jeremiah1five
Well-known member
John 4:2–42.
Why did God choose to include this interaction between Jesus Christ and this Samaritan woman? According to the Jews women were seen as a minor citizenry in this culture. One of the prayers of Hebrew men is, "I thank thee O God that I was not born a Gentile, a slave or a woman."
Does that sound familiar? Are you thinking Galatians 3:28 then you would be wrong. Saul uses the word "Greek" not Gentile in this verse which is not the same meaning he's trying to convey. But the answer to all this "Gentile" terminology in the gospels and in the epistles is not hard to understand IF you are Hebrew. But to a Gentile they will take the word "Greek" to mean "non-Hebrew" person but not according to Scripture where it is used. Now, to get to the bottom of this will take more sources than what I am going to insert in this post, so I'll just keep it simple for the simple minded.
John 4:2-42 is a rather large narrative of the interaction between a Jew (Jesus) and a Samaritan woman "for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans" and this narrative is here for us to learn something that could not be communicated in one simple sentence. It had to be drawn out as it is in these forty verses. And in these forty verses is packed a great deal to draw out in order to draft doctrine with regard to God's attitude towards the children and offspring of the Samaritan Jew-Gentile mixed heritage. And it applies to all Jews (Hebrews) of mixed heritage. In short, this woman being the seed of Abraham is still heir to the covenant and recipient of the promises. Like the Greeks (Hellenized Hebrews/Jews) of Galatians 3:28. Saul is not referring to non-Hebrew Gentiles in 3:28. He’s referring to Hellenized Hebrews/Jews. And the interaction between Jesus and the Samaritan woman is important because since 10% of Jews returned to Israel when Cyrus gave them permission to return the 90% of the Hebrews alive at the time remained in Assyria and Babylon and in Gentile lands in-between. They needed to know their Messiah had come and before Jesus’s ascension He would send out the eleven to do just that, to herald to them one message: God has kept His Promise. But it took the eleven apostles at least ten years before they obeyed their Lord. That’s called disobedience (Matt. 21:28-31.)
So, here is a Hebrew woman of mixed heritage. There were thousands like her in and around Israel at the time but definitely living in Gentile lands among the 90%. How does God deal with them? Are they Abraham’s seed? Or did their parents or grandparents forfeit that association and lose out of the covenant and the promises? Samaritans were mostly the offspring of Hebrew-Assyrian unions whether through intermarriage, rape of Hebrew women, concubinage, or slavery. As I shared elsewhere here are some of the factors of how Hebrews became Hellenized.
Union between Assyrian (Gentile) man and Hebrew woman. Any offspring most likely would be raised as Assyrian in a Greek predominant culture. For five hundred years each succeeding generation would lose more and more of their Hebrew heritage and grow up Gentile.
Hebrew man and Gentile woman. For the most part the man would give his offspring some Hebrew heritage education. But by the time Jesus arrived any Hebrew-Gentile offspring would grow up in a Greek culture and may or may not know something of their Hebrew heritage. Maybe their knowledge would be spotted. Or maybe as the Samarian woman who was aware of her Hebrew heritage and practiced what she could never knowing anything about the Hebrew Scriptures except what came by way of verbal stories and oral histories. She knew the well belonged to Jacob. She even said “our” when she referred to Jacob as their father which reference she would be right. She knew something about the Promised Messiah and of prophets and something of their commission of prophets referring to the Hebrew prophets. But how much of your Christianity would you know without access to Scripture by being denied those texts because you were less than Hebrew and a lower-class woman to boot. I can understand how references of “Gentile” if one was of Hebrew-Gentile stock in the New Covenant writings would be understood if one can understand the derogatory terminology being used of Hebrew-Gentile offspring of the time no matter the age of the person. That is the case in every ethnicity on the planet. If one is not full breed Hebrew but of mixed ancestry the Hebrews would see them as Gentile especially if they grew up in Greek culture but of mixed heritage. Being of Hispanic descent a Mexican national would see Mexicans who grew up mixed heritage or simply growing up or assimilated in America as a “Pocho” which is a negative connotation suggesting a loss of connection to Mexican culture or language. It’s in every ethnicity on the planet. To purer Germans living in Germany, they would not see a German Russian as an equal especially given the ferocity of the German-Russo War in the 1940s. Or a purer Brit may not see a British-Irish individual as equals given the Catholic-Protestant wars in history. This same thing was alive in the first century when Jesus walked the Holy Land and especially soon after He ascended, which may account for the eleven Hebrew disciples not leaving immediately to go to Gentile lands to herald Israel’s Messiah to a ‘bunch of half-breeds’ grown up in Greek culture and a Hellenized upbringing. But whoever these Hebrews of mixed heritage were Jesus saw them as still Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the Promise (Gal. 3:29.) And that is the identity of “Gentiles” in the New Covenant writings. Just a bunch of half- or quarter- or one-eighth- breeds of Hellenized Hebrews of (Greek) culture. As long as there was a Hebrew parent in their ancestry, they were still Abraham’s seed. And this reality is and was purposely done by God. He controls all and everything that occurs in His creation.
