The Samaritans play a significant role in the Bible, especially in the New Testament narratives where Jesus interacts with them, breaking cultural barriers and offering profound lessons on grace, reconciliation, and the nature of true worship. To fully understand the significance of the Samaritans in Scripture, we must explore their origin, beliefs, historical conflicts with the Jews, and how Jesus transformed the narrative surrounding them.
The Origin of the Samaritans
The Samaritans trace their origin to the time of the Assyrian conquest of the northern kingdom of Israel around 722 BC. The northern kingdom, consisting of ten tribes, had fallen into deep idolatry and sin, leading to God’s judgment through the Assyrian Empire.
2 Kings 17:6 (NKJV) describes this event:
“In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria.”
After conquering Israel, the Assyrians employed a strategy of exile and population displacement. They deported many Israelites and brought in foreigners from other conquered regions to repopulate the land. These foreigners intermarried with the remaining Israelites, creating a mixed population in the region of Samaria.
2 Kings 17:24 (NKJV) explains:
“Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel.”
These mixed people became known as the Samaritans, a blend of Jewish and Gentile ancestry.
Religious Beliefs of the Samaritans
The Samaritans developed a hybrid form of worship that combined elements of Israelite tradition with the pagan practices of the Assyrian settlers. This syncretism was a major reason for Jewish hostility toward them.
Partial Acceptance of the Torah:
The Samaritans accepted only the first five books of Moses (the Torah) as Scripture but rejected the prophetic writings and historical books followed by the Jews.
Mount Gerizim as Their Holy Place:
The Samaritans rejected Jerusalem as the true place of worship, claiming Mount Gerizim instead. They built a temple on Mount Gerizim and believed it was the original location where Abraham offered Isaac, not Mount Moriah in Jerusalem.
Distorted Worship:
Their worship was a mixture of truth and error. Though they acknowledged Jehovah, they also retained pagan influences from their Assyrian ancestry.
2 Kings 17:33 (NKJV) describes their divided worship:
“They feared the LORD, yet served their own gods according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away.”
The Hostility Between Jews and Samaritans
By the time of Jesus, the hostility between Jews and Samaritans had intensified greatly. The Jews considered the Samaritans ethnically and spiritually impure, often referring to them as half-breeds and idolaters. The tensions were fueled by several historical events:
The Babylonian Exile (6th Century BC):
When the Jews returned from Babylonian captivity, the Samaritans opposed the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem under Nehemiah and Ezra.
Nehemiah 4:1-2 (NKJV) records:
“But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews.”
The Destruction of the Samaritan Temple:
The Jewish leader John Hyrcanus destroyed the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim around 128 BC, further deepening the division.
Cultural Isolation:
The Jews viewed the Samaritans as defiled and avoided any social interaction with them, believing contact would make them ceremonially unclean.
This hostility explains why Jesus’ dealings with the Samaritans were so radical and significant.
Jesus and the Samaritans
The Woman at the Well (John 4:1-42)
One of the most significant encounters between Jesus and a Samaritan occurs in John 4, where Jesus speaks with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well.
Jesus intentionally traveled through Samaria (a route most Jews avoided) and engaged a Samaritan woman in conversation. She was shocked, saying:
“How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (John 4:9).Jesus revealed profound truths about worship, saying:
“The hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father… God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24).
This encounter showed that true worship was not confined to a location but centered on truth and the Spirit of God. Jesus broke down ethnic, religious, and gender barriers in this conversation, offering salvation even to a despised Samaritan woman.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)
In this parable, Jesus highlighted a Samaritan as the hero of compassion in contrast to the neglect of a Jewish priest and Levite. The Samaritan helped a wounded man along the road, while the religious leaders ignored him.
This teaching directly challenged Jewish prejudice, emphasizing that love and righteousness are not confined to ethnicity but revealed through actions.
The Healing of the Ten Lepers (Luke 17:11-19)
Jesus healed ten lepers, but only one returned to give thanks—and he was a Samaritan.
Jesus responded, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? … Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:17-19).
The gratitude of the Samaritan contrasted with the ingratitude of the other nine, highlighting God’s grace extended beyond Israel.
The Samaritans and the Early Church
After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, the gospel spread beyond the Jewish people, reaching the Samaritans as part of God’s redemptive plan.
In Acts 8, Philip preached the gospel to the Samaritans, and many believed, including Simon the sorcerer. Later, Peter and John came to lay hands on the Samaritan believers, who received the Holy Spirit, confirming that the same salvation offered to the Jews was also for the Samaritans.
Acts 8:14-17 (NKJV) says:
“Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them… Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”
This marked a significant step in the early church, showing the inclusiveness of the gospel for all people groups.
My Final Thoughts
The Samaritans throughout Scripture reminds us that God’s mercy extends to all people, regardless of their history, ethnicity, or past beliefs. Jesus’ intentional outreach to the Samaritans serves as a powerful example of how grace breaks barriers and calls every individual to repentance and true worship.
As believers today, we are called to embody the same compassion and extend the gospel message to all, just as Christ did. Let us reject prejudice, seek unity in the truth of God’s Word, and share the hope of the gospel with the world.
