By Maria Merola אריאל
© Copyright Double Portion Inheritance, August 2007
It’s no surprise that our Messiah took time to minister to the Samaritan woman, because she among the members of “Lost Sheep of the House of Yisra’el!”
It was the interaction that he had with this woman that set the wheels in motion for the good news to go out to those who had been previously sent away as outcasts. These former Yisraelite tribes are known as “The Ten Northern Tribes of Ephrayim” who had been divorced in Jeremiah 3:8. To fully understand who the Samaritans were, it is important to look back at the biblical history of the two divided Houses of Yisra’el. To learn more, see these two blogs:
Yahuwchanon (John) 4:39 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.
Yahuwchanon (John) 4:40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
*Explanation: He abode TWO DAYS with the lost sheep in the nations!
This is a prophetic picture of the 2,000 years that followed, from when our Messiah began his ministry in 27 A.D.
Remember, 2nd Peter 3:8 says “One day is like a thousand years with YaHuWaH!”
Howshea 6:2 After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
Now consider the dialogue that Yahuwshuwa had with the Samaritan woman. The House of Yahuwdah (Judah) would have no dealings with these people, because they had been divorced by YaHuWaH in Jeremiah 3:8.
After these Ten Tribes had gone astray (with false pagan deities in 1st Kings 12 under King Jeroboam), they descended into total apostasy.
However, after the Assyrian Captivity, many of these lost sheep returned to the land, but they were ostracized by the Kingdom of Yahuwdah (Judah) who had also come out of Babylonian Captivity.
The Yahuwdiym of those days had “double standards,” for they were unwilling to allow the other Ten Tribes to assimilate into the Kingdom.
It is because of the “The Law of Divorce” in Deuteronomy 24:1-4, that the Jews would not allow the divorced tribes to come home.
However, they were ignoring the prophecies in the Book of Howshea (Hosea) chapter 2, where YaHuWaH promised to marry these lost tribes again!
Our Messiah informed the leaders of the House of Yahuwdah (Judah) that he had come for “The Lost Sheep of the House of Yisra’el” (Jeremiah 50:6; Matthew 10:6 & 15:24).
In John 4:9, the Samaritan woman marveled that he would even speak to her, since the Yahuwdiym (Jews) “Have no dealings with the Samaritans.”
This woman was a prophetic picture of the Lost Sheep of the Ten Tribes of Ephrayim, and this is why he paid special attention to her. He went on to offer her “living water” in John 4:10 saying to her:
“If you knew the gift of Elohiym, and who it is that says to you, Give me to drink; you would have asked of him, and he would have given you living water.”
*Note: Why would Yahuwshuwa our Messiah offer this woman living water (the gift of the Holy Spirit) if she was expected to hold it all in, and keep it to herself?
I mean, what is the point of having a fountain of living water on the inside of you, if you are not going to refresh others who are thirsty?
Yahuwshuwa went on to explain to her:
“Whosoever drinks of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinks 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.”
This woman obviously had a spiritual thirst, for she went on to ask of him the following question:
“Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.”
You will notice in John 4:16-26, that he asked her to call her husband, but he already knew that she was living in sin with a man whom she was not married to.
He knew that she had had “five husbands,” which is symbolic of the “Five books of the Mosaic Law” (Towrah).
In Psalm 119:142, King David wrote concerning the Towrah (Mosaic Law): “Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness and your Towrah (law) is the truth.”
This is the reason why he was telling this woman to worship the Father in “spirit” (having the living water inside), and also in “truth” by obeying the Towrah!
This woman symbolized the nation of Yisra’el who had taken vows on Mount Sinai with YaHuWaH, and they had agreed to obey the Towrah!
Now, this woman was in an illegitimate relationship to a man she was not married to!
In other words, she symbolized the entire nation of Yisra’el being married to Ba’al, an illegitimate relationship!
Now, he could have shunned this woman (just like the other Yahuwdiym/Jews were doing), but what did he do instead? He offered her the gift of eternal life, so that she could in turn, publish and preach the “good news” to others!
Listen to what he said to her in John 4:21-22:
“….Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when you shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Yerushalayim (Jerusalem), worship the Father…You worship you know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Yahuwdiy (Jews)….”
*Note: why was he telling her that salvation of is of the Yahuwdiym (Jews)? It is because in Genesis 49:10, Ya’aqob (Jacob) spoke over his son Yahuwdah (Judah), and said the following words over him:
“The sceptre shall not depart from Yahuwdah (Judah), nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.”
In other words, the Tribe of Yahuwdah (Judah) were called to be the lawgivers!
In Romans 3:1-2, the Apostle Sha’uwl (Paul) also reiterated this truth when he wrote the following words:
“What advantage then has the Yahuwdiy (Jew)? Or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of Elohiym.”
What does this word “oracles” mean in the original text? It is Strong’s #G3051 – logion which means “The contents of the Mosaic law.”
Messiah was teaching this woman the correct way to worship by telling her that she first needed the living water (The Holy Spirit) inside of her), so that he could “Write his laws in her heart and in her mind,” as a sign of the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31, Hebrews 8:8-16 & Hebrews 10:16).
This is why he explained to her the true pattern of worship was to first have the Ruwach ha’Qodesh (Holy Spirit) living on the inside, and then he would give her the supernatural ability to obey the Towrah (Mosaic Law).
He continued in John 4:23-24: “….But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him….Elohiym is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
But why was he telling her that worship is not limited to a geographical location such as Jerusalem?
It is because under the Renewed Covenant, we are “Seated in heavenly places” (Ephesians 2:6), when we worship the Father through Yahuwshuwa, and his blood atonement!
Therefore, we are in the New Jerusalem in spirit!
Then, in John 4:25-26, the woman replied:
“I know that Mashiyach comes, which is called Messiah: when he is come, he will tell us all things.”
What he says to this woman next, absolutely blows my mind, because he revealed his true identity to her as the Messiah!
And yet, yet he would not reveal himself to the religious male leaders of the Jewish Sanhedrin!
He replied to her with the following words: “I that speak unto you AM HE!”
Now, what is this woman supposed to do with this encounter that she just had with the Creator of the Universe? Is she supposed to keep silent?
In Luke 19:38-40, the multitudes were crying out “Blessed be the King that comes in the name of YaHuWaH: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest!”
But some of the Pharisees asked him to silence them. And what did our Messiah say to these Pharisees? He answered them:
“I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out!”
Now, if stones (which are inanimate objects) are allowed to cry out to proclaim the King of Kings, why should women (human souls with the very breath of YaHuWaH) keep silent?