COME & SEE A MAN: The Gospel Of Inclusion
Text: John 4:1-42
For those who lived in the times of apartheid you are very much aware of the system of exclusion from recreational, educational, religious & political activities solely on the basis of your skin colour.
But even today we still have people who don't belong. Who feel excluded. Who no matter what they do to be included are excluded.
Jesus Christ came to interrupt the religious systems that recognised the Israelites as the chosen people of God, & excluded all others who did not belong to God's chosen nation or people group.
As opposed to the gospel of exclusion, Jesus casts his nets wider enough to include those who don't belong to Israel. God in Christ had a plan in which all the peoples of the world will be partakes of the the gospel of salvation.
In defining exclusion I find the best scripture that puts it in a language we can understand.
In (Ephesians 2:12)
"Remember that at that time you were separated from Christ [excluded from any relationship with Him], alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise [with no share in the sacred Messianic promise and without knowledge of God’s agreements], having no hope [in His promise] and [living] in the world without God" ~ Amplified Version ~
This passage defines who we were as gentiles; #excluded, #alienated, #strangers, without the #covenants, without #knowledge, without #hope & without #God.
This knowledge of who we were without Christ helps us all to appreciate God's saving grace.
In this article; "Come & See A Man: The Gospel Of Inclusion"
I will argue that Jesus Christ reaching out to a Samaritan woman who by her own admission had a questionable character, Jesus Christ had to break the following barriers;
• Gender barriers
• Racial barriers
• Religious & Political barriers
Even today we have a lot of people who are outside the body of Christ. What kind of barriers can you identify as hindrances to the gospel ministry?
Today we still have to deal with tribalism, racism, sexism, ideologies, sexuality & denominational barriers.
COMPETITION & COMPARISON
"When therefore the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples), he left Judæa, and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs pass through Samaria. So he cometh to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph: and Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour"
(John 4:1-6 ASV)
The reason Jesus Christ decided to leave from Judea to Galilee was to avoid a rift between his disciples & the disciples of John the Baptist.
The Pharisees intention was to drive a wedge between the Messiah Jesus Christ, & his forerunner John the Baptist. However our Lord knew that putting himself in the middle of the competition & comparison would affect the ministry of John the Baptist before it comes to its conclusion.
Water baptism became the symbol of popularity. The more people you baptized, the more popular you became. Therefore, Jesus left Galilee to avoid dividing his ministry & that of John the Baptist.
Today in gospel ministry we have men & women constantly competing & comparing who has more followers than the other.
#Pride & #ego defines present day ministry, & yet Jesus instead of enjoying the #popularity as a celebrity "Messiah" steps aside to allow John's ministry to shine. Because you cannot blow out the candle of John the Baptist before his time.
DESTINATION
"And he must needs pass through Samaria" (John 4:4)
The battle about who has more disciples opened the door for the gospel to reach the unreached city of Samaria.
Often preachers are crowded in one city competing for the same souls causing divisions in the body of Christ, while Samaria remains unreached.
I don't know who is reading this, but I came to remind you of your own Samaria. There are cities & villages that we have excluded in our gospel outreach. Competition & comparison might hinder you to see the untapped harvest in the next town.
His destination was Galilee, but he NEEDED to pass through Samaria. The language "had to" (need to) reveal a divine appointment. The itinerary said; Galilee, but God had a plan for Samaria.
The hostility between Jews & Samaritans was so deep that though the shortest route to Galilee was through Samaria, the Jews would often use a long route just to avoid passing through the city of Samaria.
CONVERSATION WITH A SAMARITAN WOMAN
"and Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. For his disciples were gone away into the city to buy food. The Samaritan woman therefore saith unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, who am a Samaritan woman? (For Jews have no dealings with 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"
(John 4:6-10 ASV)
There is no question that our Lord was tired, thirst & hungry. That is the reason his disciples left him alone to go into the city to buy food.
However, we must notice the water symbolism in the Gospel Of John. Departing Judea on account of water baptism, our Lord begins his conversation with a Samaritan women with a request for water to drink.
This water #symbolism is everywhere in 5th Gospel;
"Now there were six waterpots of stone set there after the Jews’ manner of purifying, containing two or three firkins apiece"
(John 2:6 ASV)
"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God"
(John 3:5 ASV)
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.
(John 4:10 ASV)
Jesus asks the woman; "Give me a drink" (4:9)
Her response; "How is it that you, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?"
I would like to point out three things that so often we forget when preaching from this passage;
(a) "You being a Jew..." The woman highlights the Jewishness of Jesus Christ.
(b) "asks a drink from me a Samaritan..." She highlights herself being a Samaritan.
(c) "woman..." Here she highlights her sex/gender being a female.
She then highlights the historical hostilities between Jews & Samaritans.
