Bible Study Samaritan woman at the well?

[Alabaster]

For something to be a "sin", God has to have told us that it is a sin in His word (either directly or at least clearly in principle.) There is no sin of "living together" in the true sense of those words ever mentioned. Of course, in today's English we have assigned a sexual connotation to those words that was not originally there when we refer to a straight man and woman or a homosexual couple. But there is no sin whatsoever in just the act of two people (even if they are a straight man and woman) living in the same dwelling. It doesn't matter how many people say something is a sin. If God didn't tell us it is sin, we have no right to make it a sin.

Is it the best idea to do this if you believe that sex outside of marriage is a sin and the other person you are living with is someone you are sexually attracted to? Probably not! But not being a good idea, in and of itself, doesn't make it a sin against God. I can envision many hypothetical situations where two sexually attracted people may find themselves living together where it may be the only practical solution for them. In and of itself, this is not a sin any more than it is for two straight men or women to live together as roomates.

One thing you probably have noticed in Mexico is that it is very common for unmarried people (referring to abscense of either legal or church marriage) that are living together to tell everyone they are married and refer to each other as "My husband" or "My wife". This is only because the huge influence of the Catholic church in your country, and the shame they have put on unmarried couples in sexual relationships pressuring them to lie about it to avoid "the evil eye" from the people around them! Lying clearly is a sin in the Bible.

Living together as husband and wife, in a sexual relationship is a sin. Period. People are brazen about it today. They don't lie about it.

Many times I wonder if the woman at the well was doing the same thing. Perhaps this is an an additional aspect of the story. She was lying about her relationship. Jesus knew this, and was also condemning her for the sin of lying!

Jesus never condemned people!

John 3:17 NKJV
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

 

[stovebolts]

I've always enjoyed the story of the Samaritan woman at the well, and there is so much we can glean from it.

The obvious is that Jesus (a Jew) first and foremost is speaking to a woman while alone. This in and of itself is taboo . Add that this woman is a Samaritan, and the offense within the Jewish culture is doubled (John 4:27).

From an over all perspective, John is telling this story with the theme set out in John 1, which is this contrast between light and darkness. Please see John 1:4-5, and you will see this pattern within the conversation between Jesus, and the Samaritan woman.

If we look at John 4:7, we see that it is about the 6th hour. That is, about noon when this woman comes to draw water. This is not normal as women would draw their water early in the morning before the sun came out. This is the first red flag that shows us that this woman was not thought of highly, and that she was an outcast of sorts. In other words, we know that this woman is going through some emotional pain of sorts, and we will find out later one of the reasons.

The occurrence is natural enough as Jesus asks the woman for some water, and her response if full of bitterness and argument. This again tells us the burden that she is under.

Jesus responds to her bitterness by giving her a peak at who he is, and how he can heal her. Have you ever asked yourself where this idea of living water came from in Jewish thought? It came from the fires of Gehinom (hell). In Jewish thought, a "Moreh", that is, a rightous Jewish teacher in Torah would pass through Gehinom upon his death , but instead of being burned by the fires of Gehinom, the fires would be turned into living waters. Furthermore, he would be able to take souls out of Gehinom. (Acts 2:27, 2:31, Psalms 84:5-7) and bring them to the tree of life (Proverbs 11:30). Jesus is saying, "If you knew who I was, you would know the healing I present before you.

And yet, how does this woman reply? She hasn't a clue as to what Jesus is saying because she hasn't a clue to the healing that is being offered her. Why? Because she's lived a life of persecution, guilt and shame. So, to bring the conversation to her level, Jesus says, "Go, call thy husband". Doesn't Jesus know that she isn't married? Of course he does (John 4:17-18), but he's calling her out on her broken life, a realm in which she lives. Jesus meets her where she's at. Think about this... The woman has had 5 husbands. That's five broken relationships. Imagine for a moment how broken and hurt this woman is inside, and how it's effecting how she's living day to day in shame to the point where she can't even get water in the morning with the rest of the women. But we see that she still has hope, and she is still trying to get it right because she is not single, and she's still seeking somebody to love,and somebody to love her. And in her midst, is the one that can truly heal her soul, and bring her to living waters while rescuing her from the hell she's in.

And it is at this point that she can receive Jesus and be healed, yet she's not quite there yet... and she responds with yet another argument... "Our Fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you say in that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship"...

What is John's theme?
John 1:4-5 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not.

Yet Jesus is patient with this woman, illuminating who she is and explaining a grander picture... and she starts to get it.

