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>>Eric Flickinger:
Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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This week we are
continuing our journey
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through the book of
John, looking at some
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of the great themes
that run throughout the book.
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And this week
it's lesson number 5,
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"The Testimony
of the Samaritans,"
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a fascinating story
that we're going to be
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going through today.
Let's begin with prayer.
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Father, we thank
You for being with us
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as we continue our journey
through the book of John.
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We ask that You will guide
us and direct us in our study
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and help us to see Jesus
in new and exciting ways.
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And we thank You
in Jesus' name, amen.
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>>Thomas Shepherd: Amen.
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>>Eric: Well, to help guide us
along our study again this week,
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we have Dr. Tom Shepherd.
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He's the senior research
professor of New Testament
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at the Theological
Seminary, Andrews University.
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Tom, thanks for
joining us again.
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>>Tom: Good to be here.
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>>Eric: So we are
looking this time at
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"The Testimony
of the Samaritans."
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We're going to
spend a little bit of time
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in John, chapter 4 this week.
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And we're going to be looking
at the relationship between
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the Jews and the Samaritans
and specifically one Jew
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and one Samaritan.
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But give us some context in
what was the relationship like
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between the Jews
and the Samaritans.
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And I think that's
going to help us to see
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what this
interaction was all about.
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>>Tom: Yeah, so the relationship
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between the Jews
and the Samaritans
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is a long story.
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And it's a story of animosity.
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The Samaritans came into
the land of Judea or Palestine
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during the time of the
exile of the Jews to Babylon.
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And they mixed the
religion of Yahweh,
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of the God of
Israel, with idolatry.
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So they weren't
like pure Yahwehists.
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Now, when the Jews came
back from exile, the Samaritans
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wanted to help
them rebuild the temple.
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And if there's one thing
that the exile taught the Jews,
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it's "no idolatry."
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So they didn't
want the Samaritans.
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Now, so the Samaritans
didn't take that too well.
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And lo and behold, they
went and built a rival temple
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on a mount in central
Palestine called Mount Gerizim,
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which we'll talk a
little bit more about.
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And when the Jews defeated
the Greeks, the Seleucids,
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in about 165 BC,
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they eventually had, you know,
a large portion of Palestine
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under their control,
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and one of their
leaders, John Hyrcanus,
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went and destroyed the
temple of the Samaritans
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upon Mount Gerizim.
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Well, you can imagine
that didn't go over too well
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with the Samaritans.
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And so then the Samaritans--
there's a story where they come
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to the temple in
Jerusalem, and they spread bones
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in the temple area to defile it.
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So that didn't go over too
well with the Jews, either,
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you can imagine. So in Jesus'
day, there was this, like,
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sharp contention between them.
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We have a parable that's titled,
in most English Bibles in Luke,
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the Good Samaritan.
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And for people in
Jesus' day, for Jews,
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that would be an oxymoron.
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There couldn't
be a good Samaritan.
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So yeah, they didn't
get along very well at all.
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>>Eric: So that gives
us a little bit of context
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for this story.
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And in fact, they got along
so poorly that typically if Jews
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wanted to get from
point A to point B,
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they would, instead
of taking a direct route,
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it was more of a
circuitous route.
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So why did Jesus
pass through Samaria
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when so many other Jews
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would have taken
great pains to go around?
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>>Tom: Well, let's
read the text here.
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It's John 4, verses 1 through 6.
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>>Eric:
"Therefore, when the Lord knew
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"that the Pharisees
had heard that Jesus made
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"and baptized more
disciples than John
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"(though Jesus Himself did
not baptize, but His disciples),
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"He left Judea and
departed again to Galilee.
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"But He needed to
go through Samaria.
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"So He came to a city of
Samaria which is called Sychar,
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"near the plot of ground that
Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
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"Now Jacob's well was there.
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"Jesus therefore, being
wearied from His journey,
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sat thus by the well. It
was about the sixth hour."
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>>Tom: Okay, so here's Jesus
leaving Judea because of the--
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well, there is the
possibility of tension,
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as we've already
talked about tension
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between Jesus'
disciples and John's disciples.
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And so Jesus leaves, goes
back to Galilee, and it says
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in verse 4, "And He had
to pass through Samaria."
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Well, He didn't
have to. [chuckles]
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He could have gone
around through the Jordan Valley
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and bypassed it,
but He had one of those
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divine appointments in Samaria,
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and so He passes
through that area,
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and He comes to
this well, Jacob's well,
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which is still
there today, actually.
