At a Well in Samaria

“Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me all that I ever did.’  So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of his word.  They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.’”-John 4:39-42 (ESV. Read John 4:1-45)

We call her “the woman at the well in Samaria.”  John does not give her a name in his gospel.  But the depth of insight with which John tells her story inspires us to know that Jesus was concerned about all people.  He, a Jew, did not despise and look down upon the half-breed Samaritans.  He took time to talk to an outcast woman—one who came to the community well at a time when it was not frequented by many others from the town of Sychar.  There was a reason for her choice of time to fetch water.  She evidently had not taken seriously the marriage vows, for she had been married five times.  And even at the time of Jesus’ encounter with her, the man with whom she lived was not her husband.  Oh!  Would Jesus, a Jew, stoop to talk to one as ill-regarded as she?  And then He said something to her about living water, water that could permanently quench thirst.  She wanted that water, but she didn’t know exactly how to go about acquiring it.  Jesus knew she needed further counsel and instruction before she understood about the “living water” He offered.

Before His disciples returned from the town where they had gone to purchase food, Jesus had quite a discussion with the woman at the well.  She tried to get him on a detour by discussing where the Samaritans worshiped in comparison to where the Jews worshiped.  But when she said she knew that Messiah was coming, and that He would tell them ‘all things.’ He said to her, “I who speak to you am He” (v. 26).

When the disciples returned, the woman left her water jar and ran to Sychar.  Would her townspeople believe this outcast woman who had a message?  “”Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did.  Can this be the Christ?”  Maybe it was the change in her countenance, as she invited them to see for themselves.  Maybe it was the very fact that, outcast before, she now spoke to them—and that compellingly so that they listened and went to see for themselves.  One woman’s changed life and testimony resulted in a whole town hearing Jesus for two days.  We are told “many believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony” (v. 29)…and also “because of His word”(v. 41)   This was not just a wayside encounter.  Jesus “had to pass through Samaria” (v. 4).  I like the KJV version: “And he must needs go through Samaria” as if He had a sense of mission.  And He did.  Someone was there who needed to hear, see and accept Him as Messiah.  What a lessons this whole story of the woman at the well in Samaria teaches us!  She was an unlikely prospect for salvation, but touched by Jesus, she made a whole town aware of who He is and what He can do for a person who believes.  Praise be to God!

Paul’s Second Missionary Journey Ends at Antioch

“After this Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila.  At Cenchreae he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow.  And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.  When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined.  But on taking leave of them he said, ‘I will return to you if God wills,’ and he set sail from Ephesus.  When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch.” –Acts 18:18-22 (ESV).

Paul ended his second missionary journey at Antioch in Syria, his sponsoring church, the one that had laid hands on him and Silas and sent them out.  What Luke recorded of it is from Acts 15:36 through 18:22.  When I think of any of Paul’s missionary journeys, I am reminded of a good teacher friend of mine, Rachel Higdon, now enjoying her reward in heaven.  Being a teacher of history and French, as well as an excellent student of and teacher of the Bible, she always wanted a map to point out the places mentioned in the Bible.  With Acts, she had a “map-happy” time with her teaching, because she had such knowledge from ancient history she shared as she taught the Word.  “We are talking about real people here,”  she would emphasize, “and real places!”  She would invite us always to imagine the dangers Paul faced on land and on sea as he traveled, and remind us of the compelling force of the Holy Spirit that propelled him on from place to place to complete his divinely-appointed mission.  In today’s passage, Paul stayed “many days longer” at Corinth—longer, perhaps, than the 1 and ½ years previously stated.  When he decided to set sail for Antioch of Syria, his friends and co-tentmakers, Aquila and Priscilla accomaanied with him.  Their first stop was at Cenchreae, about 6 ½ miles eastward from Corinth, the city of Corinth’s main port to the Aegean Sea. At that town, Paul got a haircut, but it had to do with his Nazarite vow (see Numbers 6:1-21 for laws concerning this rite). We are not told what the vow involved but it could have been one of gratitude or in fulfillment of his dedication to God.  They sailed to Ephesus in Asia Minor and there Priscilla and Aquila stayed to strengthen the ministry there.  The Christians at Ephesus begged Paul to stay, but he declined, saying he would return if God willed.  This invitation was the basis of Paul’s third missionary journey, as we will see later.  One sentence summarized the last very long lap of finishing up his second missionary journey.  From Ephesus the ship took the coastal route south eastward, weaving though islands, including Rhodes, the largest one, to the west of the ship’s route.  Then a long Mediterranean Sea journey southeastward to Caesarea in Palestine.  By orverland road to “the church”—which everyone understood to be at Jerusalem—and then northward overland through Damascus and Syria up to Antioch.  Paul had been gone for well over two years and had traveled thousands of miles, preached many sermons, taught many lessons, had personal advisement sessions, worked to make his own way, written his first epistles, been imprisoned, beaten, accused, reviled, had to sneak away at nighttime to avoid more persecution.  And here he was, safely back at his home church!  Can you imagine the joy of greetings and the crowds that gathered each time he gave his “missionary report”?  They might have asked, “Paul, will you stay here awhile?”  And this anointed, itinerant preacher would no doubt have answered:  “I can’t quit yet (can’t retire yet)!  God has more work for me to do!”  And soon he would launch upon his third missionary journey.  The gospel came to us on its way to someone else, just as it had to Paul on the road to Damascus.  Faithfulness marked Paul’s Christian call.  Where does the Lord want you to faithfully witness, diligently labor in His “harvest field”?  “For the fields are white already to harvest”…(John 4:35).  There’s an urgency now about getting the harvest of souls in:  “For the night cometh when no man can work” (John 9:4).