I post this because I LOVE it ... About a Samarian woman and her encounter with Jesus:

John 4:4-42

Jesus was traveling from Jerusalem to Galilee. He went through Samaria.

Samaria

Samaria was between Galilee in the north and Judea and Jerusalem in the south. The shortest way to go north from Jerusalem was through Samaria. For hundreds of years the Jews and the people of Samaria had been enemies. They did not agree about where God’s people should worship. All Jews worshiped at Jerusalem. God had told them to build the Temple there. The Samaritans had made another place for worship. It was in their land, on the top of a mountain. Jews and Samaritans hated each other. Most Jews would not travel through Samaria. They went by a longer route to avoid Samaria.

But at this time Jesus traveled through Samaria. He stopped at noon in a small town called Sychar. Jesus was tired. He sat by the well outside the town. The disciples went to buy food.

Jesus Speaks to a Woman

While Jesus was alone, a woman came to the well for water. It was not the usual time to go for water. She probably came then because she did not want to meet people. Later in the story we read that she had lived a bad life. She had been married to several men. Now she lived with a man who was not her husband. Perhaps nobody would talk to her. Jesus spoke to her. He asked the woman for a drink. It surprises us that she did not refuse him. It surprised her that a Jew would ask this. She told Jesus that she did not expect his request. Then, Jesus replied:

John 4:10: Jesus answered her, ‘You do not know the gift of God. You do not know who asks you for water. If you did, you could ask me. I would give you living water’.

The Gift of God

This is what Jesus meant. The ‘gift of God’ is the Holy Spirit. The woman could not have understood that. But Jesus came to change us by his Holy Spirit. If we want a drink, water helps us. If we want God, Jesus can help us. We know this from the prophecy of Jeremiah 31:31-34. But the woman did not think about her spiritual life. Then Jesus explained the purpose of the ‘gift of God’.

John 4:13, 14: Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks water, from this well, will need more water later. Whoever drinks my water will never need more. My water will be like a stream that gives eternal life’.

Our real needs are spiritual. Jesus alone can satisfy them. Here is what God promises to do for us. All that we must do is to ask him. Again the woman thought about what she needed in her own life now. But Jesus stopped her. He said to her, ‘Go, get your husband’. This immediately made the woman think about the wrong things that she had done. She said that she did not have a husband.

The woman's sin

Jesus now said that she had married five men. And the man that she lived with now was not her husband. The woman immediately knew that Jesus was not an ordinary man. An ordinary man could not know these things about her. So, the woman thought that Jesus was a prophet. She tried to change the subject. She did not want to talk about her sin. She talked about the argument between the Jews and the Samaritans. She talked about the right place for worship. Jesus replied. He said that a new time was coming. Then men would not worship at either place. They would worship God in spirit and truth.

The Messiah is coming

The woman said that she knew this. She knew that the *Messiah was coming. He would explain everything. Jesus now told the woman, ‘I who speak to you am he’. [That is, 'I am the *Messiah. You are speaking to the Messiah now.'] This was a wonderful thing to say. Jesus had been very careful when he spoke about himself to the priests in Jerusalem. They thought that they were very good men. But it was to this woman that Jesus said this. He told her clearly who he was.

After this, the woman went to her town and told everybody. Jesus stayed there for two days. Many people believed in him. This shows us much about what Jesus did. People often said that he should not spend time with bad people. He should not be with sinners, because good people would not talk to them. His reply was this:

Luke 5:31, 32: Healthy people do not need a doctor. Sick people do. I have not come to help ‘good’ people. I came to tell sinners to repent.

Each person matters to Jesus !

The story of the woman of Samaria teaches us that each person matters to Jesus. Why did he choose to go through Samaria on this journey? Usually he would have gone the longer way. It seems that he went just to meet this woman. He wanted to bring new life to her. As a result, the town of Sychar heard about Jesus. A number of times Jesus went out of his way to meet just one person. See Mark 5.

