93. Beginner Bible Course: Jesus and the woman at the well

EPISODE 93  The simple Bible overview of…JESUS AND THE WOMAN AT THE WELL

At the end of our last episode, Jesus was about to leave Jerusalem and head North to his home turf Galilee. The gospel writer, John tells us Jesus had to go through some area to get there. And as I mentioned in the last episode, he didn't really have to do that at all. Going through some area was the most direct route from Jerusalem to his home area, but it wasn't exactly the easiest track. It was mountainous. And not only that, it was through Samaria, no self-respecting Jew ever went through some area unless they really, really had to. We should review real quick. What was the problem with Samaria? Actually, it was a really beautiful area.

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00:00:46

If you didn't listen to our old Testament episodes, I'd encourage you to listen to Kings of the Hill, North episode 63, to get an idea of the history of this area. Ethereum and Manasseh were part of the 10 Northern tribes of Israel. These tribes were first assaulted by and then conquered by a Syria, their capital city. It was Samarria. We're told in second Kings a laundry list of sins of Israel that brought God to a place of allowing a Syria to come in and take them out. Syria did destroy them in seven 22 BC and after killing many hauled away, most of the rest, Syria then imported a number of captives into Israel from other areas.

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00:01:27

The country was basically desolate. Wild animals started to run a muck. It sounds like the place became animal house, both in terms of the behavior of the residents and an abundance of wild animals, making life miserable. The Assyrian sent back a Jewish priest, hopefully to bring some stability, at least to the religion of these people, what happened to their religion was a bit like this. You've been through the McDonald's drive through you order an ice cream cone. The worker ask chocolate, vanilla or swirl. The left behind Israelites had one flavor of religion. The nations imported by a Syria, brought their religions, and eventually they kind of swirled together.

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00:02:10

They began to be called Samaritans after the destroyed farmer capital city. We met one of these Samaritans in the book of Nehemiah Sanballat. He made Nehemiah's job of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem miserable. What we don't find in the Bible, but in ancient history is that these Samaritans, they also built their own temple to practice their twist cone, religion. They built this temple on Mount charism. Charism shows up in the book of Joshua. There were two mountains, side-by-side Garrison and evil. You should look them up on Google images. There are two big mounds of the Valley in between. Joshua was told to assemble the entire nation, put half the tribes on the hillside of Mount Garrison, the other half on the hillside of Mount Ebal there in the Valley, in this natural outdoor amphitheater, he was to read the book of the law, to the people where they were to renew the covenant with God.

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00:03:08

This was also the place of ancient Schechem from the book of Genesis and where Jacob had built his famous well. So for several hundred years, there was the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and the Samaritan temple on Mount Garrison, not 40 miles away, about one 60 BC during the period of the Maccabees, the Jews from the Jerusalem area destroyed the Samaritan temple on Mount Garrison, but there are twists cone. Religion went on all the way to Jesus time. Now what used to be the village of Shekem was now in the area of the village of sidecar and believe it or not Jacob's well now almost 2000 years old was still there.

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00:03:52

That's the situation. Now the story of Jesus going through this very area it's found in the gospel of John chapter four, it was probably on the second day of Jesus' trip, North toward Galilee that he came to the village of sidecar it's noon. And he sends his disciples down into a Samaritan village to get takeout. Jesus sits down at believe it or not Jacob's well, I can't imagine he wasn't sitting there thinking about the promises God had made to Jacob. A Samaritan woman comes to draw water out of the well, Jesus asks. If she would give him a drink, seriously, you a Jew asking me a Samaritan woman for a drink, a normal Jew wouldn't even look at her much less turn and ask her for a favor.

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00:04:41

Jesus continues the conversation. Ma'am if you knew who you were speaking to, you'd be asking me for water. Her reply. Well, that would be a neat trick. You don't have anything to draw from this. Well, and it's really deep. How are you going to give me water? Jesus continues. You don't understand what kind of water I'm talking about. The kind of water I'm talking about is one that will spring up inside you eternally. And you'll never thirst again. Now he's got her attention. I don't know if she's being curious or sarcastic or what, but she says I'm in. Give me some of this water. So I don't have to come up here again at this. Jesus seems to digress.

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00:05:21

Go call your husband. There must have been a long pause. I don't have a husband. You're right. You don't have a husband. You've had five husbands. And the man you're with now is not your husband. You've been honest with me. I appreciate that. Now the Samaritan woman knows she's got someone more than just the Jewish man on her hands. This has to be a prophet. The Samaritan twist Cohen religion believed in the Torah, the law of Moses Genesis through Deuteronomy. So while prophetic insight like this was highly unusual, it wasn't unprecedented. I wish I knew what was going through her mind. All we have are her words.

