No
Dealings With The Samaritans
John 4:1 “When therefore the Lord knew
how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and
baptized more disciples than John,
2
(Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his
disciples,)
3 He left Judaea,
and departed again into Galilee.
4
And he must needs go through Samaria.
5
Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which
is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that
Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
6
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.
7
There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus
saith unto her, Give me to drink.
8
(For his disciples were gone away unto the
city to buy meat.)
9 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.”
Jesus Christ “must needs go through Samaria” [verse five] in order to meet somebody.
What we see here in this passage is an eye-opener to the Jews and a precursor to what is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.
[This is the movement of the gospel as shown in Acts 1:8. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
In verse nine the woman of Samaria asks a very good question:
“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.”
Who Are The Samaritans?
Strange! Why would “the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.”
Sounds like a mean-spirited and unloving thing, doesn’t it?
To understand why “the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans” till Jesus' first coming to this earth, we will need to go back in time to the book of 2 Kings in chapter seventeen.
[The Bible is the ultimate HISTORY BOOK recording these events.]
The northern ten tribes of Israel had “walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did” and “they departed not from them”. Generation after generation, “they departed not from them”, king, after king “they departed not from them.”
Yes, these northern ten tribes had continually departed from THE LORD until there was no remedy but the JUDGMENT of GOD.
The Scriptures show that Israel was removed out of the land and REPLACED by OUTSIDERS in 721 B.C.
Let’s read starting in verse twenty-two.
“For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them; Until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day. And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.” [2 Kings 17:22-24]
So when Jesus Christ shows up seven hundred and fifty years later in Samaria [John chapter four] it will be with the descendents of these nations.
Why No Dealings?
Okay!
But WHY will “the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans”?
To answer this, turn to the book of Ezra chapter four. In verse four we have this: “Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, And hired counsellers against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue. Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort: Then wrote Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions; the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, the Dehavites, and the Elamites,
And the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Asnappar brought over, and set in the cities of Samaria, and the rest that are on this side the river, and at such a time.” [Ezra 4:4-10]
WHY will “the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans”?
Simple: these OUTSIDERS are the enemies of the Jews.
1. These OUTSIDERS want to weaken the Jews.
[Verse four]
2. These OUTSIDERS want to trouble
the Jews. [Verse four]
3. These OUTSIDERS hired
lawyers to frustrate the Jews. [Verse five]
4.
These OUTSIDERS raised accusations against the Jews.
[Verse six]
5. These OUTSIDERS wrote letters
against the Jews. [Verse seven through nine]
6.
These OUTSIDERS labeled the Jews as rebels and bad
citizens in the land. [Verse eleven through sixteen]
“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.”
Therefore, there is good reason why the “Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans”.
The Samaritans in past time were the Jews enemies. These OUTSIDERS were the enemies of the Jews. The LAND belongs to Israel. This is why the woman of Samaria is dumbfounded when Jesus Christ [A JEW] asked for a drink of water from her [An Enemy].
Outsiders And Enemies
Now, friend, here is another strange thing. Before we came to Jesus Christ and got BORN AGAIN we were all the enemies of God.
Yes we were!
We were friends of the world by nature from our first birth. [James 4:4] “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”
Do you BELIEVE the BOOK?
We were all outsiders [STRANGERS] too!
Here is the PROOF:
[Ephesians 2:19] “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.”
Before salvation we were all outsiders.
“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,” [Ephesians 2:1-4]
And praise God, getting saved by the blood of the Lamb of GOD makes us INSIDERS!
Amen!