Samaria

 

Chapter 4        Journey from Judea to Galilee

 

4v1-6      Jesus at Sychar’s well    The section opens with Jesus as Lord, which is the first time in John He is called Lord- it won’t be the last.  No doubt this springs from the adulation of John the Baptist at the end of chapter 3.  The opening confirms His Lordship as it begins with His perfect knowledge of how the Pharisees were thinking even as He was remote from them.  Only the Lord could have such knowledge.  Because of that knowledge, He decided to move from Judea.  It is notable that Jesus did not court danger or conflict-the time would come when He would face all opposition but it was not the time so He left to go toward Galilee.  It is recorded “He must needs go through Samaria”; this is not the must of geography, but the imperative of grace.  There were at least  three routes from where He was in the South of Judea to Galilee, where He wanted to go.  He wanted to bring salvation to the Samaritans.  

Some historical background to Samaria:

Politically, Samaria was part of the province of Judea under the Romans, but culturally there were ancient barriers to normal social exchange.  Wicked King Omri had purchased the hill on which he built Samaria as the new capital of the northern Kingdom of Israel-1^st Kings 16v24.  The name Samaria eventually came to describe the district around the hill. The Assyrians terminated the northern Kingdom in 722 BC, taking the best of them captive and leaving only the poorest of people. They then re- populated the area with their own people, and by intermarriage, the province became part of the Assyrian empire. The Jews, who returned to Judea from the exile, regarded the Samaritans as racially half-breeds and would have very little to do with him.  The Samaritans built a rival temple to Jerusalem on Mount Gerizim, nearby to Shechem about 400 BC. The Samaritans continued to worship there and acknowledged only the Pentateuch as canonical.  Taking into account the division of the two tribes and ten tribes from the days of Rehoboam, the religious feud had existed for 700-800 years. So there was long history and rivalry between Jews and Samaritans.  It was against this background Jesus came to Samaria.

The significance of Sychar    This place is important in O/T history, and had longstanding connections going back to Abraham;

·      It was at Shechem God first appeared to Abraham in the land of Canaan-Genesis 12v6-7

·      It was where Jacob first resided after meeting his brother Esau-Genesis 33v18

·      It was here Joseph came seeking his brethren, where his father’s flocks were kept-Genesis 37v16

·      It was here that Joshua read in the ears of the people the blessings and cursings upon the nation-Joshua 8v33

·      It became one of the cities of refuge-Joshua 20v7-9

·      At Shechem Joshua gave his last address-Joshua 24v1

·      At Shechem the bones of Joseph were buried on the parcel of ground given by his father-Joshua 24v32

As a means of getting one over their neighbours in Judea, the Samaritans claimed the following, which position remained until the time of Jesus:

1.   Paradise was on the summit of Mt. Gerizim

2.   Adam was formed of the dust on the top

3.   Adam raised his first altar there

4.   Seth also built his first altar there

5.   Gerizim was Mt. Ararat on which Noah’s ark rested

6.   Noah built his altar there

7.   It was there Abraham offered up Isaac

8.   It was there Abraham met Melchisedek

9.   Mt Gerizim is the real Bethel-the house of God

So the Samaritans had created a sacred place, and their own form of worship in opposition to the temple at Jerusalem.  They considered they were worshipping God in the right way, and were quite happy to be despised by Judeans for they were right and the Jews were wrong.  Of course their worship was contrary to the mind of God, but that was their belief.  We do not dictate the terms of worship to God, rather He to us.  However it was on the well at Sychar Jesus rested from His journey.  What thought must have flooded His mind as He sat here.

These verses are marked by a sharp contrast between His humanity and Deity-v1, He knew what only God could know; v6, He was weary with His journey and He sat on the well. 

He must increase....

 

Jesus, the superior glory of His person John 3v22-36.

 

John’s work is almost done, and this can be considered as his swansong, just before his light goes out in martyrdom. 

