Wed, Aug 28th - 1:19PM
THE
SAMARITAN WOMAN
Jhn
4: 31In
the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. 32But
he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 33Therefore
said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to
eat? 34Jesus saith unto them, My meat
is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. 35Say
not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I
say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white
already to harvest. 36And
he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that
both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. 37And
herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. 38I
sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye
are entered into their labours.
Brothers
and sisters, the disciples did not understand that Jesus had already began the
work of harvesting people unto God by saving lost sinners. When they saw Jesus with
the Samaritan woman, all they had were questions in their minds about Him even
being seen with such a woman. It was easy for the disciples to share the gospel
with their own, people who looked like them, people related to the nation; but
they had problems with “those people” who differed from them in some way-this
Samaritan woman with whom the Jews had no dealings for instance.
Of
course, brethren, later on the disciples would change in this regard. However, Jesus
came to save sinners all of whom are lost, and to show God is no respecter of
persons: Jhn
3:16 - 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.
Brethren, Jesus demonstrated to His disciples that the gospel
message was not to be denied to people for any reason, but freely preached to
every nation, and all people.
Mar 16:15 - And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the
gospel to every creature.
We
know, brothers and sisters, that we are the laborers whom God commands to go
out to the harvest with the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We can
start where we are, as many have and are doing to our families, neighbors, friends,
people we meet along the way none of it based on people’s social status, wealth
or lack of it, nor nationality or race: Luk 15:10 - Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the
angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
Mar 8:38 - Whosoever
therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful
generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the
glory of his Father with the holy angels.
Rom 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the
power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and
also to the Greek.
Rom 10:15
- And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it
is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace,
and bring glad tidings of good things!
love
serola
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Mon, Aug 26th - 12:12AM
THE SAMARITAN WOMAN
The
commonality of those under the Law, brothers and sisters, is that they all cherry picked it. They only
obeyed the Laws they liked or benefitted them in some way. We know the same
holds true today, brethren. Those demanding the tithe take it even from those
whom God never required to tithe: Kids after school work money and/or
allowances, grandpas nursing home stipend, grandmas social security check, poor
folks welfare and or/ SSI disability checks. Many will ask for whole paychecks,
rent money or to sell their homes to pay tithes, putting whole families at
risk. The tithes go to enrich some well beyond the incomes of their
congregations, they drive pass the homeless in their BMWs, without a thought
about helping the poor and homeless. Sadly, some in error think that they obey
the Law, but again cherry pick it deceiving themselves, because the whole Law
has to be kept which no one other than Jesus Christ has ever done. Jesus Christ would go on to establish the New
Testament the better covenant and change the tithes forever. Feel, free dearly beloveds,
to see earlier posts on how Jesus changed the tithes, exactly what the tithes
consist of and to whom alone they can be given by the command of God.
By
the time of the earthly ministry of Lord Jesus Christ the Law was doing exactly
what God had purposed it-showing the rampant, glaring sin of all men, not only
in Samaria but in all the regions of the Nation as well as in the world. Now
the Messiah, Deliverer, Redeemer, the great Physician, the Lamb of God Jesus
Christ had touched down to earth to save the sin sick lost.
Jhn
4: 28The woman then left her
waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29Come, see a man, which told me
all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? 30Then they went out of the city,
and came unto him.
The
Samaritan woman walked away leaving her waterpot, because she had found the
Messiah. When it comes to the gospel message all of God’s people are to preach
it near and far, everywhere, because this is the general message to the church
as a whole. Jesus knew who and what the Samaritans were, all their sins, yet He
also knew they were waiting, ready, and willing to believe on Him.
Brothers
and sisters, it would be a mistake to think that the Samaritan woman left that
well thirsty that day. She had found or rather been found by the Messiah, whom
she truly hungered for, the bread of heaven, who gave her the forgiveness of
her sins she had long ached for.
