Compulsion

 And he had to pass through Samaria.
John 4:4 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.4.4.ESV

There are at least two ways of reading this verse. If we read it from a purely human perspective, we might assume that it was an unfortunate necessity for the Jewish rabbi Jesus to pass through mongrel Samaria. Certainly, when Jesus struck up a conversation with a Samaritan woman, He raised some eyebrows.

I don't think we should read this verse from a human perspective however. We need to see things from God's perspective. Did Jesus absolutely have to go through Samaria? I'm sure that humanly speaking, He could have taken the scenic route to avoid Samaria.

And yet Jesus 'had' to pass through Samaria. He 'had' to speak to the immoral Samaritan woman. He 'had' to reveal Himself to her as the Messiah, the Christ, the Saviour of the world. He 'had' to use that woman to glorify Himself amongst her entire community.

It doesn't matter if the world sees us as mongrels. It doesn't matter if the world sees us as immoral. If Christ comes to us, He brings salvation and reconciliation.

'Dear Lord, although in one sense You didn't 'have' to come to us and bring forgiveness and restoration, we're so grateful that You did. For Your eternal praise, amen'

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mercy

  For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them. Deuteronomy 4:31 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/deu.4.31.ESV Jesus Christ is Lord. That's why they crucified Him, for claiming to be God and King: blasphemy to the Jews and treason to the Romans. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. So the same Jesus of yesterday is the Jesus of today. He was merciful yesterday, and He'll be merciful today and forever. He doesn't just turn around and decide to destroy people He's lavished His mercy upon. If we've received God's mercy, or if we receive it now, or before Christ returns, nothing can separate us from the love of God. If we want God's presence in our lives, and we cry out to Him for it, He's not going to abandon us in the wilderness of our sin. If we claim God's Bible promises for ourselves in faith, we are safe in Him. God promises never t
Read more

Power

 But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.Exodus 9:16 ESVhttps://bible.com/bible/59/exo.9.16.ESV  Secular historians point to the lack of extra-biblical evidence of Hebrew slavery in Egypt and ensuing exodus. But here in this verse, God describes how this anonymous Pharoah has been immortalised in the annals of the Hebrews, so that God is proclaimed in all the earth. The mighty men of the world might think they can stand against God and win, but resistance is futile!  The more stubborn Pharoah was, the more the Lord was able to display His power. The more insistent Pharoah was of keeping his slaves, the more unreasonable he appeared. It was a battle of wills, and the will of Yahweh prevailed.  In the end, Pharoah will have been broken by the plagues. In the final plague, his own firstborn son was killed, the next in line to the throne of the world superpower. He might have tried to put a brave face on it, but he
Read more

Follow!

 And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23 ESV Early on in His ministry, Jesus was really popular. Even just earlier in this chapter, Jesus fed 5,000 men, plus women and children miraculously. But when He started making statements like this verse, He understandably became less popular. Basically, Jesus was asking those who would follow Him to go on 'death row'. Following Jesus in 1st Century Roman Palestine wasn't about pressing a button on social media. It was about changing the entire orientation of your life to live for the promised Messiah.  Understandably, not many people signed up to 'death row for Jesus'. As Jesus made His way inexorably to the cross, the crowds peeled away. They were no better than the Romans, hankering after 'free bread and circuses', and when Jesus didn't play ball, they turned away disillusioned. Note however that Jesus isn't simply ca
Read more