Lesson 31a:  Salvation is of the Jews

31a.1  When Jesus had said "Salvation is of the Jews"  John 4:22b, he was absolutely correct in more ways than one.  And the Samaritan Woman needed to know that.

31a.2  First of all the promised Messiah would come through the Jews, the tribe of Judah.  He would be descended from King David.  The promised salvation would be realized through God's incarnate Son, the Word Made Flesh, Jesus, who would be born of the Jews.

31a.3  The Samaritans did not believe the whole Old Testament.   They believed only the first five books of the Bible, the books of Moses -- Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.  They rejected all the other books. 

31a.4  But the Jews believed all the other books from Joshua to Malachi. 

31a.5  By rejecting all the other books of the Bible, because of their blind opposition to the Jews, the Samaritans lost the most precious revelations of the Messiah.  They had knowledge of the Messiah, but their knowledge was incomplete.   They had rejected some of the Truth.  Jesus gently tells the woman so, and goes on to tell her that we must worship God according to His requirements, namely in spirit, (the heart), and in Truth --  His Word -- all of it.

31a.6  Centuries before Nehemiah had kicked one of Joiada's sons (named Mannaseh), out of Jerusalem for marrying a heathen woman, the enemy Sanballat's daughter.   Joiada was a son of the High Priest, Eliashib.  Mannaseh went to Samaria. He and others built a temple on mount Gerizim as a place of worship for the Samaritans.   Contrary to God's law they celebrated the Passover Feast, and other religious festivals there, until 129 BC when the temple was destroyed.  But even after that temple was destroyed, the Samaritans continued to celebrate the Passover there.  According to God's law they were supposed to offer sacrifices for sin in Jerusalem at the Feast of the Passover, and celebrate in the temple there, in the court of the Gentiles.  But the Samaritans denied that. 

31a.7  Therefore the Samaritan woman was confused, and had a legitimate question.  Jesus gave her a full and complete response.

31a.8  Although salvation was "of the Jews"  it was not exclusively for   the Jews.  Jesus now offered living water to her, the Samaritan woman.    see Nehemiah  13:28

Discussion:

Memory verse:

Quiz:

back to lesson 31
next lesson 
table of contents