Samaria

John 4:3-9

3 he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. 4 And he had to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.[a]

7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)

What was the longest time you guys ever walked before? Did you guys ever have to walk somewhere really far away because you had no ride?

Was it tiring?

Maybe the longest time you walked was the six flags fun day that we had last month….

You all were tired by the end of the day right?

Now… imagine if you had to walk to a destination….. Would you guys take a three day walk journey or a five day walk journey….

Why do you think some people will take the 5 day walk journey?

That is exactly what the Jews did…. When they wanted to go from Judea to Galilee.. They would take the extra two day journey because they didn't want to go through samaria….

In fact… they hated the samaritans…. Last week… the sermon was about the good samaritan who was a loving neighbor….. The people hearing this story was probably upset that the Samaritan was the person who showed percy….

Maybe now… some of you guys are wondering…. Why do the Jews hate the Samaritans soo much… So let's do a quick history lesson….

Northern kingdom vs southern kingdom…

Assyrians came and conquered the northern kingdom

They married the foreigners and lived with them…

So the southern kingdom (jews) say the northern kingdom (samaritans )dont follow the rules of God therefore we cannot be associated with them….

So the jews don't talk to the samaritans… eat together… in fact they dont even touch what the samaritans touch….

So weird right?

But What does Jesus did? He walks through Samaria…. He is a Jew… his disciples were probably wondering why they are walking through samaria….

In the bible verses that we just read… it says… “Jesus had to walk through samaria”

Isnt that interesting… he didnt have an option… it said he had to do it….

When do you tell people i have to do this… or i had to do it…. For example…. Your friends ask you…. Why did you eat the broccoli! You say.. My mom makes me eat it… so i had to eat it…

Or the other night… MS A and I went over to PP house…. And we were talking to their daughter…. And she said i had to walk laps because i talk in class… I had to do it because teacher made me!

So this phrase “Had to” is not optional…. Someone makes you do it…

So Jesus had to walk through samaria….. God made him go through samaria… this is called divine intervention….

So Jesus starts walking through samaria… oh no… its 2 days shorter…. I have to walk through samaria…. No? Lol

By the way… this is what Israel looks like…

(photo)

When he comes across a small town…. He decided to rest because he was tired…. So he sits down next to a well…. Around noon… the hottest part of the day…

Jesus sends his disciples to go into town to get them some food while he rested….

While he was resting… a women started to walk over to the well with probably buckets of water….

How odd… why would a women come to get water form the well on the hottest time of the day….

Normally the time when people would go get the water from the well would be early in the morning or late in the evening when the sun is not out and the weather is cooler….

So this woman was probably sweating… and panting…. Getting water… For those of you guys that went paintballing… wasnt it hot wearing the long sleeves and long pants? Gues what… women didnt wear shorts… tshirts.. .they had to cover themselves… so she was probably extra hot….

Interesting… why would she go get water on the hottest time of hte day…..

She starts drawing water from the well… and JEsus asks the women…. Give me a drink…

The women was probably shocked…. You a jew??? Ask a women of samaria for water!?

You know that spider man meme (meme)

Jesus is like why you coming at noon! Women is like why are u talking to a samaritan women, jew!

The reason why the women is shocked is because like i mentioned earlier…. Jews hated hte samaritans… they didnt want to even be associated with them….

Its like this in our culture… you a christian hangs out with people who drink…. And your other christian friends see you drinking.. The next thing you know when you go ot church on sunday is that everyone is gossiping that you are an alcoholic….

Same thing would happen to the jews…. Dude… he hung out with a samaritan! Not only hung out with a samaritan but it was a women!!! And you know what he did! He drank water from her!!!! Wohahhahhh

Yes…. people who believed in God was judgemental back then also… it isnt just a thing that started during this decade….

So yah… Jews hated the samaritans….

But another line that Jesus crosses is the gender barrier…..

Men don’t talk to random women back then….

You know we are sooo blessed that we can talk to boys and girls whenever we want….

What if one day… I just said girls sit on this side… boys sit on this side… dont talk to each other… dont even look at each other… girls you cant wear what you are wearing… you need to wear coverings that cover every inch of you body!

You guys would complain…… noooooo…. Why!!!!.....

I see you guys talking to each other all the time… thats fine… thats our culture today…

But back then… they could not do it as freely as us….

