Stephen
Terry, Director
The
Testimony of the Samaritans
Commentary
for the November 2, 2024, Sabbath School Lesson
"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.