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The Samaritan Woman at the WellIntroduction:
Introduction:
The purpose of this lesson is to take a closer look at the dialogue between Jesus and the Samaritan woman and reveal the prophetic message within. Samaria is part of the Northern Tribe, Ephraim.
Isaiah 7:9
9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria , and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.'"
Ephraim went into captivity (separate from the tribe of Judah, the Jews). They became not only a “lost tribe” but also Gentiles as they intermarried with heathen foreign nations and did not keep their bloodlines pure. For this, Samaritans are hated by Jews (House of Judah); who did not intermarry after their captivity. When the Northern Tribes went into captivity they were divorced by God, as God broke covenant with them (Jeremiah 3). Jesus (God in human form) has now come to die and be resurrected to allow the Samaritans (all lost northern tribes) to remarry Him once again. He can also be the "husband" for all people of this world, but the story found in John 4 has a message for these Northern Tribbes. This is just a small piece of the mystery of Christ and His Church who are the body of believers.
In this story, the Samaritan woman at the well is a symbolic representation of all the lost tribes. This lesson will focus on the prophetic implications of Jesus' words to the Lost Tribes and show you the prophetic meaning of what the divorced tribes (Samaritan woman) are saying back.
Note: Just previous to this story in John chapter 3, Jesus told us we must be born again of the spirit if we want to enter or even see the kingdom of heaven. In Chapter 4, the story of the Samaritan woman is a continuation of Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, who is a Jew. In chapter 3 Jesus is telling a Jew how to be saved(born-again spiritually). In Chapter 4, Jesus is telling a Gentile that they cannot be saved yet (remarried to God and born again spiritually) because Jesus hasn't’t died and resurrected. Chapters 3 and 4 of John directly relate to each other... it is, “first to the Jew, then to the Gentile” (Romans 1:16 ).
We believe that this story of Jesus at the well is so significant that it has actually been foreshadowed in the book of Genesis:
Genesis 24:43
43 See, I am standing beside this spring; if a maiden comes out to draw water and I say to her, "Please let me drink a little water from your jar,"
Let’s now begin our lesson... I. Scripture reading:
John 4:1-26, 39-42
1 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John
2 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples),
3 He left Judea and departed again to Galilee .
4 But He needed to go through Samaria . 5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” 15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’
18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” 19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.
20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem , worship the Father.
22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.
23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.”
40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.
41 And many more believed because of His own word. 42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
Let’s take a closer look at each verse one at a time... II. Verse analysis (Scripture verses from the above reading will be in black BOLD font, all other supporting scripture will be in black font. Our comments are in blue.) John 4:5 So he came to the city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
Samaria is in the territory of Joseph. Joseph’s territory is the land of Ephraim and Manasseh.
Ephraim is the head of the Northern Tribes.
Samaria is the head of Ephraim.
Isaiah 7:9
9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria , and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son.
The Northern Tribes, during Jesus’ time, are the Lost Tribes of Israel.
So Samaria is the head of the Northern tribes (non-Jew).
They are Gentiles.
Note: If you would like to know who we think all the lost tribes are read: Who are the Lost Tribes of Israel? John 4:6&7 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”
This story has already been prophesied and foreshadowed in the book of Genesis. Genesis 24:43
43 See, I AM (Jesus) standing beside this spring; if a maiden comes out
to draw water and I say to her, "Please let me drink a little water
from your jar,"
Remember, in the prophetic message of this passage, the Samaritan woman represents the “Lost Tribes" of Israel who have been divorced from God and are now Gentiles. John 4:9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
Answer:
Jesus is able to speak to the Samaritan woman, because Jesus has come as the Kinsman Redeemer to all of mankind: whether, Jew or Gentile. This Samaritan woman is a Gentile from the Northern Tribes of Israel. Though the Samaritans (Lost Tribes) are called “Not My People” (Hosea 1:10) and have been divorced by God (Jer. 3:6), Jesus (God in flesh) has come not only to redeem them but to take them as His new bride (the Church who is the body of believers) by remarrying them after his death and resurrection.
Jesus has come to bring salvation to all of Israel, "But first to the Jew, then to the Gentile" (Romans 1:16). John 4:10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
First: What is the Gift of God?
Answer: Eternal life.
Notice, He just spoke of this in John chapter 3. The living water is symbolic for the gift of the Holy Spirit and the new life in Christ. The Gentiles could not (yet) know who He was or the gift He came to bring until after His death and resurrection. The lost tribes are still divorced at this time and do not know their ex-husband, Jesus. (See verse below) Jeremiah 3:8
8. Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel (the Northern tribes) had committed adultery, I had put her away (in captivity never to return) and given her a certificate of divorced (released from Old Covenant/the old marriage), yet her treacherous sister Judah (Southern tribes) did not fear, but went and played the harlot. (Blue font is our comments)
Jesus must die in order to break the legal bonds of the old marriage (Old Covenant) and resurrect to remarry the lost tribes as a resurrected Messiah under a New Covenant/marriage(Romans 7:3,4). We become a new creature, being born again of the Spirit.
Under the New Covenant, the lost tribes become “My People” again and “sons of the living God”.
Hosea 1:10
“Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the
seashore, which cannot be measured or numbered. And it shall come to pass
in the place it was said of them (the lost tribes),‘ You are not My people,’
there it shall be said to them, ‘You are sons of the living God.’
The only way to become Sons of God or Daughters of God is by receiving and being led by the Holy Spirit...being born again...becoming a new creature in Christ.
Romans 8:14
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.
So even though the northern tribes are divorced they receive something BETTER, as the new covenant is BETTER than the old (Hebrews 7:22 & Hebrews 8:6). Under the law they did not have the Holy Spirit to guide them.
John 4:12
Are you greater than our father Jacob who gave us this well…?
ANSWER: Yes! Before Abraham was, I AM...AND I AM the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (John 8:58) John 4:13&14 13.Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14.“but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst again. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.
What Jesus is talking about here is receiving the Holy Spirit and becoming born again. But if you break it down further there is an underlying meaning here. Jesus speaks in this passage of “living water.” Could this be literal water? Peter calls Jesus (and Christians) a living stone in 1 Peter 2:4.
Question: What is a living stone?