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And you can--it's
under a church now,
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almost everything
linked to Jesus these days
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is in some church.
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And you go down in the
basement and it's--that's--
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it's the very well,
and it's a deep well,
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and they'll take and drop
a stone in there and listen.
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Takes a few seconds
for it to get down there.
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It was a deep well, and this
is the well where Jesus came.
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Now, the area--this
well was right outside
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of the town called Shechem.
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And Shechem was a
very important place
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in Palestine
in--well, going all the way back
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to the days of Abraham.
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The first place
that Abram comes to
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in the land of the
Canaanites was Shechem.
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And that's the place
where he builds his first altar.
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This is also the place
where Jacob's daughter Dinah
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is raped by Shechem,
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and then Simeon and Levi
kill all the people of Shechem.
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And it's also a
place where Jacob
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gave some property to Joseph.
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And it's also just at
the base of two mountains,
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Gerizim and Ebal.
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If you read Deuteronomy
27 and you read Joshua 8,
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you read that
they had the blessings
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and the curses
on Gerizim and Ebal.
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Six tribes would
stand on Mount Gerizim,
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six tribes on Ebal.
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The tribes on Gerizim
would pronounce the blessings;
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the tribes on Ebal
would pronounce the curses.
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They had a covenant
renewal as well that took place
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in Shechem. So the
place is filled with history,
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linkages to Abraham,
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linkages to Jacob,
all kinds of things.
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Now, the well that
we're talking about
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was just outside of Shechem,
but the village of Sychar
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was about a mile away.
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Now, so you think
about going a mile [chuckles]
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to get water is no small
task, and we'll talk more
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about that as we go
through this passage.
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>>Eric: So she went a
distance to get to this well,
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to begin with. It also
says that she came to the well
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in the middle of the
day, which was not the norm.
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What was going on there?
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>>Tom: Yeah, so the middle
of the day would be warmer.
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There wouldn't be
anybody else there.
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And of course, we're
going to learn that this woman
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had a rather colored past.
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And she seems to be
practicing avoidance.
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She goes a mile
away to get water.
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She goes in the middle
of the day, probably because
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she's tired of all the gossip.
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A well was where all
the women would meet,
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where they would
talk, they would gossip,
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and tell, share stories.
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And she was probably the
one that they would talk about.
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She--when she does go
back to the village, she says,
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"Come see a man who told
me everything I ever did."
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Well, maybe
everybody was talking about
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everything she ever did.
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So, she comes to the well
at a time when nobody else
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would be there.
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>>Eric: And she
meets Jesus there.
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So walk us
through this encounter.
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>>Tom: Yeah,
let's read this story.
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All right, so it
starts in John 4,
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verse 7 through verse 12.
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"A woman from
Samaria came to draw water.
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"Jesus said to
her, 'Give me a drink.'
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"(For His disciples had gone
away into the city to buy food.)
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"The Samaritan
woman said to Him,
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"'How is it that You, a
Jew, ask for a drink from me,
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"a woman of Samaria?'
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"(For Jews have no
dealings with Samaritans.)
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"Jesus answered her, 'If
you knew the gift of God,
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"'and who it is
that is saying to you,
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"'"Give me a drink,"
you would have asked Him,
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"and He would have
given you living water.'
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"The woman said to Him, 'Sir,
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"'You have nothing to draw...
with, and the well is deep.
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"'Where do You
get that living water?
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"'Are You greater
than our father Jacob?
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"'He gave us the well
and drank from it himself,
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as did his sons
and his livestock.'"
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Okay, so this is
the start of the story.
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It's a very interesting
story, you know what I mean?
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All He does is say, you
know, "Please give me a drink."
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He's thirsty; He's tired;
He's been walking some distance.
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He says, "Please
give me a drink."
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Now, normally you would
say, "Oh sure, here's, you know,
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let me pour some out
for you to drink," you know.
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But because of the
animosity, the deep animosity
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between Jews and Samaritans,
when Jesus does this,
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it's like pushing
her buttons, we say.
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She's got all of this familial,
cultural heritage of hatred
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towards the Jews,
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and it just, you
know, immediately comes out.
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And she really mocks Him:
"How is it that You, a Jew,
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ask for a drink from
me, a Samaritan woman?"
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You must be awfully thirsty
to stoop to ask for a Samaritan
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for a drink of water.
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And Jesus doesn't take the
bait, so to speak, you know.
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He turns the
conversation around:
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"If you knew the gift of God
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"and who it is
that is saying to you,
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"'Give me a drink,'
you would have asked Him,
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and He would have
given you living water."
