The Samaritan Woman (part I)

By Odon Bulamba (summary only - 8 Oct, 04)

JOHN 4

Jews were not allowed to go through Samaria but Jesus did. Many Christians today have this problem, because they had heard bad things about others they decide to avoid them and this is not good. Jesus said to pray for your enemies.

When Jesus and his disciples entered Samaria they were surprised to find no one stopped them and the food was good there: they found that all that their ancestors had told them was not true.

Jesus talked to the Samaritan woman and asked her questions. Many people today are visited by God and God asks them something and we say, "who are you to ask that? Don't you know this is my right, it's my life". Or we say, "give me some time".

The Samaritan woman didn’t know what God could give. Ask yourself what can God give you and what can you give to God also. Remember, when you feed the hungry you feed Jesus.

In the verse 11 Jesus asked for water and she said you don't have a bucket. Many Christians are like that, the thing is clear but they complicate it and make problems from nothing. When problems are really there, this is the time that they pretend there aren't any.

She said this well is from Jacob and forgot that Jesus is also from Jacob. Jesus was also the creator of Jacob (Romans 9:10-13). The woman asked "are you bigger than Jacob?" because this of a lack of knowledge and sometimes us Christians also speak foolishly before God, our friends, our children and it makes us stupid because we lack knowledge of the Word of God.

Jesus said, call your husband. This woman might have thought Jesus wanted to marry her but Jesus didn't worry about what she might think but asked anyway, because He cared more about her soul than about His reputation. Jesus knows our hearts and knew she had been married five times. Maybe the disciples wondered why Jesus was with the woman and thought that was why he sent them away so he could be alone with her. Sometimes God asks us to do things that don't make sense, sometimes God puts us in difficult situations to see if we can respect him.

SUMMARY

- Don't avoid people you don't like but pray for them
- Don't believe reports from others, they might be wrong
- Listen when God speaks to you, especially through your conscience
- Ask what God can give you and also what you can give to God
- Don't complicate situations and don't cover up problems
- Read and listen to the Word of God so you will not lack knowledge
- Don't worry about your reputation when God asks you to do something

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