John 4:29 Come, see a man, who told me all things that ever I did: can this be the Christ?

 

[Pizzaguy]

Living together as husband and wife, in a sexual relationship is a sin. Period. People are brazen about it today. They don't lie about it.

YOur statement reminds me: I once sat in a service where a "full gospel" preacher stated that "all sex is sin, sex within marriage is forgiven sin".

I'd say he, like so many "full gospel" types, got on a roll and could not stop. 2

 

[reba]

Recommendations and Guidelines for an effective Bible Study


Please read the above. There will be an effort to the Bible Study Forum on a clear track. Thanks

 

[Pizzaguy]

I use the "NEW POSTS" button and all threads come up together... I've GOT to start paying attention and check what forum I am in!

 

[reba]

Thanks PG!

Wasn't it a real pleasure to read Stovebolts and Nathan? I hope to see more of that here!

 

[Alabaster]

YOur statement reminds me: I once sat in a service where a "full gospel" preacher stated that "all sex is sin, sex within marriage is forgiven sin".

I'd say he, like so many "full gospel" types, got on a roll and could not stop. 2

I have no idea why you said that.

 

[Alabaster]

I've always enjoyed the story of the Samaritan woman at the well, and there is so much we can glean from it.

The obvious is that Jesus (a Jew) first and foremost is speaking to a woman while alone. This in and of itself is taboo . Add that this woman is a Samaritan, and the offense within the Jewish culture is doubled (John 4:27).

From an over all perspective, John is telling this story with the theme set out in John 1, which is this contrast between light and darkness. Please see John 1:4-5, and you will see this pattern within the conversation between Jesus, and the Samaritan woman.

If we look at John 4:7, we see that it is about the 6th hour. That is, about noon when this woman comes to draw water. This is not normal as women would draw their water early in the morning before the sun came out. This is the first red flag that shows us that this woman was not thought of highly, and that she was an outcast of sorts. In other words, we know that this woman is going through some emotional pain of sorts, and we will find out later one of the reasons.

The occurrence is natural enough as Jesus asks the woman for some water, and her response if full of bitterness and argument. This again tells us the burden that she is under.

Jesus responds to her bitterness by giving her a peak at who he is, and how he can heal her. Have you ever asked yourself where this idea of living water came from in Jewish thought? It came from the fires of Gehinom (hell). In Jewish thought, a "Moreh", that is, a rightous Jewish teacher in Torah would pass through Gehinom upon his death , but instead of being burned by the fires of Gehinom, the fires would be turned into living waters. Furthermore, he would be able to take souls out of Gehinom. (Acts 2:27, 2:31, Psalms 84:5-7) and bring them to the tree of life (Proverbs 11:30). Jesus is saying, "If you knew who I was, you would know the healing I present before you.

And yet, how does this woman reply? She hasn't a clue as to what Jesus is saying because she hasn't a clue to the healing that is being offered her. Why? Because she's lived a life of persecution, guilt and shame. So, to bring the conversation to her level, Jesus says, "Go, call thy husband". Doesn't Jesus know that she isn't married? Of course he does (John 4:17-18), but he's calling her out on her broken life, a realm in which she lives. Jesus meets her where she's at. Think about this... The woman has had 5 husbands. That's five broken relationships. Imagine for a moment how broken and hurt this woman is inside, and how it's effecting how she's living day to day in shame to the point where she can't even get water in the morning with the rest of the women. But we see that she still has hope, and she is still trying to get it right because she is not single, and she's still seeking somebody to love,and somebody to love her. And in her midst, is the one that can truly heal her soul, and bring her to living waters while rescuing her from the hell she's in.

And it is at this point that she can receive Jesus and be healed, yet she's not quite there yet... and she responds with yet another argument... "Our Fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you say in that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship"...

What is John's theme?
John 1:4-5 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not.

Yet Jesus is patient with this woman, illuminating who she is and explaining a grander picture... and she starts to get it.

John 4:29 Come, see a man, who told me all things that ever I did: can this be the Christ?

Thank you.

 

[Nathan]

That is a great answer. :D

When the idea of her lying was brought up, nobody meant she was lying to Jesus, but maybe to other people about her relationship status.

I too thought that there was nothing that said she was having relations with the man or even living with him, but some suggest that it is implied. It could be, but it is hard to tell what Jesus was exactly saying.

Thank you for your answer... it was very informative. I might do a little digging online about it and see if I can study any of the original text.

Right, but I do not think there is any indication that she lied at all. But I am not trying to say you do think that, just sharing what I studied this morning.

