You just have to love the way Jesus went about his business when he walked this earth. In the New Testament book of John Chapter Four, there is a wonderful account of a meeting that the Lord had with a Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus made a point one day to go through Samaria, and he came to a city called Sychar (formerly called Shechem), very near to the place where the Jewish patriarch Jacob, bought land which he eventually gave to his son Joseph. (Genesis 33:19, Joshua 24:32) Jesus was thirsty and he asked a Samaritan woman who had come to draw water from a well, for a drink.
Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. (John 4:6-9)
This woman was totally perplexed as to why Jesus, who was Jewish, would even be talking with her, because the Jews and the Samaritans did not like each other at all. Jesus then spoke to this woman about a different kind of water, which he called ‘living water.’ (John 4:10) The woman did not understand what Jesus was talking about, and she noticed that Jesus did not have a waterpot with him to draw water out of the well, as she did. (John 4:11) Jesus went on to talk about that living water and everlasting life, speaking about a spiritual water that cannot be seen. He told her that the water that she was fetching from the well, would quench the human thirst for a limited amount of time, but those who drank of the spiritual living water, would never thirst. (John 4:11-14)
The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. (John 4:15-19)
The Samaritan woman became very interested at that point, and she liked the idea that she would not have to keep returning to the well to fetch more water.(John 4:15) It is obvious that the Samaritan woman was still thinking about the physical natural water from the well, whereas Jesus was talking about the living waters, (the Spirit of the living God) Jesus then went about to search the heart of this Samaritan woman, so he asked her to get her husband. After the woman told him that she had no husband, Jesus told her that she answered in truth, and then he told her that she was married 5 times before, and the man she was living with, was not her husband. This must have absolutely rocked this woman to the very core of her being. That is why she perceived Jesus to be a prophet! This woman was a Samaritan, and her religion was a mixture of both truth and idolatry which would have been considered mongrel (and rightfully so) by the Jewish people. She continued to talk with Jesus:
Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. (John 4:20-21)
Jesus was very well aware of the animositywhich these two groups held toward each other, and yet at the same time, he saw the hunger in this woman’s heart for truth and salvation. The Samaritan woman told Jesus that she knew all about the city of Jerusalem and their form of worship, but Jesus basically told her, that the GEOGRAPHICAL location really did not matter at all, and he specifically mentioned Jerusalem. Jesus was telling her that the only worship that was acceptable to God, must be done in spirit and truth:
Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:22-24)
Do not miss what Jesus said here. He told this Samaritan (Gentile -non Jewish) woman that the hour was coming ‘AND NOW IS’, when the true worshippers would worship God in Spirit and in truth. The physical Jewish Temple was still standing in Jerusalem at that point in time, but Jesus did NOT connect that with the true worship of God at all. In fact Jesus went into the Jewish Temple and turned everything upside down, and he rebuked them for making God’s house a house of merchandise. (John 2:13-17)
The Samaritan (Gentile) woman then said this to Jesus:
The woman saith unto him, I know that MESSIAS (MESSIAH) cometh, which is called CHRIST: when he is come, he will tell us all things. (John 4:25)
Do not miss this. The woman knew that the Messiah was coming, and she also knew that he knew all things. Keep in mind that Jesus had already revealed her own past to her so she was very interested in what Jesus would say about this.
JESUS saith unto her, I that speak unto thee AM HE. (John 4:26)
Folks, that is absolutely awesome. Jesus revealed himself to be the Messiah to a woman who was married 5 times before, and who was presently living with a man! Why did he do that? Simply because he saw the heart of this woman, and he saw that she hungered for the truth. Jesus spoke about the GIFT OF GOD when he told her about the LIVING WATER. (John 4:10) Her life was probably a most difficult one, considering the fact that she had been married so many times before. Who knows what must have been going on in her mind. I am sure that she often wondered if there was any hope for a person such as her. Jesus Christ came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10), and this woman was simply one of the many millions that Christ has touched and SAVED, over the centuries. That is the reason that Jesus stopped at the well that day. Jesus had a DIVINE APPOINTMENT with this woman, who was truly searching for truth, and hopeless, and he was the fullfillment of her very hope.
The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. (John 4:28-30)
Can you see the excitement that this woman now had? There was now a fresh bounce in her step as she excitedly told others about the Messiah she had just met.
And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. And many more believed because of his own word; And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. (John 4:39-42)
What was the result of this woman’s evangelistic efforts? The Samaritans wanted to meet Jesus for themselves (smart move), and they wanted to hear what he had to say. They got to meet Jesus, and they came out convinced that he was indeed (the real deal), the Christ (Messiah) and the Saviour of the world.
That true event took place nearly two thousand years ago. The Geographical location still does NOT matter at all, and that most definitely includes the city of Jerusalem. There are men and women all over the world, some rich and some poor, who are truly seeking to know the Lord, and there are others who are very religious, but they do not desire to worship God in spirit and in truth. The people of Samaria came to the right conclusion that Jesus is the SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD because he is. The MERCY of God is still available to any person, who TRULY desires to receive the forgiveness of sins, and everlasting life.
For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. (Romans 5:6-10)
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news which is available to ALL people including Jewish and Gentile people living in Jerusalem, and every other part of the entire world. There are no SPECIAL exemptions and there are no SPECIAL people. ALL qualify for this SALVATION plan, because ALL people are sinners!
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (Romans 3:10)
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)
And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (Luke 24:46-47)