"The Rest Stop That Lasted 2 Days"
Listen to the full service at: United Baptist Church of Lakeport | Laconia NH | Facebook
One very sad episode in our nation’s history was the forced internment of Japanese/Americans form the west coast in the early days of WW II, based on President Roosevelt’s Exec. Order #9066, shortly after the Pearl Harbor disaster.
Driven by fear, lies, war hysteria and a longstanding intolerance and mistrust of Asia Americans, these American citizens were rounded up and placed in isolated internment camps across the western states, deprived of homes, businesses, schools, property, and normal civil rights due them.
It was and remains an ugly example of what racism looks like. Unfortunately, although the seeds of racism continue to exist in our day, the word “racism” has lost much of its real meaning, because people are applying it to anyone or anything that disagrees with them or their worldview, with the result that racism, this defined, is more divisive than ever.
The most recent, horrific illustration of what “racism” looks like is the violent reaction of may in our nation, on college campuses and city streets and in the media, to the slaughter of 1400 Jewish people by the Hamas terrorists.
The PROBLEM: these crowds have actually been cheering on the terrorists! It has only grown worse in recent days, as the crowds are chanting death to Israel, and, oh by the way, “death to America” (for standing with the Jews).
Hitler would be proud.
This centuries-old animosity to Jewish people defies all logic and rational thinking, and now threatens to tear this country apart.
So, how are we, as followers of Jesus, supposed to approach this situation, to be part of a solution, and not part of the problem?
Let’s go back in history about 2000 years, and take a look at the Jewish society of Jesus day, and we will see in the Scriptures racism was a huge ethnic and geographical problem between the Jews and the Samaritans, a problem that Jesus confronted early in his ministry.
The confrontation happened, ironically at a famous Jewish historical site in Samaria, called Jacob’s Well. It was near the town of Sychar, at the end of the valley between Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal. There is a well there that’s existence is traced ack to Jacob the patriarch, and sone of several places still in existence where we can trace and actual event In the life of Jesus.
Here’s how it happened.
THE PROBLEM STATED: John 4:4-9
The separation of these 2 different but related ethnic groups was enforced by both religious and political entities. (see v.9)
It was a “law” of the Pharisees that Jews should not even accept a cup of water from a Samaritan, let the cup be “Contaminated” by a ceremonially unclean Samaritan, thus making the Jewish person unclean also – it was a religious thing.
The depth of disdain fostered by such intolerant rules as this only illustrated how lethal and ridiculous these human rules can become, --- and we have plenty of examples around the world today: the caste system in India, the Hindu attacks against Christians, and of course the deep hatred expressed by Muslims against
Jews, and Christians as well.
Now we should not assume an attitude of smug righteousness here, because in OUR LIFETIME, there were many placed in the south that maintained separate drinking fountains for whites and blacks. Talk about not sharing a cup of water!
PART 1 OF THE SOLUTION: Redefining our “neighbor” (vs. 10-15)
In this cultural context, neither Jew nor Samaritan would regard each other as “neighbor”, so Jesus, in an astounding display of role reversal here, replies to the lady “not only would I give you a cup, but I would give you living water”.
Had this lady been trained in the Holy Scriptures, she would have rex=cognized the reference here of “living water” as the prophet’s picture of the blessing of God (Jer:2:13.
IN saying this, Jesus was in effect saying: “I do not accept nor will I live by these man=made artificial relationship boundaries that are NOT ordained by God.”
In Jesus’ redefinition of the word “Neighbor”, He was indicating that ANYONE WHOSE NEED IAM ABLE TO HELP IS MY NEIGHBOR, AND THEREDORE PART OF THE FIRST AND GREAT COMMANDMENT; (Love God….And your neighbor as yourself).
Do you recall that great parable Jesus told in answer to the trick question posed to Him by some self-righteous Pharisee, “who is my neighbor??”
In Jesus story, the person who stopped to give aid to the stricken stranger was a Samaritan!
Jesus was teaching that in God’s forever kingdom, Jew and Samaritan will recognize that they are ‘neighbors’.
So, based on this definition, who might be your neighbor? Or more precisely, who is the person that you need to be a neighbor to?
And before you plead helplessness to address a particular need that is beyond your “pay grade”, remember, you can always add them to your prayer list of intercession. God will hear it.
PART TWO OF THE SOLUTION: Redefining Worship (vs. 19-24)
Now here is the problem as the woman described it: (vs. 20). Worship was being defined geographically and politically: Here or in Jerusalem??
