Overview
The love of Christ is kind, and kind in the biblical sense means benevolent in spite of ingratitude — which is exactly what Jesus showed the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well in John 4. He was wearied with his journey and alone at the well at the sixth hour, having sent his disciples into Sychar for food. A Samaritan woman came by herself in the heat of the day, ostracized from her own community after five husbands and now living with a man who was not her husband. Jesus bypassed the prejudice built into that society, offered her living water, addressed her as woman — a title of great respect — and revealed himself to her as the Christ. She left her water pot and the city believed.
Transcript
The Love of Christ Is Kind: Jesus Learned to Make God Known
Well, here we are. This Love of Christ conference is starting off in a magnificent way. We’ve had some great teachings already last night. We’ve got to see that it’s not emotional, but it’s a decision you make. It’s, there’s action. It’s a will to love God and to walk in the love of Christ.
We saw that the love of Christ is bold. We just heard as Gary taught us that the love of Christ, it’s Jesus Christ had compassion towards this young man. You know, we are going to learn so many aspects. This teaching, we’re going to see that the love of Christ is kind. If you take your Bibles and turn to the Gospel of John chapter one, Jesus Christ learned how to love God. As he was born and brought up by Mary, his mother, and his stepfather Joseph, they had to teach who he was.
In John chapter one, verse 18, we read, no man has seen God at any time. The only begotten son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. The word declared him is made him known. So Jesus Christ had to learn who God is, and he learned to then make him known. He learned what this love, which is who God is, really means. God is love.
God is light. We can read, I’m not going to have you turn there, but in Luke chapter two, around verse 41 and following, Jesus is 12 years old, and he comes to Jerusalem with his parents around this time of year. It was Passover, and they came as people would for the Feast of Passover, and it was followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and so there was about a week-long celebration, and when his parents left to travel back to Nazareth, Jesus was left behind.
They would travel in a group, family members, friends, acquaintances, and they got a day’s journey away before Mary and Joseph realized they didn’t have Joseph or didn’t have Jesus, and so that would be a concern, right? You just lost the only begotten son of the Father. I mean, you’ve been teaching him who he is and teaching him from the time that he was just a little over a year old that they had to leave Bethlehem and go to Egypt because of the spiritual attack where all these children that were two years old and under in the Bethlehem area were killed. He taught him this, and now they’ve left him behind, and they come back, and they are searching for him, and three days it takes before they find him, and he’s in the temple, and he is there with those men that had made a lifetime career of learning the scriptures, these scribes and Pharisees, and they were amazed at his understanding at 12, and then Mary, you know, asked him about this, and he said, don’t you know it must be about my father’s business? You know, so he was pursuing this to know who God is as his father from the time he could begin to understand, and then we read here in the Gospel of John that he saw that he was come to declare, to make known God, to make known this love that God is, to show it in evidence.
1 Corinthians 13:4 and Ephesians 4:32 — Kind Means Benevolent in Spite of Ingratitude
Go to 1 Corinthians, please. 1 Corinthians 13. 1 Corinthians 13. This chapter is sometimes called the love chapter. We see some great things about love, and I’m just going to point out one little bit, and actually at the close of Reverend McNally’s teaching last night, he read to us from the Phillips version, verses 4 through 8, but I just want to look again here in the King James at 1 Corinthians 13, 4. It says, charity, which is the love of God, suffereth long and is kind. So those are the first two characteristics of this love of God.
It’s patient, suffereth long is patient, and it’s kind, and kind is, the biblical understanding of being kind is to be benevolent in spite of ingratitude. Comes from a Greek word that’s c-h-r-e-s-t-e-o-u-m-a-i. You don’t have to know that word, but there’s some root words that go with it that connect this.
Go to Ephesians chapter 4, Ephesians 4, and here in Ephesians 4, we’re going to see another form of this same word for kind at the end of the chapter, Ephesians 4, verse 32. And be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ’s sake, has forgiven you. So we’re to be kind, we’re to be benevolent, despite how we may be treated.
Certainly Jesus Christ showed how he was loving despite this horrible treatment that he got at times, because he was showing this is how God loves. God sees past the frailties of man, and he loves, and we want to love as Christ. The next two verses we also saw last night, that it says, be therefore followers of God as dear children, be imitators of God, and walk in love as Christ. Christ learned how to imitate his father. He learned how to show people this love, this love that is so much bigger than most people can even grasp and understand. We’re going to learn more about it all this weekend.