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00:06:01

A question comes out of her mouth to this prophet. You're a prophet. Tell me, where are we supposed to worship God on this mountain or in Jerusalem? She nods toward Garrison to the South where the Samaritan temple had been built and where they continued to worship God from its ruins. With I might add there twist cone theology. Jesus reminds her God had chosen the Jewish people to be his ups messenger boys to deliver the scriptures and the Messiah. But then Jesus goes further not to answer where they should worship, but how there's coming a time where all God's true, worshipers will worship truly that simply and honestly themselves from their heart and in spirit, that will be fleshed out more.

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00:06:48

As we move forward in the text, that theology might've been a little deep for a Samaritan woman who to minding her own business had just come to a well at noon to get some water. I imagine her sighing under her breath Messiah. He'll tell us what this is all about when he gets here. Yes, the Samaritans were also looking for a promised Messiah. I imagine her picking up her water pot to turn and head back to the village only to stop dead in her tracks with Jesus saying I am the Messiah. No further conversation is recorded because the disciples come back from the village with lunch and interrupt the conversation. They're shocked.

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00:07:28

Speechless. The Jesus is having a talk with this Samaritan woman. John follows the woman into the village where she gathers people excitedly and says, this there's a Jewish rabbi at the well he revealed, he knows me. Everything I've ever done. He claims to be the Messiah. Could it be him with this? The villagers and sidecar start heading toward Jacobs. Well, with this, the disciples bring food to Jesus and say, eat rabbi. Jesus looks towards sidecar the village and sees the villagers coming his direction. I've had lunch. Thank you. I'm all filled up from doing the will of my father while you were in the village.

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00:08:09

Gentlemen, how long do you think it'll be before harvest? About four months. Would you say they do the calendar thing in their head and go, yeah. I'd say about four months. Look at those fields there. Don't they look white with harvest. Now I grew up on a farm and I'll tell you grain. Ready to be harvested is golden, not white. So Jesus is talking about something other than grain. What is he looking at? That's white and ready to be harvested to me at least seems pretty obvious. It's all those Samaritans dressed in white, heading toward them from the village. Jesus says to his men lookie there, guys, the fields are white for harvest. Go get 'em go gather fruit for eternal life.

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00:08:52

I did the sewing. Now go harvest the way. Come on, get with it. John tells us. And from that city, many of the Samaritans believed in him because of the word of the woman who testified. There's our word. Again, many believed in him. They went all in on him as Messiah. The Samaritans then came to Jesus and asked him to stay with them. And Jesus and his disciples did for two days. And then many more of them believe because of Jesus' words. They said to the woman, it's no longer because of your testimony. We have heard for ourselves. And we know that this one is indeed the savior of the world. One has to wonder what those disciples thought.

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00:09:33

These were. Half-breed despised enemies with twists cone theology. And now they're embracing Jesus as the savior of the world. The promised Messiah, God had made a promise to Abraham, then passed it to Abraham son, Isaac who passed it to Abraham's grandson, Jacob, that someone would come through that line that would bless all nations. And it's happening. Messiah Jesus is bringing some of his Samaritan kids back to God. The other three gospel writers skip this interaction with the woman at the well, but John seeking to prove Jesus was the son of God. Thought it was critical to include. I mean, it's almost the whole fourth chapter of John.

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00:10:16

Why do you think there are several clues? First is in the phrase. Jesus had to go through Samaria, hated half-breeds with twist cone. Theology are loved by God. God wants all of his kids back. I think Jesus wanted his disciples and us to know that right upfront I'm speculating, but that it was a woman who'd been through five men. And with her sixth tells me that no one is too lost to be found by Messiah Jesus. The Jesus told his disciples, go get them. Boys is consistent with what Jesus said at the end of his ministry. It's the job of we apprentices of Jesus to make reaching people with the good news of Messiah Jesus, our priority, our duty, our privilege.

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00:11:03

I think maybe the last one is to set us up for what happens next. Jesus is largely embraced by people who should have rejected him. Now Jesus is going to go home to his own people, to even his hometown in John's gospel trailer. The prologue John said this, he came to his own and his own received him not is that the reception Messiah Jesus will get among his own people, even to the citizens of his home turf. We'll get the answer to that in our next word picture.