#exodus17

[seekfirst-community]

The following reflection is courtesy of Don Schwager © 2023. Don's website is located at Dailyscripture.net

Meditation: Would you do a favor for someone who snubbed you or treated you like an enemy? Jesus did just that and more! He treated the Samaritans, the sworn enemies of the Jews, with great kindness and respect. The Samaritans who lived in middle region of Israel between Galilee and Judaea and the Jews who lived in the rest of the land of Israel had been divided for centuries. They had no dealings with one another, avoiding all social contact, even trade, and inter-marriage. If their paths crossed it would not be unusual for hostility to break out.

When Jesus decided to pass through Samaria he stopped at Jacob's well because it was mid-day and he was both tired from the journey and thirsty. Jacob's well was a good mile and a half from the nearest town, called Sychar. It wasn't easy to draw water from this well since it was over a hundred feet deep. Jesus had neither rope nor bucket to fetch the water.

When a Samaritan woman showed up at the well, both were caught by surprise. Why would a Samaritan woman walk a mile and a half in the mid-day heat to fetch her water at a remote well rather than in her local town? She was an outcast and not welcomed among her own townspeople. Jesus then did something no respectable Jew would think of doing. He reached out to her, thus risking ritual impurity and scorn from his fellow Jews. He also did something no strict Rabbi would dare to do in public without loss to his reputation. He treated the woman like he would treat one of his friends - he greeted her and spoke at length with her. Jesus' welcoming approach to her was scandalous to both Jews and Samaritans because this woman was an adulteress and public sinner as well. No decent Jew or Samaritan would even think of being seen with such a woman, let alone exchanging a word with her!

Jesus broke through the barriers of prejudice, hostility, and tradition to bring the good news of peace and reconciliation to Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles alike. He demonstrated the universality of the gospel both in word and deed. No one is barred from the love of God and the good news of salvation. There is only one thing that can keep us from God and his redeeming love - our stubborn pride and wilful rebellion.

What is the point of Jesus' exchange with the Samaritan woman about water? Water in the arid land was scarce. Jacob's well was located in a strategic fork of the road between Samaria and Galilee. One can live without food for several days, but not without water. Water is a source of life and growth for all living things. When rain came to the desert, the water transformed the wasteland into a fertile field.

The kind of water which Jesus spoke about was living, running, fresh, pure water. Fresh water from a cool running stream was always preferred to the still water one might find in a pool or resevoir. When the Israelites complained about lack of water in the wilderness, God instructed Moses to strike the rock and a stream of fresh living water gushed out (Exodus17:6 ). Even though the Israelites did not trust God to care for them in the wilderness, God, nonetheless gave them abundant water and provision through the intercession of his servant Moses.

The image of "living water" is used throughout the scriptures as a symbol of God's wisdom, a wisdom that imparts life and blessing to all who receive it. "The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life" (Proverbs 13:14). "Living water" was also a symbol for the Jews of thirst of the soul for God. The water which Jesus spoke of symbolized the Holy Spirit and his work of recreating us in God's image and sustaining in us the new life which comes from God. The life which the Holy Spirit produces in us makes us a "new creation" in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Do you thirst for God and for the life of the Holy Spirit within you?

Hippolytus (170-236 AD), an early Christian writer and theologian who lived in Rome, explains the significance of the Holy Spirit's work in us:

"This is the water of the Spirit: It refreshes paradise, enriches the earth, gives life to living things. It is the water of Christ's baptism; it is our life. If you go with faith to this renewing fountain, you renounce Satan your enemy and confess Christ your God. You cease to be a slave and become an adopted son. You come forth radiant as the sun and brilliant with justice. You come forth a son of God and fellow-heir with Christ." (From a sermon, On the Epiphany)

Basil the Great (330-379 AD), a great early Christian teacher and Greek bishop of Caesarea, speaks in a similar manner:

"The Spirit restores paradise to us and the way to heaven and adoption as children of God; he instills confidence that we may call God truly Father and grants us the grace of Christ to be children of the light and to enjoy eternal glory. In a word, he bestows the fullness of blessings in this world and the next; for we may contemplate now in the mirror of faith the promised things we shall someday enjoy. If this is the foretaste, what must the reality be? If these are the first fruits, what must be the harvest?" (From the treatise, The Holy Spirit)

"Lord Jesus, my soul thirsts for you. Fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may always find joy in your presence and take delight in doing your will."