Jesus said, “Scripture cannot be broken.” No one can add, or subtract or change what has been written in the Hebrew Scriptures from Genesis to Malachi. And my reading of the Abraham Covenant in Genesis 12, 15, and 17 says the covenant that bears his name is between God, Abram the Hebrew, and Abram’s seed. There are no non-Hebrews in this covenant. It’s a family covenant. And no matter the mixed heritage of any Hebrew they are still Abraham’s seed and God knows who they are. As long as they have a Hebrew parent in their ancestry and Scripture cannot be broken, then they are still Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the Promise (Gal. 3:29.)
Saul knew the Scripture. He does not contradict Hebrew Scripture. He knows that anyone of Hebrew lineage is still Abraham’s seed no matter the dilution of his DNA. God made no covenant with non-Hebrews. None.
So, unless your interpretation is the same as what is written in the Hebrew Scripture and your interpretation identifies "Gentiles" in the New Covenant writings from Matthew to Revelation as "non-Hebrew" then your interpretation has broken Scripture and if you are truly born-again and baptized into the Hebrew Body of Christ and yet consider yourself "Gentile" (non-Hebrew) maybe you should think again. Most likely and according to Scripture the Holy Spirit of Promise was promised to the Hebrew people in covenant with God and there would have to be at least one Hebrew parent in your ancestry if the Holy Spirit of Promise truly invaded your life and you were truly born-again from above. There is no other explanation. The three Hebrew Covenants were between God and Abraham and his seed (Abrahamic), with the children of Israel (Mosaic), and the House of Israel and Judah (New.)
So, tell me, Christian...what tribe are you from?
Fact: This would have been the emblem of the Israeli flag in 1947 when Israel became a nation in 1948. Interesting thing is that it was the tribe of Judah that were counted as the remnant that returned to the Holy Land and yet they took the name of their northern kingdom brethren: Israel. This emblem is the symbol of the tribe of Judah (Lion from...)
Why did God choose to include this interaction between Jesus Christ and this Samaritan woman? According to the Jews women were seen as a minor citizenry in this culture. One of the prayers of Hebrew men is, "I thank thee O God that I was not born a Gentile, a slave or a woman."
Does that sound familiar? Are you thinking Galatians 3:28 then you would be wrong. Saul uses the word "Greek" not Gentile in this verse which is not the same meaning he's trying to convey. But the answer to all this "Gentile" terminology in the gospels and in the epistles is not hard to understand IF you are Hebrew. But to a Gentile they will take the word "Greek" to mean "non-Hebrew" person but not according to Scripture where it is used. Now, to get to the bottom of this will take more sources than what I am going to insert in this post, so I'll just keep it simple for the simple minded.
John 4:2-42 is a rather large narrative of the interaction between a Jew (Jesus) and a Samaritan woman "for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans" and this narrative is here for us to learn something that could not be communicated in one simple sentence. It had to be drawn out as it is in these forty verses. And in these forty verses is packed a great deal to draw out in order to draft doctrine with regard to God's attitude towards the children and offspring of the Samaritan Jew-Gentile mixed heritage. And it applies to all Jews (Hebrews) of mixed heritage. In short, this woman being the seed of Abraham is still heir to the covenant and recipient of the promises. Like the Greeks (Hellenized Hebrews/Jews) of Galatians 3:28. Saul is not referring to non-Hebrew Gentiles in 3:28. He’s referring to Hellenized Hebrews/Jews. And the interaction between Jesus and the Samaritan woman is important because since 10% of Jews returned to Israel when Cyrus gave them permission to return the 90% of the Hebrews alive at the time remained in Assyria and Babylon and in Gentile lands in-between. They needed to know their Messiah had come and before Jesus’s ascension He would send out the eleven to do just that, to herald to them one message: God has kept His Promise. But it took the eleven apostles at least ten years before they obeyed their Lord. That’s called disobedience (Matt. 21:28-31.)
So, here is a Hebrew woman of mixed heritage. There were thousands like her in and around Israel at the time but definitely living in Gentile lands among the 90%. How does God deal with them? Are they Abraham’s seed? Or did their parents or grandparents forfeit that association and lose out of the covenant and the promises? Samaritans were mostly the offspring of Hebrew-Assyrian unions whether through intermarriage, rape of Hebrew women, concubinage, or slavery. As I shared elsewhere here are some of the factors of how Hebrews became Hellenized.