 

Jesus baptizing in Judea and John baptizing in Aenon, just west of the Jordan river; the reason John was in that place was because there was “much water there”, which gives the lie to those who advocate sprinkling.  Biblical baptism is immersion to keep the symbolic type of total immersion intact.  John’s disciples remarked that Jesus disciples were now baptising, and perhaps they felt a little put out.  The word was that Jesus seemed to be drawing more people than John.  John calms them by giving them a wonderful insight into who Jesus was, and forms the last great discourse of John as a testimony to Jesus-verses 25-36.  In the course of this he presents some very fundamental truths.

 

I received a gift from heaven, He is the giver  v27-28

 

“A man can receive nothing except it were given him from above.  Ye yourselves bear me witness that I said I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before Him.”

 

This is a comprehensive and far-reaching statement that applies to all whether converted or not.  What applies generally, therefore, is true in the spiritual realm also.  James recorded that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness, nor shadow cast by turning”-James 1v17.  This is a hugely interesting subject, that all talents and gifts given to men for the good of mankind come from above and we should accept that all are God-given.  The principle applied to this context is probably best understood as John saying that any ability he has, and the success he has had with it, come from heaven.  He is the Messiah, I am just the forerunner.

 

He is the bridegroom, I am the invited guest   v29

“He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom which standeth and heareth Him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.”

 

In the western, modern world, the bride is the focus of attention; in the east it was the bridegroom.  By this analogy John is proclaiming that all this will end well in wedded bliss in the future, and John is happy to be a friend of the groom.  He acknowledges that the followers of Christ will be closer to Him than he.

 

He is the future, I am the past      v30

“He must increase and I decrease.” 

 

Just as the light of the moon recedes at the rising of the sun, so my role will diminish and His increase.  My work is almost done, His is just begun and will go on growing and flourishing without end-refer Isaiah 9v7, Acts6v7, Ephesians 2v21.

 

He is from heaven, we are all of the earth  v31

“He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly and speaketh of the earth: He that cometh from heaven is above all.”

 

He is above all, He is from above, and is over all.  Solomon reminded the people of due reverence, “God is in heaven, and thou upon earth”-Ecclesiastes 5v2.  Jesus said to the Jews, reminding them who He was, “Ye are from beneath, I am from above: ye are of this world, I am not of this world”-John 8v23.  This makes Him superior in rank to every other person, as the later New Testament declares times without number.

 

 

His testimony is superior to everyone else    v32-33

“And what He hath seen and heard, that He testifieth: and no man receiveth His testimony.  He that hath received His testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.”

 

He is from above, and He has seen and heard things which are beyond this earth-something like what Paul experienced in 2^nd Corinthians 12v4, where he refers to “unspeakable words”.   John uses hyperbole to say that no man receives His testimony, then says , “he that received His testimony”.  He is saying that the testimony of Christ is not discerned naturally and so only a few respond.  Jesus made it clear to even the topmost teacher in Israel that the things of heaven could only be understood by the power of the Spirit in the soul of man.  The few who discern are fully persuaded of the truth, which is the meaning of “set to his seal that God is true.”  The seal of an eastern king could only be broken by one of equal status-refer 2^nd Corinthians 1v22 and Ephesians 1v13-14 and 2^nd Timothy 2v19, for the unbreakable guarantee of God to all believers.  His word is superior to the patriarchs and the prophets, the final word of God to men-Hebrews 1v2.

 

In Him resides all the fulness of Deity    v34

“For He whom God has sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto Him.”

Men have received in their time portions of inspiration from the Spirit of God; He received the Spirit from above without measure, in Him resides all the plenitude of all the attributes of the infinite God.  He is the fulness of God, when He speaks God is speaking, He is unlimited in His Deity, and therefore is unrivalled by anyone on earth.  He was sent from God, He spoke the words of God, and He possesses all the fulness of God.