The story also teaches us this. Jesus offers to forgive everyone. He offers new life to all, even if they have been very wicked. Jesus also came for people from every nation. His kingdom is for everybody, from every country and every culture. Perhaps his visit prepared the way for this command to the disciples. Before he returned to heaven, he told them:

Acts 1:8: But the Holy Spirit will come on you with power. You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and in all the world. [That is, in every country].

Jesus had told the woman:

John 4:10: Jesus answered her, ‘You do not know the gift of God. You do not know who asks you for water. If you did, you could ask me. I would give you living water’.

Living water

He came to give this ‘living water’. It is to be like a stream that is in us. From us it will go out to help other people. The world is full of people who need spiritual help. But Jesus could do nothing for people who did not know this. Some people think that they are good enough. They will not confess their evil deeds to God. They will not confess their wrong attitudes. They will not let Jesus save them from their sins. They do not know that he can give them hope. We cannot have new life from Jesus until we ask for it. Before we ask, we must want it. We must realize that we need it. So, we must know about our sin.

Dear zeetz,

Thank you for sharing that beautiful passage. It was an excellent reminder and a blessing to glimpse the abundant love of Jesus Christ our Lord.


In His Love,
Suzanne

Thank YOU, Suzanne


zeetz

I love that passage as well.

Isn't it amazing, he knows all of our sins and loves us anyway and offers us the priceless living water, without price.

Hi Adonaicole!

It IS amazing...His love for us despite our sins, and all the goodness He gives so freely to us.
Most we don't even have to ask for! It just is there for us... The precious things in life.
Thanks for adding those lovely, true words, priceless living water, without price.... I'm so
glad He loves me, despite ME...lol

zeetz

this is a timely post and confirmation of sorts to me...

not to be caught up in the past, in the demands of those that would bind...
but seek Him who quenches our thirst and is waiting at the well for us to wander by.

i can see this well so clearly...and i recall a word the Lord gave me some years ago,
"Guard your heart for out of it flows a wellspring".

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%204:23

and today i speak forth, "well up, o springs...well up, o springs"


shalom,
signet

The Lord knew that woman needed to hear the truth and her people needed to hear the truth, she had something good in her for the Lord to even approach her.

this woman had a little understanding in the word of God and of course Jesus knew this, listen to her words

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.

19: The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
20: Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

25: The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.

she knew something about a Messiah coming and she believed she was Israel, not a Jew but Israel


Look what she and her people did.

39: 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.
40: So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
41: And many more believed because of his own word;

42: 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.

Peter said

Acts 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
35: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.


what did the woman and Samaritans believe?
Mt 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that

who did they confess Jesus is?

this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world

why?

because of his words!!!!

Ozell, Thank you for expounding further on this! It is even more a blessing now!

zeetz

I found the most beautiful and pure commentary about the woman at the well. I'll see if I can find it again, I know you'd appreciate it at what the whole scenario of the woman at the well *means*

Here it is! (It's somewhat lengthy but WORTH the read!!)

*The Woman at the Well

As we search for more nuggets of gold, we are drawn to John, chapter 4 where Jesus meets the woman at the well of Jacob. John records that when Jesus departed from Judea on His way to Galilee:

"And He must needs go through Samaria. 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." John 4:4,6 & 7
When Jesus asked her for a drink, the woman asked,

"...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 answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto Him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?" John 4:9-12
Jacob's well only contained physical water. Those who drink of the physical water will thirst again, but those who drink of the Spiritual water Jesus gives will never thirst again. Then Jesus proclaimed:

"...the water I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." John 4:14
This is the Spiritual water of the Word. Those who partake of His Spiritual Word will never thirst again. This is the Spiritual water God is giving to His elect in this last hour of time. Jesus told the woman:

"...Go, call thy husband, and come hither." John 4:16
The word husband means "provider, one who takes care of". Jesus told this woman to go get her husband, her provider, the one who was providing for her.

