Plenary for YP Festival

Sermon Title

Scripture Reference: :

Jesus, being a Jew, goes through Samaria. Verse 9 tells us that Jews had no dealings with Samaritans (not Samaritans towards Jews). Jesus knowing that he is trying to bridge the gap between goes into a territory with people who were racially marginalized, called half-breed Jews, and attempts to understand their culture.

You can’t expect the barriers to be broken if you never go to places, particularly worshipping communities with people who don’t look like you. Most of you can count on one hand, if at all, you have ever been in a space where you have been the minority.

The Pharisees began to spread the word that Jesus was baptizing more disciples than John the Baptist did. And Jesus says it’s time to leave Judea and go to Galiliee. This is important, as Judea is called the “Land of the Jews” this was a place with people who looked like Jesus and his cousin John the Baptist, but by this time, it is presumed that Herod has captured John and placed him in prison and to avoid capture, Jesus leaves to head to Galilee–much of his ministry will occur in Galilee.

But while Jesus is seemingly on the run from his own people for challenging the geo-political structure of Roman/Judeo dominance and corruption, the Bible says in verse 4 that he HAD TO PASS THROUGH SAMARIA.

The historian Josephus lets us know that Jesus going this way is not a geographical necessity; for, although the main route from Judea to Galilee was through Samaria , Jesus could easily have gone north and then up into Galilee through the Bethshan gap, avoiding Samaria.

But Jesus realized it was God’s will and a ministerial, Kingdom necessity for him to route his work through a place where people did not look like him. Don’t get it twisted, the reason Jews didn’t go through Samaria to get to Galilee had nothing to do with their belief in Yaweh, rather it had everything to do with them not wanted to engage and interact with people of a darker skin color.

The Gospel according to John (I–XII): Introduction, Translation and Notes Notes

4:4. had to pass. This is not geographical necessity; for, although the main route from Judea to Galilee was through Samaria (Josephus Ant. XX.VI.1;#118), if Jesus was in the Jordan valley (3:22) he could easily have gone north through the valley and then up into Galilee through the Bethshan gap, avoiding Samaria. Elsewhere in the Gospel (3:14) the expression of necessity means that God’s will or plan is involved.

-Preaching Prophetically on Race begins with a deconstruction of racial bias and stereotypes, and requires deep repentance for conscious and unconscious racism.