We
have to note her wisdom in not foolishly arguing with Lord Jesus and insisting
that she had to pay for the free gift He offered her so freely. She knew if she
lived a thousand life times she could never pay for not even one of her sins to
be taken away, only the Messiah could once for all time take away all her sins.
Jesus
Christ didn’t need water from the well, He is the water that never runs dry,
from whom the Samaritan woman drank quickly, freely with nothing doubting. Neither
Jesus nor the Samaritan woman left that well thirsty that day.
Holy
people thanks, and praise be to God, and God the Son Lord Jesus Christ for their
great faithfulness, unmerited love, mercy, and kindness in loving unlovable
sinners, and forgiving the unforgivable by grace, which could never be done
under the Law of Moses.
love
serola
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Fri, Aug 23rd - 3:34PM
THE
SAMARITAN WOMAN
Brothers
and sisters, the Samaritan woman in her statement of fact, showed that she was
looking for the coming of Jesus Christ who was above all men and He alone would
tell people all things and all things about themselves. Jesus Christ responded
to her statement of faith of the truth about the Messiah not as though He was answering
a question, but gave her the absolute confirmatory statement that He indeed is
the One she had described: Jhn 4: 26 Jesus saith unto
her, I that speak unto thee am he.
The
Samaritan woman, dearly beloveds, was initially
asking questions but at the last she made a statement of truth, because she was
convinced of who Jesus is and had no need of further questionings as she
understood Jesus is greater than Jacob, greater than the fathers, Jesus is
greater than all men, greater than any carnal Law, higher than any mountain,
deeper than any well, and alone can freely give to all who believe the waters
of salvation leading to eternal life.
Jhn
4: 27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he
talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou
with her?
It
was a common practice in Jesus’s day, saints (G40 hagios), that women who were deemed as “loose” or
outright sexual sinners received a bad reputation, and would be treated as
outcasts. The so called decent men would
be questioned for even being seen
talking to such a woman , many men would not want to damage their reputation by being seen
with such a woman openly: Luk 7:39.
Here
Jesus’s disciples find Him freely talking to such a woman, but they did not
dare ask Him any questions about it, but no doubt they had questions.
The
disciples had no clue as to what had taken place between Jesus Christ and the
Samaritan woman.
Psa
103: 10He
hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our
iniquities. 11For
as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them
that fear him. 12As
far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our
transgressions from us.
Mat
1:21 - And she shall bring forth a son, and
thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Jhn
10:16 - And other sheep I have, which are not
of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there
shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
love
serola
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Thu, Aug 22nd - 1:47AM
THE
SAMARITAN WOMAN
Brothers
and sisters, Jacob’s prophecy concerning Judah:
Gen
49:10The
sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
11Binding
his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his
garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
Pro 31:10Who
can find a virtuous woman, her price is far above rubies.
Brothers
and sisters, based on the biblical record, one would not be likely to find such
a woman in Samaria. Yet the king of glory did not come to Samaria looking for
such a woman in the first place. It is dangerous for a woman to be completely
alone with a man who was a stranger, Yet Jesus Christ is the safest, kindest,
and most gentle man a woman could ever know. Jesus Christ is the best friend a
man could ever have. Lord Jesus came looking for this Samaritan woman, few men if
any would seek such a woman out.
However,
her Maker knowing the depths of her sins and who and what she was came from
eternity and went through mountains to get to her: Psa
86:5 - For thou, Lord, art good, and
ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. The
Lord would not come looking for up standing squeaky clean ladies in pretty
dresses, nice gents in their Sunday best, children from the best families. No,
He came looking for sinners for all have sinned…
Isa
1:18 - Come now, and
let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they
shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as
wool.
Isa 52:7 - How
beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings,
that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth
salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
Isa
53:11 - He shall see of
the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall
my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Isa 53:12 - Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his
soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the
sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Isa
66:23 - And it shall come to pass, that
from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.
