can surmise that this woman most likely was not carrying a sterling reputation along with her water pot. She was, quite possibly, an outcast.
Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”
The Samaritan woman was startled that a Jew, especially a Jewish man, would speak to her. She responded by saying, “How is it that you, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?”
“If you knew the gift of God and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me a drink’, you would have asked me and I would have given you living water.” Jesus stated.
This also startled the woman, as she answered, “Sir you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and the livestock?”
Jesus said, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
This excited the lady, as she answered, “Give me this water that I may not thirst nor come here to draw.” While she was thinking in terms of eliminating a lonely and cumbersome task, Jesus was thinking about something much greater.
Then, according to John, it became time for Jesus to reveal his identity to her. He told her to go and call her husband. When she responded by saying that she had no husband Jesus said, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband’, for you have had five husbands, and the one you are with now is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”
This amazed the woman who began exclaiming that Jesus must be a prophet. She went on to tell Jesus that, “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”
“Woman, believe me,” Jesus stated, “the hour is coming when you will neither worship the Father on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem. You will worship what you do not know; we know that we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
The woman responded, “I know that the Messiah is coming. When he comes, he will tell us all things.”
“I, who speak to you, am he.” Jesus said.
At that point the disciples returned. They were undoubtedly amazed that Jesus was speaking to a Samaritan woman. She left in order to share her experience with others. Soon, she returned with many men to meet the Messiah. Jesus stayed in the city for two days, preaching and ministering to the people and they believed and accepted him.
Genuinely Jesus: Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the Well
This story from John undoubtedly contains many instances of the author ascribing words to Jesus. Nevertheless, it is a story, whether completely fictional or grounded in the basis of reality, that bears great relevance to us today. Yes, there probably are additions to the text. For instance, some consider Jesus’ references to living water an addition because such references are exclusively found in John’s writing (with similar verbiage expressed to Nicodemus in the preceding chapter). I believe that Jesus might have made such a reference, most likely in regards to his message about the Kingdom of God. However, Jesus most likely did not disclose the notion that he was the Messiah, certainly not at this point in his ministry. With those thoughts in mind, I do not consider the dialogue between Jesus and the Samaritan woman to be grounded in historical accuracy. I do, however, believe that some type of conversation took place between Jesus and a Samaritan woman, which, in and of itself is grounds for greater study. In fact, with all due respect to the early Christian writer’s agenda and the scribes that followed, I would very much like to be privy to that actual conversation.
Jesus’ life showcased a true revelation of God’s love. It would have been easy for Jesus to mirror a Jewish heritage that intensely disliked the Samaritans. Such a reflection was expected. He was exposed to the same teachings used by his fellow Jews to justify a prejudice that had lasted for years. Further, Jesus’ culture had taught that women were inferior and not worthy of even speaking openly to a man. However, Jesus knew God’s revelation of love. He knew that love toward all is expected. God’s unconditional love, agape, is extended toward people of all races and genders despite any prejudices that man can concoct. Jesus took a hammer with him to Jacob’s Well and chipped away at prejudice. Upon returning to Jesus, the disciples were astonished. Their teacher was talking, openly and meaningfully, with a woman, a Samaritan woman. The hammer was lowered and the wall began to deteriorate.
Jesus was a revolutionist. He was a revolutionist who specialized in breaking down barriers of legalism and prejudice. There is a reason why Jesus took the less traveled path to Galilee through Samaria rather than the safer and more familiar route through Perea. The result was an encounter with a special child of God, a Samaritan woman. This meeting not only helped spread Jesus’ message in this country, it planted a strong idea in the minds of the disciples. God’s love is for all. It was a revolutionary idea then and now. Through compassion, kindness and love, Jesus was revealing God.
Jesus’ ministry began very successfully. Anticipation was building and many of the Jews were already beginning to believe in Jesus as the Savior. That belief would soon explode into incredible popularity as Jesus continued his journey to Galilee.
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