A Driver Cut Us Off: What Being Kind Actually Looks Like
Look at John chapter 4. We’re going to look at a record of this woman in John chapter 4 that Jesus encounters, that she’s from Samaria. And back about 35 years ago, I was traveling with a gentleman that was, I had respect for, he was teaching me the word of God, and I had many questions, and he had a lot of answers, and I was so thankful to spend time with him. And we were traveling along in the car, and he, as we, excuse me, we were on the highway, and all of a sudden this car came from the left lane, and just about caused an accident, cut right in front of us.
You know, in my mind immediately going, what a jerk this guy is. You know, I’m starting to think like maybe many people might think, but not the driver, not my friend that was teaching me. He just said, oh, he says, that guy must need to get somebody someplace really fast. We got to pray for him. That’s not how I think. But I’ve never forgotten it, because that is being kind.
That is being benevolent in spite of somebody that’s not doing you justice, not doing, not taking care of you or taking you into consideration. That’s what we’re to do, is we can walk in the steps of Jesus Christ. We can see, and we’ll see this weekend, time after time, how he is kind, how he is patient.
John 4:3-6 — Jacob’s Well at Sychar and Jesus Wearied with His Journey
Here in this record of the woman from Samaria, let’s start off in verse 3 of the Gospel of John, chapter 4, and verse 3. And he left Judea and departed again into Galilee, and he must needs go through Samaria. 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. 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. So here Jesus is traveling from Jerusalem, and he’s with his disciples. And we’ll see in the ensuing verses that he has just instructed his disciples to go into town and to buy some food and meet me back at the well here.
Says he’s tired, he’s weary, he’s thirsty, and so he’s come to this well. And this, you got a picture, I want you to try and picture Jesus Christ, and we’re going to picture this woman who is going to come to the well. But keep a marker here, and look at Luke chapter 10.
Luke chapter 10. We’re going to come back to this record, because this is Samaria. And Samaria was a place that much of, many of the Judeans had a real attitude towards the Samaritans. Such an attitude that they wouldn’t even travel through Samaria if they were on a journey, because they would become unclean. Just traveling through that area, Samaria, the country of Samaria, the city of Sychar, they would make their trip much longer and go all the way around it instead of passing through it. Here in Luke chapter 10, similar to what Gary just taught us, we’re going to see that a lawyer comes and he’s going to ask Jesus, how can I inherit eternal life? But it’s not a pure hearted question.
Luke 10 — The Parable of the Good Samaritan
Look at chapter 10 of Luke, and look at verse 25. And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And he said unto him, what is written in the law? How readest thou? So often Jesus answered with a question. So this is a man that’s not got a pure question. He’s tempting him. 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 neighbor as thyself. And then Jesus said, and he said unto him, thou hast answered right.
This do and thou shalt live. But he willing to justify himself said unto Jesus, and who is my neighbor? See, this was a setup. This man is coming to try and trip Jesus up. So who is my neighbor? And Jesus launches into this parable. And it’s the parable of the Good Samaritan. And in our society, in our day and time, this has the, when people say, oh, he was a good Samaritan.
It’s just somebody that is a stranger that helps someone else kind of without being asked, just they do a good deed. But in this culture, those two words, good and Samaritan didn’t go together. They could not imagine a Samaritan that was good. See, Jesus is going to, in this parable, he’s going to tell them that a man was, you know, left for half dead on the side of the road. And along came a Levite and he just passed on the other side. And then along came a priest and he passed on the other side and then came a Samaritan.
And it says when the Samaritan came verse 33, 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 you.
They Could Not Even Say the Word Samaritan
So a couple of things here, this man, the Samaritan had an appointment somewhere. He wasn’t just loping around and had nowhere to go. He had an appointment that he had to keep, but he took care of this man. He put his needs above his own. And then he said, I’ve got to go to my appointment. When I return, if it costs more to take care of him, put it on my account, I’ll pay you.
Then look what it says in verse 36, which now of these thinkest thou was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, the Samaritan. No, he didn’t say that because they could not even say the word. They could not even say the word. He said, he that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, go and do thou likewise. That’s how strong this animus was.