Mic
7:19 - He will turn
again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou
wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
Jesus
Christ knew what the Samaritan woman needed and what her heart and soul truly thirsted
after: Isa 55: 1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and
he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without
money and without price. 2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread?
and your labor for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and
eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul
shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure
mercies of David. 4 Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a
leader and commander to the people. 5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation
that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee
because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath
glorified thee. 6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him
while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man
his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon
him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your
ways my ways, saith the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my
ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven,
and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth
and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it
shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and
it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with
peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
The
Samaritan woman was shaken to her core. Could this man who spoke so kindly, gently
and freely to her, who knew things about her that she never revealed to him,
could He be the man who could give her want her heart and soul truly thirsted
for, and without price? Had she lived among the Jews, practicing the Law
outside of Samaria, it is likely she would have been rejected out of hand as a
sinner not worthy or acceptable to the good folk.
Dearly
beloveds, the Samaritan woman speaks she is not asking a question but stating a
fact and she has got it right this time: Jhn 4: 25The woman saith unto him, I
know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell
us all things. Jhn
1:41.
love
serola
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Fri, Aug 16th - 4:26PM
THE
SAMARITAN WOMAN
Brothers
and sisters, Jesus was not angry at the woman, neither did He laugh in her face
as she in error thought she was schooling Him on how the Samaritan way of
worship was so much better than that of the Jews. Others tried to school Jesus too,
and bring Him under the Law which He came to and would fulfill totally. Nobody
has the power to take or drag Jesus Christ any place He did not want to go. Brethren, we know that Jesus knew neither Samaritans
nor Jews truly worshipped God neither kept they the whole Law in their lands. Neither the Samaritans nor the Jews went up
into their respective mountains to worship God, but instead went there a
whoring after the gods they had made with their own hands and also committed
horrific abominations therein: The Bible records Israel was worse at it than
the Samaritans: Jer
3:6 - The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou
seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she
is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath
played the harlot. Harlot is being used generically, applied to both the
men and the women by God.
God
Himself said that Israel had broken Him: Eze 6:9 - And
they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall
be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish
heart, which hath departed from me, and with
their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall lothe
themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations.
Jesus
did not question the Samaritan woman as to how she supposedly came to a well
with only a water pot and no bucket to draw water with. She had had five husbands and now living with a man she was not married to. There is good reason
to understand that Jesus Christ knew what she really came for at that well, but
gave her what she really and truly needed as only He could do..
Jesus
addressed none of the aforementioned with her, because He came to preach a
salvation absolutely not based on
tribal, or national origins: John 4: 21Jesus saith unto her, Woman,
believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at
Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22Ye
worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the
Jews. 23But 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. 24God is a Spirit: and
they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Amen.
brothers and sisters. Jesus schools the Samaritan woman as only Jesus Christ can
do. The Samaritans did not know what they were worshipping in their mountain,
although the Bible records devils are
behind idols: Lev
17:7; Deu
32:17; 2Ch
11:15; 2Ch
11:15.
True
worship of God has nothing to do with physical location. The place of true worship
begins in the hearts of all whomsoever has seen and believes the truth of God and
worships Him in the spirit wherever they are. It did not matter what the
Samaritan woman had done, how low she had fallen, how sinful her life, outcast
from Israel, with no chance of redemption under the Law of Moses. Jesus Christ-
here was a Jew declaring not the Law of Moses, but a higher Law, a deeper
worship bringing the Salvation that arises out of the nation of Israel for all
men and women too everywhere, as Jesus said Whomsoever will drink of the water He will give it
will spring up into everlasting life in them.
love
serola
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Wed, Aug 14th - 5:36PM
THE SAMARITAN WOMAN
Saints, G40 hagios), God’s intent from before
the beginning is that all should be saved, His promise of salvation would not
be only for the nation of Israel under the Law, but to all peoples, all nations
under a new covenant.
