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The Samaritans are most likely the mixed remnants of the ten northern tribes of Israel and other groups conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BC.
According to Wikipedia, a small group of Samaritans numbering less than a couple thousand still persist today. They are considered by some in Israel to be Jews; by others, they are considered a separate group. They also have distinct beliefs from the Jews, some of which are:
- They believe in only the first five books of the Bible, written by Moses, and in a different version of the book of Joshua.
- They believe that the high priest Eli was a scammer and false priest who made a counterfeit ark of the covenant and created a false worship center at Shiloh to keep people from worshiping at the true center in Mount Gerizim.
- They believe the messiah has not yet been born.
- While they believe that the promised messiah would come through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they do not believe he would come through Judah. Instead, they believe he will be a descendant of Joseph; this is likely because the Samaritans are thought to be descendants of Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.
- They believe that when their messiah, whom they call the Taheb, comes, he will be a prophet like Moses and prophesy/lead for 40 years; that he will bring all true Israelites back to the Promised Land, and then the resurrection will happen; that he will find the original tent of meeting constructed by Moses on Mt. Gerizim and then he will die and be buried on that mountain.
- They observe the weekly Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset and observe all the feast days described in Leviticus.
- They have their own high priest.
- They believe Mt. Gerizim is the most holy site.
- Most important, this group, like the Jews, denies that Jesus Christ is the Messiah.
Most Jewish religious leaders through history, including in Christ’s day, believed that the Samaritan religion was a false one, a counterfeit of what God gave through Moses and His prophets.
While I agree with this conclusion, the question I want to ask today is: How did Jesus treat the Samaritans?
Did Jesus condemn them because they were caught up in a system of beliefs that were erroneous in many ways? Did Jesus refuse to present the truth to them because they had a different understanding of the Bible and the instructions contained in it?
What does Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan tell us regarding what Jesus thought about their divergent doctrines? In the story, there was the injured person and the Levite, Jewish priest, and Samaritan. Who did Jesus intend to convey was the one right with God? The Samaritan—yet He would also have agreed that the Samaritan held many erroneous doctrinal beliefs and failed to do the correct religious instructions, sacrifice in the right way, pay tithe to the right organization, etc. But how could the Samaritan be right with God while holding to erroneous doctrinal beliefs and doing the wrong religious activities?
Conversely, to the listening audience, the Levite and priest both would have been regarded as holding the correct doctrinal beliefs and engaging in the correct religious practices—paying tithe to the right organization, sacrifice in the right place and the right way, etc.—yet Jesus inferred that they were not right with God. How can it be that in their believing the right doctrines and doing the right behaviors, these men were not right with God?
Being Righteous
Well, what makes one right with God? The Bible is clear—it is being reborn to have fear and selfishness replaced with God’s law of love, to love God with all one’s being and others as oneself.
What about today? In your church organization, what has been the emphasis on what makes one right with God? Is it on believing the correct doctrines; paying tithe to the right organization; getting baptized in the right way, with the right words, by the right authorized person; doing communion in the right way; going to church on the right day; etc.?
Or is the emphasis on having a right heart attitude and living lives that demonstrate a love for God, others, and truth and, thus, have a willingness to be corrected and follow unfolding truth as our infinite God of truth reveals it to us? Didn’t the Samaritans embrace Jesus and the truth He revealed by asking Him to stay longer with them? (John 4:39–41). Their response revealed that their hearts were open to truth and were longing to advance in the truth.
But the Jewish leaders were hardened against truth because they were defending their own doctrinal beliefs, orthodoxy, and practices. The Bible describes those who are lost as not loving the truth—they love their religion, doctrines, ceremonies, and organization utmost, so they resist advancing truth that would call them to change their doctrines, ceremonies, and practices (2 Thessalonians 2:10).
Those who hold to doctrines and ceremonies often reject truth that would change their current beliefs or their religious practices—ending up as enemies of God and their fellow humans under the guise of being godly. We see this all through the Reformation as the orthodoxy police persecuted those advancing biblical truth.
What does Jesus’ attitude toward the Samaritans tell us about the things they and the Jews fought over? When the Samaritan woman at the well tried to raise such religious disputes, Jesus said:
Believe me, dear woman, the place where one worships God is not important; it is the condition of the heart of the worshiper that matters. Very soon, you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship a confusing tradition of rituals that does not enlighten the mind and have no ability to heal the worshiper; we worship the Creator God, and our minds are enlightened and healed by him because all he asks of us is sensible and reasonable. The plan to heal humanity from the infection of selfishness and sin is provided through the Jews. The time has now come that all true worshipers will worship the Father with an intelligent and reasonable understanding of who he is, respecting, admiring and loving the truth about his nature, character, and methods. These understanding worshipers are the kind the Father seeks. God is intelligent and reasonable, and his worshipers must worship him intelligently and reasonably, appreciating and valuing the truth of God’s methods and principles (John 4:21–24 REM).
What was it that the Samaritans needed? Was the saving message for the Samaritans different than what the Jews needed? What about the rest of the world?
That’s why Jesus said to His disciples:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8 NIV84).
The true gospel message is the exact same message for every human being, whether Jew or gentile, black or white, free or slave, man or woman, for we are all suffering from the same sin-sickness and all need the same Remedy—Jesus Christ!
As a follower of Jesus Christ, look past the superficial—past race, past national origin, past denomination, past ritual and ceremony, past creed—and see reality for what it is. Every single human being born into the world is born infected with the terminal sin condition inherited from Adam and Eve (Psalm 51:5), and every single person needs the same healing Remedy of Christ. Let people know they are loved, valued, cherished, and that in Jesus, there is real healing for their hearts, minds, and souls. This is the message that the world needs. This is the truth that sets minds free. This is the truth that unites hearts in the bonds of eternal love.
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