Now the Temple in Jerusalem, built first by Solomon, then by Herod the Great was crucial, NOT because it was in Jerusalem, but because it was the place of ATONEMENT AND SACRIFICE, the place of the Holy of Holies wherein resided the Ark of the Covenant, the symbol of the Holy presence of God.
But after Solomon, when the kingdom was divided, and the northern kingdom eventually fell to the Assyrians, an intense animosity arose between Jew and Samaritan, so they built their own temple on Mt. Gerizim.
Although that temple was destroyed by invaders in 130 BC, they continued to identify Mt. Gerizim as their holy place.
So the focus became political, “my temple is better than your temple” etc. RATHER than on the REAL need for atonement, forgiveness, adoration and reconciliation.
Jesus says the time for that argument is now past; the hour is now here, neither in Jerusalem or in Samaria in important; True worship must be in spirit and in truth –REAL worship is going to happen when Jew and Samaritan do it together!
So then, what does Jesus mean by “in the spirit”?
a. It means that “outward physical activity” – like raising ones hands, or bowing down, singing, chanting, even dancing, is NOT as important as an inner attitude of personal prayer and devotion, and tangible gratitude
toward God.
b. It means that the PLACE (vs. 21) is incidental, just like the original ‘place of worship’. The Tabernacle in the wilderness, was a tent, movable to wherever the people camped out.---notice in ACTS 16:13, in the city of
Philippi, St Paul looked for a place where people were worshipping, and found a group down by the riverside, probably because of the persecution and harassment in the city.
c. Both Jew and Samaritan should have remembered the words of the prophet Malachi 400 years earlier who said as an oracle of Jehovah ’I wish you would close up the doors to my house, and not make a mockery of my Name with your worthless sacrifices, and your hypocritical devotion and pretense of holiness’ OUCH.
I suspect we have all heard the argument of the ‘outdoorsman’ with the old cliché “ I can worship better by
the lake, closer to God”.
BUT the question is, did he go to the lake to worship or to fish? And who did you bring with you, because
Jesus says “where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name…..” You just can’t do it alone.
Jesus also said, “if you have unresolved anger against your brother, leave your gift at the altar and get
reconciled to him, THEN come and worship”.
d. So for, style, time of day, how you dress, the number of hymns you sing, all of that is NOT as important as the attitude of humility, devotion that you ring to God, the spirit in which you come before Him.
3. What does Jesus mean “according to truth?”
a. The time is now here when true worship will be guided by the presence of the Holy Spirit, who, Jesus said, will guide you into all truth. What a word for our generation, when regard for “truth” seems to be at an all-time Low, driven not by facts or history but by political correctness.
b. Worship must be according to the true revealed Will and Person of God who cannot be fooled by our lack of honesty or the latest political fad.
c. Truth in worship will be revealed in the removal of all artificial barriers between Jew and gentile, Jew and Samaritan, and the ability of His followers to worship without the need for a temple of any kind, since the necessity of animal sacrifice is all over.
d. The exciting truth that Jesus shares here is that God is seeking for such people to worship Him, so that our worship is not so much our seeking God, (for whatever reason) but our RESPONSE to a God who is patiently seeking us, a response to such great love.
PART III The Unexpected Blessings (vs. 31-34, 39-43)
Now the unexpected blessing that comes from resolving our “neighbor” issues, and redefining our understanding of worship, can be seen as this “rest stop” in Samaria comes to a conclusion.
a. “spiritual food” (32) Both the disciples then, and probably disciples now struggle to comprehend the rejuvenating power of God’s “work”, the power of this “living water, for Jesus appears to be as fresh as a daisy….and it’s true; there are few things so mentally and spiritually refreshing as to see old hatreds resolved, new life in Christ embraced, lives changed by His Grace, relationships reconciled, and the power of forgiveness.
b. And here comes the “biggie: reconciliation in this Samaritan town is achieved!! (40-41) as at least 13 Jewish men were welcomed into this hostile town for 2 whole days! AND, the BELIEVED in Jesus as Messiah. A
DIRECT RESULT OF HIS DARIN GTO REAK THE REACIS CODE that had trapped them all in a dungeon of hatred.
So John tells us here to his gospel, our Jesus can provide a rich harvest of ‘good neighbors’ and refreshingly joyous worship IF we have the courage to follow His example and priorities, drop the cultural chains that perpetuate our division.
MY heart is grieved to watch this self-prison of hatred being acted out in the city streets of the greatest country of the world, a revival of the oldest racism of history.
