This painting from the 16th century and is held in the Museum of Fine Art in Budapest, Hungary.
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Last week in Australia we commemorated National Reconciliation Week with parades and seminars, with public speeches and quiet resolution. And today we continue to process those lessons and seminars by reading this lesson from John chapter 4. It’s a lesson which includes racism, and I don’t think we should shy away from it this week. Racism is a horrible disease and it’s malignant in almost all countries and societies. Even here in Sydney and certainly in the bush.
Listen, I read the Bible so that I can be a better person. A better husband and father. A better neighbour. A better human. I don’t read the Bible to teach it. I don’t read the Bible to win a contest on a television game show. I read and listen to what the book has to say so that the principles of the Scriptures can have their way in my life, and as a result, the world is a better place.
In this story today we see a weary, tired, thirsty Jesus approach a woman of questionable status and parentage. She’s called a Samaritan. Technically, she’s not what we title a “Jew.” Today we don’t have any of those by name, but they existed well in the days of Yeshua. A bit of geography if I might. Jerusalem is in the southern part of the land. Galilee up north. 750 years before this episode, back in 722 BCE the northern 10 tribes of Israel were conquered and taken back to Assyria, further up north. After a generation or two, the Assyrian government did what many conquering peoples did to widen their territory and widen their influence. They forced the Israelites to intermarry with the Assyrians and Babylonians and other peoples, (2 Kings 17.24ff) and put them along with their children back in their original land. The settling of mixed-race people, these half-breeds, would widen the influence and tax base of Assyria, moving them that much closer to regional political and military dominance. That area south of the Galilee and north of Jerusalem came to be known as Samaria.
The peoples who settled in that region are called Samaritans.
Today we call this area the West Bank, but Israelis today label it ‘Shomron’ or simply Samaria.
Judeans, the ‘proper’ Jews who lived in the South, in the area of the tribe of Judah, were ‘city dwellers.’ Galileans were country bumpkins. The folks who lived along the Mediterranean were seafarers and merchants, but no one respected Samaritans. They were none of the above. They were living in no-man’s land, really simply no-Judean’s land.
In the light of last week’s reconciliation conversations, in light of racial tensions even concerning the government’s desire for The Voice in parliament, we need to stop and think about this hostility between half-brothers, if you will, between Jews and Samaritans. Look at verse 9,
“The Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)” (John 9.9)
Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. No relationships. I continue to be amazed at families that are split into pieces because for instance that uncle won’t speak with that sister-in-law, or if he attends the wedding of my cousin then the other side of the family won’t attend. Family splits are painful at times, and I believe we can learn some serious life lessons in this one chapter of the Bible. Are you still listening?
Jews, that is, pure bred Jewish people who lived near Jerusalem saw Samaritans as stained, impure, not kosher. If you as a Jew would hang out with a Samaritan, the tainted nature of the half-breeds might well taint YOU! That’s dangerous on a civil level and on a religious one. It also might impact your economy.
This is not only an ancient problem. There are Polish Jews in Melbourne with whom Hungarian Jews in Sydney won’t deal. There are South African Jews who immigrated here 20 years ago with whom the established Australian Jews won’t give the time of day. The Israeli Jews who migrate here don’t always find the welcome among our Jewish countrymen, but often do find such a welcome in the church! There are people who don’t trust each other or don’t regard one another well simply by their birthplace or their race. How outrageous is that! Russian Jews and Ukrainian Jews have historical antagonism instead of the love of God to share.
Mind you, this is not only a Jewish problem. You might hear of someone who attends that church, or is from an island you don’t trust, who wears certain clothing or eats for dinner what you consider ridiculous animals, and suddenly they are not ‘your type of people.’ Racism is not limited to religion, and the Jewish people are not alone in this serious problem we are addressing today.
“Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were)” (John 4.1-2)
Verses one and two highlight something about our responsibility as believers. Let me explain. Yeshua was getting credit for baptising people, even though he himself wasn’t doing much of that, but his disciples were doing this. My takeaway from that is that what we do directly correlates to the credit OR THE DEBIT that Yeshua receives from those around us. When we do things well, and represent him well, then he gets the credit. That’s what I want! When I do wrong and am known as a representative of the King of Kings, he now receives the blame. The liability is his due to my bad behaviour.
Most unbelievers will have several objections to our religion, but the #1 objection I hear is that the church has done much wrong in the name of Jesus and thus the unbeliever sees himself as correct in blaming the one they represent, that is, they blame Yeshua. Especially we Jewish people today look at the history of the church who stood with the Hitlers and the Jew-haters of the Crusades and the pogroms, and say ‘Why would I ever want to believe in that guy Jesus who did such things to us?’ God help us to live well in these days.
Yeshua travels one of the roads to the north, and by intention, goes through the wrong territory. He came to a city named Sychar. Most interpreters mention the Hebrew variants of this, Sheker or Shicker which would mean falsehood, lies, or drunkenness. And you have to wonder whether the towns were named by outsiders. The name of the town adds to the weight of problems in this episode. It’s not only the road less travelled, it’s the town of Samaritan half-breeds who don’t represent God very well. No right-thinking Jew would ever travel through there, if he didn’t have to do so. Yeshua made a decision to go right through the midst of it.