The following reflection is from One Bread, One Body courtesy of Presentation Ministries © 2023.

the scrutinies

“Come and see Someone Who told me everything I ever did!” —John 4:29

The catechumens, those preparing to be baptized and enter the Church, will receive today and on the next two Sundays the ancient prayers called “the scrutinies.” In these prayers, we ask the Lord to scrutinize and purify the hearts of the catechumens. As we accompany the catechumens in making the baptismal promises on Easter Sunday, so we should accompany them in the scrutinies.

Today we pray for Jesus to scrutinize our hearts and do in us what He did for the Samaritan woman. Jesus penetrated five husbands’ worth of sin, self-hatred, and self-deception (see Jn 4:18). The woman felt as if Jesus had told her everything she had ever done (Jn 4:29). It was as if her whole life had flashed before her during her conversation with Jesus. The Lord is willing to scrutinize and purify us in a similar way.

After Jesus has removed years of garbage from our hearts, the love of God will be “poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us” (Rm 5:5). After emptying our hearts of sin and its effects, the Lord fills our hearts with love.

Then, we will speak out of the abundance of our hearts (Lk 6:45). Like the Samaritan woman, we will be witnesses for Jesus, and many people from our towns will believe in Jesus on the strength of our words of testimony (Jn 4:39). Thus, the scrutinies result in love and a new evangelization.

Prayer:  Father, “my journeys and my rest You scrutinize” (Ps 139:3). May I never be the same after Your scrutinies.

Promise:  “It is precisely in this that God proves His love for us: that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” —Rm 5:8

Praise:  Praise Jesus Christ, “Light of the World” (Jn 8:12).

Reference:  

Rescript:  "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from February 1, 2023 through March 31, 2023. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio June 15, 2022"

The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements

[iuicmemphis]

The #ScriptureoftheDay from #IsraelUnitedInChrist! #Exodus17:12 But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. #DailyWord #IUIC #BibleVisuals #TheWordOfGod https://www.instagram.com/p/CAp-ZGLn_pu/?igshid=13vci683kokt5

[thehourfather]

We all need Jesus to prop us up on our leaning side. Amen! - Watching @jentezen on @freechapel now. Even the greatest leaders need someone to prop them up when they lean to the wrong side. God knows what we’re going through; He loves His people; He WILL prop you up. God wants you to WIN🙏🏻 - - - #propyouup #jesussaves #godheals #ourgodisgreater #greatgod #victoryinjesus #exodus17 (at Free Chapel) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAAnnm9nwga/?igshid=jwhorqj7ic71

[andrelestina]

Chick-fil-A has a rock that brings forth living water!!! 🙌🏾🏃🏾‍♀️🙋🏾‍♀️😂😂😂 #WhatIsInThisChicken #IveNeverSeenThis #Exodus17 #TooChurchyForMyOwnGood #PreachersKid https://www.instagram.com/p/B2NQePTJ-IXpsbMOg1BhqT0O1TL4n_C-khmxos0/?igshid=ctzh5dvzac0y

[mysterkeepinit-blog1]

Open your heart to God's anointed words of wisdom: Only Jesus, the Living Water, can satisfy our thirst for God. Read: Exodus 17:1–7 #Prayer #Christ #Jehovah #God #Lord #Jesus #Bible #love #Faith #heart #anointed #wisdom #Amen #hope #grace #lead #joy #BloodofChrist #fellowship #Hallelujah #Heaven #LivingWater #satisfy #thirst #Exodus17 #iLoveMyGod

