Jesus Needed to Go Through Samaria
The
“Red-Letter Words” of Jesus
Day
38
Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples). He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. John 4:1-8 (NKJV)
There’s so much packed between the first verse of John 4 and when He said to the Samaritan woman, “Give Me a drink.” Let’s unpack some of these items before we delve into the interaction between Jesus and this woman.
1.. He had to leave Judea.
The
Pharisees, although tolerant of John the Baptist, didn’t like his water baptisms
and messages of repentance. Many of their faithful followers changed their
allegiance to John. They were even more unhappy with Jesus who had a larger
following than John. Verses 1-3 give indication Jesus left Judea because of the
Pharisees. He didn’t run away in fear of them but out of concern that He would
be arrested and crucified before His time.
2. The Holy Spirit led Him.
On His way to Galilee, Jesus went the shortest and
most direct route He could take - through Samaria. Due to strong animosity
between the Jews and Samaritans, many Jewish travelers went out of their way to
not go through Samaria. Although Samaritans were somewhat distant relatives,
the Jews felt they erred in their religious practices since they didn’t worship
God at the temple in Jerusalem.
Not Jesus.
“But He needed to go through Samaria” gives indication
God sent Him on a specific mission. To fulfill the mission, it was imperative
He go through Samaria. The Spirit compelled Him to go to the well outside of
Sychar to meet with a lost and hurting woman. A Samaritan who had value in the
eyes of God.
3. Jesus faced human limitations.
He walked quite a distance that morning. His feet hurt
and He thirsted for water. Jesus completely understands our physical struggles because
He experienced them too. He chose to live within the realms of the natural law
as a human so He could die for us. And yet, He is God. (It would take volumes
to explain what our finite minds struggle to grasp here.) Suffice to say, Jesus
is both God and human.
Father, thank You
for the encouragement we receive in the above verses. You loved the woman of
Samaria long before she ever heard about Jesus. You set her up for a great
encounter with the Messiah. We have value in Your eyes as well. Your love for
us is unconditional. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for drawing us to Jesus. In Jesus’
name, Amen.
http://www.biblehub.com/commentaries/barnes/john/3
http://www.biblehub.com/commentaries/gill/john/3
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