Who are the Samaritans in the Bible?

Do you know that the Samaritans in the Bible were none other but ‘hybrid’ Jews?
What I mean is, how some Jews became Samaritans by their inter-marriage with the Babylonians

In the days of Jeroboam, he became king of the ten tribes in the Northern kingdom while Rehoboam the son of Solomon was king to the two tribes in the Southern kingdom of the same nation – Israel. Unfortunately, Jeroboam, after his installation as king, introduced the people to idol worship by erecting an image for them to worship and said to them, “…behold thy gods; O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” This he did to stop the people from going up to Jerusalem to worship. This act of Jeroboam incurred the anger of God on the Northern kingdom for their idolatrous attitude and absence of true worship. God sent them into captivity in the land of Babylon where they began to marry and give in marriages their children to the Babylonians, hence, defiling their pure blood as Israelites

Not only did they intermarry, but they also went into the practices of the Babylonians which provoked their believing brothers to count them as rebellious. This left a mark of segregation between the pure Israelites and the Samaritans as we see in the Bible where the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

 

The Good Samaritan

Sometimes it is easy to write people off or condemn them for their past mistakes while forgetting that people cannot be judged by their past but their present. The Jews are people with religion but only God gives us righteousness, whether Jew or Gentile. In fact, people with religion are those to be more careful in other not to get trapped in it, that is why Christ came preaching the kingdom first to His own people before extendinging to the Gentile.

“But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” – Romans 2:29

To put away the segregation of the Jews towards the Samaritans, Christ told his disciples as well as other religious listeners about the story of the good Samaritan.

Luke 10:25-34,36-37
“And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. [29] But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”

 

Christ and the Woman of Samaria

The purpose of Christ’s coming to the world is to reconcile all men to the Father. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Regardless of our past, gender, race or nation, He came not to condemn the lost but to save them.

Jesus Christ never cast any one off but all that will come to him in repentance and all that will believe the Gospel will still be saved.

“Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him (Jesus), How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, if thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.“ John 4:9, 10

What the Jews think of the Samaritans has, unfortunately, become what they think about themselves, that is why this woman wondered why Jesus – a Jew would come to her, a samaritan.

You may have suffered isolation, separation, or whatever it is as a result of what you have done, or what others think of you but if you come to Jesus today and ask for that living water, he will give it unto you to satisfaction and you shall drink to thirst no more. There is room in Jesus