“Sir, the woman said, ‘I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem” John 4:19,20.
“Sir, the woman said, ‘I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem” John 4:19,20.
After the Northern Kingdom was swept away by Assyria in 732 BC, a small remnant was left to tend the land. Over time they intermarried with the people Assyria brought in to resettle and they developed a mix of pagan and Jewish belief – a little bit of this, a little bit of that and a little bit of Yawheh. They were called Samaritans and were ostracized by the returning Southern kingdom Jews who had remained racially faithful. Many things separated them, including the Samaritans worshiping on Mount Gerazim (above) while the Jews worshiped at the temple in Jerusalem. And ne’er the twain shall meet…
Even in Jesus’ time, there was long memory that kept these groups apart even though they lived beside each other. The Jews separated from Samaritans as a group, but Jesus at the well didn’t so much see a Samaritan woman as He saw a person with a hungry soul. For He was missional, you see. He viewed people as God the Father views people.
As we pattern our lives after the Master, we too are missional, choosing to look past the labels into the heart. It’s who we have always been as Alliance people. While we support many missions in general, we have chosen to focus our love on four groups of people: in the Middle East, in Mexico, in Peru and in Quebec. You will be hearing about these places and people during our February missions month.
As pastor Matt interviewed Ruben on Sunday, who really felt God’s call while on missions trips, Ruben said: “I had to go wide to go deeper.” Electric! Maybe as we adopt the Saviour’s heart for the world, we will find ourselves encountering Him in new and deeper ways! Maybe if you will think ‘wide’ – going out of your comfort zone to love people, you will find that you are also pushed deep in Him…
We released the latest podcast this week where I interview long time missionary Allan MacLeod who with his wife Meryle, spent six terms in Mali Africa. It’s a great story that certainly aligns with Jesus’ heart for the Samaritan woman. If you would like a copy of his book, contact me at the church or email Allan at allanmacleod84@gmail.com
Pastor Leon Throness
