Breaking Down BarriersSample

When I go to church, I want to hear a sermon. When I’m spending time with my friends, I want a conversation. Jesus preaches to crowds, and He preaches in the synagogue; but here at the well, He has a conversation.

Conversations allow us to hear what the other person is thinking and what issues they have with Jesus. Since Jesus has a conversation, He can do more than preach. He can hear and He can answer, sometimes encouraging and sometimes challenging.

Jesus hears the woman ask whether to worship on Mount Gerizim or in Jerusalem. Remember, Samaritans built their own temple on Gerizim to assert independence from the Kingdom of Judah. To this day, Samaritans climb the mountain to worship, believing that their ancient traditions are the way to please God; Jesus disagrees. He challenges her loyalty to her nation and her traditions. Even the Temple in Jerusalem was a temporary thing: a place where God could be encountered, but more of a starting point than an end goal. The whole of creation is God’s temple, and He wants worshippers to encounter His Holy Spirit everywhere.

Jesus hears the woman is waiting for the ‘Messiah’. He tells her who He is. This is interesting, because Jesus doesn’t often tell people He’s only just met that He’s the Messiah. The Jewish expectation of the Messiah was a warrior king, like King David in the Old Testament, who would slay his enemies. But the Samaritans rejected most of the Old Testament, only using the first five books. They expected the Messiah to be more like Moses, a prophet who’d restore the tribes of Israel to true worship.

The Samaritan name for the Messiah was Taheb – the one who restores. This is an example of the contextualisation we talked about last time: use words that resonate with the people you talk to; avoid words that lead to misunderstandings.

When the woman says the Messiah will teach us to worship, Jesus hears, and He agrees.

As you pray today, remember that God hears you. He wants a conversation with you. As you go out to represent Him, ask Him to help you be a person who hears and answers, affirming truth and challenging what’s false. How well do you listen to other people's questions and objections? How could your response be more like Jesus'?