To effectively minister to this woman you need to break gender, racial, political & religious barriers that divides these two people groups.
Though at this point both Samaria & Judea are under the Roman rule, they are still divided on the basis of history & religion.
Jews considered the Samaritans as;
• Political sellouts:
History records that when the Assyrians captured Samaria in 722-721, they separated Israelites who had influence from the rest.
Those they deemed powerful & educated they deported them. The rest who were deemed less, were intergrated with the foreigners with whom they inter-married which resulted into a mixed people & a mixed culture & religion.
When the Israelites returned from exile they found the Israelites who remained has changed.
Samaritans were then deemed Political sellouts who went to bed with the enemies of God.
• Mixed Breeds:
Jews considered the Samaritans as children of political rebels; & half-breeds. Calling them half-breeds is actually derogatory & racism.
They also despised Samaritans because their religion was tainted by varies unacceptable practices. Samaritan religion was a syncretism or mixture of the good & bad.
While the Jews focus on the Temple in Jerusalem. Samaritans focus in worship was on Mount Gerizim.
COMPARING JESUS' CONVERSATION WITH THE SAMARITAN WOMAN & NICODEMUS
¶ SAMARITAN
1. She was a woman
2. She was Samaritan (foreigner)
3. She was uneducated
4. With a cult-like religion
5. Despised/repugnance
6. Moral outcast (Sexually immoral)
¶ NICODEMUS
1. He was a man
2. He was a Jew
3. He was a ruler
4. He was very educated
5. Worshipped the One True God
6. Piety
Jesus effectively demonstrated his unbiased ministry to the Jews & non Jews, educated & uneducated, rulers & servants, rich & the poor, insiders & outsiders.
Jacob's well was both dug-out well, and was also receiving fresh water from the underground spring that is still giving out water to this very day.
The Samaritan woman comes to draw water alone without the company of other women. She had a reputation with MEN which made her an enemy of other women.
Rejected, despised, & hated by the community on account of her sexual immorality.
When she said; "how is it that you a Jew, asks a drink from me, a Samaritan woman" she has a valid reason.
Jewish teachings warn against talking too much with women in general. As a Jew, Jesus Christ was expected to to avoid any conversation with a woman, and would have kept a distance so that he is not put into proximity with a woman.
Jesus breaks this gender barrier & went further to ask for water to drink from a woman.
To make this taboo moment even worse; Jesus was talking to not just a woman, but a Samaritan woman. Ceremonially; she is declared a product of mixed race from her birth she is viewed as unclean.
In ancient days a man asking a woman for water was considered as flirtatious. But this woman being alone with a reputation of being a loose woman she might have interpreted; "give me a drink" to mean the invitation to sex.
The Pharisees who had a reputation of outward piety, as a rabbi (teacher) Jesus breaks down the rules of piety!
Pharisees considered many of the Samaritan food to be unclean. The Samaritan woman knowing the racial undertones of the Jews, knew that under Jewish law, even her water vessel is considered unclean for drinking.
"I have no husband" (4: 17) could be interpreted as; I am #single, #available, #free & ready to #mingle.
GEOGRAPHICAL RELIGIOUS SITES
“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
(John 4:21-30 NIV)
(i) A TIME IS COMING
A time is coming was a prophetic language pointing to this very time we living in.
(ii) PLACE OF WORSHIP
The geographical place of worship was the barrier to racial reconciliation & healing. Jesus Christ talks about that prophetic time (this time) where true worship is not confined to Jerusalem or Mount Gerizim. That true worship will no longer be in a designated temple in Jerusalem.
(iii) PROPHETIC INSIGHT
“I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
John 4:17-18 NIV
This prophetic insight changed this woman's perspective.
"The woman then left her water-pot, went to her way into the city, and said to the men come see a man" (4: 28-29)
The gospel changed this woman & turned her into an Evangelist, "Come See A Man". Because of this; Samaritan, woman, half-breed, foreigner, sexually loose woman, the message of the Kingdom of God reached the Samaritans.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is inclusive. The gospel of Jesus Christ doesn't leave others outside.
Our attitude should be that of Jesus Christ. Our prejudice against certain people groups becomes a barrier for the gospel to penetrate.
In our own context we are asking the question; what are the barriers hindering the gospel? Is it about our constant competition & comparisons?
Is it our attitude towards foreigners? Is it racism that is making it hard for us to reach out to our modern day Samaria? Is it because of our financial & status in the society?
Jesus Christ is teaching us to be open & allow God to use us to reach the often despised & hated minorities. To some it means reaching out to a certain tribe of people you hate. To others it means having a gospel conversation with the gay community.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is not exclusive, but radically inclusive. Everyone is wanted. Everyone is welcomed. But no one is allowed to remain the same.
To a woman caught in adultery, Jesus said to her; "neither do I condemn you, go and from now sin no more".
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