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So, what is this all
about, "the gift of God"?
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Well, you could say
Jesus is the gift of God,
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or sometimes the Holy Spirit
is spoken of as that gift.
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And "if you really knew
the person you were talking to,
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"you would ask Him
to give you a drink,
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and He would have
given you living water."
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Now, "living
water" was a terminology
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for water that was flowing.
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It was typically
flowing water had a better taste
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than the stale water of a well.
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And so she might
have understood something
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along those lines.
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But of course,
Jesus' real meaning
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of living water
is that the water
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is the water of eternal life
that He can offer her, right?
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And so she says, "You
have nothing to draw with.
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The well is deep. Where do
You get that living water?"
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And then she,
misunderstanding again,
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typical of the Gospel of John,
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she says, "You aren't greater
than our father Jacob, are You?"
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Well, actually He is.
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[chuckling] He's
the Messiah, you know?
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"He gave us the well
and drank from it himself,
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as did his sons
and his livestock."
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She's looking back to the
past, all the great fathers
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and everything, and
she doesn't recognize
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who's right in front of her.
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I remember reading a book about
00:12:33.38\00:12:35.62
the Supreme Court Justice
Burger, I think his name was.
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And this writer
was one of his clerks.
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And he would
walk with his clerks
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around the Supreme
Court at lunchtime,
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they would go for a
walk, and people would stop him
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and ask him if he would
take a picture for them.
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He said, "Well sure, why not?"
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you know, and he
would hold the camera.
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I mean, they didn't realize
this was the chief justice
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of the United States
that they were talking to,
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and he takes a picture. [laughs]
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So this woman doesn't
recognize who's talking to her.
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It's the Messiah Himself.
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Though, of course, that's
eventually gonna dawn on her,
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but, well, He's gonna tell her,
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but she doesn't
know at this point.
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So let's read a little bit
more, verses 13 through 15.
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>>Eric: "Jesus
answered and said to her,
00:13:28.64\00:13:30.27
"'Whoever drinks of
this water will thirst again,
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"'but whoever drinks of
the water that I shall give him
00:13:33.31\00:13:35.51
"'will never thirst.
00:13:35.54\00:13:36.98
"'But the water that I shall
give him will become in him
00:13:37.01\00:13:39.31
"a fountain of water springing
up into everlasting life.'
00:13:39.35\00:13:43.32
"The woman said to Him,
'Sir, give me this water,
00:13:43.35\00:13:45.95
that I may not thirst,
nor come here to draw.'"
00:13:45.99\00:13:50.29
We're going to delve into that
00:13:50.33\00:13:51.79
and what Jesus means and
her misunderstanding of it
00:13:51.83\00:13:55.26
when we come
back in just a moment.
00:13:55.30\00:13:56.73
But before we go to
break, there's a companion book
00:13:56.77\00:14:00.14
that people can
get their hands on.
00:14:00.17\00:14:01.67
What's the significance
of that companion book?
00:14:01.70\00:14:03.94
And why might they want
to get their hands on it?
00:14:03.97\00:14:06.07
>>Tom: So that
companion book will--
00:14:06.11\00:14:07.81
is geared towards the lesson.
00:14:07.84\00:14:09.48
It's the same number
of chapters, same titles,
00:14:09.51\00:14:11.58
and it gives you extra
information that tells you
00:14:11.61\00:14:14.22
more than what you get from
the Sabbath School quarterly
00:14:14.25\00:14:17.05
or the teacher's quarterly.
00:14:17.09\00:14:18.39
And it's just valuable
kind of stuff to delve into.
00:14:18.42\00:14:22.42
>>Eric: So if you want
to dig more into the story
00:14:22.46\00:14:24.86
of the woman at the
well and see even more
00:14:24.89\00:14:27.30
than we have shared,
make sure you pick up
00:14:27.36\00:14:29.16
that companion book.
00:14:29.20\00:14:30.50
You will find it
at itiswritten.shop.
00:14:30.53\00:14:32.93
Again, itiswritten.shop.
00:14:32.97\00:14:34.80
Just look for the companion book
00:14:34.84\00:14:36.37
to this quarter's
"Sabbath School" lesson.
00:14:36.40\00:14:37.94
We're going to come right back
00:14:37.97\00:14:39.27
as we continue
delving into the story
00:14:39.31\00:14:41.04
of the woman at the well
and her interaction with Jesus
00:14:41.08\00:14:44.35
that changed not just her
life but the lives of many.