There is a very conservative christian college in america… it is called pensacola christian college… and it is in florida… I hear sooo many stories about that place…

Can not wear jeans.. No movies…. They have separate stair cases for women and men…. They could not date!

Do you want to go to that college? Some of yall are maybe thinking yah.. I can go…. But others of you…. Oh no… never in my life! I love to have this butterfly feeling in my chest~

So Jesus breaks the cultural and religious barrier….. He crosses the line that is drawn by the people….

And asks can I have a drink……

Thats not the worst of the worst…. You know what the worst of the worst is?

This women was not only a samaritan but an outcast of the samaritans…..

If we continue reading the story… we realise that she had five husbands…. Some people would probably mock her for being a prostitute…. She was the talk of the town…. You know how i know this….

She comes to get water in noon… the hottest part of the day…. And the wells that they walk to is not in the city… its outside the city.. A little walk away….

The reason why she draws water at noon is because she doesnt want to be seen….

The well was where the women gathered in the morning and evening to draw water…. But what else would they do? They would spread rumors….

The well was the place where they would hear news….

It is like… CNN… BBC.. do you guys know what that is? Do you guys read up on the enws/.??

Maybe it is your tiktok… you get your news from tiktok right?

The well had all type of news spreading around… and i guarantee you that this samaritan women was included in their gossip….

Everytime she went to draw water in the moring or the evening what do you think happened?

I asked a question during friday bible study… what are the top five reasons why people dont come out to church…. One of them is because christians are judgmental…..

Have you guys felt judged before? Or how do you feel when you think people are gossiping about you?

You dont want to come out ot church anymore…. Right??? People look at you and start whispering….

That is what happened to this samaritan women…. As she went to draw water…. Everyone probably became silent… was looking at her and whispering things about her….

She probably hated every second of that…. But probably kept trying to go to the well in the morning or evening until she could not take it anymore….

So she starts going at noon…. When nobody is around….

We dont know how long she has been doing this…. But one day….

Jesus was waiting for her at the well…..

HE knew about her….. He had to go meet her…. He had to see her…. He had to offer her the living water…..

Even though he was a Jew… he was willing to go against all cultural boundaries… all gener boundaries… and all religious boundaries to meet this one women…..

This is why Jesus had to walk through Samaria…..

After the women received the living water.... After she listened to Jesus and accepted him as the messiah.... She became the living water by going back to town and spreading the news about JEsus.... She became the streams of living water and proclaimed the good news....

This is what truly happens.... When you accept Christ....

I know we all say we love JEsus.... but i want to ask you.... do you really love Jesus or is it just a christian thing to say..... During our friday bible study discussion… i asked a personal question.... What is church to you.... What is a church to you personally.....

and of course every answers the correct answer.... Chruch is a place where i worship… Church is a place where I pray… church is a place where i build my relationship with God.... All right answers.... but if church was really a place where you worship, pray, and build your relationship with God.... where you prioritize that.... then as soon as you enter church… why werent you prayer? why werent you guys preparing yourselves to worship… or even sing ?

Its because we want to say the right answers as christians.... WE say we love God… but for most of us… its just empty words.... If we really loved Jesus… it would show through out actions....

This samaratan women at the well..... She meets JEsus… She meets with him at her hardest time.... and her deepest sins are exposed to JEsus.... but Jesus still offers her the living water.....

What was her reaction afterwards?? she rejoiced and ran back to town and started sharing about JEsus.... and many believed in Jesus as messiah afterwards....

IF we trully accept Jesus Christ as our savior and love him as much as we say we love him… it will show through our actions… we wont be able only have him to ourselves but we would go out and spread the good news about Jesus....

Jesus’ true samaria was the world.... He didn’t have to come down to earth… He could have just stayed as God and nobody would say anything.... but he had to come into the world....

he had to live a perfect life

he had to die on the cross for us...

So that we can meet Jesus and expose all our sins to him.....let Jesus do the healing.... Drink the living water from JEsus....

and become streams of living water for Christ....

He knew that there was a women who needed healing… who needed saving….

This was why he took the route that no jews would take….

JEsus goes against the world and invites us to do the same…..

He is calling us today…. And asking you guys what is your Samaria…. What do you have to give up in order to save other people…

What do you have to give up so that other people can be healed…. Can be restored…..