The Testimony of the Samaritans
Commentary for the November 2, 2024, Sabbath School Lesson
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"Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem." John 4:19-20, NIV
The Sabbath School lesson and my commentary this week focus on John, chapter four, where we find the account of Jesus' interaction with a Samaritan woman. It is possible to read this account and understand the main points Jesus was making without knowledge of anything beyond what is in this chapter in John. However, more can be understood with a review of the history of the Samaritans and the mountain the woman refers to. This history is also helpful when trying to understand the flow of military and political maneuvering detailed in Daniel, chapter eleven. Rather than footnote every sentence, it is helpful to note that much of the history I will share here is found in 1st and 2nd Maccabees, books not familiar to many Christians because long ago they were relegated to the Apocrypha found in Catholic Bibles, but not in most Protestant Bibles. Information about the Samaritans is also found in the Old Testament. 2 Kings, chapter 17 tells how Shalmaneser of Assyria invaded Israel and captured Samaria, deporting the population and resettling the area with people from the Euphrates region. These new Samaritans struggled in Israel and adopted some of the ways of the Israelites, including their apostate Judaism, thinking to appease the gods of Samaria and prosper in the area. Josephus, in his "History of the Jews," also recounts the events of the intertestamental period. Wikipedia has articles about the Maccabees and the principal players during that era also. The period is well documented but poorly understood by most Christians who should be better informed since it forms the milieu experienced by Jesus and his disciples.
When Alexander the Great died, his empire was divided up among his four generals. For the purposes of this commentary, only two are of significance Seleucus who reigned in Syria, and Ptolemy who reigned in Egypt. These two are often identified with the kings of the north and the south mentioned in Daniel, chapter 11. As in earlier centuries, before the destruction of Solomon's Temple, when the Jews were squeezed between the two empires of Egypt and Babylon, during the Maccabean era they were squeezed between Syria and Egypt with Syria being the greater threat. The Maccabean revolt was primarily a revolt against Syrian rule. This antipathy toward Syria was aggravated when Antiochus, King of Syria, attacked and laid siege to Jerusalem during the reign of John Hyrcanus who was High Priest of the temple in Jerusalem. To end the siege, Hyrcanus plundered wealth from King David's tomb and promised to furnish a Jewish military contingent to aid Antiochus in his war with the Parthians, who were ruled by another Alexandrian dynasty. John Hyrcanus led that contingent. During that war, Antiochus died in battle, freeing Hyrcanus from his commitment. He returned to Jerusalem, and unable to raise an adequate army from impoverished and previously defeated Judea, he again plundered David's tomb and hired mercenaries.
Once he had an army, Hyrcanus began expanding the area under Judean control. He attacked the Samaritans and defeated them, also destroying their temple at Mount Gerizim. He forced all those who lived in the territories he conquered to convert to Judaism and only worship at the temple in Jerusalem. Destroying a competing temple was part of that plan. However, even without the temple, the Samaritans continued to worship on Mount Gerizim. This history helps us understand why, when Jesus was traveling from Galilee to Jerusalem, a Samaritan town refused him entrance once they discovered where he was headed. It also explains the desire of James and John to call down fire on a Samaritan town. (Luke 9:51-56) The Maccabean Wars were not so distant from memory for both peoples.
When Jesus visits Sychar, he was not headed to Jerusalem but to Galilee. When the woman at the well, who has remained nameless in the biblical account for two thousand years, asked about worshipping at Mount Gerizim as opposed to worshipping in Jerusalem, she was disarmed by the response that worship in either place would become irrelevant. John Hyrcanus and no Jew she was familiar with would ever have agreed with that. This man, Jesus, who knew all about her and who uncovered the senselessness of the constant, multi-generational fighting over worship was so unique that she wondered if he had the answers to such ongoing conflicts. She shared that she understood the Messiah would have such answers. Jesus then shared the most astonishing three words she had ever heard. He replied, "I am he." At that, the woman ran into Sychar and called the people to see if this was really the Messiah. When the people of the town returned with her, they accepted Jesus as the woman had, seeing, and believing from their own experience.
Was this the same town that the disciples wanted to destroy for refusing them entry? Luke's gospel does not give us the name of the town, but even if it were not the same town, such an example could have destroyed any effort on the part of Jesus to reach the Samaritans as he did that day at Sychar. Such destruction would only have confirmed the Samaritan's hatred of the Jews just as the destruction of the temple at Mount Gerizim had inflamed the relationship between the two peoples.
The Messiah offered peace to our world. (John 14:27) But we have so often chosen darkness, hatred, and strife instead of the light of peace. The result is that we live lives of anxiety and fear. Betrayal by others leads us to the point where we find it hard to trust anyone. That is exactly how evil works, for if we are fearful and avoid others because of that fear, then the gospel cannot proceed to bring light to this darkened world. That fear causes us to live in the darkness just as much as any who have turned from God. Evil often relies on the silence of the good to overcome the truth with an overwhelming shroud of darkness and lies. If it succeeds in turning us from the light of Jesus and his words, we will reach a point where we are unsure of anything anymore, and even truth seems like a lie. The Bible tells us that this will be the case. That even the elect of God will fall if the time is not shortened. (Matthew 24:22) The terrible events of those days were to be so severe that even Jesus wondered if any would remain faithful. (Luke 18:7-8)
What does the Bible tell us about surviving those times? It tells us that the love people have will grow cold, but those who continue to love despite the times will be saved. (Matthew 24:12-13) Jesus also tells us what that love will look like. It will care for others who are hungry, thirsty, poorly clothed, in prison, friendless, or sick. Those are the identifying characteristics of the sheep in the Good Shepherd's flock. On the other hand, the goats have no time for such things. They are busy pursuing the joys of this world with little concern for the needs they find there. The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats in Matthew, chapter 25, echoes God's call to care for one another shared by the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah, chapter 58. Isaiah taught this message of love and care for those around us during the reign of one of the wickedest kings in Jerusalem, King Manasseh, who even murdered Isaiah, ordering him to be sawn in two.
The world hates the message of love, preferring darkness to light. It follows the guidance of the evil one who teaches those who choose to follow him that the fearful can be easily manipulated. He has corrupted governments to rule by fear and thereby maintain control over a restive populace. Sadly, he has also corrupted churches to do the same. So many churches and their members work hard to drive people to church membership by threatening them with all the evil things God will do to them if they do not join their church. But God is love and those who manipulate people through fear do not know God. (1 John 4:8) The twisted logic of these fear mongers is to believe that by instilling fear in others, they are loving them. But abusers create abusers in those they abuse. Church leaders are not exempt from being a part of this chain of abuse. But just because they use their authority to say that abuse is love does not mean we have to accept that lie. We should understand that it originates from the evil one. Jesus told us that the evil one is the father of lies. (John 8:44) The Apostle Paul shared that demonic fiend is not above impersonating an angel or corrupting the church. He wrote, "For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve." 2 Corinthians 11:13-15
Love conquers fear. (1 John 4:18) Could this be why Jesus said, "Be not afraid!" seven times in the gospels? He knew that love is not found in a fearful heart, but if allowed to come in, it will drive out fear. If we are not loving others, we can ask ourselves, "What fear is taking the place of love in our hearts?" Then we can ask Jesus for help with that fear. He will replace that cold, stony, fearful heart with a heart capable of love for others if we only ask. (Ezekiel 36:26) Be not afraid.
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