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After the return of the Jews from Babylon the Samaritans wished to join them in the
rebuilding of the temple at Jerusalem, saying: "Let us build with you: for we seek your
God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto Him since the days of Esar-haddon King of
Assur, which brought us up hither" (Ezra 4: 2). The offer was refused, and the
repudiation continued even in the N.T. times, for we read "The Jews have no dealings
with the Samaritans." The Samaritans possess to this day a most ancient copy of the
Pentateuch, written in characters resembling the Siloam Inscription and the Moabite
Stone, characters earlier than those known as "Hebrew" to-day.
Maimonedes admits that the Samaritans rigidly practiced the law, and Dr. Wait in his
"Repertorium Theologicum" has shown that the Samaritans had a clear notion of the
coming of the Messiah. We shall presently revert to these items, but for the moment turn
our attention to the passage in John that records the Saviour's dealings with the woman of
Samaria. The section before us (John 4: 3-42) divides into three parts:
A1 | 3-7. The COMING OF THE LORD TO SAMARIA. "To draw water."
A2 | 7-27. The WOAN OF SAMARIA. "Messiah cometh."
A3 | 28-42. The PEOPLE OF SAMARIA. "This is indeed the Christ."
The section A2 dealing with the Woman of Samaria falls naturally into seven parts,
for the twenty-one verses of John 4: that relate to her consist mainly of the dialogue
between her and the Lord.
John 4: 7 - 27.
A | a | 7. THE LORD. Give Me to drink.
b | 8. THE DISCIPLES. Gone away to buy meat.
B | c | 9. THE WOMAN. How? Jews and Samaritans.
d | 10. THE LORD. If thou knewest the Gift of God.
c | 11, 12. THE WOMAN. From whence? Well is deep.
d | 13, 14. THE LORD. A well . . . . . everlasting life.
c | 15. THE WOMAN. Sir, give me this water.
d | 16. THE LORD. Go, call thy husband.
c | 17. THE WOMAN. I have no husband.
d | 17, 18. THE LORD. Thou hast well said.
c | 19, 20. THE WOMAN. Sir, I perceive Thou art a prophet.
d | 21-24. THE LORD. The worship of the Father.
c | 25. THE WOMAN. I know that Messiah cometh.
A | a | 26. THE LORD. I that speak unto thee am He.
b | 27. THE DISCIPLES. Return.
When the Lord sent out His twelve apostles to preach the gospel of the Kingdom,
He said:
"Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. 10: 5, 6).