[accesstogod]

Exodus 17:1-16 (King James Version)

Published on http://www.accesstogod.com/index.php/2017/09/30/exodus-171-16-king-james-version/ #Exodus17, #KingJames, #KingJamesVersion, #KJV, #OldTestament, #Exodus, #Exodus171, #Exodus17116, #Exodus17116KJV, #Exodus1710, #Exodus1711, #Exodus1712, #Exodus1713, #Exodus1714, #Exodus1715, #Exodus1716, #Exodus172, #Exodus173, #Exodus174, #Exodus175, #Exodus176, #Exodus177, #Exodus178, #Exodus179, #Exodus17

[dupray]

#Exodus17 🤙🏾😏 (at Full Sail University)

[rachelsiwafan]

Goodmorning🇹🇿🇬🇧🌍#Cupoftea☕️Water from the Rock 1 Then all the congregation of the children of Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin, according to the commandment of the LORD, and camped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, “Give us water, that we may drink.” So Moses said to them, “Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the LORD?” 3 And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me!” 5 And the LORD said to Moses, “Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 So he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?” 8 Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.#Exodus17;1-16#PraisetheLord#wordoftheday#WordofGOD#faith#beblessed#lifestyleblogger#RachelSiwa🙏🏽❤️😊☕️📌

[clarissaxrose1212]

🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️🙌🙌🙌 #PraiseToGod #PraiseTheLord #GodIsGood #Christian #Love #LoveGod #LoveEveryone #Faith #FaithInGod #Hope #HopeInGod #BelieveInGod #TrustInGod #GodProtects #Pray #GiveThanks #GiveThanksToGod #Repent #Forgive #BibleQuote #ChristianQuote #Quote #BibleVerse #Exodus #Exodus17 #Exodus17v11to12 #KJV #🙏 #❤️ #🙌 https://www.instagram.com/p/CjJzGCHttsi/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[iuicmontreal]

Le #Verset du #Jour de #IsraelUniEnChrist!

#Exode 17:12 Comme les mains de Moïse étaient fatiguées, ils prirent une pierre, qu'ils placèrent sous lui, et il s'assit dessus; et Aaron et Hur soutenaient ses mains, l'un d'un côté, l'autre de l'autre; ainsi ses mains restèrent fermes jusqu'au coucher du soleil.

#ParoleDuJour #IUIC #VisuelsBibiques #LaParoleDeDieu

The #Scripture of the #Day from #IsraelUnitedInChrist!

#Exodus17:12 But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

#DailyWord #IUIC #BibleVisuals #TheWordOfGod

[crossoverglobaloutreach]

A CALL TO ARMS

War in the form of violence is the furthest escalation of man’s desire to have his way, his control, power, rights or overall governance recognized. That warring is in our flesh as sin promoting our independence from God and even one another at times.

“Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring (at war) against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members (flesh)” (Rom.7:20-23).

“Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war….” (James4:1-2a).

As believers, we are called to “live peaceably with all men.” That is, with relinquishing our rights in obedience to the Holy Spirit, “The Prince of Peace,” who indwells us, yet, Christ in us presses the gates of hell leading us “where we do not want to go.” What a precarious place we are in. What we carry of Christ, is actually antagonistic to those who are under the evil one, of which we once were! Do we remember those believers who first shared God’s word with us? Do we remember our bristling, ready for a fight with them? Their stand for Christ, His way, truth and life, was lived and spoken to us as the lone entrance to the Father and Heaven. Were we not all offended, being pierced by the likeness of Paul’s goads (prods, nails, jabs) that came by the mouth of those Spirit-filled disciples like Stephen; words and actions convicting us of sin, judgement and righteousness? Oh, and was not Paul on the warpath, violating his own countrymen’s homes thinking he was doing God a service? Should these times be any different?  

So, it is and has remained through all generations, that God offends mankind’s sinfully self-righteous and independent nature with His righteous nature. This war raging since the beginning of the Fall is well spoken of in Matthew’s gospel “…from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matt.11:12).

