The first three verses of chapter 4 start us off on what prompted Jesus to go to Galilee. The Pharisees found out that Jesus was baptizing and making more disciples than John (vv 1-3). Jesus knew they found out so He decided to leave Judea and head toward Galilee. In order to go the shortest route to Galilee a person had to go through Samaria. So, what’s the big deal with the Samaritans?
You see, the Samaritan people were not looked up highly by the Jews. The Samaritans were Jews mixed with a pagan people. Their lineage included people that were brought over after the Babylonian Captivity in 722 BC. Back then, when a people was conquered and taken into captivity the captors would bring in other people to keep the land so it would not go desolate. After many years of these new people living in the northern half of the kingdom they mixed with the Jewish people that were left behind. This caused the “pure Jewish” people in that area to become mixed with “outsiders”. After the return of the Jews from captivity there was a sense of impurity and betrayal by the Jews on the Samaritans. The divisiveness even affected the worship of the groups as seen in this morning’s text. The Jews would try to stay away from the Samaritans if at all possible.
It is suggested that if a Jew had to travel and Samaria was on the way then this person would go out of his way to go around Samaria if possible. In the beginning of this text we see Jesus going through Samaria and he encounters a woman at Jacob’s well. What’s the big deal with Him going through Samaria? Like I pointed out earlier, Jews usually tried to avoid the Samaritans by going around Samaria. Jesus on the other hand went where others would not. He went through Samaria.
He went where other would not. Jesus knew the reason He was here. He knew He must minister to all people regardless of what others thought or did. This is a great example that Jesus set for us. It can be seen all throughout the New Testament up until modern times. One good example would be the life of a Belgian priest.
In the 1800's, the Hawaiian Islands suffered a severe leprosy epidemic, which was dealt with largely by isolating lepers on the island of Molokai. They were simply dumped there and left to fend for themselves. The crews of the boats carrying them there were afraid to land, so they simply came in close and forced the lepers to jump overboard and scramble through the surf as best they could. Ashore, they found no law and no organized society, simply desperate persons waiting for death. A Belgian missionary priest, Joseph Van Veuster (Damien of the Fathers of the Sacred Heart), born in 1840, came to Hawaii in 1863, and in 1873 was sent at his own request to Molokai to work among the lepers.
Joseph Van Veuster followed Jesus’ example. He went where others would not.
Another prime example would be the five missionaries who traveled to Equador.
In 1956, Nate Saint, flew a Piper Cruiser plane with four other missionaries into the jungles of Equador and dared to make contact with the most dangerous tribe known to man, the Waodani (whoa-DONNY) also known as “Auca,” or naked savage.
After several months of exchanging gifts with the natives, the five men were speared multiple times and hacked to death with machetes.
Nate Saint went where others would not.
These men did the unthinkable. They went against their better judgment. They probably went against the advice and opinion of others. All to bring the message of Salvation to people that needed it. They knew God wanted to carry the gospel to others so they went where others would not.
Would you do what Jesus did? Would you do what these men did? Would you go to the “ghetto”, to a prison, to a half-way house, or even down the street to a neighbor that you feel God wants you to share the gospel with? Back to John 4. Jesus not only went where others would not, He reached out to those others would not.
There are several statements in this passage that indicate what kind of woman this woman was.
The latter part of verse six says it was about the sixth hour. This means it was about the middle of the day. Back then people would come out and get water either early in the morning or in the evening while it was cool. Not in the hot afternoon sun. This could indicate she may have been trying to avoid people.
She also asks why He (Jesus) would not only be talking to a Samaritan but a Samaritan woman. Women back then were looked down upon as lesser people. She had two negative things against here in this sentence.
Of course we see that Jesus Himself points out what kind of woman she was in this passage. Look at verses 16-18:
16He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back."
17"I have no husband," she replied. Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. 18The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."
You see she had been around the block a time or two. She possibly wore a scarlet letter.
Jesus reached out to this sinful woman anyway. We have seen this display of Jesus reaching out to sinners in various other instances in the Gospels. John 7 also tells of the adulterous woman brought before Jesus to be stoned. He also reached out to many more “sinful” people. People that were looked down upon by the rest of society, the tax collector and even the thief that hung next to him on a cross.
Let’s look back at the story about Joseph Van Veuster the priest who lived with the lepers:
He organized burial details and funeral services, so that death might have some dignity. He taught the people how to grow crops and feed themselves better. He organized a choir, and got persons to sing who had not sung in years. He gave them medical attention. (Government doctors had been making regular visits, but they were afraid of contagion, and would not come close to the patients. They inspected their sores from a distance and then left medicines on a table and fled. Damien personally washed and anointed and bandaged their sores.) There was already a small chapel on the island. It proved too small, and with the aid of patients he built a larger one, which soon overflowed every Sunday. You see, he reached to those that others would not just as Jesus did.
Jesus went even further than just reaching out to them, He forgave those others would not. His message of salvation, which brought forgiveness of sins, was not only shared with this woman. It was brought to the people of Sychar, in Samaria. The people of this town came to see and hear the Messiah all because of one woman’s testimony. They believed the testimony of a sinful woman. After all, that’s who Jesus came to save. He came to save sinners! Jesus did this all throughout His ministry. Think back to the tax collector, he found salvation in Jesus and his life changed. Then there is the adulterous woman, she was brought before Jesus to be stoned but she found salvation and was not stoned. Even the thief that hung next to him on the cross, he found salvation in Jesus and was promised that he would be in paradise with Jesus.
Let’s go back to the story about Nate Saint and the Waodani:
Nate’s son Steve ended up visiting the tribe that was responsible for the death of his father. After spending time with them and especially the man who was responsible for the killing blow to his father, Mincaye, he forgave them. Him and Mincaye formed a special bond between each that can only be explained when you include God in the equation, Steve Saint said. Steve forgave these people when others may not if they were in the same situation. He forgave those men that took the life of his father. Not only this, but the Gospel was brought to the Waodani. They received Jesus as their Savior.
This is what forgiveness is all about. We, as sinners, do not deserve forgiveness. God did what others could not. He brought forgiveness through His Son. He brought salvation! Salvation was brought to these people because these five men went where no one else would. You see the Samaritan people asked Jesus to come and stay with them and He did. His words brought others to believe. Salvation was brought to a people that the Jews thought should not have it.
All because Jesus did what others would not do.
Would you follow Jesus’ example? Would you step out and do what others would not?
Would you go out into the places that most people stay away from to share the gospel?
Would you reach out to them like Van Veuster who reached out to the lepers in Hawaii?
Would you share the gospel of Jesus Christ with them so they have a chance at salvation and forgiveness the way the five missionaries did for the Waodani?
Would you do what others wouldn’t do?