It’s kind of like sometimes people have had maybe a bad divorce. And if a question comes up about their previous spouse, they won’t say their name. They’ll say my ex, because they won’t even say the name because of whatever happened before. Well, that’s how this was. They wouldn’t even say, he couldn’t even say the words, the Samaritan. So he came to tempt Jesus and Jesus shows him what the love of God is. As he presents this, this Samaritan, Jesus brought this up in the parable to make a point to him. We’ll go back to John chapter four. So here we are.
Put Yourself in Jesus’ Sandals: Alone at the Well at the Sixth Hour
Jesus is sitting on the well or sitting at the well, maybe not sitting on the well. And in verse six, 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. That’s about noon. And there cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said unto her, give me to drink.
I’m going to stop here. So I want you for a minute to just consider, put yourself in Jesus’ sandals. Here he is. He’s come to this well. Jesus walked with the father. So, so many times we get to understand decisions that he’s made.
He doesn’t know everything in the future, but he’s made a specific decision. I’m going to go and stop at this well. I’m not going to go with the guys into Sychar, into the city to get food. He sends them away and he’s alone at the well. And Jesus sees this woman. Now this woman is coming to the well to draw water.
Why the Samaritan Woman Came to the Well Alone in the Heat of the Day
He’s in Samaria and he knows the attitudes that the Judeans and the Samaritans have towards one another. And he also is taking note that here’s this woman coming by herself. Because in that culture, it was the women’s duty to get the water. And the women would typically come all together in the morning or in the evening. You can see records in Genesis about Jacob going to a well when he’s traveling and there’s the women there. He’s actually, there’s another record with Abraham’s servant going to the well.
And he finds, he’s to look for a wife for Isaac, Abraham’s son. And there’s women there in the evening and ones in the morning. But they would come together. There would be the companionship. There would be the protection of not coming all by yourself. You know, it could be a very difficult thing for a woman to approach the well.
Jesus Christ sent his men away. Perhaps she would have not wanted to approach the well if she sees 10 or 12 men standing there. But here she’s going to encounter the most tender-hearted and gentlest man that ever lived. She doesn’t know that yet, but here she is. She’s coming. And so Jesus would have noted perhaps what this woman is going through without yet knowing all that’s happened.
But she’s coming by herself in the heat of the day. And now I want you to picture the woman. The woman has been, not only is she a Samaritan, but she is ostracized from her own community.
Five Husbands: A Woman Ostracized from Her Own Community
Look what it says in verse 17. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, thou hast well said, I have no husband. For thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou hast is not thy husband. And thou that saidest truly. So this woman has had a rough life. She’s had five different men that she’s been married to. We don’t know all the circumstances, if they died or if there were divorces. You know, in that culture again, there was, women had very little rights.
You know, they were not looked upon the same way as a man is looked upon. And so they would be the ones that would sometimes be treated in a less than kind way. A man could divorce the wife almost for any reason, you know, and yet here she is, and she’s not allowed to come with these women. So that could cause her to have an attitude. You know, I’m just coming to get some water. Who is this guy at the well? You know, and she’s able to recognize that he’s a Judean, because she’ll note that immediately.
And she could just be thinking, you know, I don’t want any trouble. I’d just like to get my water and get out of there. You know, I mean, again, I want you just to kind of realize what’s happening here in this scene.
John 4:7-15 — Jesus Bypasses the Prejudice and Offers Living Water
And she’s, what’s perhaps going on in her mind. So here in John chapter four, where Jesus said to her, excuse me, give me to drink, verse seven, verse eight, for his disciples were gone away into the city to buy meat, then said 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. So she’s surprised he’s even talking to her. And all he’s asking for is a drink of water. You know, he’s not threatening in any way. Again, this is Jesus Christ.
He’s going to present himself in the least threatening way of any man that would be there. And she’s taken aback that he even asked her. Jesus doesn’t make any kind of a deal about this prejudice that’s been built into the society that the Jews can’t talk to the Samaritans. He just bypasses that prejudice. In verse 10, Jesus answered and said unto her, if thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that said to thee, give me to drink, thou would have asked of him and he would have given thee living water. How do we walk with the love of Christ? We’ve got to continue to be reminded or remind ourselves who we are.
He said, if you knew who you were talking to, you know, you’d be asking me for water. But see, this woman doesn’t get it. And I think in these next verses, I can sense some sarcasm.