Simeon prophesied over the Christ child in a similar likeness, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against…” (Lk.2:34). There is coming a time of no neutral ground, a choosing of who you really will serve and with all your heart…or not. The “fall and rising” we see in America and the world at this time are shakings, a sparring prelude to war between God and the powers that be which oppose the living God and all who would stand with Him. They are escalations of darkness against light, coming to a head for dominion (control, power). We know the stories from scripture and even from our own history books of war, but we may not be acquainted with the spiritual significance behind them.

One noteworthy story that brings some clarity to our whereabouts at this time is found in Exodus17:8-16: God’s War with Amalek. With no visible provocation, “Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim” (v.8). Why? I believe Moses gives us an insightful understanding to Amalek’s attack on Israel. Verse 16 states, “Because the Lord has sworn: The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” A more precise translation is “Because Amalek’s hand is upon (or against) the throne of the Lord, the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” One might think from the former translation that God simply seeks war with Amalek, but the clearer translation exposes Amalek’s intent on overthrowing God’s place with and in His people. Of course, God responds, standing with those who stand with Him and defeating Amalek. This is not unlike Herod in Acts12:20-23 receiving glory as a god for his greatly praised speech. He, having his hand on the throne by not giving glory to God, is immediately smitten by an angel and his flesh consumed with worms.

God’s war with Amalek continues in Ex.17:10-13 with Joshua leading the men of Israel while Moses, Aaron, and Hur move to a hilltop to oversee the battle. As Moses declared, “I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” Israel prevailed as Moses’ hands were raised; Amalek prevailed when in weariness Moses’ hands lowered. Recognizing the vertical and horizontal connection of God in the heavens versus the battle before them, Aaron and Hur supported his hands and Amalek was defeated.

In Ex.17:14, this battle becomes a written memorial to be recounted in the hearing of Joshua and now us! But why in Joshua’s hearing? That Joshua might know all that was behind the scene while he was in the fray of battle; the unseen of God and men to be realized and believed. It was not in the enduring strength of Joshua’s own hand that he and Israel had defeated Amalek, but it was his enduring faith to stay in the battle where God’s strength was released according to God’s word and way. This wins the day! God answers our hand with His own when we are willing to stand where He stands. Earlier in Exodus, Moses said to the people: “Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out of this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. On this day you are going out…” (Ex.13:3-4). Let’s be careful for whose bread we are eating, it may be “the leaven of the Pharisees.”

For laying his own hand to the Lord’s throne, Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom departed from him until he learned the Most High rules in the affairs of men. Being restored in repentance, Nebuchadnezzar declared for us all to hear: “His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’ At the same time my reason returned to me…” (Dan.4:34b-36a).

To finish our original story, Moses adds one last stone to Israel’s victory over Amalek, “And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner (Ex.17:15). “Banner” here is interchangeable with the word “standard.” There must be a stand that brings a breakthrough for a standard to be established. In this day of rising conflict where many leaders have their hand either upon or against the throne of God, I believe we will all be challenged for what standard we live by and/or what stand we will take. How many stands have we taken that has raised our standard of Him high enough to “stand therefore” again? How many doors of opportunity have we passed up with God attempting to lead us to victories over sin in our flesh and into His life? This defies the enemy crossing the lines of God’s domain with us. Have we a hand on the throne to govern what we will or will not do for Him? For those of us who have enough decades under our belt, how do we see the moral and/or ethical standards of this age, compared to what we grew up with? What of those standards of conscience with God? “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron…” (1 Tim.4:1-2). Let’s remember that judgment begins first at the House of God.

There is a God-gate to every circumstance, that requires an active stand, a posture with Him to see the victory He intends that sets and even lifts His standard. “Go through, go through the gates! Prepare the way for the people; Build up, build up the highway! Take out the stones, lift up a standard (banner) for the peoples” (Isa.62:10).

