052 - The Samaritan Woman: Prostitute or Virtuous Woman?

THE SAMARITAN WOMAN: A VIRTUOUS WOMAN THAT WAS BEAT UP BY RELIGIOUS SYSTEM

 

I am wondering why the religious system has so much hatred of this woman, to the point of calling her prostitute. However, analyze the passage of more accurate mode and you will see that she always was a virtuous woman (even before knowing Jesus).

By the way: many misunderstand the work of Jesus in someone's life. Jesus, at any time, changes the personality of the individual. What He does is to change the character (concepts and values) of the individual, as well as enable them to live this in place made especially for him inside of His eternal plan, having in view the personality, gifts and talents that He gave them.

In view of this, let us consider the passage of the Samaritan woman:

 

·        "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: for thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly." (John 4.14-18).

 

The first point to consider is that Jesus did not say that she had countless lovers: she had five husbands. That is, she had committed to each one of the husbands. And in no time it is said that she dropped some of them to stay with another.

Even because, it’s up to man the faculty of getting married or divorce from a woman.

 

·       "When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house." (Deuteronomy 24.1)

 

In addition, the Holy Scripture does not say that she betrayed some of their husbands. And it was certainly not, since the law condemned to death who did so:

 

·       "They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?" (John 8.4,5).

·       "And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death." (Lev 20.10).

·       "If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel." (Deut  22.22).

 

And if the husband broke up because he suspected a possible extramarital affair, such suspicion was unfounded, since she has not suffered any curse because of this:

 

·       "Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him, and a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and there be no witness against her, neither she be taken with the manner; and the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled: then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance. And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the LORD: and the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water: and the priest shall set the woman before the LORD, and uncover the woman's head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which is the jealousy offering: and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse: and the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness with another instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse: but if thou hast gone aside to another instead of thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee beside thine husband: then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell; and this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen. And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water: and he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse: and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter. Then the priest shall take the jealousy offering out of the woman's hand, and shall wave the offering before the LORD, and offer it upon the altar: and the priest shall take an handful of the offering, even the memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water. And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people. And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed. This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled; or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him, and he be jealous over his wife, and shall set the woman before the LORD, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law. Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity." (Nm 5.12-31). 

 

Therefore, it there was not any kind of infidelity in her. Perhaps this Samaritan woman could not have children and, thus, she was repudiated by her husband for being considered a cursed woman (Luke 1.25). Unfortunately, none of the five husbands knew how to see her value. 

The more likely it is that each one of the five husbands that she had was a descendant of one of the people who Salmanezer brought to dwell there, and, of course, every one extolled the god of this nation.

I say this because, admitting that she could not have children, the more likely it is that she would never be received by another man devoted to this god (already that, supposedly, she was regarded as cursed by this god for not being able to bear children).

Another man, a descendant of another nation and worshiper of another god, marry her in the hope that the problem was not with her, but with the god of another husband. However, seeing who she could not even bear children, again she was abandoned. 

To understand this better, let us to see a little bit about Samaria:

 

·       "And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof. And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the LORD: therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which slew some of them. Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land. Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land. Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the LORD. Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt. And the men of Babylon made Succothbenoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, and the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.  So they feared the LORD, and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places. They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence." (2 Kings 17.24-33).

 

Samaria was constituted, in the time of Jesus, by individuals who had intimacy with five different gods, and now they were waiting for the Messiah that they knew nothing about.

The maximum that they knew it was what they were taught by corrupt priests hundreds of years ago (it is good to remember that Israel went into captivity precisely by worshipping the Eternal One in an unclean way - see 1 Kings 12.28-31; 2 Kings 17.34-41).

So much so that the Samaritan woman found that the problem of boredom it was having to work:

 

·       "The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw." (John 4.15).

 

So that she could understand the root of her problem, Jesus ordered:

 

·       "Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither." (John 4.16).

 

She had not yet understood the gift of Eternal One (John 4.10), namely, that the true love, peace and happiness are manifested in us from our innermost being, when we love your neighbor aiming at eternal life (John 4.13,14). Unfortunately, the only thing that this woman understood was about rules to be followed, things to be done and emotions to be felt.

Unfortunately, she did not understand the importance of being a child of the Eternal one, i.e., someone who thinks and feels like He, that has His character alive within themselves.

See how sad it is when we do not know the gift of Eternal One and who is this God who is "asking for our help" (through those He brings to us - Matthew 25.34-46). We ended up creating false expectations about the Eternal One and those that He brings to us.

It was what happened with the Samaritan woman, both physically and spiritually: she did not know what to do by her husband (and their god), nor what she could expect of them. While the Samaritan was linked to a husband, she remained totally faithful to him and to his gods, dedicated entirely to both.

Even so, the most reasonable is that their first five relationships flawed.

And the worst thing is that she spent so much time worshipping other gods so carnal, who now could not even see the living God in flesh. Let alone she was able to have a relationship with a man who was now with her, as well as with the God that he followed. 

