Tuesday, February 23, 2021

What is a Samaritan?

Someone who helps others is often referred to as a “good Samaritan.” But what is a Samaritan?

The Samaritans were a people group in the Bible that lived in the area of Israel following the Assyrian invasion. They survived through the time of Jesus, and even, in limited numbers, to the present day. 

The Bible mentions plenty of stories about Samaritans, and the hatred between Jews and Samaritans are found in the Gospels. So, what did it mean to be a Samaritan?

Who Were the Samaritan People?

To explain the origins of the Samaritans, we must go back to the days of the kings. After King Solomon ruled over the Israelites – God’s people –  the unwise actions of his son Rehoboam in the tenth century BC led to a disagreement  in which the kingdom was split into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, each with its own king.

Both kingdoms ended up  in corruption and sin, despite repeated warnings from prophets sent by God. Thus, God warned, they would be overtaken by conquerors. The northern kingdom fared worse than the southern kingdom, with a long line of wicked rulers. It didn’t help that the temple, where God’s people were to worship, was located in the southern kingdom. 

In 721 B.C., the northern kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians. Many of the people of Israel were led off to Assyria as captives, but some remained in the land and intermarried with foreigners planted there by the Assyrians. These half-Jewish, half-Gentile people became known as the Samaritans.

In 586 B.C., the southern kingdom of Judah fell to the Babylonian Empire once and for all, as the walls of Jerusalem were breached, the temple was destroyed, and the city walls torn down. 

Samaritans are first mentioned in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah in the 5th century B.C. At this point, Babylon had given way to the Persian Empire. Nehemiah, a Jew, found favor with the king and was able to return to Jerusalem to rebuild. However, the Samaritans remaining in the land opposed the rebuilding efforts and caused problems for Nehemiah and his fellow workers (Nehemiah 6:1-14). This was the beginning of a long-lasting hatred between Jews and Samaritans. 

Who Was the Samaritan Woman at the Well?

On one occasion, Jesus was passing through Samaria on his way from Judea to Galilee. Tired, He sat down at a well.

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus asked her for a drink. The woman was shocked. The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. In response, Jesus said that if she asked Him, He could give her living water. She asked for the water, and He responded that she should get her husband and come back. When she replied that she had no husband, He said, “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” (John 4:17-18).

At this point, the woman realized He must be some kind of prophet. She asked Him about the true worship, whether it was of the Jews or the Samaritans. 

He gave an unexpected response:

“’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’ (John 4:23-26).

Jesus was coming to establish something new. The Jerusalem/Gerizim debate would soon be obsolete; He was ushering in a new era.

The woman went to tell everyone, and as a result, many Samaritans listened to Jesus and believed.

Why Did Jesus Interact with Samaritans So Much?

Everywhere He went, Jesus interacted with the poor and outcast. Whether He was healing lepers, eating with tax collectors, or speaking to Samaritans, Jesus constantly demonstrated care for those the world had rejected and showed that He didn’t care what the “religious” people thought of Him.

Jesus showed that the Gospel is for everyone. He said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners”(Mark 2:17). 

 Hope for You and I

From the fall of the rebellious northern kingdom of Israel, to a mixed idolatrous religion, to a people group hated by the Jews, the Samaritans had a rocky history. 

However, the Gospel brought hope to Samaria. Upon the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, the believers went out into all the world, bringing the Good News.

“Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So, there was great joy in that city”   (Acts 8:4-8).

The history of Samaria reminds us that no matter who you are or where you come from, there is Good News through Jesus Christ. There is freedom when you have that encounter with Jesus and worship is in your heart, not the building you visit.

Blessings,

Lisa