The Samaritan Revelation

The Gospel of John has a familiar account of Jesus’ dealings with a woman who lived in a town in Samaria. I’m sure I have heard scores of sermons and read numerous commentaries on this passage. There are many worthwhile lessons to be drawn from the situation; usually they focus on the fact that Jesus’ love and acceptance reached even to women (not common in His day) and more astounding, to a Samaritan.

Most of the sermons and commentaries reveal the reason for the Jews’ disdain for Samaritans. One must go back seven centuries before Christ to begin to understand. After Saul then David then Solomon ruled over the kingdom of Israel, it was split by a disagreement between Solomon’s sons over who should take their father’s throne. Ten tribes situated in the northern part of the kingdom chose to follow one son, and the other two tribes, Benjamin and Judah, followed another. This split became Israel in the north and Judah in the south bringing two centuries of troubled relations.

In 722 B.C. the Assyrians overwhelmed Israel and, as was their practice, took most of the population captive and spread them throughout their empire in hopes that they would lose their cultural identity and will to survive as a nation. The Assyrian tactic was successful, and from that time on the ten tribes of Israel were considered “lost.” The few Jews who remained in what had been Israel were forced to live with people of other countries whom the Assyrians deported there per their usual practice with conquered people. The culture that had evolved by Jesus’ time had some Jewish elements, but it was so corrupted by foreign influences that no self-respecting Jew from Judea (the former Judah) could accept a Samaritan on equal terms. So we are told.

 Here is where I had my eyes opened when I read John 4 in my devotional reading recently. I noticed first that the Samaritan woman considered herself to be a descendant of Jacob, hence “Jewish” in some sense. She asked Jesus, “You are not greater than our father Jacob, are you?” Later she explains that, “our fathers worshipped on this mountain,” linking herself to the historical tradition of her people. The Samaritans did use a version of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Jewish scriptures, and they considered Yahweh to be their God. What surprised me most was the expectation she revealed when she said, “I know that Messiah is coming.” I had never noticed that the Samaritans were expecting Messiah. The depth of their belief is displayed when the townsfolk invite Jesus to stay for a few days and eventually say, “we know that this one is truly the Savior of the world!”

The irony struck me that not long before this incident, Jesus had been escorted out of His hometown to the brow of a cliff where His neighbors intended to throw Him over the edge. The same irony appears in Jesus’ parable of the “Good Samaritan.” There are hints of Jesus’ inclusiveness elsewhere in the Gospels: the Canaanite woman, the Gadarene demoniac, the Roman officer’s servant. None of these persons was acceptable to a “good” Jew. The bigotry of the self-righteous Jews was being spotlighted by the Messiah for all to see. No wonder the religious leaders in Jerusalem wanted to kill Him.

My application of this may be alarming to some. I am going beyond the obvious lesson that Baptists should stop “hating” Catholics or that charismatics should stop belittling anyone who can’t speak in tongues. I scandalously suggested in my book, Lead a Horse to Water, that Christians might want to think of Mormons and Muslims as believers who need to be further educated. I am not implying that they have saving faith, only that they have misguided beliefs much like the Samaritans in Jesus’ day.

In the teaching at my church lately we have been encouraged to make every effort to see things as God sees them. Looking at things through Heaven’s eyes is the only way to see clearly. It occurs to me that in chapter four of his Gospel, John was putting flesh on the concept he had expressed so memorably in 3:16 that, “God so loved the world that He gave…” “The world” Jesus loved included the hated Samaritans. He loved them. That’s how God saw them: loved ones. Who is there in your world that you should love like Jesus loved? Who is your “Samaritan woman?”

The Battle is NOT Political

I have been chided recently for bringing “political” issues into a faith-based arena. I have argued that my concerns are philosophical rather than political, although even I see the weakness of that line of reasoning. All political ideas are founded on one philosophy or another, so in reality, politics is a branch of philosophy. Indeed, all human thought and behavior is grounded in some particular way of seeing the world – a world-view – which is what philosophy means in this context.

Because all human activity is based in a philosophy, even our faith-based notions come from a foundation that depends upon philosophical attachment. A world-view, a philosophy that accepts the existence of a divine being will order the universe in accordance with its placement of the divine being. In a biblical world-view, the divine being is revealed as the Supreme Being, so all human activity in thought or deed must be judged by the Supreme, Yahweh God. Christian thinkers during the Enlightenment called theology “the queen of the sciences.” This nicely expresses the necessity that the study of God and the understanding of His ways must reign over all other human activities.

At this moment in history, our culture is being attacked on two fronts: the COVID 19 pandemic and the supposed battle for equal justice represented by groups like Black Lives Matter. (For more on the truth about BLM see "Why I Won't Support Black Lives Matter") On each front, people from both the right and the left (politically) are being accused of “politicizing” the struggle. As I have just demonstrated, everything humans do is based on a philosophical framework, politics no less than anything else. Politicizing an issue is like “making” the Pope Catholic. If by “politicizing” one means bringing the pandemic or the racial struggle into the realm of government, the term may have some meaning. However, the human government’s activities are no less tied to a philosophical base than anything else.

For this reason, a biblical thinker must view the government’s actions through the lens of Scripture, the revelation of God. The Apostle Paul says in Romans 13 that the institution of government is ordained by God. This does not mean that God necessarily approves of any given regime, rather He institutes order to reign in chaos. In the case of the struggle for equal justice (so-called), many of the participants are calling for the removal of government restraint or in essence, anarchy. This is contrary to the principle explained in Romans 13.

