3 he left Judea and went again to Galilee. 4 He had to travel through Samaria;

John 4:3-4

A Divine Necessity

At NorthStar, we are in the second week of a sermon series called ECHOES: Stories Worth Retelling, where we look at characters in Scripture who played a role in God's redemptive plan! This week, we are going to dig deeper into the life of "The Samaritan Woman," as recorded in John 4:1-42. The text tells us that Jesus and his disciples traveled from Judea to Galilee and that HE HAD TO (the Greek work edei, Ἔδει which means to be under necessity of happening, one must, one has to) travel through Samaria. In other words, it was a "Divine Necessity" for Jesus to go to Samaria.The decision to travel through Samaria was probably met with some side-eyes from the disciples. The Jews despised the Samaritans because they were considered religious and ethnic half-breeds. Jewish tradition taught that the Samaritans were the ones who did not trust in the covenant promises of God. Specifically, the Samaritans were the ones who did not submit to God's law when God rescued His people from Exile. Instead, they intermarried with those outside of God's boundaries creating this mixed-blood ethnic group of Jews and Gentiles.As a result, to the Jews, the Samaritans were traitors, half-breeds, outcasts, and considered filthy. Now, it is important to note that Jesus did not have to travel through Samaria for geographic reasons (as in there is no other route to take) but for spiritual ones. In fact, because of the animosity between these people groups, typically on a journey from Judea to Galilee, Jews chose a route to the East in order to avoid Samaria together. Jesus chose the alternative path that put him right in the heart of this hostile city.Why was it a DIVINE NECESSITY for Jesus to pass through Samaria? Simply put, Christ's love for sinners compels Him to go. He must. He had to. It was necessary for Him to go to Samaria because Jesus Christ came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). And Jesus did not come to save only a certain type or certain brand of person, not only Jews, not only Gentiles, no, he is the Savior of the World (John 4:42). Maybe you don't feel like the "type" of person Jesus would love or the "type" of person Jesus would come for. I implore you to see the truth of this passage, that Jesus Christ comes for you. Jesus Christ, in his perfection, comes to your imperfection not in rage but in kindness. Turn and trust in Him today.Or maybe you resonate more with the Jews, despising the past and present decisions of others, not seeing them as worthy or capable of Jesus entering their story. I implore you to see the truth of this passage, that Jesus Christ has come for the outcast, the broken, and the imperfect. No one is too far. Turn and trust Him today.