What’s happening:

By this point in history Israel has been divided into the northern kingdom, Israel and the southern kingdom, Judah. The Assyrians have already taken the northern kingdom and much of the people have left this area of Samaria but some remained and that includes the pagans placed there. This is at least my understanding. I am not really digging deep into the history here, but you certainly can check me. What I do know is that the people were intermingling with pagans, by marrying them and worshipping their gods. Of course this is forbidden by Jewish law and we know God’s law forbids worship of other gods. Point being, the “Jews” hated the Samaritans and the reverse was true, and they avoided each other. (Because the word Jew has more than one meaning I placed it in quotes.)

Jesus and his disciples stopped here though because Jesus didn’t shut out people. You’ll get the point of that by the end of this post. When Jesus stopped at this well, “Jacob’s well” as it is referred to as, there was woman, a Samaritan, who’d come to collect water. Jesus spoke to her which she was surprised about because she knew he was not a Samaritan.

“Give me a drink,” Jesus said to her, because his disciples had gone into town to buy food. “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman? ” she asked him. For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. — John 4:7-9 (CSB)

Jesus begins speaking about living water which she was confused about. She asked him about this living water. Jesus tells her that people who drink from the well he provides will never be thirsty. Still she is thinking about this in the physical realm and it sounded appealing to her to never have to come collect water again. She wanted it. That’s when Jesus let her know he knew about her life now and her past. About having had 5 husbands (which I read was against Jewish laws) and the man she was with now is not her husband. She didn’t deny this and called him a prophet.

She spoke about how the Jews say the only place to worship is in Jerusalem. But, “Jesus told her, “Believe me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” — John 4:21 (CSB) She responds to him by saying she knows of the Messiah and they are waiting for him to come. That’s when Jesus revealed himself to her in verse 26.

The disciples return and see him speaking to this woman and are seemingly shocked by this. But here is where we get to why Jesus did this.

The result:

After her encounter with Jesus she dropped her bucket and ran to the town to tell others.

9 Now many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of what the woman said when she testified, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 Many more believed because of what he said. 42 And they told the woman, “We no longer believe because of what you said, since we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world. — John 4:39-42 (CSB)

There are a few things to gather from this story. One: Jesus offers living water to everyone. Cultural barriers, ethnic barriers, land barriers, none of that mattered. Jesus is for everyone. Two: this was important for the disciples to witness because when Jesus leaves them later they are going to have to go out and continue doing what Jesus started. That included speaking to those who others ignore or avoid. Three: The living water symbolizes the Holy Spirit who indwells every believer. Four: This story also shows a picture of sharing the good news of Christ with others.

Lastly, all about the internet lately where I’ve been landing anyway, and even in my own church, I see a lot of confusion about salvation. There are many examples in scripture that explains it very well. Guess what? This story is one of them. Jesus offered the living water to a woman who was living with a man who was not her husband, she could possibly been worshipping false gods, and was basically an outcast as the people in this region seemed to be. He stopped and he spoke to her, he did not condemn her, he didn’t try to scare her, he was gentle and explained that he was who she was waiting for and he can provide the spirit she needed to never be thirsty. No where did Jesus tell her she needed to repent of her sins first to get it. Nowhere did he tell her she needed to perform in a certain way or change her life before she would receive it. He did not tell her, “well once you stop sinning the living water can be yours.” No, it was offered right then. What did it take to get it? To acknowledge that the man she encountered that day was The Christ. She dropped her bucket and ran to tell others. Others became believers because of her testimony.

Point being, salvation is free gift of God apart from works but this is not taught today in many churches. Many teach a salvation by works theology. Many teach that you need to repent first before you are “saved”. I ask, “Repent of what?” and met with the answer, “sin”. I’m sorry but that is not what scripture teaches. Does that mean you should keep sinning and you enjoy the sin in your life? No. But repenting of sin is a work. Works follow your regeneration. If the Holy Spirit indwells in you, you would be convicted. Does every “saved” person heed the Holy Spirits convictions? No. Does that mean they are not saved? Also, no. We are saved by grace, not by anything we can do. If it were up to us we’d be in trouble. How would we ever know if we did enough? We would never have assurance of our salvation, of our eternity and that is not a Biblical teaching.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, 5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! 6 He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift ​— ​9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do. — Ephesians 2:3-10 (CSB)

Conclusion:

We can have assurance and we should.

11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 The one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. — 1 John 5:11-13 (CSB) Also read John 6:47-51

If you search the scriptures you will see this throughout. Don’t let any pastor tell you that to be counted as saved you must repent of your sins first and pray a prayer to ask Jesus into your heart, or into your life and that you need to change your life or you’re not saved. Don’t let any pastor tell you that you can lose your salvation if you don’t do, xyz. I have heard it said that you should keeping repenting of your sin to stay saved. I have heard it said that you need to keep praying the prayer of salvation to make sure Jesus accepts you. None of that is what scripture says. Should you stay in your sin once you believe in The Christ? No. You should want to change to be more Christ like. By the way, there is no such thing as a “salvation prayer”. You don’t need to pray and ask Jesus to come, he already came. He wants you to go to him.

The only thing that keeps you from the Father is lack of belief in the Son. Jesus died to pay the wages of sin and death. We deserve eternal punishment for sin, to be eternally separated from the Father. Jesus paved the way. No amount of praying for salvation or good deeds or repenting of sin can get you there. Jesus was very clear about that when he warned that if you do not know him he will say he never knew you. (Matthew 7:13-23) Your works can’t save you, only Jesus can. Salvation is offered to, “whoever” (John 3:16). And that is in part what Jesus was showing the disciples here in Samaria.

Don’t make salvation about you. It’s about what Christ did, not what you did.