John 4:3- 10
“3 When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. 4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) 10Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."
While watching a recent broadcast of Kay Arthur on Lightsource TV regarding this passage, it struck me again just how intentional the life of Jesus was. Kay focused first on verse 4 – “Now he had to go through Samaria.” What’s interesting about that verse is that during that time, Jews despised the Samaritans so much that normally, a Jew HAD to go AROUND Samaria; not THROUGH it. But Jesus lived an intentional life, and He was, as Kay put it, “About His Father’s business”. His goal was not just to get from point A, Judea, to point B, Galilee. His goal was to do what His Father called Him to do…to share the Good News. And that meant breaking the cultural norms of the times and going THROUGH Samaria.
In verse 7, we see Jesus going against current culture again. He actually spoke to a Samaritan woman. Not only did Jews not associate with Samaritans, but it was also unheard of for men and women to have public conversations. And furthermore, He wasn’t just having a conversation with her, He actually asked her to give Him a drink of water. Samaritan women were considered so unclean by Jews, that drinking from her vessel would make a Jew unclean and invite evil into himself. But as Kay said again, Jesus was “about His Father’s business”. Here his goal really wasn’t to get a drink. His goal again was to do what His Father called Him to do…to share the Good News. And once again, that meant breaking the cultural norms and rabbinic law of the times.
At this point, Jesus has opened conversation with the Samaritan woman. He revealed to her that she needs a Savior and that He had come. The woman was overjoyed and verse 39 says “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony.” All because Jesus went against culture of the times and was “about His Father’s business”. Jesus didn’t focus so much on the task of getting from Judea to Galilee and He wasn’t really focused on getting a drink from the well. He was focused on getting “about His father’s business”, the business of sharing the Good News, the business of saving lives. And He did it even if it meant breaking the culture norms of the times.
How many times have we been so set on getting from point A to point B, that we forget our main purpose? How many times have been so caught up in being “politically correct” that we miss out on going about our Father’s business? We live in a world where people are more concerned with offending someone from a different religion than we are about offending God our Creator. It’s a world where we send Christmas cards that say Seasons’ Greeting and Happy Holidays instead of Happy Birthday Jesus. With the new year beginning, I encourage you all to be intentional; to go against culture; to offend someone – not in the “judgmental, shove it down their throats” kind of way, but in the same kind and loving way that Jesus shares with the Samaritan woman. Make going about your Father’s business your top new years’ resolution and shake up the cultural norms of our day a little.
Today's post submitted by Kelly Coxe
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I would agree, I have judged other churches for not specking the word of God in context until one day I was at my Tax preparer's office and church came up. He told me he was an atheist until he went to this up lifting church and the people there were different and the massage was filled with hope, needless to say he got saved. So I guess that took me back to Paul when he said weather in false pretence or right Christ is being perched. Are we glorifying God where we are at in our walk? Do we love people where they are at? Do we look at what's on the inside of a person more so then what's on the outside?
ReplyDeleteDo we offer our hand to people even if we think well they just won't fit in with our little group? Or would they even want to? I speak these things not as I'm speaking these things to others but to my very sole.
Are flesh likes to look at others instead of looking at are self's it feels good, but maybe we do it out of defense so we don’t feel the hurt we are experiencing?
Maybe there is someone reading this that feels alone or left out or rejected by a group of others and in privet they hurt and ask God why do I feel this way, always left out? I think we all have been there and don’t enjoy it. I think as a body and again I'm speaking this to myself lets be hope this year, let's put our own insecurities aside for just awhile and think of others.
Maybe if we give all a chance we can really grow as the church. Jesus spoke about that church I'm coming back for a church "Without spot or Blemish"
You know I get so many people asking me about Ed Yong and the helicopter He takes to the other campus after the 9:30 service and I get bothered about where did it come from and who started it?
Let's not be the person that started the helicopter ride when we think we know something about someone, it may not be true.
If the world is looking for hope do we have what they want? If I was coming out of the world with no hope left would I be what they would want? Maybe, sometimes? Or by the way I conduct myself around others would they say: there is something there I really want, I hope so! I guess that is why the Word says: there is no good thing found in man. Let's go into this year loving each other right where they are, even if it hurts sometimes. There are so many of you out there that have a servant's hart and a willingness to be there for others. Thanks for letting me speak my heart.
Andy
Thanks Kelly for today's topic and Andy for your comment. I pray that we will put God first before culture and do things for his glory and not culture glory. Culture can't save us, but God can save us. If we don't we will miss out on God's blessings and blessings from others. Satan has lied so much to us and we believed him and that is why we still act as the Jews and Samaritans did. I pray as Paul prayed in Colossians 1 :9-10 which says" may we be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that we may walk in manner worthy of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work" I pray that we will see others from inside and not from outside. Think of the peace, joy and blessings we will experience if we do this.
ReplyDeleteThanks again and God bless!