The healing of our national division must begin with you and me, walking tin the dangerous footsteps of Jesus.
And who is YOUR neighbor?
Driven by fear, lies, war hysteria and a longstanding intolerance and mistrust of Asia Americans, these American citizens were rounded up and placed in isolated internment camps across the western states, deprived of homes, businesses, schools, property, and normal civil rights due them.
It was and remains an ugly example of what racism looks like. Unfortunately, although the seeds of racism continue to exist in our day, the word “racism” has lost much of its real meaning, because people are applying it to anyone or anything that disagrees with them or their worldview, with the result that racism, this defined, is more divisive than ever.
The most recent, horrific illustration of what “racism” looks like is the violent reaction of may in our nation, on college campuses and city streets and in the media, to the slaughter of 1400 Jewish people by the Hamas terrorists.
The PROBLEM: these crowds have actually been cheering on the terrorists! It has only grown worse in recent days, as the crowds are chanting death to Israel, and, oh by the way, “death to America” (for standing with the Jews).
Hitler would be proud.
This centuries-old animosity to Jewish people defies all logic and rational thinking, and now threatens to tear this country apart.
So, how are we, as followers of Jesus, supposed to approach this situation, to be part of a solution, and not part of the problem?
Let’s go back in history about 2000 years, and take a look at the Jewish society of Jesus day, and we will see in the Scriptures racism was a huge ethnic and geographical problem between the Jews and the Samaritans, a problem that Jesus confronted early in his ministry.
The confrontation happened, ironically at a famous Jewish historical site in Samaria, called Jacob’s Well. It was near the town of Sychar, at the end of the valley between Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal. There is a well there that’s existence is traced ack to Jacob the patriarch, and sone of several places still in existence where we can trace and actual event In the life of Jesus.
Here’s how it happened.
THE PROBLEM STATED: John 4:4-9
The separation of these 2 different but related ethnic groups was enforced by both religious and political entities. (see v.9)
It was a “law” of the Pharisees that Jews should not even accept a cup of water from a Samaritan, let the cup be “Contaminated” by a ceremonially unclean Samaritan, thus making the Jewish person unclean also – it was a religious thing.
The depth of disdain fostered by such intolerant rules as this only illustrated how lethal and ridiculous these human rules can become, --- and we have plenty of examples around the world today: the caste system in India, the Hindu attacks against Christians, and of course the deep hatred expressed by Muslims against
Jews, and Christians as well.
Now we should not assume an attitude of smug righteousness here, because in OUR LIFETIME, there were many placed in the south that maintained separate drinking fountains for whites and blacks. Talk about not sharing a cup of water!
PART 1 OF THE SOLUTION: Redefining our “neighbor” (vs. 10-15)
In this cultural context, neither Jew nor Samaritan would regard each other as “neighbor”, so Jesus, in an astounding display of role reversal here, replies to the lady “not only would I give you a cup, but I would give you living water”.
Had this lady been trained in the Holy Scriptures, she would have rex=cognized the reference here of “living water” as the prophet’s picture of the blessing of God (Jer:2:13.
IN saying this, Jesus was in effect saying: “I do not accept nor will I live by these man=made artificial relationship boundaries that are NOT ordained by God.”
In Jesus’ redefinition of the word “Neighbor”, He was indicating that ANYONE WHOSE NEED IAM ABLE TO HELP IS MY NEIGHBOR, AND THEREDORE PART OF THE FIRST AND GREAT COMMANDMENT; (Love God….And your neighbor as yourself).
Do you recall that great parable Jesus told in answer to the trick question posed to Him by some self-righteous Pharisee, “who is my neighbor??”
In Jesus story, the person who stopped to give aid to the stricken stranger was a Samaritan!
Jesus was teaching that in God’s forever kingdom, Jew and Samaritan will recognize that they are ‘neighbors’.
So, based on this definition, who might be your neighbor? Or more precisely, who is the person that you need to be a neighbor to?
And before you plead helplessness to address a particular need that is beyond your “pay grade”, remember, you can always add them to your prayer list of intercession. God will hear it.
PART TWO OF THE SOLUTION: Redefining Worship (vs. 19-24)
Now here is the problem as the woman described it: (vs. 20). Worship was being defined geographically and politically: Here or in Jerusalem??
Now the Temple in Jerusalem, built first by Solomon, then by Herod the Great was crucial, NOT because it was in Jerusalem, but because it was the place of ATONEMENT AND SACRIFICE, the place of the Holy of Holies wherein resided the Ark of the Covenant, the symbol of the Holy presence of God.