He's tired, and thus sits by the well. When you see John put in the tiredness of Yeshua, you can see that Yeshua is utterly human. He’s a man and he gets hungry and tired and weary at times. He’s not superman. He’s not a comic book hero. He’s the human Son of Man whom John has previously introduced to us as Son of God and Creator of the universes. (John 1)
The time is midday. (.6) That’s not a conducive time to fetch water in the heat of the day. Obviously the woman is avoiding social contacts. And John is juxtaposing the previous chapter’s encounter between Nicodemus (Nick at Night) with this unnamed woman by day.
You might remember that a couple of times in the past, men meeting women at wells eventuated in marriage (Genesis 29.10-20, Exodus 2.16-21)
“Give me a drink.” (.7) Wow, what chutzpah. Not a ‘please.’ Not an ‘excuse me, ma’am.’ This was startling. An obviously Jewish man interacting with a woman obviously from the neighbourhood, a Samaritan. Remember later in the Gospel (19.28) Yeshua again indicates his thirst, and again it’s midday, He is on the cross, and after his drink he gives up the ghost and dies.
The woman is shocked and asks him why he is intersecting with her. (.9)
Jesus doesn’t really answer her question, but raises the bar. “If you knew the gift of God and who is asking you for a drink, you would ask him, that is me, for living water.” (.10)
Like Nicodemus last week and so many in the Gospel of John, the unnamed woman takes Jesus literally and senses an opportunity to get out of this awful situation in which she finds herself. She might not have to come to this well and get water. It’s a scene of embarrassment and an admission that she is a social outcast.
She replies “you have no bucket” so please, get away from me, you and your lunatic ideas of supplying water for me and anyone else for that matter. Where are you going to get that water…the well is too deep and honestly, I don’t even know why I’m talking with you.
Listen, she says, our father Jacob was pretty great, and he gave us this well, and you can’t honestly think you can make water happen without a bucket.
Verse 13, Yeshua said that the water from this well is at best temporary. It’s a portion and a good one at that, but it’s not a permanent solution to people’s real needs. He’s continuing to speak metaphorically and she continues to listen literally.
Yeshua says I will give people the rivers of life, springs of life that never end.
The woman said, “Sir, give me this water.” (Sounds like Yeshua’s first request of her!) And then she says, “so that I may never be thirsty OR HAVE TO keep coming here to draw water.” OK, I’ll take you up on this no need for water thing. I’m all in. Let me see what you’ve got, Mr Wiseguy, Mr Jew-who-shouldn’t-be-talking-with a Samaritan. Put up or shut up. She’s really hoping for an escape from the pain of the social cost her life with men has caused.
Jesus brings it home. Go call your husband and come back.
She says I’m not married. Which is correct. And she hopes the end of the matter.
Jesus commends her (what you say is true) and catches her out at the same time. The five husbands. He’s not from here, doesn’t know our rules, doesn’t know our customs, yet he knows I’ve been married 5 times. He must be a Prophet.
The man you have now is not your husband. She’s in adultery with another, and that’s not kosher behaviour. She’s caught out.
She says, you are a prophet. And anyway, you have your religion, we have ours here on Mt Gerizim. (2 Macc. 6.2) Why don’t you just stay out of my life.
Jesus says, ‘not a mountain’ but in a relationship with God, one on one. God is spirit and we have to worship him in Spirit and truth. He’s painting her into the proverbial corner. There is no escape.
She has one last attempt. When Messiah comes he will tell us everything. That simply means, ‘shut up, mate’ I don’t need to listen to you.
Yeshua answers her with ‘I am Messiah.”
And just then, the disciples who had gone to town to buy supplies return. They are interrupting this Gospel encounter. She leaves. He does not chase her. He has accomplished his intention. She has heard the Word. What she does with it…well that’s up to God and her.
She who was a social pariah, an outcast, now runs to town, probably a mile or two away, and runs to the men. To the men! Come see a man who told me everything I ever did. (.29)
Isn’t that what the woman said Messiah would do. He would tell us everything?
The men of Samaria go and listen and they hear for themselves and take the message of Jesus personally. Verse 39 and following says this,
“From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all the things that I have done.” So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. Many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Saviour of the world.” (9.39-42)
God sent his son to the world, to a people in Israel, to testify to himself and to die for our sins and to redeem us back to himself. And that was not limited to Judeans, to proper Jews, but also to the Jewish people of Galilee, to the Egyptians, to the Roman occupiers of the land of Israel, to barbarians, Scythians, slaves and free, to you and to me, to folks in Castle Hill, in Vaucluse and Liverpool. To Jews and Gentiles. And even the half-breeds of Samaria.
Is there room for racism in our days? Not a chance.
Is there room for you to hear and understand the Gospel of Jesus, and to take on board the reality of God’s love for you? I trust it is so.
If you are Jewish and have every excuse in the world why you shouldn’t believe in Jesus, let me tell you, there is One who can answer every objection. He died on the cross to show his love for you and to forgive you of your sins and to bring you into relationship with God. Don’t miss this chance. You could be going along with your normal everyday life attending a well, staying your life’s course. He wants to find you. He wants to give you eternal life and living water. And that your life will flow to others and give them hope.
Like the unnamed woman at the well, you can go and find your towns people and bring them to Messiah. You can help them find eternal life. I hope you do so even today.
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