Let’s see what it says. Verse 11, the woman said unto him, sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. From whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well and drank thereof himself and his children and his cattle? I can just now, I don’t know if there’s sarcasm here, but it’s like, come on, who are you? Do you know who built this well? You don’t have anything to draw with. Are you greater than Jacob? Well, the answer is yes. But she’s just, what is this all about? What’s up with you fella? And here it goes on in verse 12 or verse 13. Jesus answered and said unto her, 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. And the woman said unto him, sir, give me this water that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. It’s like, oh yeah, I’d like, I don’t want to make this trip every day. You know, I want to have that water that doesn’t require me to walk out here in the heat of the day. You know, I don’t know that she’s quite getting it yet.
John 4:16-18 — Go Call Thy Husband, and the Revelation God Gave Him
You know, she’s coming back with these responses. Verse 16, Jesus said unto her, go call thy husband and come hither. It may be at this point that God’s giving him the revelation. I don’t know that when he approached the well, he knew all this about the woman. More than likely as he’s compassionately reaching out to this woman, sees the walls that are there that are man-made walls. God now lays it on him that, you know, this is what’s going on with this woman.
Go call thy husband. And she says, as we read verse 17, the woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, thou hast well said, I have no husband for thou has had five husbands and he whom thou hast now hast is not thy husband. And that thou said is truly. Now he’s got her attention and what’s happening in this record is you’ve got a woman that’s most likely ashamed of how her life has gone. Not only has she been living or had five different husbands, she’s now living with a man that’s not her husband.
Division Built Into Society: From Joseph’s Brothers to Judah and Israel
Gosh, 50 years ago, that was a big taboo thing in our culture. I mean, you think about what’s going on. A hundred years ago, women couldn’t vote in our culture. There’s always division and attitudes that the adversary tries to build into the cultures, the societies that we live in. And we have to see beyond these prejudices, beyond these attitudes. Certainly we see them all around us.
We see political sides that people take. We see racial sides that people draw and lines that are drawn and how divisions are made. And this is nothing new.
Gosh, back at the time of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, Jacob had 12 sons and 10 of the brothers despised their younger brother, Joseph. And they wanted to kill him because they were envious. These attitudes built. Joseph ends up being sold as a slave. They told dad, Jacob, that he was killed. We found his coat all torn up with blood on it.
And that’s how bad this attitude was between the brothers. Later on, during the time of David and Solomon, the 12 tribes of Israel are split apart into two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, and the other 10 tribes. That’s where Samaria became the place of Israel. That was their capital. Jerusalem was the capital of the Judeans. And so this animus was built into the society.
John 4:19-24 — He Called Her Woman, a Title of Great Respect
And Jesus Christ is showing there needs to be no division here. And this is what’s going to happen as she goes on. It says, the woman says in verse 19, says unto them, sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain. And you say that in Jerusalem is a place where men ought to worship. Jesus said unto her, woman. This is the first time he’s addressed her with this title. And this is a title of great respect. You can look back in chapter two, when the wedding at Cana happened, and Jesus’s mother Mary came to him and asked him to do something because they were out of wine.
And he addresses her the same way, woman. This is a very respectful term. He’s showing her great respect. Certainly not what a typical Judean would show to a Samaritan. See, he’s being kind. She’s not been so kind in her attitude that she’s presented towards him.
But he’s looking at like that gentleman that I was in the car with that said, maybe he’s in a real hurry. We ought to pray for him. Jesus is seeing that there’s a need here that he can help with this woman, help her show, help her to see God’s love, to see that God’s not looking at all these walls.
And he goes on here. He says, woman, believe me, the hour cometh when you shall neither in this mountain, nor yet in Jerusalem or at Jerusalem, worship the father. Ye worship, ye know not what. We know what we worship for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh and now is when the true worshipers shall worship the father in spirit and in truth for the father seeketh such to worship him. God is spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
What amazing words he’s speaking to her. He’s introducing her to his father. He’s telling her that God is spirit and God is seeking people like you, the true worshipers. This woman’s life is changed from how she was as she approached the well to now she’s sitting with the only begotten son of the father who’s disclosing to her this amazing word manifesting this love of God, which is what he came to do to make God known. And he just told her that God is searching or seeking for the true worshipers. The woman says unto him in verse 25, I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ.
