The Samaritans: Who Are They?

What and who is a Samaritan? Often we hear of the term or phrase the Good Samaritian. What does this mean to us? Does it mean doing right when everyone else does wrong? Well the answer is yes and no. Who was the Samaritan woman at the well the Messiah spoke with? In this post I will get to the heart of this story that the Messiah told in Luke Chapter 10 and will get into the significance of the Samaritan woman at the well in John Chapter 4.

In my last post I talked about the difference between Ancient Israel and Judah. We saw there were two nations after the split when King Solomon died.  Initially Jeroboam reigned over The Northern House and Rehoboam over the Southern House.  I briefly touched on the two capital cities, which are Samaria and Jerusalem. I will focus mostly on the Northern House in this post. We first need to see when Samaria became the capital city of the Northern House of Israel. After Jeroboam initially reigned over the Northern House six kings reigned over Israel: Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Tibni, and Omri.  The last fellow on the list Omri, bought the hill of Samaria for two talents of silver. Omri built on a city on that hill and called it Samaria (1 Kings chapter 16). This is the capital city of the Northern House of Israel.

After Omri 13 men reigned over the Northern House as King: Ahab, Ahaziah, Joram, Jehu, Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jeroboam II, Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekah, and Hoshea.  I listed all of the kings because they all did evil in the eyes of the LORD. The Prophets warned and rebuked them and they still did evil in the sight of the LORD. As a result of Israel’s sin they were taken into Assyrian captivity according to II Kings 17:6.

The Northern house Israel is removed from Samaria and dispersed into Assyrian territories and some remained in and around Samaritan cities.  The Assyrian people are now in Israel’s territory. Naturally the Israelites intermingled and married with the people of the Assyrians. Fast forward to Ezra and Nehemiah when the temple and the temple wall were being restored as the Southern house of Judah had come out of Babylonian captivity the Samaritans tried to help but their help was refused so the Samaritans became hindrances to the temple and temple wall being restored. (Ezra Chapter 4  &Nehemiah Chapter4). This shows us some reasons of the hostility between the Samaritans and Jews mentioned in the Gospels.

Let’s take a look at an instance we see of the Samaritans in the Gospels. In the gospel of Luke 9:51-56 Jesus sent his messengers ahead of Him to a Samaritan village.  They did not receive Him because He set His face towards Jerusalem. Now the reason behind this is the Samaritans believed worship was to take place on Mount Gerizim while the Jews worshiped in Jerusalem. This is a big reason why there was strife between the Samaritans and the Jews. This leads us to Luke 10:25-37. The story of the Good Samaritan:

Title: The Holy Bible, King James Version

Edition: Third

Publisher: Public Domain

Publisher Location: Omaha, Nebraska

Luke 10:25

And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

Luke 10:26

He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?

Luke 10:27

And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

Luke 10:28

And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

Luke 10:29

But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

Luke 10:30

And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

Luke 10:31

And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

Luke 10:32

And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

Luke 10:33

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

Luke 10:34

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.

Luke 10:35

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 10:36

Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?

Luke 10:37

And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

Notice of all the people Jesus could have used as an example of  being a good neighbor He chose a Samaritan. This went against everything the Jews were used to doing. To further prove this point we will take a look at  the Samaritan woman at the well.

Title: The Holy Bible, King James Version

Edition: Third

Publisher: Public Domain

Publisher Location: Omaha, Nebraska

John 4:1

When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,

John 4:2

(Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)

John 4:3

He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.

John 4:4

And he must needs go through Samaria.

John 4:5

Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

John 4:6

Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.

John 4:7

There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

John 4:8

(For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)

John 4:9

Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, 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 4:10

Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

John 4:11

The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

John 4:12

Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

John 4:13

Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

John 4:14

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 4:15

The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

John 4:16

Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.

John 4:17

The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:

John 4:18

For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

John 4:19

The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.

John 4:20

Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

John 4:21

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

John 4:22

Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

John 4:23

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

John 4:24

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

John 4:25

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 4:26

Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

John 4:27

And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?

John 4:28

The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,

John 4:29

Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

John 4:30

Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.

John 4:31

In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.

John 4:32

But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.

John 4:33

Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?

John 4:34

Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

John 4:35

Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

John 4:36

And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

John 4:37

And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.

John 4:38

I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

John 4:39

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.

John 4:40

So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.

John 4:41

And many more believed because of his own word;

John 4:42

And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

So what is the significance of this encounter with the Samaritan woman? Jesus said He came only for the lost sheep of the house of Israel Matthew 15:24. Those Samaritans were His sheep too. They were from the broken and scattered house of the Northern Kingdom Israel. Jesus told her Salvation was of the Jews. The prophets foretold of a Messiah springing out of Judah hence Jews. Jesus was a Jew. Jesus came to restore Israel; to reunite and save both Israel and Judah. But many of the Samaritans and Jews rejected Him and therefore the door was open to the gentiles. See Romans Chapter 11.

Notice John 4:4 said that Jesus needed to go through Samaria. Now in Jesus day this was a big no no. The Jews on their way to Galilee would go out of their way and travel through the region of Perea, which was east of the Jordan River, rather than go through Samaria, which was the easiest route.  This is some major tension!!! But Jesus was the answer to these tensions. Notice in verse 9 she said Jews have NO dealings with Samaritans. So Jesus was bucking what His brethren did.Also notice in John 4:12 the woman called Jacob her father. How can she call Jacob her father if she wasn’t an Israelite? She was a half-breed but still an Israelite. She went on to say they worshiped on the mountain, which was Gerizim and the Jews in Jerusalem. In verses 21-24 Jesus says a time would come when there would be no worship on the mountain or in Jerusalem and that true worshippers would worship in spirit and truth. . Long story short she and her village got saved. Jews wouldn’t travel through Samarian villages and Jesus stayed two days!

Many will argue but what about Matthew 10:5-6 which says: ⁵These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: ⁶But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Notice He told his disciples not to go into the way of the Gentiles nor to the Samaritans. Notice the Samaritans are not called Gentiles; they are Israelites. But why did Jesus command this? Because the prophets said only He could save Judah and Israel. John 4:4 said He (Jesus) needed to go through Samaria; as for the gentiles that was up to the Apostle Paul and the Apostles after Jesus death and resurrection.

Acts1:6-8 says:  ⁶When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? ⁷And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. ⁸But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.  Acts 9:15 says almost the identical thing: But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel.

Notice in verse six of Acts Chapter 1 the apostles ask will Jesus restore the kingdom to Israel. He told them not to worry about that yet. He told them to be witnesses to all in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and all the Earth. The kingdom is being restored. All who are in Christ will be Israel. That is The Northern House, Southern House, and the Gentiles. Anyone who rejects Christ will not be in that restored Kingdom.

In conclusion the Samaritans were indeed Israelites. They too were His sheep. Jesus said in Matthew 18:12: ¹²How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? ¹³And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. ¹⁴Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. Even though His brethren wrote them off He did NOT.