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.