Eph.6:11-14 calls for us to “…put on the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand (Gr. histemi: set or place oneself firmly) against all the wiles of the devil (considering the fact that we do not war against flesh and blood) …to be able to withstand (Gr. anhistemi: actively rise, stand forth or set against) in the evil day and having done all to stand. Stand therefore…”

From a positive perspective, when Abram recovered his nephew, Lot, along with the king of Sodom from their enemy captors, the king offered Abram an homage of goods to which he refused by saying, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth that I will take nothing…that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’…” (Gen.14:22-23). If we are not receiving from the riches of His glory, we will be persuaded in these days by those who “mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage”(Jude1:16). Even our submission to authorities must be with discernment for motives of the heart. A raised hand to the Lord speaks of a standard set that goes where He goes. With valuing His call-to-arms, may we not be found conscientious objectors to His will being done with us. Let us all be practicing our hand-stands for the days ahead!

- Dave Cosgrove

[liberty1776]

The Defeat of the Amalekites …10Joshua did as Moses had instructed him and fought against the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11As long as Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed; but when he lowered them, Amalek prevailed. 12When Moses’ hands grew heavy, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur held his hands up, one on each side, so that his hands  Exodus17:11

Victory, O Lord!, John Everett Millais, 1871

[onebreezyafternoon]

[joshua-toliver-universe-blog]

(JusKan_DuPray) This is a favorite of mine right now. EP coming soon #Exodus17

[tpanan]

My Sunday Daily Blessings

March 15, 2020

Be still quiet your heart and mind, the  LORD is here, loving you talking to you.....                                                                                                                                                              

Third Sunday of Lent Lectionary: 28

First Reading: Exodus 17: 3-7

In those days, in their thirst for water, the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “Why did you ever make us leave Egypt? Was it just to have us die here of thirst with our children and our livestock?” So Moses cried out to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? a little more and they will stone me!” The LORD answered Moses,“Go over there in front of the people, along with some of the elders of Israel, holding in your hand, as you go, the staff with which you struck the river.I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb. Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it for the people to drink.” This Moses did, in the presence of the elders of Israel. The place was called Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled there and tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD in our midst or not?”

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 95: 1-2, 6-7, 8-9

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”

Second Reading: Romans 5: 1-2, 5-8

Brothers and sisters: Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God.

And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For Christ, while we were still helpless, died at the appointed time for the ungodly. Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

Verse before the Gospel: John 4: 42, 15

“Lord, you are truly the Savior of the world;give me living water, that I may never thirst again.”

Gospel: John 4: 5-42

Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there. Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well. It was about noon.

A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?” Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”

Jesus said to her, “Go call your husband and come back.” The woman answered and said to him, “I do not have a husband.” Jesus answered her, “You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband.’ For you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true.” The woman said to him, “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”

Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.”

The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ; when he comes, he will tell us everything.” Jesus said to her,

“I am he, the one speaking with you.” At that moment his disciples returned, and were amazed that he was talking with a woman, but still no one said, “What are you looking for?” or “Why are you talking with her?” The woman left her water jar and went into the town and said to the people, “Come see a man who told me everything I have done. Could he possibly be the Christ?” They went out of the town and came to him.

Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” So the disciples said to one another, “Could someone have brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, ‘In four months the harvest will be here’? I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest. The reaper is already receiving payment and gathering crops for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together. For here the saying is verified that ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; others have done the work, and you are sharing the fruits of their work.”

Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me everything I have done.” When the Samaritans came to him, they invited him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. Many more began to believe in him because of his word, and they said to the woman, “We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”

**Meditation:

Would you do a favor for someone who snubbed you or treated you like an enemy? Jesus did just that and more! He treated the Samaritans, the sworn enemies of the Jews, with great kindness and respect. The Samaritans who lived in middle region of Israel between Galilee and Judaea and the Jews who lived in the rest of the land of Israel had been divided for centuries. They had no dealings with one another, avoiding all social contact, even trade, and inter-marriage. If their paths crossed it would not be unusual for hostility to break out.

