Samaritan | Zach's Scripture Study

John 4: Men Worship the Father

Jesus goes to Galilee, and on His journey He passed through Samaria, in a small city near Samaria named Sychar. This was also near a parcel of land that Joseph received from his father. In this area was Jacob’s well and sitting near the well was a Samarian woman…

Jesus: “…Give me to drink.” (John 4:7)

Samaritan woman: “… How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.” (John 4:9)

Jesus: “…If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked him, and he would have given thee living water.” (John 4:10)

Samaritan woman: “…Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?” (John 4:11)

Jesus: “Art thou greater than our father Jacob…? …Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:12-14)

Samaritan woman: “…Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not…” (John 4:15)

Jesus then asks the woman to go and comeback with her husband, the woman tells Jesus that she doesn’t have a husband and Jesus points out that she has actually had five husbands and the man she is currently with was not her husband. The woman perceives Jesus to be a prophet.

Jesus goes on to explain that man must worship the Father, because the people now do not know what the worship; “Ye worship ye know not what…” (John 4:22) But Jesus goes on to explain that the true worshippers shall come and worship the “…Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.” (John 4:23)

Jesus goes on to explain; “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24) But is God a Spirit? No. God has a body of flesh and bones, because we were created in His image; “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” (Genesis 1:26) God is like us, because we are His children. The only difference is that He is God and has a PERFECT BODY, a GLORIFIED BODY of FLESH AND BONES.

In the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible it clears up what centuries of corruption and error on the part of historians and translators of the Bible had made; “For unto such hat God promised his Spirit. And they, who worship him, must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24; Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible)

So instead of saying ‘God is a Spirit’, it was actually meant to read ‘God has promised us His Spirit’. It is easy to see how over thousands of years, the Bible could have been changed by corrupt men or by simple error when translating or making hand written copies of the Bible.

The Samaritan woman then said to Jesus: “The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.” (John 4:25) Jesus responds to her: “… I that speak unto thee am he.” (John 4:26)

The Apostles came to Jesus and marveled that He would speak to such a woman, the woman left her waterpot and went her way into the city to tell them of her experience. Soon, she brought a multitude of people who desired to know if Jesus was truly the Christ. Shortly before the group of people came to Jesus, His Apostles desired that He would eat, but Jesus refused and said; “

…I have meat to eat that ye know not of…My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” (John 4:32,34)

Jesus then looks at the Apostles and tells them; “…behold…Lift us your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that repeat may rejoice together” (John 4:35-36)

Many of the Samaritans that had gathered believed on the words of Jesus, and the people sought that Jesus could stay with them a while, and Jesus stayed for two days. After the two days had come to an end, Jesus departed for Galilee. When He arrived, the Galilaeans received Him, because they had seen and heard of all the miracles He performed in Jerusalem. Jesus went to Cana of Galilee, where He made the water into wine and was able to heal the son of a noble man in Capernaum, who was sick.

Jesus taught that some people; “…Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.” (John 4:48)

Luke 10: The Seventy

“…the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place…” (Luke 10:1)

Jesus then explains to the newly organized group of the ‘Seventy’ that the harvest is great, but the laborers are few. He tells them that he sends them as sheep, among the wolves. He gives them instruction to carry no money, and upon entering a house to say; “…Peace be to this house.” (Luke 10:5) and in whatever house a Seventy or Missionary should enter to “…eat such things as are set before you:” (Luke 10:8)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also has a Quorum of the Seventy, as shown in the below Organization of Christ’s Restored Church:

Jesus tells them exactly what to say if a city rejects them…

“Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.” (Luke 10:11-15)

Jesus tells the Seventy that those “…that heareth you heareth me: and he that despiseth you despiseth me…” (Luke 10:16) The Seventy shout for Joy at their new callings! They explain; “…even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.” (Luke 10:17) Jesus tells them to not rejoice because they have the power over devils, but rejoice because their names will be written in heaven. Jesus explains that He is happy that God the Father has “…hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes…” (Luke 10:21) Essentially Jesus is telling them, and the reader today that the things of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are not perceived by wisdom, but by the simple of understanding and knowledge; ‘babes’. Jesus tells the Seventy that they should be grateful for knowing the things they know, because many rulers have desired to know and see the things which they had witnessed.

A man among them, who was an attorney, asks Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life. Jesus asks him how he interprets the writings and he explains to Jesus that all he needs to do is “…love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and all thy strength and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.” (Luke 10:27) Jesus tells the man that he is correct, but the man then asks Jesus; “…who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29)

In response to the man’s question, Jesus tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan…

“…A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment [clothes], and wounded him, and departed leaving him half dead…. There came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.” (Luke 10:30-32)

So, there was a ‘certain man’, who we assume was Jewish, but may or may not have been Jewish, is robbed, beaten and left for dead. The road he was on was probably heavily traveled, so it is not surprising that two people had walked by him in a fairly short period of time. Although time is not mentioned, I personally believe that the events all took place within the same daylight. Both a priest and a Levite pass the man, forgetting the simple ‘love thy neighbor’.

Jesus continues the Parable; “But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.” (Luke 10:33-35)

So, we learn that no matter what faith, gender or race we should show compassion on one another. Jesus asks the man who proposed the ‘who is my neighbor’ question, “Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among thieves? And he said He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go and do thou likewise.” (Luke 10:36-37)

The answer to the man’s question was easy, and the Parable of the Good Samaritan really hammers the message home. No matter who we are dealing with, even our enemies… when someone needs help we help!