Title: Jesus Appears to the Samaritan Woman
But if I had a lot of power and wealth, I would try to get close to each other. If you think that no one can get help from others, you must have seen and experienced that they turn away so coldly. That is why there is a saying, “You have to pretend that you don’t exist, not pretend that you don’t exist.” If you pretend to be missing or look unhappy, you may feel sympathetic and helpful, but the world is not. If you can't get some help from the other person, you try not to have a relationship. This is the heartless principle of the world.
But our Lord never approached us to get any help from others. They did not flatter those in power to get help. Rather, he came and helped the lowly and suffering people of that time. You comforted me. You wiped away my tears and brought me hope and hope for the future. By doing this, he revealed that he is our savior as the Son of God.
We want you to enjoy the good news of the gospel given to us today by examining why our Lord came to this earth 2,000 years ago through the text of the text.
1. Jesus came to the Samaritan woman (verses 4-5)
When we read the Gospels, we can see the fact that Jesus witnessed the Gospel while traveling in various regions. However, the problem is that Jesus did not do things haphazardly and without a plan, but rather, he went about with a certain clear purpose and intention.
First, Jesus must pass through Samaria.
In verse 4 of the text, when Jesus was going to Galilee, he said, “I must pass through Samaria. Jesus could have gone another way to go to Galilee. Nevertheless, he is saying that going through Samaria is something that must be done. In other words, Jesus had the will to reveal (revelate) Himself in Samaria. So he went to Samaria, and there he went looking for a Samaritan woman.
Jesus was waiting for the Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob in the town of Sychar. When he met the woman, he said, “Give me some water.” The woman asks, “How, as a Jew, do you ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” The reason is explained in verse 9, “Because Jews had no dealings with Samaritan women.”
Second, we need to know the background of the time when the events of the text were recorded.
To understand these words, we need to understand the circumstances of the times. That is, the background at the time this text was written. The Old Testament Israel came in the days of Rehoboham, the son of Solomon, and the nation was divided in two. The north was called Israel, and the capital was Samaria. The south was called Judah, and the capital was Jerusalem. There is no record of northern Israel returning from captivity by Assyria around 722 B.C.
The Assyrians were moved to the city of Samaria so that they could live with the remaining Samaritans who were not captured at that time. In this way, northern Israel could not preserve the pure Jewish lineage of the original people of God. I became a mixed race. So the southern Jews did not recognize the northern Israelites as the saved Israelites.
For this reason, New Testament Jews treated Samaritans like dogs and pigs. Conversely, the Samaritans were hostile to the Jews. When Jesus approached this Samaritan woman, he said, “As a Jew, why do you ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans” (verse 9).
For this historical reason, the Samaritans were ignored by the Jews at the time. The high priests, elders, Sadducees, and scribes among the Jews of that time were aristocratic. They enjoyed political and economic privileges against the background of political power at the time. They enacted a vast livelihood regulation law of 613 articles. Even in the Sabbath law alone, he created 39 articles that must be observed. To comply with all these rules, it was impossible for the establishment class with a certain standard of living.
The workers who appear in the parable of the vineyard, such as day-bearing laborers, shepherds, fishermen, wandering traders, prostitutes, and tax collectors, were difficult to keep. That is why the laws and regulations themselves completely ignored the lives of ordinary people. Therefore, people living in difficult times in those days had to live with a sense of guilt all the time. The Bible calls them those who sit in the shadow of death. It was literally a desperate situation.
Third, Jesus came to sinners.
The woman who appears at the well of Sugaseong in the text should also be viewed in this context. You can be seen as a woman who has to marry six times for her own satisfaction and pleasure. However, she sees the pitiful image of a woman who does not have the right to divorce because she is a woman of that time and has no choice but to get a divorce, so she has no choice but to make a living.
Jesus came to this woman. What is the symbolism of the woman? Our Jesus came to those who were buried as sinners by making 613 articles by the wretched people, the poor, and the religiously privileged people of that time. Jesus did not condemn them.
Jesus came to those sinners whom everyone had abandoned and turned away without a word. So, what is their true sin and He showed them the way to be saved from that sin. He showed us the path of hope and hope. He said that the only way is to believe in Jesus Himself. Here is our comfort and hope. Our Lord who came here to the Suga-seong woman came to us in such a lowly position as that woman. He came and wiped our tears away. You have become a companion. We can meet and talk with him through prayer. So we should always pray. You have to depend on him. The door of hope will open.
