During the days of Christ and His early followers, the Jews did not like the Samaritans. The hostility between the Jews and the Samaritans had lasted a thousand years. It began when the 12 tribes of Israel broke up in the 10th Century BC. Ten tribes made Samaria their capital and the remaining 2 tribes made Jerusalem their capital. In the 7th Century BC, Samaria was captured by Assyria, thousands of people were deported and their land was re-populated with foreigners. The Samaritans intermarried with those of other races. They had lost their racial purity and that, for the Jews, was an unforgiveable crime. In the 6th century BC, the Jews refused the help of the Samaritans in rebuilding their temple. In the 4th century BC, the Samaritans built a rival temple on Mount Gerizim. This really upset the Jews.
But, Christ came into our world and specifically reached out to the Samaritans (
John 4). In the paragraph of Scripture found in
Acts 8:4-8, we find that the early Christ followers are discovering that Christ is for all the world and we see them reaching out to the Samaritans just as Christ had done.
Note in
Acts 8:4-8 what Christ followers brought to these people:
- The message of the love of God in Jesus Christ
- Health Care
- Joy
Know thta you are loved,
gaj
