These
are "unofficial notes" taken by one of the attendees
at the March 23, 2001 presentation and are not necessarily
an accurate representation of Rev. Prior's presentation. If
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Summary
of Teaching by
Rev. David Prior
"The Harvest & Eternal Issues"
[The story of the Woman at the Well]
March 23, 2001
Samaria and Israel are about 25-30 miles from the Mediterranean.
Sychar about 40 miles north of Jerusalem. Ahab had ruled here
and the area of Samaria had been under foreign 
control
for many years. The people of Jerusalem view the Samaritans
as being heretics who allowed idols into their worship services.
So, from a Jewish perspective the Samaritans
allowed intermarriage with foreigners who brought in their idols.
From the Samaritan point of view, They were
half the tribe of Ephraim, they did stray for 55 years but returned
to the faith. Jesus' view was not to take sides...
believers both needed each other.
- Jesus made himself vulnerable to the woman at the well by
asking her for water.
- She responded in surprise that a Jew would ask her, a Samaritan,
such a question. [A Jewish man would never
ask a Samaritan woman such a question.]
- Jesus responds, if you knew the gift of God and who I am...
and asked Him, He would give you living (flowing) waters (spiritual
waters) that will never dry up.
- How can this be, she asks still thinking about physical
water, but Jesus it talking about the spiritual waters that
bubble up within us.
- She doesn't understand what Jesus is talking about, but
she knows she wants it.
- Jesus asks her to go and get her husband, knowing supernaturally
that she has none and has had five husbands... This shows
her that Jesus has special gifts
- So she brings up the issue that Samaritans worship on Mount
Gerizim and the Jews in Jerusalem -- a red herring to get
some distance -- but Jesus sweeps away the idea of how one
worships, what you wear, etc. by saying the true worshippers
worship the Father in spirit and in truth.
- The woman then says, I know about the Christ
- And Jesus says "I am He!"
- The Samaritans believed in a Messiah! So at this point
the penny dropped.
- So she dropped everything and went to town and told people
He told me everything about me -- to her the important things
were her relationships with men and she was telling this to
those who had alienated her.
The Samaritans kept coming to Jesus, they were transformed
and He stayed two days in their midst. This is why Jesus had
to go through Samaria... Jesus was the savior of the world and
not just the Jews.
Keys in this Scripture Passage...
- My food is to do the work of He who sent me. There is work
to be done and it is my food, my need to do it. It is my substance.
- (vs35) The harvest is ready -- the
time is now, be sensitive and listen -- but today is the day
of salvation
- (vs36) The issues are eternal and
not based upon how we feel... It is a matter of life and death.
- (vs37) The task is a team effort --
others have sown the seed, watered it, others (you) shall
reap the harvest... but ALL are needed.