2. Jesus who revealed Himself as the eternal living water (revelation)
Jesus went to the well of Sychar. But a Samaritan woman came to draw water. Then Jesus asked the woman for some water. At this time, the Samaritan woman did not ask for water, but asked, “As a Jew, why are you asking me for a drink, the Samaritan woman?”
The woman looked strange to Jesus asking her for a drink. Because, as we have already seen, Jews do not have any dealings with Samaritan women.
Jesus said to the woman, "If you had known the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I will give him will never thirst.
To the slender Samaritan woman who was treated as a sinner by the Jews at that time, Jesus revealed Himself as “eternal living water.” It speaks of “eternal living water” as a means of self-expression. Jesus has given us eternal living water. “The spring of water springing up into everlasting life” comes when we receive and believe in Jesus Christ.
The Samaritan woman must have struggled to survive. Also, on the contrary, she may have struggled for the satisfaction of pleasure enough to have six husbands. You may have lived thirsty and dissatisfied. Even in the midst of such thirst and dissatisfaction, he may have felt skeptical of the disdain and disrespect of the Jews. Our Lord came to such a woman. He came and gave us the word of eternal life, the living water of eternal life.
I know a certain person. When I was young, I spent a growing period with anxious emotions due to frequent fights with my parents. Anxiety has come to have a great influence on the formation of a person's personality. I went to church through a friend's introduction. After attending the church for a long time, I was given the position of a church lay leader. The unhappy circumstances in which he grew up made him a complainer and dissatisfied. At church, he always had a negative view and he had a grudge in his heart. I couldn't get along with other saints.
I started treating him like that. We talked as soon as we had time. I had a personal consultation. I have heard of his past. He comforted him and touched the lump in his chest from an early age. Then he told the story of the Samaritan woman.
He introduced Jesus, who came to comfort and gave satisfaction to the soul, even to such a person who was considered the lowest in the society at the time. It is said that he went to church formally to receive compensation for his weaknesses. It is said that shouting loudly in church was the only way to build self-esteem and it was the breath of life.
It was then that he truly met Jesus. I received soul satisfaction and comfort. Changed from a negative perspective to a positive person. I came to know that I am not working for my own self-esteem, but what is for the gospel of God's glory. Together with other members, he became a person who understood each other and became an indispensable and loyal worker in the church. That's right. Our Lord, who came as the fountain of eternal life, is the answer to all our problems.
3. Jesus who gave comfort, hope, and hope (verses 6-14)
A great change happened when the Samaritan woman met Jesus. It was a big turning point in my life. A moment's meeting guarantees eternal life. The Samaritan woman experienced true happiness in life through her encounter with Jesus. The bitter aches and pains made the woman unhappy. But I met Jesus. When he received eternal life from that Jesus, his consciousness began to awaken. He was given hope and hope for the future.
Do we really have hope and hope for the future? Aren't we wandering in the midst of uncertainty about an uncertain future? Competition is inevitable in a capitalist society. And everything is performance driven. If they fail to perform, they are excluded from society. will fall behind. So they struggle for performance to survive the competition. I am emotionally unstable. You never know when you will be fired from your job.
But by accepting Jesus Christ, we are saved and have hope. Now you can be free from everything. I believe that God will sustain me in some form or another. That belief makes us bold. What worries those who have dreams and hopes? We have the Lord. Our only hope and hope is Jesus Christ. Our Lord never discourages us. Win by faith.
invitation to the word
Dear brothers and sisters, our Lord has come to the poor. He came and became a friend to those who were despised, ridiculed, and despised. You have been a comforter. He came and gave hope and hope to those who now have no hope and no hope for the future. He caresses our shoulders and says, “I will be with you.”
Why are we anxious? Because I don't really believe in him. Children who believe in their father are reassured. Likewise, our hearts are strong when we live by believing in and serving our Heavenly Father. I see hope. I am just grateful for everything. I want to share and I want to love everyone. Now they have hearts and eyes to love their souls. I pray that the blessing of our Lord who came to sinners may be with you.