Bible Study June 10, 2025
“When Dislike Turns to Hatred”
John 4:9 (ESV)
9 “The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
We have been doing a series on the “Red Letter Words” of Jesus and I was looking at the conversation Jesus has with a deeply hurting woman from Samaria. The scripture above gives a short comment about the lack of love between two groups of people – the Jews and the Samaritans.
A Jew (Jesus) strikes up a conversation with a woman. No doubt she was confused why a Jew would talk to her a Samaritan woman but she had no idea who she was about to have an encounter with. This made me think back on the issues with the Russians and the Ukrainians, the Roman rule over the Jewish people, the deep hatred Hitler had for the Jewish people, the hatred of those who berate Israel. Now we see it going on between protesters in California. It is nothing new to the world. Hatred thrives where love should prevail. This is only the tip of the iceberg concerning hate.
When Satan was thrown out of heaven all hell broke loose on the earth, in fact it took a flood to cleanse the earth. All creation had fallen and remains in that same state.
What is the answer? It is an answer that not everyone is willing to accept. One man took all this hatred and died for mankind to live in peace and yet he rejects the offer of peace. It is all about self and wanting to control others. When (if) mankind comes to his knees and realizes all his efforts are in vain things may change. I’m not a pessimist but I know the outcome and that makes me an optimist. Jesus will ultimately rule over this nonsense man is allowing himself to be controlled by until then – Pray.
God Bless.
Asbury Chapel 