 On the other hand, government actions related to the pandemic are thought by some to be an overreach into matters that ought to be private. However, this too comes under the heading of the Romans 13 concept of reigning in chaos as it is within the government’s authority to protect the greater good even if it means restricting the freedom of the individual. Stopping the spread of COVID 19 must be a community effort, and if even a few members of the community ignore protective measures, the whole community may be harmed. I must admit though, forbidding church gathering does seem like a violation of the First Amendment and the idea that government does not have the right to tell us not to do what God commands.

My point here is to apply biblical thinking to these practical matters. This is essential if one is to maintain a biblical world-view. But there is a deeper issue that underlies every situation one may encounter. Paul instructs believers that the battle we face is not ultimately fought in the physical/practical realm. As he put it, “our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against… the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” As believers we seek to bring about the prayer Jesus taught us that, “[God’s] will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Our enemy will always be attempting to thwart that effort whether it is by physical disease or political disruption. But the battle is not political; it is always spiritual in the final analysis.

Why I Won't Support Black Lives Matter

I recently saw a "Friend's" post on Facebook that was supportive of Black Lives Matter (BLM). The article he linked from The Bold Italic is thinly veiled communist rhetoric. I suspect many people don't know the truth about BLM.  The fact that many people would deny the truth is at the root of the problem. Truth no longer matters; some people believe if I am aggrieved, I am justified in making up my own truth. Here is an article that contradicts that idea: “Don’t be Afraid to Think for Yourself.”

Here’s the truth about BLM. The Communist Party USA reprinted a BLM pamphlet on their website. The BLM author, Jarvis Tyner, is executive vice chair of the Communist Party USA and a long-time member of the communist party's national board. In the pamphlet Jarvis writes, “With capitalism came modern American slavery and the government policy of racist oppression and brutality.” The language throughout the pamphlet is communist propaganda, linking the cause of BLM with communist ideology. For more details on BLM's background, read this: https://capitalresearch.org/article/blm-roots/.

Some people argue that we should ignore the philosophical underpinnings of an organization as long as some portion of their agenda matches ours. We can all agree that we should take every legal means to rid our police of individuals who habitually use force inappropriately. What is not reasonable is the call to abolish the police altogether because of a few bad actors. That is the anarchist mantra on parade. If you doubt that fact, read this article: “Antifa… Exploit Protests…”

I don't believe we need BLM or ANTIFA to lead us. I reject the assumption that BLM has a solution to the problems we face; communism is not the answer. By now, we should all be aware how poorly the communists do with human rights issues. Even though our hearts go out to the victims and families of those harmed by violent acts, we must not let our emotions drag us into solidarity with people whose aims are antithetical to biblical principles.

One might ask if we cannot align with an organization with which we disagree on their terms if they are doing something good. To engage in discussion on someone else's terms is to ignore the false premise on which the other’s structure rests. I will not enter into the false narrative being perpetrated by BLM that all police are evil. I will counter the lies on which it is based. I think it is enough that we simply live in accord with biblical principles, and by doing so we will solve any issue we face in society today one person at a time. Let’s march under this banner: Jesus Proves All Lives Matter: He Died For All.

Worship His Majesty

Majesty is one of those words we hear somewhat frequently in church circles, but we seldom use it in everyday speech in America. I’m not sure we have a real sense of what it means.  If we lived under a monarchy, we might have a glimpse of what majesty looks like in an earthly ruler, but even then, I suspect the root meaning might be tainted by our prejudice or simple familiarity. If you didn’t happen to care for His Majesty, Prince Harry, for example, your sense of the title would be colored.

I encountered the word in a devotional reading recently, and I realized I didn’t have a clear idea of what it meant. So, I did what English teachers do: I looked up the etymology of majesty. I shouldn’t have been surprised to learn it was from the Latin root “major.” It was the synonyms for major that really got my wheels turning: important, serious, or significant. Significant is from “sign”; this made me ask if there is a sign of God in my life when I declare His majesty. I had to ask myself how important or serious God is in my everyday life.

Next I decided to see what word in the Greek New Testament was translated as majesty. It is megas (μέγας) or a derivative. Not too many years ago the word “mega” was quite common in popular speech as a synonym for awesome or excellent (eg. Bill and Ted’s adventure) or rad (as in radical). When Jude offers, “glory, majesty, power, and authority” to God (v.25), he piles up words that have their ultimate mega-fulfillment in God alone. God deserves all the glory (excellence, preeminence, dignity: δόξα) because He has the power (strength: κράτος) to accomplish His will, and He has the authority (legal right: ἐξουσία) to do as He pleases.

I cannot truly “worship His majesty” as the beautiful old chorus directs unless I submit to that majesty in my everyday life. If I submit, there will be evidence because as someone has said, you only truly believe that which appears in your behavior. Or as Jesus said, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Or James’ proclamation as J.B. Phillips renders it: “bare faith [belief] without a corresponding life is… useless and dead.” (James 2:17)

I fear there are too many useless Christians parading around today. Here is one example to test the usefulness of your faith: are you wearing a face mask in public places? Seriously. In his article on The Gospel Coalition, Brett McCracken gives four biblical reasons to wear a mask. The two most significant are that it shows love to our neighbor (the Greatest Commandment) and it shows respect for authority. McCracken also list the concepts of respect for weaker brothers and using our freedom for the sake of the Gospel.

There are so many other ways that you can reveal God’s majesty, His significance in your life: pay your taxes, drive the speed limit, give a “significant” portion of our money to the cause of Christ, refuse to gossip, discover your spiritual gift and use it. There are more, but I have already quit preachin’ and gone to meddlin’, as someone has said. That’s the point. Our faith should “meddle” with our behavior. You are the only Jesus some people will ever see. How will you show His majesty?