Brothers and sisters, most of us know that God
allowed believing strangers to be a part of the nation of Israel except no
stranger could be a part of the earthly Levitical priesthood: the Levitical
priesthood was exclusively given to the tribe of Levi alone; Heb 8:4 - For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that
there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: 5Who
serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was
about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all
things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount. 6But now hath he obtained a more excellent
ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was
established upon better promises. 7For
if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have
been sought for the second.
8For finding
fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will
make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of
Judah:
CIRCUMCISION OF BELIEVING STRANGERS :
Exo 12:48 - And
when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the
LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it;
and he shall be as one that is born in the
land: for no
uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.
BELIEVING STRANGERS BOUND WITH ISRAEL UNDER
THE LAW:
Deu 31:12 - Gather
the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is
within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the
LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law:
Nevertheless, the voice of the prophets
throughout the ages would proclaim a new Day, a New Law for all, not limited by
reason of nationality, ethnicity, but freely given to all who believe in the
Messiah, Saviour, Deliverer, Redeemer to come.
Psa 86:9 - All
nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall
glorify thy name.
The Samaritan woman had been rejected all her
life as having no legitimate claims of belonging to the nation of Israel.
Surely, receiving this free gift, this living water, receiving this eternal
life freely given and being available to anyone who wanted it would at last
catch her attention at last. To be freely accepted, no more putdowns, no more
fighting to claim her identity, no more life of shame and rejection. Here was a
Jew like none she had ever met before, so welcoming, so accepting of her. Now
she responds to Lord Jesus Christ:
Jhn 4:15The woman saith unto him, Sir,
give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. 16Jesus saith unto her, Go, call
thy husband, and come hither. 17The
woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well
said, I have no husband: 18For
thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in
that saidst thou truly.
Uh oh, brothers and sisters, Jesus would never harm her, but there she was a
woman alone with a Jew, and she had to know how Jews dealt with unmarried woman
being with a man, long before the law was established: Gen 38:24 - And
it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar
thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is
with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.
Jesus here is telling her that her boasting
about being so much more faithful to the law than the Jews is not true at all.
She cannot justify herself under the law and it seems that she felt it was time
to quickly change the subject to something else. Jhn 4: 19The woman saith unto him, Sir,
I perceive that thou art a prophet. 20Our
fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place
where men ought to worship.
Jesus does not correct her for God for God
rebuked Israel for worshipping in the mountain of Samaria: Amo 6:1. Instead God had established His place of worship to be: Isa 27:13 - And
it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be
blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria,
and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship
the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem. Isa 66:20 - And
they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of
all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and
upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children of Israel
bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD. Zec 8:3 - Thus
saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of
Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city
of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.
Jesus
knew the history of Jerusalem also being occupied by Jebusites along with Israel,
and would respond to the woman in a
shocking way: Jos 15:63 - As
for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not
drive them out: but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem
unto this day. Jdg
1:21 - And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that
inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem
unto this day.
love
serola
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|
Mon, Aug 12th - 3:19PM
THE
SAMARITAN WOMAN
Brothers
and sisters, what questions Jesus posed to the Samaritan woman…If she knew the
gift of God…who it is that spoke to her…who had power to give living water!!!
One
would expect the Samaritan woman to want to ask who such a person claimed to
be, what was this gift, and what was this living water. Instead the Samaritan
woman replies: John 4: 11The
woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is
deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? 12Art
thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof
himself, and his children, and his cattle?
Her
response expresses doubt tinged with insult-seeing is believing and she notes Jesus
doesn’t even have a bucket to draw up any water. Here is where we need to get
out our microscopes, brethren, she claims Jacob as her father making herself an
heir of his, but makes no mention of the tribe she belongs to. In Israel you
had to belong to a tribe or you did not belong at all.
