Who was the Samaritan Woman?
Book of the Bible: John 4
What is a Samaritan?
People who lived in Samaria
During Jesus’s time on earth, the Jews despised them because they were seen as a mixed breed / half-pagan religion
Jewish people would go out of their way to not have to associate with them
In this story, we see Jesus interacting with a Samaritan Woman. While Jesus was traveling, he stopped at a well near a Samaritan village to rest. His disciples went into town to buy some food, but Jesus stayed behind. While he was at the well, a woman approached the well to draw water out of it. Jesus asked her to draw him out some water to drink which shocked her.
It shocked her because in all her experience Jewish people did everything they could to avoid her, especially men. Jesus then flips the script and gets the woman thinking. He tells her that if she really knew who he was it would be her asking for a drink, not the other way around. After some conversation Jesus reveals to her that he can provide “living water”, which never runs dry.
Jesus was opening her up to spiritual truth. This was not something the woman was used to because the Jewish community had so little to do with them. However, Jesus told her that the location of worship does not matter. What matters is the heart of worship. Jesus told her that the Father seeks people who will worship him in spirit and in truth. This means to be fully in tune with God, not concerned with the rituals or traditions.
After their interaction, the woman goes back to the village to testify about Jesus. Many people from the town came out to see Jesus. After meeting him, many of the Samaritans came to believe in him as the Savior of the world. In the moment, Jesus was opening the eyes of those around him. He was showing them that God’s Kingdom was not just for the Jews, but for anybody that would put their trust in Jesus.
Key Takeaways:
Jesus is the Savior of the World
Worship God In Spirit and In Truth
Parents, 3treesKIDS will also be learning about The Samaritan Woman, this Sunday, both in-person and online.
Be sure to check out their lesson at www.3trees.com/kids.
To find service times and locations, visit https://www.3trees.com/planyourvisit.