But after Solomon, when the kingdom was divided, and the northern kingdom eventually fell to the Assyrians, an intense animosity arose between Jew and Samaritan, so they built their own temple on Mt. Gerizim.
Although that temple was destroyed by invaders in 130 BC, they continued to identify Mt. Gerizim as their holy place.
So the focus became political, “my temple is better than your temple” etc. RATHER than on the REAL need for atonement, forgiveness, adoration and reconciliation.
Jesus says the time for that argument is now past; the hour is now here, neither in Jerusalem or in Samaria in important; True worship must be in spirit and in truth –REAL worship is going to happen when Jew and Samaritan do it together!
So then, what does Jesus mean by “in the spirit”?
a. It means that “outward physical activity” – like raising ones hands, or bowing down, singing, chanting, even dancing, is NOT as important as an inner attitude of personal prayer and devotion, and tangible gratitude
toward God.
b. It means that the PLACE (vs. 21) is incidental, just like the original ‘place of worship’. The Tabernacle in the wilderness, was a tent, movable to wherever the people camped out.---notice in ACTS 16:13, in the city of
Philippi, St Paul looked for a place where people were worshipping, and found a group down by the riverside, probably because of the persecution and harassment in the city.
c. Both Jew and Samaritan should have remembered the words of the prophet Malachi 400 years earlier who said as an oracle of Jehovah ’I wish you would close up the doors to my house, and not make a mockery of my Name with your worthless sacrifices, and your hypocritical devotion and pretense of holiness’ OUCH.
I suspect we have all heard the argument of the ‘outdoorsman’ with the old cliché “ I can worship better by
the lake, closer to God”.
BUT the question is, did he go to the lake to worship or to fish? And who did you bring with you, because
Jesus says “where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name…..” You just can’t do it alone.
Jesus also said, “if you have unresolved anger against your brother, leave your gift at the altar and get
reconciled to him, THEN come and worship”.
d. So for, style, time of day, how you dress, the number of hymns you sing, all of that is NOT as important as the attitude of humility, devotion that you ring to God, the spirit in which you come before Him.
3. What does Jesus mean “according to truth?”
a. The time is now here when true worship will be guided by the presence of the Holy Spirit, who, Jesus said, will guide you into all truth. What a word for our generation, when regard for “truth” seems to be at an all-time Low, driven not by facts or history but by political correctness.
b. Worship must be according to the true revealed Will and Person of God who cannot be fooled by our lack of honesty or the latest political fad.
c. Truth in worship will be revealed in the removal of all artificial barriers between Jew and gentile, Jew and Samaritan, and the ability of His followers to worship without the need for a temple of any kind, since the necessity of animal sacrifice is all over.
d. The exciting truth that Jesus shares here is that God is seeking for such people to worship Him, so that our worship is not so much our seeking God, (for whatever reason) but our RESPONSE to a God who is patiently seeking us, a response to such great love.
PART III The Unexpected Blessings (vs. 31-34, 39-43)
Now the unexpected blessing that comes from resolving our “neighbor” issues, and redefining our understanding of worship, can be seen as this “rest stop” in Samaria comes to a conclusion.
a. “spiritual food” (32) Both the disciples then, and probably disciples now struggle to comprehend the rejuvenating power of God’s “work”, the power of this “living water, for Jesus appears to be as fresh as a daisy….and it’s true; there are few things so mentally and spiritually refreshing as to see old hatreds resolved, new life in Christ embraced, lives changed by His Grace, relationships reconciled, and the power of forgiveness.
b. And here comes the “biggie: reconciliation in this Samaritan town is achieved!! (40-41) as at least 13 Jewish men were welcomed into this hostile town for 2 whole days! AND, the BELIEVED in Jesus as Messiah. A
DIRECT RESULT OF HIS DARIN GTO REAK THE REACIS CODE that had trapped them all in a dungeon of hatred.
So John tells us here to his gospel, our Jesus can provide a rich harvest of ‘good neighbors’ and refreshingly joyous worship IF we have the courage to follow His example and priorities, drop the cultural chains that perpetuate our division.
MY heart is grieved to watch this self-prison of hatred being acted out in the city streets of the greatest country of the world, a revival of the oldest racism of history.
The healing of our national division must begin with you and me, walking tin the dangerous footsteps of Jesus.
And who is YOUR neighbor?