We
know Jacob had 12 sons out of whom the 12 tribes of Israel came. We know Jesus came
out of the tribe of Judah the fourth son of Leah, Jacob’s second wife. Then the
woman frankly dares and challenges Jesus in that she believes no one is greater
than Jacob. She said this to the most powerful and greatest human being who
ever walked on the face of the earth. Jesus
will not be drawn in the direction she would like to lead, about who is the greatest,
who are the true heirs, Samaritan vs Jews. Jesus does not even ask her what
tribe she is from, but in her reply to Jesus we now know her origins is that
she was born of the strangers God brought into Samaria and never received by
the Jews outside of Samaria as having any legal right to belong to a tribe. Jesus
could have insulted her back by noting she was tribeless and rejected by the
Jews outside of Samaria. She had yet to understand that His message to her is
beyond righteousness based on national or tribal affiliations.
Instead
Lord Jesus Responds with absolutely no references to tribes, or Jews vs
Samaritans or even the Law: John 4: 13Jesus
answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst
again: 14But
whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but
the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up
into everlasting life.
love
serola
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|
Sat, Aug 10th - 4:26PM
THE
SAMARITAN WOMAN
Isa
14:1For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and
will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and
they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.
Eze
47:22 And it shall come to pass, that ye
shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that
sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto
you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with
you among the tribes of Israel. 23 Eze 47: And it shall come to pass, that in what
tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance,
saith the Lord GOD.
Brothers
and sisters, it is quite clear that the Samaritans were cheated out of their inheritance,
and completely disowned by the Jews outside of Samaria. Nevertheless, it is
absolutely clear that Jesus had not come to that well to preach the Law to the
Samaritan woman. He was sent to Keep the promises His Father God had made, not
after the Law which the Bible declares: Heb 9:10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers
washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of
reformation. Surely
He had not come to Samaria seeking a righteous woman: Mar 2:16 And when the scribes and
Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples,
How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? 17
When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no
need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance.
We
know brothers and sisters, a physician has to have a strong stomach, be able to
detect, diagnose and heal a variety of conditions. He cannot be squeamish when he is exposed to
rotting or injured flesh. Jesus had healed all manner of deadly physical
diseases. Now, He had come to the Samaritan woman recognizing the deadliest
sickness of all-the spiritual sickness of sin. He had not come to condemn- Jhn 3:17 For
God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world
through him might be saved.
People
had no choice but to go to wells for water if they wanted to live. However, now
the spiritual waters of salvation, that Rock that quenched the thirst of Israel
and followed them in the wilderness, now comes to a Samaritan woman, to heal
her and all peoples, excepting Himself, all
suffer the deadly sickness of sin. Isa 56:6 Also
the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and
to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the
sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; 7Even them will I
bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their
burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all
people. 8 - The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith,
Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto
him.
The
Messenger of the Covenant, Jesus Christ came with the promises: Pro 25:25 - As
cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. Brethren
we note the exchange that had taken place between them: The Samaritan woman had
said: Jhn 4: 9Then saith the
woman of Samaria unto him, 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.
Jesus
Christ, in His great Wisdom would not be drawn or led into a discussion or
argument with her about Samaritans vs Jews; instead Jesus perceived her needs and stated clearly the question she
really should have asked of Him: John 4: 10Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou
knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink;
thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
love
serola
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Thu, Aug 8th - 2:35PM
THE
SAMARITAN WOMAN
Jhn
4: 7There
cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to
drink. 8(For
his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) 9Then
saith the woman of Samaria unto him, 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.
Some
writers in their studies in error paint the Samaritan woman as a good woman,
but we cannot overlook what God had declared about the Samaritans and their
horrific practices of idolatry mixed with a bit of the law that they cherry
picked, that is they chose to only obey the laws they liked. Was she a
harlot/whore? If not one physically certainly one based upon their long history
of idolatry- spiritual whoredoms, and
violations of the Law come into play.
