Chapter 4 of The Gospel of John is one of my favorite scriptures. This is where Jesus met and talked to the Samaritan woman at the well. This encounter, more than any other that I know of, fly’s in the face of many religious traditions and gives you a glimpse of what Jesus was, and is, all about.
Jesus was a Jew and Jews were not to have anything to do with the Samaritans. A Jewish man talking to a Samaritan woman was even a worse no-no.
Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him (Jesus), How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have
no dealings with the Samaritans. (John 4:9)
Jesus struck up a conversation with the woman about the water in the well which concluded with Him using a spiritual gift (Word of Knowledge) to tell her about her having five husbands and presently living with a man that was not her husband. Of course, she
was astounded! How would you feel if a complete stranger just told you your life story? Her response was one of the understatements of the Bible when she said, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet”.
They then began to talk about where to go to church, “Our fathers worshipped in this mountain;
and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship” (John 4:20). Jesus responded with the following: Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a
Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:21-24)
At the end of this interchange the woman came to the conclusion that Jesus was the Messiah. She was so convinced and excited that she left her water-pot and went back to her Samaritan town and told the men to come
see a man that told her all the things that she ever did. Many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the words of that woman. Many more believed when they heard Jesus speak to them personally. In other words, this woman started a revival in a Samaritan city. A “WOMAN” did that!!!
I want you to think
about these things. Jesus crossed all the barriers, and answered many of our questions in one sitting with a Samaritan woman. He broke the cultural and ethnic barrier between Jews and Samaritans by meeting with and ministering to a Samaritan woman; He broke the spiritual gifts barrier (which were reserved for the Jewish people) by giving a “Word of Knowledge” to a Samaritan; He broke the woman barrier by using a woman to start a revival by the words out of her own mouth; He broke the church
barrier by not promoting a particular church but by promoting a particular type of worship.
Just think about those things! Are we not still fighting those same silly battles? The church is still wrestling with cultural and ethnic issues; still wrestling with the woman issue; still wrestling with the church
issue; and still wrestling with the spiritual gifts issue.
Don’t you think it may be time to grow up?
"But the hour is coming, and now is"
