JESUS Christ, the Woman of Samaria and the Rest of Us

JESUS Christ, the Woman of Samaria and the Rest of Us

The biblical account of the encounter of the woman of Samaria fetching water at the well with our Lord and Messiah JESUS Christ is well known to many Christians and others who read the Holy Bible. But majority of those who claim to be "Christians" have not learned the lessons from that divine encounter and they continue to repeat the ignorance of the woman at the well who did not know why JESUS asked her for water
Here, the human incarnate of the Almighty omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent God was thirsty and did not have any water to drink. He went to the well and asked a woman fetching water at the well to give him water to drink. And she ignorantly disrespected and queried Him until JESUS gradually revealed Himself and she exclaimed:
"Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?" (John 4:29)

John 4:4-21:

4 And he must needs go through Samaria.

5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.

7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)

9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, 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.

10 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.

11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.

17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:

18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.

20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father."

Many of us have repeated the ignorance of the woman in our daily encounters with others who ask for one favour in different forms and ways. We often feel aloft, irritated and even upset when someone asks us to give him or her water to drink, food to eat or money. Many of us disrespect the poor and needy in disobedience or ignorance of the facts of life and disregard of the word of God as written in the following verses of the Holy Bible.
Galatians 6:9:
"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

Hebrews 13:2:
"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it."

I have experienced and seen how we often look down and disrespect others when they are in need or broke.
Many years ago when the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG)  asked provinces of the church in Nigeria to cook and GO and feed the hungry and thirsty poor masses and homeless people on the streets, we obeyed the instruction from our General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye. But many of us disrespected the poor people by feeding them like dogs and one man we met under the flyovers at Costain near the National Arts Theatre in Iganmu on the mainland of Lagos city rejected the food given to him in a black polythene bag, because of the disrespectful way one of the women serving the food offered it to him like he was a dog. And I agreed with him. So, I asked the woman that if she met our Lord JESUS among the destitute, would she give him that food in a polythene bag as she offered that poor man? She was dumbfounded. But many of us, especially those claiming to be "Christians" have failed woefully by disregarding what JESUS said as written in Matthew 25: 31-46:
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."

Many of the so called apostles, bishops, pastors, prophets and other ministers in both the orthodox and pentecostal churches disrespect the destitute and poor people who come to church to answer the call of our Lord JESUS who said in Matthew 11:28:
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

Some years ago, I saw a homeless young man on the street as I was going to Church on a Sunday morning. So, I took him along to the Dunamis Church in Fadeyi on the mainland of Lagos city. The ushers sneered at him as he followed me into the church. They would have been smiling gleefully with dimples if the man was a rich looking person; even if he had been Satan in disguise. As I was praying and closed my eyes in worship,  the ushers told him to leave. When I finished praying and asked for him, they replied that they told him to leave when he was sleeping. I was very upset. I said, he was hungry and had fever and naturally falling asleep from his weakness. "You should have cared for him and not telling him to leave the church," I said. I left to look for him, but I never saw him again.
That is how many churches have lost souls, we should have saved.
The very people JESUS commanded us to seek and save, we sneer and don't welcome them to church.
Who are we serving? God or the world?

I have seen the real and true characters of those who claim to be my close associates and friends during my periods of trials of the past two years of being in dire straits; broke and in need of helping hands.
Only few of them were kind enough to help and support. The most unfaithful and ungrateful have been those I have given so much over the years. I have given hundreds of thousands of naira to support them. These are ingrates I don't even owe any single favour.  Then some of those who even responded to my humble requests for help and support started disrespecting me; as temptations and trials reveal our real and true characters for the best or for the worst; from members of your own family to relations, friends, so called apostles, bishops, pastors, prophets and others.  They like to receive from you, but don't like to give in return.

I was planning and working to showcase Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry for the first time at an international event for TV and Film productions in the UK when unfortunately I lost my elder brother on October 10, 2017 and I was left in sorrow and trauma. I had to postpone all my plans and scheduled programmes in Lagos and travelled twice to our village in Abia state of south eastern Nigeria to meet with our families and relations and others for his internment. I spent all the money I had with me and had to ask for help. But shockingly, the very people I was doing my best for in Nollywood did not even pay condolence visits and did not respond to support me. The two friends who supported me were not even included among those I recommended for the Focus On Nollywood in London. I have not seen the closest person I chose to work with for the event since October 2017. She said she did not know the way to my residence again. But she had the time to come to the same residence  in 2016 during her participation in the production of my "Lagos in Motion" documentary film and when I was planning the "Focus On Nollywood" event in 2017. Of course, if I told her to come for the return tickets and reservations for her accommodation in London for the event, she would have even cat walked all the way to my residence.
The one who visited me did not owe me any favours whatsoever and she drove all the way from Ikeja on the mainland of Lagos city to my residence even though she was busier as a top model, actress, beauty queen and producer than the others who have not been featured in any magazine like her who has been twice on the cover of the popular ALLURE magazine in Nigeria. The popular Nollywood filmmaker I have done a lot to celebrate and promote internationally did not even send a single condolence message to me and never called since we were no longer going to the "Focus On Nollywood" in the UK.

When my beloved mother, Mrs. Gladys Eke passed away on May 26, 1993, my beautiful blonde German muse, Nicole Walter left her important work at the Beth Torrey Home in Zaria, Kaduna state of northern Nigeria and rushed to Lagos to be with me. She was heartbroken with me. Another female friend, Somina Lawson-Jack comforted and supported me even though she was only a student at the University of Port Harcourt in Rivers state of the south-south of Nigeria at the time. She was my God sent pillar of support to help me to overcome my trauma.

These periods of my trials of life made me stronger and wiser as Almighty God opened my eyes wider to see through the vicissitudes of the unforeseen circumstances of life in the world.  The lessons I have learned will be beneficial to me and others to separate the wheat from the chaff in human relationships as our Lord JESUS Christ taught us as one of His own most devout disciples, Simon Peter denied knowing Him three times during His trial and fled to escape from being arrested and tried with JESUS and he never returned until after the Resurrection. But He did not give up on Peter. He forgave him and prayed for him to receive the power of the Holy Spirit for the Great Commission.

I have been preaching, publishing and sharing this same message in previous articles and quotes with references to the commandments of God as clearly defined and explained by our Lord JESUS Christ in the Holy Bible. Anyone who claims to be a "Christian", but fails to obey the commandments of God is a deceiver and fake Christian.  A liar as written in John 8:44.
We may deceive and fool ourselves, but we cannot fool God as it written in Galatians 6:7:
"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."
1 John 4:20:
"f anyone says, "I love God," but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen."

John 8:44:
"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."

This message is for everyone, including me and it is for to us improve our human relationships for our mutual benefit.

~ By EKENYERENGOZI Michael Chima,
Publisher/Editor, The Rhema Blog
https://www.amazon.com/author/ekenyerengozimichaelchima.