Divine Appointment:

And Jesus had to pass through Samaria.-John 4:4

John 4 records a familiar story of Jesus’s divine appointment with the woman of Samaria. This story is one of the more popular stories which John records and has been taught and expounded on by many Pastors, teachers, and lay-persons. A few weeks ago I was preparing a youth Bible study on John 4 and noticed something interesting. John 4:4 states, “And Jesus had to pass through Samaria.” I couldn’t help but wonder, why did he have to pass through Samaria. Was it because of geography? Was there another route? Or was there something more going on? I had commonly heard it taught that Jews repudiated Samaritans and considered them heretical. Intense ethnic and cultural tensions raged historically between the two groups so that both avoided contact as much as possible. After further study I learned that passing through Samaria was the usual route taken by travelers from Judea to Galilee, though strict Jews, in order to avoid defilement, could bypass Samaria by opting for a longer route.

As I contemplated the verse I began to realize that if there was another route for Jesus to take than he didn’t have to pass through Samaria; therefore, I dusted off my Greek Bible. While translating from Greek to English I noticed that the word in verse 4 translated “had to” dei can also be translated “to be necessary,” and when you cross-reference this word with the other areas where it is used you begin to see a picture which indicates divine necessity. Jesus had to go through Samaria because that was the will of His Father. In other words I think John the author used the Greek word dei translated “had to” because Jesus had an appointment with divine destiny in meeting the Samaritan woman, to whom He would reveal His messiahship. There was a divine appointment which had been scheduled before the creation of the world, which was going to take place on that day, with that particular woman, at that particular well and Jesus had to go through Samaria to fulfill the appointment.

What does that mean for us? As Christians it is no accident that we live in the neighborhood that we live in. It is no accident we have the job we have. It is no accident we shop at the grocery store we shop at. It is no accident we do the things we do. EVERYTHING that happens has been and is being orchestrated by God to set up divine appointments with individuals which God desires us to share our faith with. God has gifted you, given you your personality, your experiences, placed you in your neighborhood, among your neighbors, in your workplace, among your co-workers, in your school, on your team, with your teammates BECAUSE He has a divine appointment with lost sinners which He desires you to meet. Please take time today to recognize divine appointments and share the Gospel with your friends, co-workers, teammates, and neighbors.

In conclusion, God has orchestrated events in your life today to set up a meeting with individuals whom He has chosen from before the foundation of the world to save. Will you attend the meeting and share your faith with others?