This
is not to say that some of them were not good. The fact of this is clearly
stated in the words of Jesus about the good Samaritan: and in the case of the
Samaritan leper that Jesus healed. Of great interest, brethren, are that Lord Jesus
in healing the ten lepers clearly considered the Samaritans as Jews. Two things
stand out in His healing of the ten lepers, He sent all of them to the priests the
only one coming back to believe, worship and thank him was a Samaritan whom HE
referred to as a “stranger”: Luk
17:11-19.
Jesus understood and followed the Law
regarding strangers that resided in Israel as well as transient strangers
passing through.
It
is clear that the strangers God had brought in were considered Jews and no
longer considered gentiles by God. We know this, brethren, because God lumped
them together in calling these two groups as one in referring to them as
sisters. Most importantly, is that God allowed strangers and, in this case,
brought these strangers in. It is only what He declares about them that is
valid: Lev
19:34 - But the stranger that dwelleth
with you shall be unto you as one born among you,
and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt:
I am the LORD your God. Num
15:15 - One
ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the
stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your
generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD.
The Jews
outside of Samaria, dearly beloveds, had brutally made all the Samaritans
outcasts, and made them know it by thoroughly ostracizing all of them, in
violation of the Law they claimed to uphold.
The
Samaritan woman just saw Jesus as another brutal Samaritan hating Jew, and certainly
it appears to come as a surprise that He addressed her at all for any reason. It
is clear that the Samaritans, and this woman did not see herself as a Jew due
to a long history of being discriminated against by the Jews outside of
Samaria. She saw Jesus as a stranger and a Jew. Brothers and sisters, the Bible
tells us nothing much about this woman but it is of utmost importance that it
showcased her as a Samaritan woman.
Jesus
the Son of God knew her before He created her. She could never be a stranger to
Him. He Had planned this meeting long before she was ever born. He was there on
a mission from God, He had promises to keep and the time was now.
love
serola
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Tue, Aug 6th - 11:32PM
THE
SAMARITAN WOMAN
SPIRITUAL
INSIGHT
Jhn
4: 5Then
cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of
ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6Now
Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey,
sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
Holy
people, again, Jesus knew all about those to whom He was sent because God His
Father declared Samaria to be like Sodom: Eze
16:46 - And thine elder sister is
Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger
sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters.
As
far as comparing the Jews at Jerusalem to the Samaritans Jesus knew that God
had declared that the sins of the Jews at Jerusalem were far worse than those
of the Samaritans:
JERUSELEM-ABOMINATIONS
PRACTICED- Eze
16:1 - Again the word of the LORD came unto
me, saying, 2 Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, 3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto
Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy
father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite.
Eze
16:51 - Neither hath
Samaria committed half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations
more than they, and hast justified thy sisters in all thine abominations
which thou hast done.
The
Jews did judge the Samaritans, however God again declared they were sinning
worse: Eze
16:52 - Thou also, which hast judged thy
sisters, bear thine own shame for thy sins that thou
hast committed more abominable than they: they are more righteous than thou:
yea, be thou confounded also, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified
thy sisters.
We
don’t know the name of the Samaritan woman at the well but God gave an
unfavorable name to both Samaria and Jerusalem:
Eze
23:4 - And the names of them were
Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare
sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and
Jerusalem Aholibah.
Aholah
= "her own tent" Samaria as an adulteress with Assyria (metaph)
Eze 23:5And Aholah
played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the
Assyrians her neighbours,
Eze
23: Judgment on Both Sisters (mixed worship forbidden)
36The LORD said moreover unto
me; Son of man, wilt thou judge Aholah and Aholibah? yea, declare unto them
their abominations; 37That
they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and with their idols
have they committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom they bare
unto me, to pass for them through the fire, to devour them. 38Moreover this they have
done unto me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned
my sabbaths. 39For
when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day
into my sanctuary to profane it; and, lo, thus have they done in the midst of
mine house.
Aholibah
= "woman of the tent" or "the tent is in her" (metaph)
Jerusalem as adulterous wife of Jehovah.