Union between Assyrian (Gentile) man and Hebrew woman. Any offspring most likely would be raised as Assyrian in a Greek predominant culture. For five hundred years each succeeding generation would lose more and more of their Hebrew heritage and grow up Gentile.
Hebrew man and Gentile woman. For the most part the man would give his offspring some Hebrew heritage education. But by the time Jesus arrived any Hebrew-Gentile offspring would grow up in a Greek culture and may or may not know something of their Hebrew heritage. Maybe their knowledge would be spotted. Or maybe as the Samarian woman who was aware of her Hebrew heritage and practiced what she could never knowing anything about the Hebrew Scriptures except what came by way of verbal stories and oral histories. She knew the well belonged to Jacob. She even said “our” when she referred to Jacob as their father which reference she would be right. She knew something about the Promised Messiah and of prophets and something of their commission of prophets referring to the Hebrew prophets. But how much of your Christianity would you know without access to Scripture by being denied those texts because you were less than Hebrew and a lower-class woman to boot. I can understand how references of “Gentile” if one was of Hebrew-Gentile stock in the New Covenant writings would be understood if one can understand the derogatory terminology being used of Hebrew-Gentile offspring of the time no matter the age of the person. That is the case in every ethnicity on the planet. If one is not full breed Hebrew but of mixed ancestry the Hebrews would see them as Gentile especially if they grew up in Greek culture but of mixed heritage. Being of Hispanic descent a Mexican national would see Mexicans who grew up mixed heritage or simply growing up or assimilated in America as a “Pocho” which is a negative connotation suggesting a loss of connection to Mexican culture or language. It’s in every ethnicity on the planet. To purer Germans living in Germany, they would not see a German Russian as an equal especially given the ferocity of the German-Russo War in the 1940s. Or a purer Brit may not see a British-Irish individual as equals given the Catholic-Protestant wars in history. This same thing was alive in the first century when Jesus walked the Holy Land and especially soon after He ascended, which may account for the eleven Hebrew disciples not leaving immediately to go to Gentile lands to herald Israel’s Messiah to a ‘bunch of half-breeds’ grown up in Greek culture and a Hellenized upbringing. But whoever these Hebrews of mixed heritage were Jesus saw them as still Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the Promise (Gal. 3:29.) And that is the identity of “Gentiles” in the New Covenant writings. Just a bunch of half- or quarter- or one-eighth- breeds of Hellenized Hebrews of (Greek) culture. As long as there was a Hebrew parent in their ancestry, they were still Abraham’s seed. And this reality is and was purposely done by God. He controls all and everything that occurs in His creation.
Jesus said, “Scripture cannot be broken.” No one can add, or subtract or change what has been written in the Hebrew Scriptures from Genesis to Malachi. And my reading of the Abraham Covenant in Genesis 12, 15, and 17 says the covenant that bears his name is between God, Abram the Hebrew, and Abram’s seed. There are no non-Hebrews in this covenant. It’s a family covenant. And no matter the mixed heritage of any Hebrew they are still Abraham’s seed and God knows who they are. As long as they have a Hebrew parent in their ancestry and Scripture cannot be broken, then they are still Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the Promise (Gal. 3:29.)
Saul knew the Scripture. He does not contradict Hebrew Scripture. He knows that anyone of Hebrew lineage is still Abraham’s seed no matter the dilution of his DNA. God made no covenant with non-Hebrews. None.
So, unless your interpretation is the same as what is written in the Hebrew Scripture and your interpretation identifies "Gentiles" in the New Covenant writings from Matthew to Revelation as "non-Hebrew" then your interpretation has broken Scripture and if you are truly born-again and baptized into the Hebrew Body of Christ and yet consider yourself "Gentile" (non-Hebrew) maybe you should think again. Most likely and according to Scripture the Holy Spirit of Promise was promised to the Hebrew people in covenant with God and there would have to be at least one Hebrew parent in your ancestry if the Holy Spirit of Promise truly invaded your life and you were truly born-again from above. There is no other explanation. The three Hebrew Covenants were between God and Abraham and his seed (Abrahamic), with the children of Israel (Mosaic), and the House of Israel and Judah (New.)
So, tell me, Christian...what tribe are you from?
Fact: This would have been the emblem of the Israeli flag in 1947 when Israel became a nation in 1948. Interesting thing is that it was the tribe of Judah that were counted as the remnant that returned to the Holy Land and yet they took the name of their northern kingdom brethren: Israel. This emblem is the symbol of the tribe of Judah (Lion from...)
