4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
While the shortest route from Judea to Galilee was through Samaria, it was not the only way. Many Jews would have never thought of entering into Samaritan territory as the relationship between Jew and Samaritan was one of great hostility. The Jews hatred and bitterness towards the Samaritans – who were themselves half Jews both by blood and religion - at this time in history, had never been greater. Indeed, the Jews forbade the Samaritan from the services in the temple and considered their food unclean even as swine’s flesh. Enter Jesus on the scene which, Scripture states, “he had to go through Samaria”- fleshing out His words found in the gospel of Luke and showing forth for us a wonderful example of Christianity offering freedom to those otherwise in bondage to religious prejudice:
9 Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." Luke 19:9-10 (NIV)
Weary from the walk He sits down by the well and waits. Ever been weary in the center of God’s will? There is much kingdom work to be done on this side of heaven and oftentimes as modern day disciples we may feel a bit overwhelmed. This is nothing new – from the Old Testament to the New, there is a tendency for saints to become weary which calls for great discernment of God’s will on their part. This is clearly demonstrated for us by Jesus in our verses for today. Rather than run ahead with His disciples in the necessary task of gathering food for them to eat, our Savior shows us perfect discernment of God’s will for His life by waiting at the well for His next divine encounter as He later informs His disciples:
32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about." 33 Then his disciples said to each other, "Could someone have brought him food?" 34 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” John 4:32-34 (NIV)
“O My child, do not be overcharged with the cares of everyday living, and do not let your energies be consumed by humdrum tasks. What is needed, must be done; but if you put the ministry of the Kingdom in first place, My strength will be yours for other tasks, and time will be given to you for both. You do not need to respond to every call. Learn to discern when I would use you, and when I would have the other individual lean wholly upon Me. Otherwise, you may restrict the development of the other person’s spiritual ministry, and rather than helping, you may become an actual hindrance. I will not overtax you. I will use you, but I will not destroy you in the using. But you may destroy yourself if you lack this discernment and fail to know when to direct others to look to Me.” Frances J. Roberts
Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount:
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matt 6:33-34 (NIV)
The plentiful harvest took Jesus to Samaria where He had an appointment albeit unbeknownst to anyone else. Jesus gives us these words in Matthew showing forth His perfect focus of seeking to save the lost:
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Matt 9:35-38 (NIV)
“Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for the work of another believer – to pour out your life sacrificially for the ministry and faith of others? Or do you say, ‘I am not willing to be poured out right now, and I don’t want God to tell me how to serve Him. I want to choose the place of my own sacrifice. And I want to have certain people watching me and saying, ‘Well done.’’ It is one thing to follow God’s way of service if you are regarded as a hero, but quite another thing if the road marked out for you by God requires becoming a ‘doormat’ under people’s feet. God’s purpose may be to teach you to say, ‘I know how to be abased...’ (Philippians 4:12)...Are you willing to give and be poured out until you are used up and exhausted – not seeking to be ministered to, but to minister?” Oswald Chambers
Paul graciously states:
17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me. Phil 2:17-18 (NIV)