Brothers
and sisters, the Bible referencing Joseph is not an accident. Joseph was an
heir, yet he had been sold by his jealous brothers and bought as a mere slave
in the idolatrous land of Egypt, He grew up to maturity amerced in the
idolatrous Egyptian culture from a young and impressionable age (17) He went on
to attain fabulous riches and great authority, nevertheless, he remained
faithful to the God of his fathers. Joseph never once lost sight of God being
in the details of his life for he later said to his brothers who had sold him: Gen 45: 4And
Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near.
And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. 5Now
therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. 6For
these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there
are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing
nor harvest. 7And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth,
and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God:
and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler
throughout all the land of Egypt.
Joseph
forgave his brothers saying: Gen 50: 19And
Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? 20But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant
it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people
alive.
In
a figure, brethren, we see Jesus Christ, who contrariwise voluntarily gave
Himself for us. He was fabulously wealthy, but made Himself poor for us. He was
raised from birth among Jews who perverted the Law and was exposed to a pagan
gentile culture that worshipped many gods, and pagan leaders who proclaimed
themselves to be god, yet Jesus Christ remained faithful to His Father God. Although,
men, meaning it for evil would put Him to death, God meant it for good as
through the death of His Son the lives of countless others would be saved and
preserved with eternal life through faith in His name. Jesus forgave His
perpetrators while He was still on the cross.
Jesus
Christ was more than a man. Brethren, we know that He is fully man without
ceasing to be God. He is the perfect man; all others were made in His image. He
is anointed with the holy ghost and power by God. He can and did walk on water,
He can and did turn water into wine. He miraculously fed thousands with scraps
of food. He can and did rebuke the raging wind and water of the sea and they
obeyed Him. He was the water and the Rock in the wilderness that followed and
gave to drink all the thousands of children of Israel. He is the Creator Son
who made everything. Now He sits at a well without a bucket to draw water, yet
brethren, we are convinced that although He would later ask for water, if He had been thirsty for water, He would
have had no need to ask anyone or had need of a bucket to draw of the well upon
which He sat. Jesus Christ had a greater purpose in coming to that well. Next
Jesus meets the Samaritan woman-are they strangers when they meet? We do not
have to ask if He can handle her.
love
serola
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Sat, Aug 3rd - 3:30PM
THE
SAMARITAN WOMAN
SPIRITUAL
HINDSIGHT
Jhn
4: 6Now
Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey,
sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
We
need to continue to look at these two groups the Non-Jewish Samaritans and the
Jewish Samaritans in Samaria.
Brothers
and sisters, we have looked at the origins of the non-Jewish Samaritans, the
reasons why God brought these strangers in who did not worship God, who sent
lions to kill them because of it. These strangers, to save their lives, had to
be taught to worship God by a priest sent from captivity back for this purpose.
However, it is clear that these people practiced idolatry too and also observed
the Law of Moses at the same time.
Dearly
beloveds, I know some of us have questions: God expelled the Jews, including
the Levites, out for idolatry and now He brings in people doing the same things
yet He accepts them. Is God showing favoritism? No, God is absolutely not
showing favoritism, because He punished those who practiced idolatry many times
to show His disapproval. Stay tuned for more on this later. We do find at some
point Jews returned to live in Samaria, but they kept up their old practices of
idol worship mixed with the Law. There is no evidence, holy people, that The
Jews intermarried with the replacement people, however in their doings of mixed
worship they became indistinguishable from one another so that Jews outside of
Samaria by the time of Jesus Christ, did not see any Samaritan as an authentic
Jew. We find many biblical references to Samaria as one group of rebellious and
idolatrous people, making no distinction between the replacement people and the
Jews who returned to live among them.
Origin
of Jews and the nation of israel: Exodus 19:5 'Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant,
then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is
Mine;
Deuteronomy
7:6-8 "For you are a holy people to the
LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own
possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. "The
LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number
than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He
swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and
redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
Exodus 19:4-6
'You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on
eagles' wings, and brought you to Myself. 'Now then, if
you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own
possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you
shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words
that you shall speak to the sons of Israel."
