Thematic Bible: Country of


Thematic Bible















Jerusalem, Idumaea, the east side of the Jordan River, and from around Tyre and Sidon [i.e., cities on the northwest coast of Palestine] came to Him, having heard about the great things [i.e., miracles] He had been performing. Verse ConceptsCrowds SeekingDrawing Near To ChristHearing About ChristBeyond Jordan


















And Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed Christ to them. Great crowds of people joined together in accepting Philip's message when they heard and saw the [miraculous] signs he was able to perform. Evil spirits came out, with loud shrieks, from many persons and large numbers of people were healed of their paralysis and crippled conditions. read more.
And there was much rejoicing in Samaria [over the wonderful effects of Philip's ministry].

Then many Samaritans from Sychar believed in Jesus because of the testimony of the woman, who said, "He told me everything that I ever did." When the Samaritans came to Him, they urged Jesus to stay with them, so He remained there for two days. And many more people believed [in Jesus] because of His [own] words, read more.
and they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not just because of what you said, but because we have heard [it] for ourselves and know that this is truly the Savior of the world."

Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had responded to the message of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When these two apostles had come [to Samaria] they prayed for some [of the disciples] to receive [miraculous power from] the Holy Spirit, for as yet [such power] had not fallen on any of them; they had only been immersed into the name of the Lord Jesus [i.e., with no accompanying miraculous powers]. read more.
Then the apostles placed their hands on [some of] them [and prayed, see verse 15] and they received [miraculous power from] the Holy Spirit.

When Peter and John had testified [regarding the truth] and had proclaimed the message of God [to the people] they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the good news [about Jesus] in many Samaritan villages [on their way back]. Verse Conceptsevangelists, identity ofLordship, Human And DivineVillagesThe Gospel PreachedIndividuals going homeevangelizing



And it happened as Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem that He passed along the border between Samaria and Galilee. [Note: These were the next two provinces north of Judea].

He left Judea and returned to Galilee. (Although it was actually His disciples who did the immersing and not Jesus Himself). [Now to get to Galilee] it required that Jesus travel through Samaria [Note: Samaria was the next country north of Judea]. So, He arrived at the Samaritan town called Sychar, which was near the piece of property that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. read more.
Jacob's [spring-fed] well was there so Jesus, tired from His [long] journey, sat down beside the well just as He was [i.e., before doing anything else]. It was about six o'clock in the morning [Note: This would have been [About then] a Samaritan woman came [to the well] to draw water. Jesus said to her, "[Please] give me a drink." (Now Jesus' disciples had gone away to town to buy some food).

But [then] a certain Samaritan [Note: This was a person despised by the Jews and regarded by them as a 'half-breed'], as he traveled along, came to where the [injured] man was [lying], and upon seeing him [lying there], felt deep pity [for him]. So, he went over to him, poured oil and wine on him [i.e., as emergency medical treatment], then bandaged his wounds, placed him on his own animal, and took him to a lodge where he took care of him. Then the next day he gave the lodge keeper two coins [Note: These coins amounted to two days of a farm laborer's pay, or about $140 in 1994] and told him, 'Take care of this [injured] man; and whatever more you have to spend on him I will repay you when I come back [this way] again.'

And it happened as Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem that He passed along the border between Samaria and Galilee. [Note: These were the next two provinces north of Judea]. And as He entered a certain village, He was met by ten men with infectious skin diseases, who were standing some distance away [Note: Restrictions in the Jewish law prevented contact with persons having infectious diseases. See Lev. 13:45ff], and shouting, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us." read more.
And when Jesus saw them, He said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." [See Lev. 13:49; 14:2ff]. And it happened, as they went [along], that they were healed. Then one of them, seeing he had been healed, returned and praised God in a loud voice. And he fell on his face at Jesus' feet and thanked Him. And he was a Samaritan. [Note: Samaritans were despised by the Jews and regarded as a 'half-breeds']. Jesus asked [those standing nearby], "Were there not ten men [who were] healed? Where are the [other] nine? Did not anyone [else] come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner?" Then Jesus said to the one [who had returned], "Get up and go on your way. Your faith has made you well."