00:14:44.38\00:14:47.25
We'll be right back.
00:14:47.28\00:14:48.58
¤¤¤
00:14:48.62\00:14:51.35
>>Eric: One of the
most powerful evidences
00:14:52.35\00:14:54.16
that the Bible is
true are the prophecies
00:14:54.19\00:14:56.46
that you will find in its pages.
00:14:56.49\00:14:58.09
If you've been
wondering about what's happening
00:14:58.13\00:15:00.26
in the world today,
especially in the United States,
00:15:00.30\00:15:02.93
socially, militarily,
politically, and economically,
00:15:02.96\00:15:06.80
the "Which Way,
America?" seminar will answer
00:15:06.84\00:15:09.17
those questions for
you in a powerful way.
00:15:09.20\00:15:12.04
I'm Eric Flickinger
and I want to invite you
00:15:12.07\00:15:14.21
to the "Which
Way, America?" seminar,
00:15:14.24\00:15:16.21
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:15:16.24\00:15:18.21
>>male announcer:
Watch "Which Way, America?"
00:15:18.25\00:15:19.65
on YouTube and It Is Written TV.
00:15:19.68\00:15:21.82
>>John Bradshaw: Thank
you for remembering that
00:15:22.55\00:15:23.85
It Is Written exists because
of the kindness of people
00:15:23.89\00:15:26.62
just like you.
00:15:26.65\00:15:28.29
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
00:15:28.32\00:15:31.06
please call us
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00:15:31.09\00:15:35.36
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:15:35.40\00:15:36.93
to the address on your screen,
or you can visit us online
00:15:36.97\00:15:40.10
at itiswritten.com.
00:15:40.14\00:15:42.44
Thank you for your prayers
and your financial support.
00:15:42.47\00:15:44.64
Our number
again is 800-253-3000,
00:15:44.67\00:15:48.44
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:15:48.48\00:15:52.15
¤¤¤
00:15:53.15\00:15:56.95
>>Eric: Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:15:56.99\00:15:58.52
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:15:58.55\00:16:00.39
We're taking a look at the
story of the woman at the well.
00:16:00.42\00:16:04.06
Tom, we just read
verses 13 through 15
00:16:04.09\00:16:07.20
as we continue this interaction
that the woman has with Jesus.
00:16:07.23\00:16:10.00
Walk us through
what happens here.
00:16:10.03\00:16:11.53
>>Tom: Yeah, so
it's interesting.
00:16:11.57\00:16:13.20
You know, Jesus says to her,
00:16:13.23\00:16:14.54
"Everybody who drinks of this
water will be thirsty again.
00:16:14.57\00:16:17.01
"But if you drink
the water I give you,
00:16:17.04\00:16:19.11
you won't be thirsty."
00:16:19.14\00:16:20.44
So she still doesn't understand
what He's talking about,
00:16:20.48\00:16:24.48
but she says,
"Sir, give me this water,
00:16:24.51\00:16:27.02
"so that I will not be
thirsty or have to come here
00:16:27.05\00:16:29.82
to draw water."
00:16:29.85\00:16:31.15
So she's
thinking physical water,
00:16:31.19\00:16:33.52
and furthermore,
she thinks that this is
00:16:33.56\00:16:37.06
going to solve her problem.
00:16:37.09\00:16:39.03
She's not going to be thirsty,
00:16:39.06\00:16:40.36
so she doesn't
have to walk so far.
00:16:40.40\00:16:42.13
And of course, the
reason she had to walk so far
00:16:42.16\00:16:44.07
was because her
life was so messed up.
00:16:44.10\00:16:46.03
And so she would
avoid facing her problems.
00:16:46.07\00:16:49.64
She didn't have to
face her problems anymore.
00:16:49.67\00:16:51.41
So it's interesting that
the very brief discussion here
00:16:51.44\00:16:55.94
begins with Jesus
asking for a drink of water.
00:16:55.98\00:16:58.65
And by this point she's
asking for a drink of water.
00:16:58.68\00:17:02.58
Now, that's a golden
moment, we say, in teaching.
00:17:02.62\00:17:05.45
When the student
asks a question, you know,
00:17:05.49\00:17:07.86
then, you know, this is
their opportunity to learn.
00:17:07.89\00:17:10.29
All right, so
let's see what happens.
00:17:10.33\00:17:12.39
Jesus is going to talk to
her in verses 16 through 19.