 

 

He will rule the earth for His Father God    v35

“The Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into His hand”

 

The Father’s love gift to the Son is that He has given all things into His hand.  This thread that He will inherit all things runs through scripture from Genesis 25v5; Psalm 2v8; Matthew 28v18; John 13v3; John 17v2; Hebrews 1v2, and many more.  The Son inherits all, rules over all, controls all; so shall be fulfilled in the kingdom of God, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”-Matthew 6v10.  God has invested everything in His Son.

 

He is the arbiter of the eternal destiny of all   v36

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth upon Him.”

 

So important is He that our attitude to Him alone determines our eternal destiny, which has already been declared as “perish”-bereft eternally from God; or everlasting life-to dwell in all the goodness of God forever.  In modern, crude language, without Christ we are losers, with Christ we are winners, and that forever.  In Him hangs our eternal state, and we make a deliberate choice for better or worse.  Those who choose to live in this life without Christ shall be without Him forever.

 

 

God's beneficence to the world

 John 3v17-21

It is a known historical fact that God sent His Son into the world, and He did not send Him to condemn it but to save it-v17.  He that believes is free from any condemnation from God, and therefore from anyone, since God is the supreme judge of all.  Any condemnation, now, is because of refusal to believe in His Son; such is the sacrifice God made for the world that rejection of it will carry the ultimate penalty-v18.  Rejection of God’s love is not because of ignorance but because of wilfulness.  It’s not that we don’t know, but that we don’t want to know-“…this is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil: for everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved; but he that doeth truth cometh to the light that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God”-John 3v19-21

 

In essence we love evil deeds more than God, and, according to John’s Revelation-chapter 22v11, will be left in that state for ever.  

C.S. Lewis, the converted Irish philosopher, wrote words that are piercingly true-“When a person receives the truth of God they say to God “Thy will be done”; when a person rejects God, God says to them “Thy will be done”.   God has done everything in His beneficent motion in grace to the world.  Now we all determine our fate, whether to perish or have eternal life.  God will accept your decision, He will not force His way upon anyone.  It is clear from the later narrative that Nicodemus did accept Christ and was born again-John 7v50-51; 19v39-40.  What about you?

God's provision for a perishing world

John 3v16   "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

Where else will you get an offer like that?  Everything in life comes with a price, and those who have most to pay live better.  This is a price that no man can pay and so God offers it to every man freely.  All we have to do is believe it, and the results will last forever, even beyond this life into the great eternity to which all of us are headed.  So above is the great text of the bible.

 

Note the little word “so”; in like manner to the recorded history of Israel from Numbers 21v5-9, so God is dealing with the world.  Bitten by the serpent, dying a slow but certain death; no cure in sight by any man; only God has the cure and it is by something or someone being lifted up from the earth in sight of the whole earth so that everyone can see it!  What do we have to do?  Just look, just believe, and you have eternal life!  Don’t miss out on the greatest offer given to the entire human race and more importantly to you.

 

God….the greatest Person in existence

The world….the greatest possible number of people

Loved….the greatest love ever revealed

Gave…the greatest free gift ever given

Son…the most precious possession He had

Whosoever…the most all-inclusive invitation

Believeth in Him….The simplest remedy ever offered

Perish…the most solemn alternative destiny

Eternal life…life beyond our wildest dreams

 

Look and live; believe and be saved!  No need to pay; no need to attend any church; no need to give to charity for the greatest charity is what God gives to us.  Just believe, swallow your pride, accept God’s gift and be sure of salvation.  Do it just where you are, it only takes a second of your time and the transaction is complete.  God says it, I believe it, Join me!

In this lovely verse of scripture we have a series of couplets:

 

God…..His only begotten Son; The source of the gospel

Loved….gave;  The sacrifice of the gospel

The world…whosoever;  The scope of the gospel

Believeth…hath;  The simplicity of the gospel

Perish…everlasting life;  The solemnity of the gospel

 

From the narrative of Numbers, all under threat, all can be saved, only believe.  God has the answer, and you can have it as an unalterable guarantee right now.