The crazy thing about the Bible is we can just about imply what ever we want into what we read. It never fails to amaze me the things that come up. And sometimes, if a person is not careful, the different opinions about passages create a domino effect with the whole Bible. But I think that its clear enough for us, and when taking into consideration the way Jesus dealt with others and sin, if she was "living in sin" then He would have said something about it; not been pervasive about it but direct like with others.

The two great study helps that I personally use are blueletterbible.com and biblos.com. Esword is one you can download for free on your computer also.

 

[stovebolts]

Nathan,
I agree that I don't think it's implied that this woman is lying to the community about her being married.

Actually, the fact that she's getting her water in the middle of the day when the sun is out tells us that the village is very much aware of her life, so who would she be lying to? It's not like she could go to Vegas or anything... They were small communities...

I mean, women got their daily water in the morning when its' cool out for one, but for another, they need the water for their morning chores. What then, would it take for her not to go early in the morning when the rest of the women are around? I'd say gossip, or that feeling of being stabbed by a knife. This would explain her bitterness wouldn't you think?

 

[Nathan]

I've always enjoyed the story of the Samaritan woman at the well, and there is so much we can glean from it.

The obvious is that Jesus (a Jew) first and foremost is speaking to a woman while alone. This in and of itself is taboo . Add that this woman is a Samaritan, and the offense within the Jewish culture is doubled (John 4:27).

From an over all perspective, John is telling this story with the theme set out in John 1, which is this contrast between light and darkness. Please see John 1:4-5, and you will see this pattern within the conversation between Jesus, and the Samaritan woman.

If we look at John 4:7, we see that it is about the 6th hour. That is, about noon when this woman comes to draw water. This is not normal as women would draw their water early in the morning before the sun came out. This is the first red flag that shows us that this woman was not thought of highly, and that she was an outcast of sorts. In other words, we know that this woman is going through some emotional pain of sorts, and we will find out later one of the reasons.

The occurrence is natural enough as Jesus asks the woman for some water, and her response if full of bitterness and argument. This again tells us the burden that she is under.

Jesus responds to her bitterness by giving her a peak at who he is, and how he can heal her. Have you ever asked yourself where this idea of living water came from in Jewish thought? It came from the fires of Gehinom (hell). In Jewish thought, a "Moreh", that is, a rightous Jewish teacher in Torah would pass through Gehinom upon his death , but instead of being burned by the fires of Gehinom, the fires would be turned into living waters. Furthermore, he would be able to take souls out of Gehinom. (Acts 2:27, 2:31, Psalms 84:5-7) and bring them to the tree of life (Proverbs 11:30). Jesus is saying, "If you knew who I was, you would know the healing I present before you.

And yet, how does this woman reply? She hasn't a clue as to what Jesus is saying because she hasn't a clue to the healing that is being offered her. Why? Because she's lived a life of persecution, guilt and shame. So, to bring the conversation to her level, Jesus says, "Go, call thy husband". Doesn't Jesus know that she isn't married? Of course he does (John 4:17-18), but he's calling her out on her broken life, a realm in which she lives. Jesus meets her where she's at. Think about this... The woman has had 5 husbands. That's five broken relationships. Imagine for a moment how broken and hurt this woman is inside, and how it's effecting how she's living day to day in shame to the point where she can't even get water in the morning with the rest of the women. But we see that she still has hope, and she is still trying to get it right because she is not single, and she's still seeking somebody to love,and somebody to love her. And in her midst, is the one that can truly heal her soul, and bring her to living waters while rescuing her from the hell she's in.

And it is at this point that she can receive Jesus and be healed, yet she's not quite there yet... and she responds with yet another argument... "Our Fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you say in that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship"...

What is John's theme?
John 1:4-5 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not.

Yet Jesus is patient with this woman, illuminating who she is and explaining a grander picture... and she starts to get it.

John 4:29 Come, see a man, who told me all things that ever I did: can this be the Christ?

Jeff I cannot say enough about how I appreciate the knowledge you bring to subjects like this that would otherwise leave room for personal interpretation. I sometimes read right over a passage and not realize just how much information is there, and how spiritually nourishing it can be.

I have to admit. At one time I was on the side of the 'accuser' when contemplating the passage. Thinking about just how 'bad' this woman was.

But it was not till a while back I realized the time period we are talking about, and started to realize just how much this woman had gone through. When I think of this passage I think about my all time favorite movie. The Gospel of John. I think they do wonderfully in their portray of this 'scene'.

