Tehillah Generation Chapel
Daily Manna | Tuesday, January 9, 2018 | Reading: Exodus 33:1-11, Exodus 4, Gen 3:1-21
Topic: The Tabernacle of God 326
Scripture: But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say not of this building. (Heb 9:11)
Note: 2Cor 5:1, “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” In John 4, the woman at the well of Samaria asked Jesus a telling question, after Christ had begun a conversation in which He asked the woman to give Him water to drink. The woman had cut back sharply at Jesus, demonstrating her utter shock at Him: “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” John 4:9
This woman knew and acknowledged the red tape existing between the two neighbouring nations. The red tape separating them was very clear beyond mere rhetorics. The Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans. As an example, the self-righteous attitude of the Jews, opting to travel convoluted, longer distances between Judaea and Galilee, instead of the shorter, more direct route between the two regions, was enough evidence of their passion to avoid the toxic zone of Samaria.
Jesus knew exactly the kind of strongholds that He was going to confront and deal with, starting with His decision to court a conversation with the Samaritan woman. Although it might seem to an ordinary eye that He was dealing with a lowly woman, at the back of the mind of Jesus, He knew that the fruit of that encounter, that started out with a simple question, was not only going to impact this nameless woman for eternity. Jesus knew that all the man-erected barriers of religion, culture, human supremacy over fellow human, reckless bigotry and even hatred against a whole nation and its people, would see the beginning of a confrontation of these strongholds.
Dealing with strongholds that border on culture, religion and hatred against a nation, isn’t going to come easy as an instant solution. It was going to require the power of conviction with a roadmap of well-executed strategy. The major problem was rather with the people who knew what they’re worshipping. Yet, Jesus’ strategy was to touch this lonely, crocked up woman from a messed up nation with the word. Her immediate conviction led to the eventual conviction of a whole city of Samaria.
Food for thought: Never underestimate the impact of the conviction of anyone, no matter how seemingly crocked up the person might be.
Declaration: Many Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” John 4:39
©Author: Rev Fred Aboe
