Thoughts on the Gospel of John (37) - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2023

When the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptised more disciples than John (though Jesus himself did not baptise, but his disciples), he left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But he needed to go through Samaria.
John 4: 1 – 4.

Thoughts on the Gospel of John (37)
John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus, had a clear commission from God, which he wished to carry out faithfully and modestly: the baptism of repentance. The fact that more people came to Jesus than to himself for baptism was no problem for him. On the contrary, he rejoiced that Christ was thus honoured.

Chapter 4 reports how Jesus reacted in this situation: He withdrew to Galilee to avoid any sign of rivalry that might have had an adverse effect on John. He was concerned for John!

Moreover, any apparent conflict with John might have made the Lord Jesus appear to be a kind of party leader on the same level as the Baptist, which was out of the question.

Jesus then set out for Galilee. We read that He “needed to go through Samaria”. Why mention that? It was the direct road to Galilee. But strict Jews chose other routes. They despised the Samaritans and avoided contact with them. The Samaritans accepted solely the five books of Moses as Holy Scripture and did not worship God in Jerusalem as did the Jews, but on Mount Gerizim.

There were other ways to Jerusalem, but God’s wish was that His Son should go through Samaria. The Son of God knew every individual in Samaria including a certain woman there. He also knew when and where He could meet her there. She was to make the acquaintance of the Saviour of the world, whom she truly needed.

(to be continued next Sunday)

Today‘s reading: Deuteronomy 25: 1 – 10 · Galatians 3: 1 – 14