00:17:12.43\00:17:18.00
>>Eric: "Jesus said to
her, 'Go, call your husband,
00:17:18.03\00:17:20.24
"and come here.'
00:17:20.27\00:17:21.57
"The woman answered and
said, 'I have no husband.'
00:17:21.60\00:17:24.17
"Jesus said to her, 'You have
well said, "I have no husband,"
00:17:24.21\00:17:27.11
"'for you have
had five husbands,
00:17:27.14\00:17:28.94
"'and the one whom you
now have is not your husband;
00:17:28.98\00:17:31.78
"in that you spoke
truly.' The woman said to Him,
00:17:31.81\00:17:34.45
'Sir, I perceive...
You are a prophet.'"
00:17:34.48\00:17:36.95
>>Tom: [laughs] So it is
a very important point here,
00:17:36.99\00:17:42.26
is that Jesus
says to her, basically,
00:17:42.29\00:17:48.50
"You mustn't run
from your problems;
00:17:48.53\00:17:50.10
you must face your
problems. Go call your husband."
00:17:50.13\00:17:54.24
Now, she doesn't like that.
00:17:54.27\00:17:56.50
She doesn't want to hear
that. "I have no husband."
00:17:56.54\00:17:58.94
She's telling the
truth: "I have no husband."
00:17:58.97\00:18:01.61
And Jesus says, "You're right,
00:18:01.64\00:18:04.41
"because you've
had five husbands,
00:18:04.45\00:18:07.28
"and the guy that
you're living with now
00:18:07.32\00:18:08.85
is not your husband."
00:18:08.88\00:18:11.55
Ellen White puts this very
nicely in "Desire of Ages."
00:18:11.59\00:18:14.42
She says, "A mysterious
hand was turning the pages
00:18:14.46\00:18:18.09
of her life" and
seeing all the, you know,
00:18:18.13\00:18:20.96
sordid details
of her experience.
00:18:21.00\00:18:24.17
She trembles at
somebody and she says,
00:18:24.20\00:18:28.57
"Sir, I perceive
You are a prophet."
00:18:28.60\00:18:31.27
Now, it's very interesting
because we've said before
00:18:31.31\00:18:36.08
in the Gospel of John
there's this light and darkness,
00:18:36.11\00:18:38.18
and the question is--the
light of the world comes in
00:18:38.21\00:18:41.48
and gives light
to every person--
00:18:41.52\00:18:43.15
what will you do with
the light that God gives you?
00:18:43.18\00:18:46.82
And she has trouble
looking at the light.
00:18:46.86\00:18:52.16
The light is too
bright. [chuckles]
00:18:52.19\00:18:55.60
She sort of looks off
to the side, you know.
00:18:55.63\00:18:58.53
"Sir, I perceive
You are a prophet."
00:18:58.57\00:19:01.10
Now, let's read
what she says, verse 20:
00:19:01.14\00:19:03.04
"Our fathers
worshiped on this mountain,
00:19:03.07\00:19:05.31
"but You say that in
Jerusalem is the place
00:19:05.34\00:19:07.31
where people ought to worship."
00:19:07.34\00:19:08.94
So let's not talk about my life.
00:19:08.98\00:19:11.51
She's looking off, you
know, in a different way.
00:19:11.55\00:19:14.45
Let's not talk about my life.
00:19:14.48\00:19:16.05
Let's talk about the dispute
between Jews and Gentiles.
00:19:16.08\00:19:19.05
Let's talk about, is it
here on Mount Gerizim that we're
00:19:19.09\00:19:22.22
supposed to worship, or is it
in Jerusalem, like You Jews say?
00:19:22.26\00:19:26.53
So she doesn't
run from the light.
00:19:26.56\00:19:29.50
She could have grabbed her
jar and run, but she doesn't.
00:19:29.53\00:19:33.34
She stays where the light
is; she just can't look at it
00:19:33.37\00:19:36.74
real straight yet.
Jesus is patient with her.
00:19:36.77\00:19:40.81
So now we'll read
what He says to her
00:19:40.84\00:19:42.74
about the place of worship.
00:19:42.78\00:19:45.08
So now we'll read verses 21
through verse--well, let's go--
00:19:45.11\00:19:54.16
let's go through verse 26.
That's the end of her story.
00:19:54.19\00:19:58.29
>>Eric: "Jesus said to her,
'Woman, believe me, the hour is
00:19:58.33\00:20:01.23
"'coming when you will
neither on this mountain,
00:20:01.26\00:20:03.16
"'nor in
Jerusalem, worship the Father.