 

[taromina2003]

I love this particular story and I always thought about how other men and woman met at a well and later married in the old testament. I think this was a prophecy of Jesus marrying the gentiles into his church since the woman was a gentile. Does that make sense?

 

[Alabaster]

I love this particular story and I always thought about how other men and woman met at a well and later married in the old testament. I think this was a prophecy of Jesus marrying the gentiles into his church since the woman was a gentile. Does that make sense?

Interesting point! Yes it does make sense!

 

[taromina2003]

Interesting point! Yes it does make sense!

I am so glad you think so I truly respect your opinion sister.:waving

 

[stovebolts]

I love this particular story and I always thought about how other men and woman met at a well and later married in the old testament. I think this was a prophecy of Jesus marrying the gentiles into his church since the woman was a gentile. Does that make sense?

I believe it's a story of reconciliation, but it starts with healing your immediate household... To seek that which was lost.

As far as the Samaritans, they were not Gentile per se, but rather were considered half breeds from the tribe of Joseph (2 Kings 17). This is why Jacob's well is mentioned (vs. 6), and is why the woman can claim, "Art though greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank therof himself, and his sons, and hsi cattle?" John 4:12

As far as meeting at a well being connected to a marriage, I think you're on to something there If we look at John's writing as a "new exodus" piece, we see the parallel between Moses when he flees from Egypt and meets his wife Zipporah while she and her sisters were getting water for their flock. (Exodus 2), and what does Moses do? He protects them :yes, and in return is given a wife.

Ironically, Reuell (friend of God), this Priest of Median can be traced back to Abraham though his wife Keturah. (Genesis 25:1-5), emphasis on verse 4.

That's kinda cool (brain starts wandering off on grand theological thoughts lol!)

 

[Alabaster]

I am so glad you think so I truly respect your opinion sister.:waving

Thank you, that blesses me.

It truly is a thought that I have never entertained, yet it is so in keeping with everything Jesus ever did and wherever He went. There is always a deeper reason and meaning for everything He did and said. The culture and the times where He entered history are RICH with importance!

 

[taromina2003]

Thank you, that blesses me.

It truly is a thought that I have never entertained, yet it is so in keeping with everything Jesus ever did and wherever He went. There is always a deeper reason and meaning for everything He did and said. The culture and the times where He entered history are RICH with importance!

Yes indeed, I think some of us tend to over think some things in the good book when really the meaning is much more simple and complete.;)

 

[stovebolts]

But it was not till a while back I realized the time period we are talking about, and started to realize just how much this woman had gone through. When I think of this passage I think about my all time favorite movie. The Gospel of John. I think they do wonderfully in their portray of this 'scene'.

Hi Nathan,

Yes, when you really sit back and get into this gal's life, you really can see what she's gone through. But more than that, we can see how Jesus is patient with her, and although he confronts her with the truth, he remains gentle as he continues to reach out to her.

Our family loves the movie, "The Gospel of John". When we go on road trips, my son always brings that for his portable DVD. We also have a tradition around Christmas where we watch this movie, along with "A night with the King" and of course, the Nativity

Have a great weekend Nathan :waving

 

[Nicole L. Sattler]

Yes indeed, I think some of us tend to over think some things in the good book when really the meaning is much more simple and complete.;)

I agree as well. I think the problems is a lot of people take scripture and twist it to what they want it to say.

This one, for example, a lot of Christians use to tell people that living together while having an intimate relationship before marriage is wrong.

Obviously we do know that it is wrong. The bible says it many times. But as some of you pointed out, not many see the true message here and it is often overlooked.

Thank you for bringing it out into the light.

 

[taromina2003]

I believe it's a story of reconciliation, but it starts with healing your immediate household... To seek that which was lost.

As far as the Samaritans, they were not Gentile per se, but rather were considered half breeds from the tribe of Joseph (2 Kings 17). This is why Jacob's well is mentioned (vs. 6), and is why the woman can claim, "Art though greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank therof himself, and his sons, and hsi cattle?" John 4:12

As far as meeting at a well being connected to a marriage, I think you're on to something there If we look at John's writing as a "new exodus" piece, we see the parallel between Moses when he flees from Egypt and meets his wife Zipporah while she and her sisters were getting water for their flock. (Exodus 2), and what does Moses do? He protects them :yes, and in return is given a wife.

Ironically, Reuell (friend of God), this Priest of Median can be traced back to Abraham though his wife Keturah. (Genesis 25:1-5), emphasis on verse 4.

That's kinda cool (brain starts wandering off on grand theological thoughts lol!)

yes indeed sir