Sunday Praise & Worship 10:00
Christian Education - 10:00 - Casual Dress - Loving Childcare
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Key verse: John 4:23 “But the time is coming and is already here when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for anyone who will worship him that way.” In this worship series we have explored the relationship between Christians and Muslims. We have discovered that Muslims worship the same God of Abraham that we worship and that they trace their spiritual heritage back to Abraham through Ishmael. We have looked at some of the Muslim beliefs and how they compare to our own. Last week we examined the understanding of conquest and how it impacts our contemporary perspective. Today, then, we’ll explore our role as Christians in this relationship by looking at how Jesus interacted with someone from the “enemy” religion. Our passage today picks up in the middle of a long story about Jesus’ encounter with a woman from Samaria. We all know that the Jews despised Samaritans, which is why the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10 would have been so shocking to Jesus’ audience and why the disciples questioned Jesus’ judgment in speaking to this woman. The split between the Jews and the Samaritans can be traced back to 721 B.C.E. when Assyria conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel. According to 2 Kings 17, the king of Assyria repopulated the area of Samaria with other people that they had defeated. He then sent a priest back to them to teach them about Judaism. The people began to worship God but because their history split with the Southern Kingdom of Judah, they only learned about and accepted as Scripture the first five books of the Bible, called the Pentateuch. Judah, then, never accepted the Samaritans. Their strife continued during the Babylonian exile when two priests, Zerubbabel (from Judah) and Sanballat (from Israel), argued and King Darius ruled in favor of Sanballat, giving him permission to build a temple on Mt. Gerizim. Later, the Jewish governor and high priest, John Hyrcanus, destroyed the Samaritan sanctuary in 128 B.C.E. The Roman ruler, Pompey, ended Jewish persecution of Samaritans in 63 B.C.E. but as we see in today’s passage, the hatred continued. (Interestingly, the Samaritans today closely resemble he Muslims, strongly monotheistic, borrowing the phrase, “There is no god but God,” and focusing on righteous living through the Law.) Jesus enters into this “enemy” territory and rests by a well while his disciples go to get food. As he rests, a woman approaches to get water. Jesus breaks two boundaries by engaging her in conversation: he speaks with a Samaritan and he speaks with a woman in public. He begins his conversation by recognizing that he needs something from her, asking her for a drink of water. She responds with surprise that he would speak to her, let alone ask her to share something with him. Jesus then makes it clear that the relationship would be mutual, for he also has something to share with her, Living Water. She remains open to the conversation and requests this Living Water. Jesus then takes the conversation a bit deeper, asking about her life. I find it interesting that so many commentators state that he is pointing out her sinfulness. In actuality, women did not have the authority to divorce anyone and if she were unfaithful she could have been stoned to death. Instead, she has been rejected five times over. Jesus understands this kind of pain and lets her know that it is okay to talk about it with him. Something in his conversation with this woman convinces her that Jesus is a prophet. Again, commentators often say that she is changing the subject to avoid her sin. However, in the Samaritan belief, God would send a prophet like Moses to the people who would explain everything to them. She doesn’t change the subject; she honors Jesus and further engages with him. She wants to know why the Jews and Samaritans hate each other and who is right. We read Jesus’ response in our passage today. He says that it doesn’t matter where we worship but who we worship. He tells her that because they don’t know the prophets, the Samaritans only know half of who God is, missing out on the longing of God to draw all people to himself. In response to that kind of loving God, people worship in spirit and in truth. Then, Jesus reveals himself to her. It is the first time in the Gospel of John that he reveals himself to anyone and he chooses an “enemy woman” as the recipient. So, how does Jesus relate to someone from the “enemy” religion? He breaks the dividing walls, recognizes that she has something to offer and that the relationship is mutual, engages her in conversation, cares about her needs, reveals himself to her and gives himself to her. As Christians, then, to worship in spirit and in truth, we follow the example of the one who is the way, the truth, and the life. Questions for Reflection 1-If Jesus approached you during your daily work, what burning question would you want to ask him? Why is that question so important to you? How do you think Jesus would respond? 2-What “enemies” threaten you? How and why do they frighten you? What can you learn from Jesus as a way to deal with these “enemies”? 3-What does it mean to you to worship in spirit and in truth? How do you live worship as a verb and not something you attend on Sunday? 4-How did the Holy Spirit speak to you in worship today?
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