00:20:03.20\00:20:05.70
"'You worship what you do not
know; we know what we worship,
00:20:05.73\00:20:08.94
"'for salvation is of the Jews.
00:20:08.97\00:20:10.84
"'But the hour is coming, and
now is, when the true worshipers
00:20:10.87\00:20:14.18
"'will worship the
Father in spirit and truth;
00:20:14.21\00:20:16.91
"'for the Father is
seeking such to worship Him.
00:20:16.95\00:20:19.78
"'God is Spirit, and
those who worship Him
00:20:19.81\00:20:21.82
"must worship in
spirit and truth.'
00:20:21.85\00:20:24.25
"The woman said to Him,
00:20:24.29\00:20:25.89
"'I know that Messiah is
coming' (who is called Christ).
00:20:25.92\00:20:28.96
"'When He comes, He
will tell us all things.'
00:20:28.99\00:20:31.66
Jesus said to her, 'I
who speak to you am He.'"
00:20:31.69\00:20:35.30
>>Tom: Well, we've talked
about revelation. [chuckles]
00:20:35.33\00:20:38.93
And this is clearly
revelation to this woman.
00:20:38.97\00:20:43.64
So He lets her
take the conversation
00:20:43.67\00:20:47.98
on the question of worship.
00:20:48.01\00:20:49.58
He'll talk about worship,
and He'll say it's not here,
00:20:49.61\00:20:52.98
it's not there.
00:20:53.01\00:20:54.68
Worship is not now defined by
a particular spot in the world--
00:20:54.72\00:21:00.59
you have to go to Jerusalem,
you have to go to Gerizim--
00:21:00.62\00:21:03.63
He says, no, that God is
Spirit, and He seeks those
00:21:03.66\00:21:08.23
to worship Him who
worship in spirit and in truth.
00:21:08.26\00:21:13.50
And so the woman, you
know, listens to this.
00:21:13.54\00:21:16.71
She's impressed with this Man.
00:21:16.74\00:21:18.47
She kind of wistfully says,
"Well, the Messiah is coming,
00:21:18.51\00:21:22.48
and we know that when He comes,
He'll explain everything to us."
00:21:22.51\00:21:26.85
And He says, "I who
speak to you am He."
00:21:26.88\00:21:30.79
This is the only
place in all four Gospels,
00:21:30.82\00:21:35.29
before His trial
before the Sanhedrin,
00:21:35.32\00:21:38.66
where Jesus says to
someone specifically
00:21:38.69\00:21:41.13
that He is the
Messiah. Only here.
00:21:41.16\00:21:44.13
And it's to a woman
whose life is messed up,
00:21:44.17\00:21:47.94
a woman of Samaria,
00:21:47.97\00:21:50.01
just one individual, not
even a Jew, not even a man,
00:21:50.04\00:21:54.48
just this woman of Samaria,
who's had a troubled life,
00:21:54.51\00:21:57.75
and He tells her
that He's the Messiah.
00:21:57.78\00:22:00.38
It's like, whoa, this is
like the biggest revelation
00:22:00.42\00:22:03.69
that you could, like, you
could get, so, very impressive.
00:22:03.72\00:22:06.96
Now, now we gotta
bring the disciples
00:22:06.99\00:22:09.29
back into the
story, verse 27 through 30.
00:22:09.32\00:22:12.59
>>Eric: "And at this
point His disciples came,
00:22:12.63\00:22:14.36
"and they marveled
that He talked with a woman;
00:22:14.40\00:22:16.30
"yet no one said,
'What do You seek?' or,
00:22:16.33\00:22:18.97
"'Why are You talking with her?'
00:22:19.00\00:22:20.74
"The woman then
left her waterpot,
00:22:20.77\00:22:22.47
"went her way into the
city, and said to the men,
00:22:22.50\00:22:25.24
"'Come, see a Man who told
me all things that I ever did.
00:22:25.27\00:22:28.81
"Could this be the Christ?'
00:22:28.84\00:22:30.35
Then they went out of
the city and came to Him."
00:22:30.38\00:22:33.05
>>Tom: Okay, so the disciples
come back, and they're surprised
00:22:33.08\00:22:35.92
that He's
talking with this woman.
00:22:35.95\00:22:37.79
You know, she's a Samaritan,
obviously a Samaritan woman.
00:22:37.82\00:22:40.72
And actually, men
talking with women
00:22:40.76\00:22:43.79
and by themselves
would be sort of, you know,
00:22:43.83\00:22:47.46
not a normal kind of a deal.
