Samaritans - Bonus Sermon!

-Here's another one I neglected to post in May, 2008.-

John 4:1-42 - Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well

• Jesus speaks with a Samaritan woman, which was regarded as unusual
• The question of worship (a major difference between Jew and Samaritan) was discussed
• We see the development and growth of faith

Let us look at the Samaritans and see what we can learn from them as a group, as they appear in scripture.

In the Old Testament:
II Kings 17:22-33 - Resettling of Samaria, the necessity of right worship
II Chronicles 30:1-12 - Hezekiah calls for the passover, the Samaritans scorn the invitation
II Chronicles 34:1-7 - Josiah destroys Samaritan idols
Nehemiah 4:1-9 - "Army of Samaria" opposes the rebuilding of Jerusalem, in opposition to God's people
Micah 1:3-7 - Samaria is held to be as evil as sinful Jerusalem, putting the whole of Samaria as equal to the sins of god's people

In the New Testament:
In the New Testament, Samaritans are sometimes shown in a positive light, and sometimes in a negative light. We will look at the negative first.

Negative:
Matthew 10:5-6 - Samaritans are grouped with gentiles by Christ, denoting that they are not God's people
Luke 9:51-56 - Jesus is rejected in a Samaritan town, shows that unlike those in John 4, not all accepted Christ (much as many Jews did not)
John 8:48 - In the Jewish mind, being a Samaritan and demon possessed were both insults and bad things

Positive:
Luke 10:25-37 - The Good Samaritan, showing (among other things) that everyone can do what is right in the sight of God
Luke 17:11-19 - Samaritan healed of leprosy. The Samaritans were not inherently evil, just wrong. But they could repent and follow Christ.

Acts 1:6-8 - Apostles will go to Samaria
Acts 8:25 - Apostles go to Samaria, where they teach Christ

Have you chosen to follow Christ? Or are you separated as the Samaritans were in their sin and vain worship?