"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." John 4:17-18
Many have maligned this woman because as Jesus stated, she had had five husbands, and the one she now had was not her husband. But a thorough study of the Samaritan woman will reveal she is a type of the religious church system in the earth today.

The woman (the church system) said, "...I have no provider". Jesus said to the woman that she had had five husbands (five providers) but the one she has now is not providing for her. As God's Word proclaims, Christ is the head of the church, and is to therefore be her provider. Paul spoke of the modern church system when he wrote:

"Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." II Timothy 3:5
The power in the church is Christ Jesus, and those who have denied the power have forsaken their provider (husband).

Who are the five husbands (providers) the church has rejected?

The Apostle James informs us:

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." James 1:17
The five husbands the church has rejected are gifts from the Father of lights, Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul revealed these gifts to the church at Ephesus:

"Wherefore He saith, when He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evang-elists; and some, pastors and teachers;" Ephesians 4:8 & 11
The five gifts (providers) He gave the church were apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Apostles and prophets, for the most part in today's modern church system, have been totally rejected. Some may support an evang-elist or missionary as an act of the flesh to ease their con-sciences. Anointed pastors and teachers have been replaced by hirelings who rob the peoples' inheritance in God. This is why the church is weak. It no longer has a provider.

Why were these five husbands (providers) given to the church?

"For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,." Ephesians 4:12.
This the organized church has failed to do. It has become a one man, one plan, organized social club with no power and no vision. It has failed in God's intended purpose for the church.

How long are the providers to function in the body of Christ?

"Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." Ephesians 4:13
We are to come into the unity of the faith, not the unity of the denomination. We are to have a working knowledge of what Jesus the Son of God taught. We are to come into one body and grow into the stature of the fullness of what Christ was when He walked upon the earth. This goal has certainly not been accomplished in the organized church system of today.

The woman (church) has rejected these five husbands (providers), and has chosen another who is not providing for her. The church has rejected the gift of God, and has chosen "religion". You may ask,

"Isn't Christianity a religion?"

NO! Christianity is not a religion. It is a way of life that can only be obtained through, not only hearing God's Word but becoming a doer of His Word.

Religion is following what man has set down as to what we should do to be pleasing in God's sight.

Christianity is a changed life whereby we strive with our whole being to come again into the image and likeness of our Creator.
Religion is what man thinks he does for God.

Christianity is what God has done for man.

As Paul proclaimed,

"There is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism", Ephesians 4:5.
The spirit of religion has permeated the church system today. As Paul proclaimed,

"From such turn away," II Timothy 3:5.
Return today to serve the living God with your whole heart. Get in His glorious Word, and allow the Word to change your thinking and your life.

http://www.newfoundationspubl.org/woman.htm

Thank you Zeetz for posting this, it really is helping me today! And your contribution is awesome, Selah!

What an outstanding study. Thank you.


From Selah's post:

"Wherefore He saith, when He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evang-elists; and some, pastors and teachers;" Ephesians 4:8 & 11
The five gifts (providers) He gave the church were apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Apostles and prophets, for the most part in today's modern church system, have been totally rejected. Some may support an evang-elist or missionary as an act of the flesh to ease their con-sciences. Anointed pastors and teachers have been replaced by hirelings who rob the peoples' inheritance in God. This is why the church is weak. It no longer has a provider.

Why were these five husbands (providers) given to the church?

Selah! All I can say is WOW! Yes, that is a right on, pin point revelation on this passage. I am almost speechless! I know NOW why I posted the subject. I knew I loved the story, but the person who wrote this did indeed Dig Deeper and found more than a gold nugget. What a blessing, and what a explanation for what we see now today.
And I will add, what HOPE.



Thank you SOOOO much for finding this for us. And thank you to ALL contributors!

zeetz

Good question signet. I have my ideas, but Selah, or anyone else have the answer? Personally I think of it like a Shepherd King that took a long journey to attend to important business for His kingdom, and He set up overseers to take care of His flock while he was away. Why 5? Don't know. All I know is the King is coming back to get an accounting on how they managed for Him.