00:22:47.50\00:22:49.60
And so they're
surprised, but, you know,
00:22:49.63\00:22:53.60
they've learned far
enough that, you know,
00:22:53.64\00:22:55.44
you don't
question Jesus. You know,
00:22:55.47\00:22:57.01
Jesus will do
some unusual things.
00:22:57.04\00:22:59.31
He's the
master-- okay, let it be.
00:22:59.34\00:23:01.81
Nobody says to Him,
"What are You looking for?"
00:23:01.84\00:23:03.95
or "Why are You talking to her?"
00:23:03.98\00:23:06.55
The disciples probably saw
nothing in this Samaritan area
00:23:06.58\00:23:12.59
as a place where
the gospel could grow.
00:23:12.62\00:23:14.99
Jesus did. And so the
woman, it's very interesting,
00:23:15.02\00:23:20.36
the detail in verse 28:
00:23:20.40\00:23:21.76
"So the woman left her water jar
and went away into the town."
00:23:21.80\00:23:25.60
Now, why did she leave
her water jar at the well?
00:23:25.63\00:23:31.11
Usually, Bible stories
are what we call laconic.
00:23:31.14\00:23:34.68
They're very brief.
00:23:34.71\00:23:36.18
You know, I mean, you
look at this, it's only,
00:23:36.21\00:23:38.95
like, a few
columns of page, you know?
00:23:38.98\00:23:41.95
You're not even
maybe in one full page
00:23:41.98\00:23:43.89
that we've got here.
00:23:43.92\00:23:45.69
Almost--in Bible stories,
every detail that's given
00:23:45.72\00:23:49.39
is typically some
important detail for the story.
00:23:49.42\00:23:53.06
So that she leaves
her water jar is there,
00:23:53.09\00:23:58.03
we're told this on purpose.
00:23:58.07\00:24:00.64
So why would it be that
she would leave her water jar?
00:24:00.67\00:24:04.21
Well, the answer is,
she's not thirsty anymore.
00:24:04.24\00:24:08.88
She's drunk from the
water of life, you know,
00:24:08.91\00:24:11.98
and it's already welling
up in her into eternal life.
00:24:12.01\00:24:14.85
She becomes an evangelist.
00:24:14.88\00:24:16.62
"Come, see a Man who
told me all that I ever did.
00:24:16.65\00:24:19.49
Can this be the Christ?"
00:24:19.52\00:24:21.22
You know, I mean,
she's like, incredulous.
00:24:21.26\00:24:24.16
"Really, the Messiah is here.
He's out there at the well.
00:24:24.19\00:24:27.23
Come on," you know?
00:24:27.23\00:24:28.90
So then we read
verses 31 through 38.
00:24:28.93\00:24:35.47
>>Eric: "In the meantime
His disciples urged Him,
00:24:35.50\00:24:37.44
"saying, 'Rabbi, eat.'
00:24:37.47\00:24:39.04
"But He said to
them, 'I have food to eat
00:24:39.07\00:24:41.21
"of which you do not know.'
00:24:41.24\00:24:43.14
"Therefore the
disciples said to one another,
00:24:43.18\00:24:45.28
'Has anyone brought
Him anything to eat?'
00:24:45.31\00:24:47.45
"Jesus said to them,
00:24:47.48\00:24:48.78
"'My food is to do the
will of Him who sent me,
00:24:48.82\00:24:51.19
"'and to finish His
work. Do you not say,
00:24:51.22\00:24:53.36
"'"There are still four months
and then comes the harvest"?
00:24:53.39\00:24:56.19
"'Behold, I say to
you, lift up your eyes
00:24:56.22\00:24:58.29
"'and look at the fields,
00:24:58.33\00:24:59.73
"'for they are
already white for harvest!
00:24:59.76\00:25:02.16
"'And he who
reaps receives wages,
00:25:02.20\00:25:03.93
"'and gathers
fruit for eternal life,
00:25:03.97\00:25:05.87
"'that both he who
sows and he who reaps
00:25:05.90\00:25:08.40
"'may rejoice together.
For in this the saying is true:
00:25:08.44\00:25:11.41
"'"One sows and another reaps."
00:25:11.44\00:25:13.51
"'I sent you to reap that
for which you have not labored;
00:25:13.54\00:25:16.44
"'others have
labored, and you have entered
00:25:16.48\00:25:18.45
into their labors.'"
00:25:18.48\00:25:19.95
>>Tom: So Jesus isn't
talking about crops. [laughs]
00:25:19.98\00:25:22.85
He's talking about
the harvest of souls.
