In John chapter four Jesus is leaving Judea to go to Galilee. He goes through Samaria.
On this trip through Samaria Jesus teaches some very shocking truths.
John 4:7-9
A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)
In the beginning of His encounter with the Samaritan woman Jesus breaks down man-made social barriers. These barriers hindered the Gospel from being shared.
#1: Jesus breaks down the barrier of gender.
In that culture men normally had little or no contact in public with women not part of their family.
Jesus throughout His earthly ministry elevated woman out of the norm of their culture.
He had women who followed Him as a Rabbi.
Women were the first to know that He had risen.
Women shared with the Twelve that Jesus was alive.
Jesus made it very clear that He came for men and women. He showed that women had a place in the Kingdom of God.
Paul shares the truth on Jesus breaking down the gender barrier in Galatians 3:28. He writes, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
In breaking down the gender barrier Jesus honored the difference between the sexes. He recognized the differences, but also made it clear that both male and female were equal in God’ sight.
We as a culture are trying to break the gender barrier down, but in a very ungodly way.
We want to create the illusion that there is no difference in the genders. To accomplish that the culture is trying to redefine gender and create more “genders”. There are five to six gender “identities” that many people recognize now.
Jesus breaks down the gender barrier to the spread of the Gospel and the benefit of humankind, male and female, not for an excuse to disobey and rebel against God.
Humans try to break down the gender barrier and it harms humankind, male and female.
#2: Jesus breaks down the social barrier.
Jesus was a Rabbi and the woman just an ordinary person.
We have developed many social barriers that hinder the truth of the Gospel from being shared.
Wealth
Titles
Positions
Denominations
In the Galatians 3:28 passage notice Paul says, “slave nor free”. There is no social standing with Jesus.
The Amplified Bible translates Romans 2:11, “For God shows no partiality [undue favor or unfairness; with Him one man is not different from another].
I have had many people over the years that view me, as a pastor, as someone more special in God’s sight than ordinary everyday followers of Jesus. I want to clear that view up right now - I AM NOT MORE SPECIAL BECAUSE I AM A PASTOR!
Pastor, missionaries, evangelist are not more special to God.
Truth is that the everyday, ordinary followers of Jesus will reach more people than all of us “special people” will.
The world is looking for real, authentic ordinary people who will accept them and love them enough to share the truth with them.
Social barriers are man-made and the enemy uses them to separate and divide us so that the Gospel is hindered from being shared.
Jesus broke them down.
#3: Jesus breaks down the ethnic barrier.
I am purposely using the term ethnic barrier and not racial. God’s Word makes it clear that we are descended from one couple, Adam and Eve. We are then from one race, the Human Race.
God’s desire is for people, all people, the human race to come to know Him, follow Him, obey Him and serve Him as Lord.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promises as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but all should reach repentance.
In Revelation 7:9-10 John is given a vision of heaven and he said he looked and saw a great multitude that no one could number from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
When we view people as people and not by race or their ethnic background we view them as God does. Our desire will be the same desire that God has for them to be saved.
Jews and Samaritans hated one another. A “good” Jew would travel around Samaria to get to his destination even if it took more time.
Jesus not only travels through Samaria and stops to rest and have lunch but then He begins a conversation with a Samaritan woman.
When Jesus tells His disciples in Acts 1:8 that they will be His witness, He says, “In Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Samaria represents those people who look, speak, dress, act, and think differently than us.
Jesus loves them.
Jesus wants them to know Him.
Jesus has a plan for them.
Because in God’s view “them” and “us” are the same.
#4: Jesus breaks down the religious barrier.
In John 4:10-15 Jesus has a conversation with the woman about living water.
Then in John 4:16-18 Jesus turns the conversation to the woman’s personal life and she does what many people do when the focus of God’s conviction gets too intense: she changes the subject.
She tries to sidetrack Jesus into a discussion about the proper place and way to worship.
In John 4:23-24 Jesus cuts through all the religious ritual and tradition. He says, “But the hour is coming and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Jesus doesn’t say that we have to use a certain worship style.
Jesus doesn’t say that we have to use a certain translation of the Bible.
Jesus doesn’t say that we have to dress a certain way.
Jesus says we have to worship in spirit and truth.
Our worship and service have to be real, genuine, and authentic. It is not just about form it is about substance.
It is not just about emotion and fun. It is about truth and sometimes truth is difficult and uncomfortable.
I don’t want to ever come before Jesus depending on saying all the right words, using the right form or using the right Bible. I want to come before Jesus humbled, seeking and real. I want to really experience the presence of Jesus, not just perform a religious act.
Jesus doesn’t let the woman focus on the how and where. He focuses her on the Who.
#5: Jesus breaks down the sin barrier.
Jesus the sinless one relating to this woman who had been married five times and was living with a man she wasn’t married to.
She comes out at noon to get water. Why? Most women came in the morning when it was cooler. This woman came at noon because in all likelihood she was an outcast among the woman of that village.
Jesus knew all this about her before He begins the conversation. He tells her that He knows in John 4:17-18.
I believe that Romans 3:23-24 is becoming one of my favorite passages. It says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
Everybody has sinned.
Everybody has failed to perfectly obey God.
Everybody can be justified through the grace of Jesus.
Everybody can be forgiven through the grace of Jesus.
What I like about that passage is it says WE ARE ALL THE SAME! Sinners who can be saved and changed through the grace of Jesus.
Jesus didn’t let the woman’s spiritual or moral condition cause Him to avoid or ignore her.
We are not be of this world (buying into and living according to the values and belief of this fallen culture). We are and have to be in the world because that is where the people Jesus came to save and transform are.
Luke 19:10
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.
The world, humankind are lost sinners and they need a Savior. You and are either lost sinners or saved sinners who knows the Savior. As a saved sinner who knows the Savior we are to being sharing His love and truth so the lost sinners can become saved sinners.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls breaks don’t barriers so the Gospel can penetrate people’s lives.
Another really awesome thing about this encounter between Jesus and the woman is that it was all initiated by Jesus.
He didn’t wait for the woman to address Him; He asked her for a drink.
If there was ever a time when we as followers of Jesus need to be lovingly proactive not angrily reactive it is now.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about initiating love and grace conversations about the Gospel.
Breaking Barriers Down by Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
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