Samaritan Women the Lesson of Forgiveness 0411

8/7/2019 Samaritan Women the Lesson of Forgiveness 0411

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It’s the 6th hour ‐ what we call noon. In that country, noon was the hottest time of the day. Cities of that day

were built around wells and water sources. “Every drop of water used in a household had to be carried from the local

well. So every day women walked to the bottom of the steps cut into the rock, filled their heavy earthenware jars,

returned up the steps, and carried the water home. It is said that women would often come down to these wells

during the morning hours (while the day was still cool) and gather their water into jars while they visited and gossiped

with the other women.” (www.womeninthebible.net)

For reasons soon revealed, as Jesus sat alone at the well, a woman comes with her jars to collect water for her home.

She does not come in the morning hours when it is cooler – when the other women come. To avoid embarrassment,

ridicule, and the judgment of others, she comes at midday when she knows no one will be there. With this in mind, one

would understand her reaction as she notices Jesus sitting at the well. Not only is His presence a surprise, but He further

surprises her as He speaks to her.

What did Jesus ask her for? (Verse 7)

“Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for something to drink and

here begins the longest conversation record between Jesus and

any person. It is surprising that this conversation happens with

someone who was a woman, and non‐Jewish.”

(www.womeninthebible.net)

What was her response? (Verse 8)

She did not hide her surprise that Jesus was speaking to her, a woman, a Samaritan woman, a worldly Samaritan

woman. But speak to her He did! He takes this opportunity to share with her the reality of Living Water. That not only

is

it

possible

for

her

to

drink

water

that

will

quench

her

immediate

thirst,

but

it

will

prevent

her

from

ever

being

thirsty

again.

We know the water He speaks of does not come from a well. He explains to her that He is the Living Water and He is

offering her a second chance – a clean slate. At first, she did not fully understand what He was offering. She still did not

realize who He was or that the water He offered was the water of life for her soul. In reflecting what might be running

through her head at this moment, I would imagine she was very interested in this water. Not only the water itself but

the opportunity provided her to avoid the embarrassment of coming to the well in the cool of the day with the other

women. Nor would she have to endure the heat of the day to draw her water.

Now that He had peaked her interest, He gets up close and personal. It is time for Him to remind her of her need for

a Messiah. He makes a request He already knows she is unable to fulfill. “Go, call your husband and come back.” (vs.

16) She simply replied, “I have no husband.” (vs. 17) Jesus revealed He knew all about her. He knew her faults and

shortcomings. He still took the time to speak to her, to share the good news of “living water” with her. As a result, she

believed. She accepted the Messiah and His message of salvation. She knew the freedom and relief of forgiveness.

Jesus broke down the traditional barriers, accepting her as she was and giving her a fresh start in life. He

demonstrated God’s love for all who have been rejected, condemned, or shunned, which should encourage us. No

matter what we have done, God offers us His unconditional acceptance in Jesus. With His powerful help, nothing can

stand between us and a life of obedience.



The Samaritan woman put her faith in Jesus who knew all her faults yet loved and respected her. She responded to

God’s gracious forgiveness by immediately telling her neighbors about the Messiah who had given her a new life. As a

result, many were blessed with faith in Jesus Christ. It is important that we share the good news with others. It may be

the difference between life and death for people we know. As we share what God has done for us, we will experience

anew the great joy of victory in Christ.

What is God’s message to those who seek Him? Jeremiah 33:8

God takes sin very seriously. As a righteous judge He can’t just ignore sin and act as if it doesn’t matter. But he

forgives us completely and repeatedly. The words used here are legal terms. Jesus is our Advocate, our defense

attorney in a court of law. He is the one who intercedes for us, the law‐breakers. But He is not only the defense

attorney; He is also “the sacrifice that atones for our sins.” That means that Jesus’ death has been accepted by the court

as admissible payment for all of our sins. We are all guilty and the sentence is death. But our sentence has already been

paid by Jesus. When we bring our sins to Jesus, He goes back to the Judge, His Father, on our behalf, reminding Him that

our sentence has already been paid.

We may have a hard time believing in God’s forgiveness. You might think, “After all I’ve done, I don’t think anyone

can completely forgive me.” Maybe we feel that we have done such horrible things or hurt people so badly that there’s

no way our sins could ever be blotted out entirely. Even if we could be forgiven, who could forget the things we have

done? Whatever you have done, God is not surprised and will forgive you if you let Him. As the first step is your own

recognition of the sin in your life, the second step is to decide whether you want to leave it that way or allow God to

come in and clean it up.

When we think of people we know – the people we have hurt – perhaps these fears are well founded. But when it

comes to forgiveness from God, we need to remember that his ways are higher than our ways.

What does Psalm 103:10‐12 say about God’s forgiveness?