When Jesus decided to pass through Samaria he stopped at Jacob's well because it was mid-day and he was both tired from the journey and thirsty. Jacob's well was a good mile and a half from the nearest town, called Sychar. It wasn't easy to draw water from this well since it was over a hundred feet deep. Jesus had neither rope nor bucket to fetch the water.

When a Samaritan woman showed up at the well, both were caught by surprise. Why would a Samaritan woman walk a mile and a half in the mid-day heat to fetch her water at a remote well rather than in her local town? She was an outcast and not welcomed among her own townspeople. Jesus then did something no respectable Jew would think of doing. He reached out to her, thus risking ritual impurity and scorn from his fellow Jews. He also did something no strict Rabbi would dare to do in public without loss to his reputation. He treated the woman like he would treat one of his friends - he greeted her and spoke at length with her. Jesus' welcoming approach to her was scandalous to both Jews and Samaritans because this woman was an adulteress and public sinner as well. No decent Jew or Samaritan would even think of being seen with such a woman, let alone exchanging a word with her!

Jesus broke through the barriers of prejudice, hostility, and tradition to bring the good news of peace and reconciliation to Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles alike. He demonstrated the universality of the gospel both in word and deed. No one is barred from the love of God and the good news of salvation. There is only one thing that can keep us from God and his redeeming love - our stubborn pride and wilful rebellion.

What is the point of Jesus' exchange with the Samaritan woman about water? Water in the arid land was scarce. Jacob's well was located in a strategic fork of the road between Samaria and Galilee. One can live without food for several days, but not without water. Water is a source of life and growth for all living things. When rain came to the desert, the water transformed the wasteland into a fertile field.

The kind of water which Jesus spoke about was living, running, fresh, pure water. Fresh water from a cool running stream was always preferred to the still water one might find in a pool or resevoir. When the Israelites complained about lack of water in the wilderness, God instructed Moses to strike the rock and a stream of fresh living water gushed out (Exodus17:6 ). Even though the Israelites did not trust God to care for them in the wilderness, God, nonetheless gave them abundant water and provision through the intercession of his servant Moses.

The image of "living water" is used throughout the scriptures as a symbol of God's wisdom, a wisdom that imparts life and blessing to all who receive it. "The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life" (Proverbs 13:14).  "Living water" was also a symbol for the Jews of thirst of the soul for God. The water which Jesus spoke of symbolized the Holy Spirit and his work of recreating us in God's image and sustaining in us the new life which comes from God. The life which the Holy Spirit produces in us makes us a "new creation" in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Do you thirst for God and for the life of the Holy Spirit within you?

Hippolytus (170-236 AD), an early Christian writer and theologian who lived in Rome, explains the significance of the Holy Spirit's work in us:

"This is the water of the Spirit: It refreshes paradise, enriches the earth, gives life to living things. It is the water of Christ's baptism; it is our life. If you go with faith to this renewing fountain, you renounce Satan your enemy and confess Christ your God. You cease to be a slave and become an adopted son. You come forth radiant as the sun and brilliant with justice. You come forth a son of God and fellow-heir with Christ." (From a sermon, On the Epiphany)

Basil the Great (330-379 AD), a great early Christian teacher and Greek bishop of Caesarea,  speaks in a similar manner:

"The Spirit restores paradise to us and the way to heaven and adoption as children of God; he instills confidence that we may call God truly Father and grants us the grace of Christ to be children of the light and to enjoy eternal glory. In a word, he bestows the fullness of blessings in this world and the next; for we may contemplate now in the mirror of faith the promised things we shall someday enjoy. If this is the foretaste, what must the reality be? If these are the first fruits, what must be the harvest?" (From the treatise, The Holy Spirit)

Sources:

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

**Meditations may be freely reprinted for non-commercial use. Cite copyright & source: www.dailyscripture.net author Don Schwager © 2015 Servants of the Word