00:25:22.88\00:25:25.62
He's talking about people
who will accept the gospel.
00:25:25.65\00:25:28.29
He says, "My food is to do
the will of Him who sent me,
00:25:28.32\00:25:31.63
and to accomplish His work."
00:25:31.66\00:25:33.43
You know, this is
really an important issue
00:25:33.46\00:25:35.26
for each one of us.
00:25:35.30\00:25:37.27
Is it so important for us to do
the will of God that, you know,
00:25:37.30\00:25:41.64
we say, "That's more
important than my daily food."
00:25:41.67\00:25:44.41
Jesus said that "my food is to
do the will of Him who sent me,
00:25:44.44\00:25:48.44
and to accomplish His
work," to finish His work.
00:25:48.48\00:25:51.41
And He then goes on to
talk all about the harvest,
00:25:51.45\00:25:55.75
and He says, "You
don't have to wait;
00:25:55.78\00:25:57.09
the harvest is here already."
00:25:57.12\00:25:58.42
He saw the people
coming towards Him.
00:25:58.45\00:26:00.29
Now, these people in this city,
00:26:00.32\00:26:02.69
they respond very
positively to Jesus.
00:26:02.72\00:26:06.93
They ask Him to stay, and
He stays there several days.
00:26:06.96\00:26:12.30
And at first, it
seems it's because
00:26:12.33\00:26:14.70
of what the woman told them,
but then we go down to verse 42:
00:26:14.74\00:26:19.07
"They said to the woman,
00:26:19.11\00:26:20.68
"'It is no longer because of
what you said that we believe,
00:26:20.71\00:26:25.08
"'for we have
heard for ourselves,
00:26:25.11\00:26:27.62
and we know that this is indeed
the Savior of the world.'"
00:26:27.65\00:26:32.82
What an amazing event!
00:26:32.85\00:26:34.42
What an amazing--all
from, coming from just,
00:26:34.46\00:26:36.96
"Give me a drink of water."
You know, I tell my friends
00:26:36.99\00:26:39.63
that are listening to
this: God has plans for you.
00:26:39.66\00:26:43.06
He has simple little
things that you might do
00:26:43.10\00:26:46.40
to be a blessing to others.
00:26:46.43\00:26:47.74
Notice that it's being
vulnerable, it's being in need
00:26:47.77\00:26:51.41
that really makes it possible
for others to come to your aid.
00:26:51.44\00:26:56.04
One of the great lessons
I learned in mission service
00:26:56.08\00:26:58.75
was that when I am
weak, then am I strong.
00:26:58.78\00:27:01.32
It sounds
really-- it sounds like
00:27:01.35\00:27:02.98
a beautiful kind of an idea,
but it's actually very painful
00:27:03.02\00:27:06.79
when you're in need.
00:27:06.82\00:27:09.06
But then others
come to your aid,
00:27:09.09\00:27:12.39
and that opens them to you.
00:27:12.43\00:27:15.40
And this helps you to bond
with people wherever you are.
00:27:15.43\00:27:20.40
You know, when you ask for
help, instead of you're up here,
00:27:20.44\00:27:23.24
the teacher, with
all the knowledge,
00:27:23.27\00:27:25.11
you ask them for help.
00:27:25.14\00:27:26.57
They come to your
aid; they bond with you.
00:27:26.61\00:27:29.21
Then you can share
with them your experience.
00:27:29.24\00:27:31.15
>>Eric: Trust awakens trust.
00:27:31.18\00:27:32.71
>>Tom: Yes.
>>Eric: Beautiful idea.
00:27:32.75\00:27:35.05
Well, we trust that this
has been a blessing to you
00:27:35.08\00:27:38.05
as we have looked at the
story of the woman at the well,
00:27:38.09\00:27:40.79
that there have
been some lessons
00:27:40.82\00:27:42.12
that you have gleaned from it.
00:27:42.16\00:27:44.13
And by God's grace,
you'll take those lessons,
00:27:44.16\00:27:45.63
apply them, and
share them with others.
00:27:45.66\00:27:49.56
God's giving you opportunities
to reach others for Him.
00:27:49.60\00:27:51.87
We're glad you
joined us this week,
00:27:51.90\00:27:53.20
and we look forward to
seeing you again next week
00:27:53.23\00:27:55.37
as we continue our
journey through the book of John
00:27:55.40\00:27:58.11
here on "Sabbath School,"
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:58.14\00:28:01.44
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