40: So when the
Samaritans had come to him they asked him if he would stay a while with them
and he stayed there two days 41: And many more believed because of his
own word 42: And said to the woman Now we believe not because of your
saying [but] because we have heard him ourselves[1]
and know that this is indeed ho Christos the Savior of
the world 43: Now after two days he departed from there and went into
Galilee
[1] Do we detect a hint of misogyny in this
statement? Did their decision to believe that Jesus was Messiah have to be
qualified because of the low reputation of the person who had led them to him, or
was it simply because that person was a woman? " Now we believe "not" because of what you said..." They had listened to her long enough
for her to lead them to the water of life—which they joyfully drank from—and
then, as respecters of persons, appear to have acted on a sinful need to
distance themselves from her. How many Christians, today, because of caste or low social standing, feel outcast among God’s people—among those who call
themselves brethren? This should not be so among any who call themselves by the
name of Christ. Could this scene in John Chapter four be a brief glimpse into how the new believers of
Samaria were disinclined to let go of the familiar, yet destructive and cruel, caste
system for the seemingly new, but completely forgotten to them, system of equality re-introduced by Jesus (Genesis 1:27-28, 5:2)? Even Peter fell prey to strong—but utterly sinful and divisive—cultural
traditions Galatians 2:11-14 Could this scene at the Samaritan well be an example of the war
between the two natures of audawm—the
physical and the spiritual? Were the people of Samaria already rejecting their messenger
of good tidings because of who she was? If they were, we can be sure Jesus set
them straight on that score, as he stayed and taught them for another two days. No
one comes to Christ except the Spirit lead them—regardless of who the messenger
is. To reject the
messenger because of reputation, or sex—or both—is wrong. And it appears the
people of Samaria were attempting to do just that. The act of coming to Christ
is just the beginning. Everyone begins their new life in Christ at the same
place—as newly born-again babes—and must grow spiritually from there. The
ground is level at the cross, and spiritual growth can only be accomplished
through feeding from (and obedience to) the Word of God—the Bible—as illuminated
by the Spirit of God 1 John 3:27. Jesus said knowing the Word is
never enough, but one must be a doer
of the Word as well Matthew 7:24-27.
List of Untranslated Words in the
HHBC
Adam H120 Pronounced “audawm”
The name of the first man, and the name God gave to both the first man and the first woman; the entire human race—homosapiens
in general; mixed crowds in the Hebrew are also referred to as adam.
Audawm The phonetic
spelling and pronunciation of the Hebrew (H120) adam. In the HHBC, when H120 is used in reference to groups of both
females and males, or of the human race in general, the phonetic spelling of “audawm”
will be used. In both Old and New Testament commentary in place of androcentric
translation such as mankind or human race, the phonetic spelling
of audawm will be used.
The word “Adam” will be used only
when the text is specifically referencing the first male.
Christos G5547 pronounced
kree-stos: Christ; Anointed One; Messiah
Ho G3588 definite
article corresponding to: the; this; that. Other usages include: of; etc.; who;
which
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