If Only You Knew…

John 4:10
Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus started the conversation by asking for drinking water from this lady. The lady responds with discriminative remarks. The lady suggests that she cannot give Jesus drinking water because Jesus is a Jew and she is a Samaritan. Jews and Samaritans had a historical disagreement that, are the two communities hostile to each other.

When the Northern Kingdom of Israel went into Assyrian captivity, they were assimilated into the communities of their captors. They were forced into intermarriage and they were systematically caused to lose their way of life and worship. After their captivity, the remnants who remained were now half Jews and half gentiles(non-Jews). Since their former capital city was Samaria, they were now known as Samaritans.

The Southern kingdom of Israel went to the Babylonian captivity. They were not assimilated. They were isolated in slavery. Therefore they maintained their culture and way of worship. They went to captivity as Jews and came back after many years as Jews. The Jews hated Samaritans because they felt that they were corrupted Jews. Samaritans hated Jews for not fully accepting them as fellow Jews. Jesus a jew has now met a Samaritan woman and the lady raises the hostility issues.

Jesus did not buy into the hostilities that the two communities had against each other. Jesus went through Samaritan territory when Jews would always take a longer route in order to avoid the Samaritan territory. Jesus presented the good Samaritan in His parable as being better than the religious leaders of the Jewish people. Jesus healed ten lepers and only the Samaritan came back to say thank you. Jesus refused to inherit the enmity His people had against Samaritans.

The Samaritan lady tells Jesus that I will not give you the drinking water you are asking for and so desperately need after a long walk, simply because you are a Jew and I am a Samaritan. I would like us to focus closely on the response of Jesus to this act of discrimination, hostility, and enmity. Jesus responds in the words of our text today. Jesus tells her that if she knew the gift of God and who was asking her for water, she would be the one asking for water. If she knew…

Many times we discriminate against people because of their race or tribe. If only we knew who they are… Some of the people we push out in favor of our relatives and friends are the ones who were the answer to our prayers. The people we push out because they are not our people could be the people who would bring the blessings we desire. But since we don’t know who they are, we push them out and have a sense of achievement and satisfaction. Jesus said to her, you are denying me water because you do not know who I am. We discriminate against people because we think we know them, but we really do not know them. If only you knew…Jesus said to the woman!

Jesus tells the woman that she doesn’t know the gift of God. If she knew the gift of God, she could not deny Jesus drinking water. Those who know the gift of God cannot discriminate. Those who know the gift of God would easily share material things. Those who know the gift of God no longer see people by earthly standards of prejudice. If you knew the gift of God… But you don’t know and you are excusable.

We do our hostilities and sinful actions in full confidence simply because we don’t know. We mistreat each other because we don’t know. We abuse each other because we don’t know. We harass each other because we don’t know. We scheme and plan how we will silence each other because we don’t know. Jesus still speaks to all men and women responding and acting with prejudice. If only you knew…

Luke 23:34
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” …

Those who crucified Jesus acted in confidence and courage. they seemed to know what they were doing. The prayer of Jesus reveals that these people were acting in ignorance. They do not know what they are doing. Is it possible that some of the most confident things you are doing today and that I am doing today could be in ignorance of God’s will? Is it possible we think we are serving God when we are serving our selfish interests? Jesus said that they do not know what they are doing. If only they knew….

Hosea 4:6
my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.
“Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law of your God,
I also will ignore your children.

Lack of knowledge is a major problem facing us today. We think we know but Jesus says, they do not know what they are doing. We speak in confidence, but Jesus says if only you knew…. We fight because we do not know that God can fight for us. We revenge because we do not know that God has promised revenge. We steal and take things by force because we do not know that God can give them for free and even something much better. We worry because we do not know that God has good plans for us and He is never too late. If only we knew…

Forgive my confidence in myself dear God, may I find my peace and comfort in You and you alone. May I know You and find peace in that knowledge, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

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