The Samaritans
Jesus and the Samaritans
During the ministry of Jesus Christ, there were three Samaritans who stand
prominent:
The Good Samaritan
The Samaritan Leper
The Samaritan Woman at the Well
The good Samaritan showed exceeding kindness by doing as much as he possibly
could by helping his neighbor who was in need.
The Samaritan leper, when he realized he was healed, immediately went to Jesus,
glorified God and gave thanks, is an outstanding example of gratitude.
The Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well listened to Jesus and believed what He told
her. Then she went to tell others about Him.
Jesus went out of His way to show that Samaritans were among those who exercised
compassion, gratefulness and faith. They were hated by the Jews but what Christ
came for was much more important than their walls of separation.
Jesus said
"I
have come to seek and to save that which was lost" and
His message of the
"gospel" (good
news) was one that would penetrate far deeper than man had ever seen before.
Jesus would not submit to the tyranny of those who were closing the door to God.
Jesus came preaching the kingdom of God, and Judaism had become a dead system of
works that blinded men from the truth and placed heavy burdens on God’s sheep.
The ministry of Christ began with the Jews and yet He excluded no one. He
ministered to Samaritans, to gentiles and to anyone who was willing to believe
the truth.
To understand what Jesus thought about the Samaritans, and the attitude of Jesus
to the lost, is to understand God’s heart for mankind. No one is excluded, and
no matter how lost they seem, and how deep sin has entered into their lives
Jesus loves them and He came to die for their sins.