John 4:25-28 — I That Speak Unto Thee Am He, and She Left Her Water Pot
When he has come, he will tell us all things. She’s beginning to get it. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. This is the first time in Jesus’ public ministry that he’s revealed himself as the Christ to this woman from Samaria. Reminds me of here where resurrection Sunday and his resurrected body. The first appearance in his resurrected body was to Mary Magdalene, a woman that had been possessed previously.
Not to some great leader, not to some great person in the society, but here he’s just talking to this woman and her life. Imagine how she was received in that community because of how she saw herself. Now watch what happens.
Verse 27, and upon this came his disciples and marveled that he talked with the woman because that was a taboo thing anyway, just to talk to a woman, let alone here they are in Samaria. Well, look what happens here. Verse 28, the woman then left her water pot and went her way into the city and said to the men, come see a man which told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ? I mean, there’s a couple things here. She leaves her water pot. They would never leave their water pot.
Even if their water pot broke, they would gather the pieces and bring them back because the water pots represented life. And if somebody were to get wounded or needed healing, like Job had boils all over his body, he would rub his boils with a potsherd, parts of a water pot for healing. That’s what they believed. And yet she leaves the water pot altogether. Her life has been changed in this 20 minute exchange, whatever it is, and she runs into the city and look what it says in verse 39. And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which, which testified he told me all that ever I did.
John 4:39 — Many Samaritans Believed Because of the Woman’s Testimony
She goes back to this town where she’s ostracized. And because she sees herself differently, they all, so many of them come out. They believe because of what she says. She has so much more credence. See, we can encounter people like that. Maybe we can be like that at times where we don’t see ourselves as big as we really are, as big as God sees us.
But we can rise up to recognize that we are building our lives upon the works of another man. And because of that, we can walk and we can do the works of Jesus Christ. We can think as he thought.
Philippians 2:4-5 — Let This Same Attitude and Purpose Be in You
And let’s go to close in Philippians chapter two, Philippians two. These are my favorite verses. If I have favorite verses in the word, I’d have to say these are them. And in verse four and five, I’m going to read to you from the amplified. Let each of you esteem and look upon and be concerned for not merely his own interests, but also each for the interests of others. Let this same attitude and purpose, humble mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus.
Let him be your example in humility. We certainly have the privilege to walk as Christ walked and manifest his love in this day and time. Thank you very much.
Key Takeaways
- Kind, in 1 Corinthians 13:4, means benevolent in spite of ingratitude. It is the same word behind Ephesians 4:32, be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another.
- Judeans would travel the long way around rather than pass through Samaria. Jesus made no deal about that prejudice at all; he just bypassed it.
- In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the lawyer could not even say the word Samaritan — he said, he that showed mercy on him. That is how strong the animus was.
- The woman came alone at noon, not with the other women, because she was ostracized. Jesus sent his men away and met her as the most tender-hearted and gentlest man that ever lived.
- This is the first time in Jesus’ public ministry that he revealed himself as the Christ — not to a great leader, but to this woman from Samaria.
- She left her water pot, which they would never do, because her life had been changed; and many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean that the love of Christ is kind?
The biblical understanding of being kind is to be benevolent in spite of ingratitude. It comes from a Greek word, and another form of that same word shows up in Ephesians 4:32, be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ’s sake, has forgiven you. So we are to be kind, we are to be benevolent, despite how we may be treated — the way Jesus Christ was loving despite the horrible treatment he got at times.
Why did Jesus talk to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well?
He must needs go through Samaria, and he came to a city called Sychar, wearied with his journey, and sat on Jacob’s well about the sixth hour. He had sent his disciples into the city to buy food, so he was alone. She was surprised he even spoke to her, because the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus doesn’t make any kind of a deal about this prejudice that’s been built into the society. He just bypasses that prejudice.
Why did the woman leave her water pot behind?
They would never leave their water pot. Even if their water pot broke, they would gather the pieces and bring them back, because the water pots represented life, and broken pieces were used for healing. Her life had been changed in that short exchange, so she left the water pot altogether and ran into the city. 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.
Scripture References
John 1:18; Luke 2:41; 1 Corinthians 13:4; Ephesians 4:32; John 4:3-6; Luke 10:25-27; Luke 10:33-37; John 4:7-9; John 4:10; John 4:11-15; John 4:16-18; John 4:19-24; John 2:1-4; John 4:25-29; John 4:39; Philippians 2:4-5