This sixth man was someone who loved the Eternal One and hoped for the coming of the Messiah, but which have not ministered to him with faithfulness and integrity of heart. Nor he could it, since, as seen above, they worshipped the Eternal One as if He was more one god in the midst of several.

Besides, consider the disappointment caused by her five previous husbands and their gods. They hurt her soul in such a way that, when she had the opportunity to know the real individual that the Eternal One originally prepared for her, now his flesh could no longer deliver him. His soul was already marked by the five previous husbands.  Everything was just something merely physical and sexual obligations.

In the face of all this, even together with this sixth man and following the God of him, yet there was no way so that she could deliver herself to both fully.

She could not give herself without reserve to the true God. With fear of a new disappointment, she was worshipping only from afar, superficially and the worse: in the same way that worshiped other gods: based only on physical rituals. Although they, this time, were ordained by the Eternal One, yet they were something carnal.

With a soul so dirty because of their contact with other gods, this woman was no longer able to engage with the true God in a purely spiritual relationship (Jer 3.1). Although worship the Eternal One and seek to know what was said about Him, the best that she was able to do was to worship the Eternal One superficially, and this on the basis of law.

Finally, it is clear that there were flaws in this woman. However, to assert that she was a prostitute is an exaggeration!

Think about it: if this woman was a prostitute (as asseverated by religious system), then why all the city gave credit to what she said about Jesus?

 

·       "And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days." (John 4.39,40).

 

It is good to remember that the testimony of women was underestimated and, depending on the case (as given on the occasion of the resurrection of Christ), considered as delirium (Luke 24.10,11). However, this woman was accredited by a whole city.

There is only one explanation: everyone knew that she was a woman dedicated to your home (it is worth remembering that Jesus did not found mucking about, but working), submissive. This woman was highly virtuous and religious. When she married a husband, she cling to him (and his gods) with all the forces and gave all of herself in search of the best.

You may wonder: how do I know this? See her conversation with Jesus:

 

·       "Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he." (John 4.20-26).

 

This woman well understood for religious affairs (not only those of his land, but the other provinces). Notice how she, when saw that Jesus was Someone who could give her the answers that she wanted, she does not lose time. Immediately she questioned Him about true worship.

As the rest of the Samaritans, Jews and the majority of Christians today, she thought that worship requires specific location and rituals.

Jesus then is clear: once the true God is Spirit, the only way to worship Him is within our spirit moved by the truth (John 14.6). In other words, worship is not physical, such as the religious system insists on preaching.  True worship has to do with being guided by Jesus in the style of life that he bequeathed to us.

Notice that the Samaritan not felt offended by the response of Jesus, nor had rushed out of his presence. Instead, she was fully prepared to hear all that Jesus had to tell her. She did not trust wherein she thought to be true, nor was afraid of the truth. She really wanted to serve the true God of the correct mode.

When, then, Jesus speaks with her and reveals Himself to her as the Messiah (something that He did with anyone else, except the apostles - Matthew 16.15-17), as well as He reveals to her what she was doing of her life (John 4.29,39), she then realizes that her true mission was to announce Jesus. she immediately dropped everything (John 4.28) and gave to him.

As she was a woman so dedicated to each of the five gods (and husbands) that she served, when the Samaritans saw her enthusiasm to speak of Jesus, they had no doubt their seriousness, to wit, that she really believed that Jesus was the Christ.

In other words, this woman was known to be a religious 100% faithful to her husband’s belief. She faithfully fulfilled her role of help meet, helping her husband in his mission to worship and serve their gods. It is not surprising that she was the only one to hear clearly from the mouth of Jesus that He was the long-awaited Messiah.

In short: this woman, although married five husbands who were not originally the individual that the Eternal One had prepared for her, yet she submitted herself entirely to them, recognizing him and his gods as her legitimate husband. She didn’t separate from any of them: they abandoned her. Also, she didn’t go in search of one husband: her husbands went to her and took her to wife.

The reason she adored five gods is precisely by submission to her husband.

Hereby, however, we learn the value of submission in a woman's life: when a wife completely submits to her husband who the Eternal One gave her (including the spiritual area), certainly she will be achieved by Jesus and empowered to serve Him in the correct way. Repair as she had to be faithful to each one of the husbands and false gods to finally know the true God (meditate on Jeremiah 29.13,14; 33.3).

One of the biggest mistakes of individuals is to want to find the ideal individual for, then, to dedicate themselves to him in faithfulness and submission. However, the order of Jesus is to love our neighbor, regardless of who he is. Even though it is not the individual right for us, it is the individual right to treat our hearts so that we can harmonize with those that truly will compose the Church of the Eternal One within us.

It remains one question to be done: if the woman had no husband, then why Jesus ordened that she called him? After all, He wasn’t cynical or ironic.

Jesus was, in fact, leading her to think about the kind of life she was living.

And you: do you have tad compromise with those who the Eternal one give to you? Or do you have pass the life without compromise yourself with those who are around you, waiting for the ideal that will never come?