Isaiah 41:8-9 But
thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of
Abraham my friend.
Dearly
beloveds, we know (see Romans chapters 9-11). It wasn't the Jews That caught
our God's eye, it was a man named Abraham; God's friend, who trusted and
believed in Him. In a world that believed in so many gods, a man with his faith
in the one true God was unusual. So, God chose and made a covenant with Abraham
to be the line for His Son, and in promise loved and blessed his descendants as
well.
Of
the nation of Israel the Bible states clearly, not as an attack but the truth
of God’s word: Neh
9:34 - Neither have our kings, our princes,
our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments
and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them.
There
is little to distinguish the Samaritans from the Jews outside of Samaria in
terms of their faithfulness to the Law, which neither were. Perhaps the Jews
outside of Samaria could claim to be of purer blood, however, the Bible records
a number of marriages in Israel with those persons from idolatrous nations whom
God forbade them to marry. So, although the Jews outside of Samaria were
separate from gentiles, and had the trappings of the law, the Levitical priesthood
which was corrupt and, the synagogues, they did not apply the law equally,
robbed widows, oppressed the people in excessive tithes, and introduced
man-made teachings in with the law.
Nevertheless,
it is no accident that Jesus arrives in the city of Samaria where He arrives
weary, and sits on the well. He knows full well His mission. He needs to be there;
He knows what the place is and who the people are. Most importantly Jesus did regard the Samaritans as being Jews although He instructed His disciples: Mt
10:5These twelve Jesus sent
forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and
into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
It
is absolutely clear that Jesus declared that Israel under the law were still
lost sheep in just as much need of a Saviour as the gentiles and Samaritans.
love
serola
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Thu, Aug 1st - 2:10PM
THE
SAMARITAN WOMAN
Brothers
and sisters, the Samaritan woman meeting Jesus Christ at the well has been
studied many times, and this will be another. There will be no comingling of this
study with historical man- made records of uncertain origins and for which
there is absolutely no way to authenticate the source as either truthful or valid.
Holy people, let us get out our spiritual shovels, pick axes, chisels, and oh,
some of you even have microscopes out as we go to dig into the word of God seeking
the treasures of His wisdom.
Jhn
4:3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee 4And
he must needs go through Samaria. 5Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which
is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son
Joseph.
Let
us look at the origins of the city of Sychar in the land of Samaria: 1Ki 16:23 In
the thirty and first year of Asa king of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel,
twelve years: six years reigned he in Tirzah. 1Ki
16:24 And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer
for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the
city which he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria. The Bible
indicates that before the city of Samaria was even established the region had a
bad reputation for idolatry: 1Ki 13:32 - For
the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel,
and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of
Samaria, shall surely come to pass.
It
comes as no surprise that the city of Samaria along with all of its cities developed
a terrible history for horrible idolatry to the point that God evicted them,
cast them out of it except Judah who in time was evicted as well by God for the
same reasons: Ki 17:18 Therefore
the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there
was none left but the tribe of Judah only. 19
Also
Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the
statutes of Israel which they made.
God
replaced all of them with non-Jews: 2Ki 17:23 Until
the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants
the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto
this day. 2Ki
17:24
And
the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from
Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities
of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and
dwelt in the cities thereof. These non-Jews remained but worshipped God along
with the various idols of the lands from which they came: 2Ki 17:29 Howbeit every nation made
gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which
the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt.
According to the Bible this was the manner of life of the replacement peoples: 2Ki 17:41 So
these nations feared the LORD, and served their graven images, both their
children, and their children's children: as did their fathers, so do they unto
this day.
Brothers
and sisters, so from this we can get the feel about the place where Jesus was
going, although the Bible records this was not His only trip in Samaria or dealing
with Samaritans.
Love
serola
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