Anyone else can help here on this? Please do! thanks
zeetz

I honestly couldn't answert the question! So I refrained. But I agree with you zeetz about the King that went on a long journey and set overseers to take care of His flock. And another thing that popped into my mind was this passage...
Revelation 17:10
And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

Interesting parallels though!!

it made me think of Torah...

and of course His hand on the church...

fivefold ministry gifts

I have notice, that some people think that this commentary is fantastic - right on - an eye opener of sorts.

But , I have to disagree !

IN the building , the church of Christ, Christ is the chief corner stone. So, these men which are given to the Church for edification, who are apostles, prophets, teachers, evangilists, and pastors, are "never" married unto the church, so they "never" can be said that they represent the five previous husbands within the story of the woman at the well ! Apostles and prophets make up the foundation of the building, with Christ as the chief corner stone. Within the building, believers are fellowcitizens with the saints. This image does not even come close to the image of the story of the woman at the well !

The man who she now lives with is not her husband, and therefore is living in sin.

The commentary goes on to say, that the church ( the woman ) rejected the five husbands, and chose another who does not provide. Again, this is adding to the scriptures ! Because there is no mention of her rejecting her previous husbands. That would put the blame on her. But what if the husbands left her ? Then this commentary goes on to say, that she is likened unto the religion system of today. Again, I disagree with this synopsis.

This commentary and its purpose , is only a deception ! Thus its purpose is to deceive !

Christ is the head of the body of Christ, and the woman is married unto Christ in the revealed mystery. We should not be married unto another !

The commentary tries to connect this story to a modern day senerio, which is nothing more than a religious idealism !

Trying to imply that our denominations are in some way another husband (provider). Now, I do not promote any denominations, because I am not one who follows any of the denominations. But, in looking at this commentary, and its false implications, I think we all must take a closer look at exactly what this commentary is expounding ( promoting ). In actuallity, the commentary is promoting another way of thinking. Another way of viewing something, that is not accoring to the Word of God, but trying to in effect, show that we have walked away from the truth, by giving an untruthful example to bring those back to the truth, is hypocritical !

Even if the denominations are not telling us the truth, one should not tell another untruth, and then claim that our way of looking at something is more truthful than the way the denominations are looking at untruth. Two untruths still equal an untruth !!

Apostles , prophets, teachers, evangilists, and pastors are "never' given as an example of being anyone's provider, as an example of being a husband ! That is a twisting of scripture , if you think differently !

Does Christ, who is the chief corner stone of the building give apostles, prophets, teachers, evangilists and pastors "to" the body of Christ. The answer is - Yes ! Ephesians 4:11 - 16.

Are they our providers ? The answser is - NO !

It tells us in Ephesians 4 that they were given unto the body of Christ "for" - verse 12 - "For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ". Pastors, who are married, are to be an example unto those in the Church. They are not married to the church and thus they can not be a rejected husband, as such , which this commentary implies !

So , even though the body of Christ is given apostles, prophets, evangilists, teachers, and pastors and they are the spoksmen for God through Christ, they never are to be looked as as rejected husbands, if someone does not follow them. In a truth, if someone does not follow apostles, prophets, evangilists, teacher, and pastors, they will be rejecting truth by which God made known His truth. They (as children ) then will be blown about with every wind of doctorine. < Eph. 4:14. Notice it says - "children" !

These apostles, prophets, evangilists, teachers, and pastors, are "helpers" of your joy, and faith > II Corinth. 1:22 - 24 - "Not for that we have dominion over your faith", "but helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand"

A husband has dominion over his wife, because he is the head of the wife. Thus this commentary is nothing more than another religious view from just another religious commentator ! Religous views sometimes "look" sincere, but sincerity is no guarantee of truth !

Love IN Christ - Christ IN -- MM