We need to accept the forgiveness God offers us. When we come to God through the blood of Jesus Christ, His

forgiveness is complete. We may keep track of our failures, adding everyone to the long list we have written out against

ourselves, but God doesn’t keep lists of our past sins; in His eyes, when we are forgiven, we are clean.

Isaiah 43:25

Ezekiel 36:25 &26

Luke 3:3

Acts 13:38‐39

Psalm 65:1‐3

What is the first step to receiving forgiveness? Psalm 32:5



To receive forgiveness we must confess our sin. Why? Is it

because God doesn’t know what they are? No, so we can know

what they are – we acknowledge our sin and in so doing we

acknowledge our need for God’s forgiveness.

The Woman at the Well had much to confess and Jesus gave her

that opportunity, even though He knew all about her. In making

that confession, she felt relief, like a huge burden had been lifted.

Have you ever experienced that in your life? You have done

something wrong and you feel guilty. When you confess, it’s as if

you lay down a large burden. Secrets live in the dark – a scary place to dwell. But when we confess, we shine light on

our sin, our secrets, and it is then we can receive forgiveness.

What else does God’s Word say about confessing?

Psalm 66:16‐20

I John 1:8‐10

Have you ever thought “It wouldn’t matter if I confessed, I’m so bad.” Can God forgive your sin? Mark 3:28a

All confessed sin is forgiven. Thankfully, God has chosen not to leave us in our wickedness. We all would be without

hope if it weren’t for God’s grace. What does God say in Isaiah 43:25?

Whatever you have done, God is not surprised and will forgive you if you let Him. Your own recognition of wrong is

the first step. God has opened up your heart so you can take a look at its ugliness. Now you must decide whether you

want to leave it that way or allow Him to come in and clean it up.

What does God say He will do? Isaiah 1:18

Now, let’s take it one step further – as one who is forgiven, God asks us to forgive.

What do the following verses say about our need to forgive?

Matthew 6:14 & 15

Mark 11:25

When we realize how much God has forgiven us, it makes sense to choose to forgive others. Choosing forgiveness

also frees us from the torture of festering resentment. We can’t change what others have done to us, but we can write

off their debts and become willing to make amends.



Read Ephesians 4:31‐32. What does it say about forgiveness?

In Matthew 18:21‐34, Jesus tells a parable that teaches a lesson about forgiveness. What question did Peter ask

Jesus? (vs. 21)

What was Jesus’ response to Peter? (vs. 22)

Forgiving is not always an easy thing to do. Why is that? Perhaps

it’s because we think that our forgiveness invalidates our feelings of

betrayal or minimizes the pain we feel. It is not easy to give up our

right to be hurt, or to be angry, or to get back, or to hate the other for

what they have done. You may have had terrible things done to you by

someone you loved and trusted, and they hurt you and broke your

trust. You may have lost a great deal because of someone’s actions.

I think we sometimes feel that our forgiveness exonerates them.

We feel by forgiving them, we are saying they haven’t done anything

wrong. In fact, it is has very little to do with them at all. By forgiving

others, we are proving that we have accepted God’s forgiveness, and

are living in it! If we choose not to forgive, we are showing that we

have not really accepted God’s grace.

Forgiving is an act of faith. Phillip Yancey, in his book, "What’s So Amazing About Grace?" says, "At last I understood:

in the final analysis, forgiveness is an act of faith. By forgiving another, I am trusting that God is a better justice‐maker

than I am. By forgiving, I release my own right to get even and leave all issues of fairness for God to work out. I leave in

God’s hands the scales that must balance justice and mercy.” Forgiveness is an act of faith, because we are saying, "if

there is any punishment that is needed, or any giving of mercy, God will look after it just fine."

What does Paul say in Romans 12:19‐21?

We must forgive those who have hurt us because God commands it, because our own forgiveness hinges on it, but

also because it is the best thing for us. When we refuse to forgive, the bitterness grows like a cancer within us. It eats

away at us causing stress and illness. Then this same bitterness steals our joy. The only therapy for this cancer is the

surgery of forgiveness. When we refuse to forgive, we allow the sin that was committed against us to hurt us twice:

once when we were first sinned against, and again by keeping us from receiving God’s forgiveness. We need to stop

the pain and forgive.

Do you have any un‐confessed sin in your life? Is there anyone you have not forgiven? Just as the un‐expecting

Samaritan woman found forgiveness at the well, we too can experience forgiveness. We simply must confess our sin

and receive God’s forgiveness. This forgiveness will give us a fresh start and then we must forgive those who cause us

pain.

How much faith do you have? To accomplish great things, we must only have the faith of a mustard seed. It is not

always easy to forgive, but God in his grace gives us the power to do it. We are able to forgive because God is in charge.

Samaritan Women the Lesson of Forgiveness 0411

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