Therefore, when the Lord [Jesus] knew that the Pharisees were aware of Him making and immersing more disciples than John, PM, if Jewish time were meant]. (OMITTED TEXT) read more.
He left Judea and returned to Galilee. (Although it was actually His disciples who did the immersing and not Jesus Himself). [Now to get to Galilee] it required that Jesus travel through Samaria [Note: Samaria was the next country north of Judea]. So, He arrived at the Samaritan town called Sychar, which was near the piece of property that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's [spring-fed] well was there so Jesus, tired from His [long] journey, sat down beside the well just as He was [i.e., before doing anything else]. It was about six o'clock in the morning [Note: This would have been [About then] a Samaritan woman came [to the well] to draw water. Jesus said to her, "[Please] give me a drink." (Now Jesus' disciples had gone away to town to buy some food). Therefore, the Samaritan woman asked Him, "Why is it that you, being a Jew, would ask a Samaritan woman [like me] for a drink?" (For Jews do not have any fellowship with Samaritans). [Note: The reason for this stemmed from longstanding religious, cultural and ethnic prejudices]. Jesus answered her, "If you [only] knew the [real] gift of God, and who it is that said to you, '[Please], give me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." The woman [then] said to Him, "Sir, you do not have anything to draw [water] with, and the well is deep. Where will you get that living water? noon if Jewish time were meant]. Are you greater than our forefather Jacob, who gave us this well? He himself and his sons and cattle [all] drank from it." Jesus answered her, "Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never get thirsty [again]. For the water I will give him will become in him [i.e., in his spirit] a spring of water, bubbling up and producing never ending life." [See John 7:38]. The woman [then] said to Him, "Sir, [please] give me [some of] that water, so that I do not get thirsty [again], or have to come all the way here to draw [water]." Jesus replied to her, "Go call your husband and [then] come here." The woman said to Him, "I do not have a husband." Jesus said to her, "You were right when you said, 'I do not have a husband,' because you have had five husbands, and the man you are now living with is not [really] your husband. So, you have told the truth." [Then] the woman said to Jesus, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our forefathers worshiped on this mountain [i.e., Mt. Gerizim, which was visible from where they were sitting]; but you say that Jerusalem is the place where people should worship [God]." miles away from Cana]. Jesus replied to her, "[My dear] woman, believe me [when I tell you], the time will come when you people will not worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You [Samaritans] do not [really] know what you worship; we [Jews] know what we worship because salvation is from the Jews [i.e., through Jewish prophets, Jewish Scriptures and a Jewish Messiah]. But the time will come, and is now [actually] here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit [i.e., from the heart] and truth [i.e., according to God's revealed will], for these are the people whom the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." [Then] the woman said to Jesus, "I know that Messiah is coming ([He is] the One who is called Christ). And when He does come, He will tell us everything." Jesus replied to her, "I, who am speaking to you, am [the Messiah]." Just about then Jesus' disciples returned [from town], and were surprised to find Him talking with a woman. [Note: It was not customary for a Jewish male to engage a woman in extended conversation in that day, much less a stranger, and certainly not a Samaritan], yet no one said [to Him], "What are you looking for?" or "Why are you talking to her?" So, the woman left her water jar and went back into town and told the people [there], "Come [and] see a man who told me everything I ever did. Can this be the Christ?" [So], the people went out from the town and came to where Jesus was. Meanwhile Jesus' disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, [have something to] eat." But He said to them, "I [already] have food to eat that you do not know about." So, the disciples said to one another, "No one has brought Him anything to eat [have they]?" Jesus answered them, "My food is doing what God, who sent me, wants me to, and accomplishing His work. Are you not [always] saying, 'There are still four months before harvest time comes'? Look, I am telling you [disciples], lift up your eyes and look at the fields, that they are white and ripe for harvest [i.e., people are ready to make a spiritual response]. Already the person who is harvesting [the crop] is being paid for his work, and is gathering a crop for never ending life, so that the one planting and the one harvesting [the crop] may rejoice together. So, the saying is true that one person plants and another harvests [the crop]. I sent you [disciples] to harvest [a crop] that you did not work on; other people have done the work and you have reaped the results of their work." [Note: This is probably an allusion to the preliminary work of preaching done by John, the Immerser, with results occurring under the preaching of the apostles]. Then many Samaritans from Sychar believed in Jesus because of the testimony of the woman, who said, "He told me everything that I ever did." When the Samaritans came to Him, they urged Jesus to stay with them, so He remained there for two days. And many more people believed [in Jesus] because of His [own] words, and they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not just because of what you said, but because we have heard [it] for ourselves and know that this is truly the Savior of the world."

[Then] the woman said to Jesus, "I know that Messiah is coming ([He is] the One who is called Christ). And when He does come, He will tell us everything." Verse ConceptsMessianic HopeThe Fact Of His Coming

Jesus sent these twelve apostles out and ordered them saying, "Do not go on any road leading to Gentile territory or enter any town of the Samaritans. Verse ConceptsExclusivenessSolemn ChargesEntering CitiesAvoiding ForeignersFirst Among The GentilesTwelve DisciplesChrist SendingChrist's OrdersMissionariesGentilesChristmas Treeevangelizing

Therefore, the Samaritan woman asked Him, "Why is it that you, being a Jew, would ask a Samaritan woman [like me] for a drink?" (For Jews do not have any fellowship with Samaritans). [Note: The reason for this stemmed from longstanding religious, cultural and ethnic prejudices]. Verse ConceptsExclusivenessAskingJews, TheRacial PrejudiceLonelinessOutsidersSamaritansDisfellowshipDiscourtesyOutcastsMan Providing WaterJews Separate From GentilesNo Dealings