Preschool
Ask, and it shall be given you. Matthew 7:7
Jesus’s Love for All
Memory Verses
Primary
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Matthew 7:7
Junior
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Matthew 7:7
Background Scripture: John 4:1-42
Lesson Scripture: John 4:1-9; Luke 9:51-56
Introduction
Whether we are singing “Jesus Loves Me” or thinking about being forgiven, we are recognizing the value Jesus places on humanity. Is it possible that Jesus loves everyone as much as He loves me? He has always made connections with anyone who is searching for Him. He wants to show everyone that He cares about them.
Key Verse
And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd (John 10:16).
Lesson Scripture
John 4:1 When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,
2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)
3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.
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.
Luke 9:51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,
52 And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.
53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?
55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.
56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.
Studying the Lesson
The Jews and the Samaritans despised each other and avoided contact if possible. It was very unusual for any of them to talk together. They all were descendants of Abraham and originally served the true God that their father Jacob served.
Many years earlier, civil unrest resulted in Israel being divided into two nations. The northern kingdom of Israel, whose capital became Samaria, grew entrenched in idolatry through the influence of ungodly kings. The Jews (Israelites) continued to try to worship the Lord, but it was intermixed with the worship of heathen gods (2 Kings 17:29-41). About 722 BC, Israel was conquered by Assyria. The Assyrian captors moved foreign gentile people into the country who brought their pagan gods with them. As time went by, the Jews left there began to intermarry with these foreign inhabitants. These people, called Samaritans, lost their identity as children of the true God and became a mixed race with a compromised belief. This made the nation of Judah contemptuous of them.
The southern kingdom, named Judah, was where Jerusalem was located. In approximately 588 BC, the kingdom of Judah fell to Babylon, and many of its inhabitants were carried off into captivity. But seventy years later, a remnant of fifty thousand was permitted to return to rebuild Jerusalem. These people wanted to continue to worship the true God. The Samaritans, who now inhabited the northern kingdom, seriously opposed the repatriation and tried to undermine the attempt to reestablish the Jewish nation. For their part, the full-blooded, monotheistic Jews detested the mixed marriages and worship of their northern cousins. The walls of bitterness and hate were erected on both sides and grew stronger and harder over the next five hundred years.
Jesus came onto the scene when each nation was prejudiced toward the other. He wanted to establish a relationship with the Samaritans and remove the walls of discord. The key verse states He desires to gather other people who were not of the select fold. He was talking about bringing all people, irregardless of their background, together into fellowship. He did not want to destroy the Samaritans like the Jews would have liked to.
When Jesus visited with the Samaritan woman at the well, she excitedly ran back to the city to describe this Man who had told her all about her life. This encounter and the other times Jesus was with the Samaritans likely was the groundwork for when Philip went preaching Jesus Christ to them later, and the word was received gladly (Acts 8:4-8).
Practical Truths for Today
When we truly love someone, we will do anything for that person. When we feel loved by someone, we return affection in like manner. Jesus loved the Samaritans equally as he loved the Jews, and He wanted to offer salvation to them too. He is offering that same love and salvation to us today, and we should cherish and honor his love to us.
What keeps someone from feeling or understanding the love that Jesus wants to give? On the other hand, what causes someone to feel like it is owed to them? Jesus understands all of humanity’s heart language because He loves everyone. It does not matter what our station in life is; whether it is high and mighty or meek and lowly, Jesus wants to reach out to us.
Jesus’s love can feel more distant when calamity strikes or we are going through dark and trying times. We wonder, “Why can’t I feel his love in a time like this?” As we trust Him and grasp faith that He knows where we are, He will carry and sustain us. Often we do not recognize it at the time, but later, looking back, we are able to see his presence with us. Does He let us suffer for the greater good of our souls? It is possible to miss knowing Jesus’s love because of not believing that He cares.
He told the Samaritan woman that the time was coming when those who would worship God would do so in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). The spirit of love and adoration is at the center of worship to God. To worship Him is to be devoted to his truth and loving his commands. Loving Jesus and worshipping Him means being unconditionally surrendered to Him and his plan for us. Having that spirit will keep us from acting one way in front of certain people and then acting differently in front of others. The love of God will always show in our lives, no matter where we are or who we are with. That love will enable us to love everyone without exception, though many times it will be tested.
Jesus talked to the Samaritan woman, and she went to spread the news about Him. The love He showed her that day changed her heart. One day Jesus was asked by some religious leaders of that time what to do about a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. According to law, she should be stoned. Jesus told them that the one without sin should cast the first stone. The accusers left because they were convicted by their own conscience. Then He told the accused that neither did he condemn her and to go and sin no more (John 8:3-11). Surely the love that Jesus showed her changed her heart. That love that these women felt is available for us today.
Growing up in a godly environment and learning how to be a Christian is a blessing. Keeping separate from the world and working hard to be pleasing to God is good. Reading the Bible and going to church every Sunday should become a part of life. This, all combined, affords the best opportunity anyone could have to be a child of God. It is good to make sure that we are living right, but we can forget that Jesus’s love is a gift.
The love that Jesus offers allows us to accept Him immediately without having to wait until conditions are just right. When we are enjoying a close relationship with Jesus in his love, we would not want to do anything to jeopardize that. Like the Samaritan woman, we will be anxious to talk about our meeting with Christ. We will also want to introduce people to the love and forgiveness we have experienced from Jesus.
Questions
- Is it possible to love the lowest criminal like Jesus would?
- Do children raised in a Christian environment have a better chance to be saved than other children?
- Is it a sign that I do not appreciate Jesus’s love if I want to sin?
- How do you love a belligerent or violent person?
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Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).