“The Kingdom of God” Part 12 by Dave Bessey

We have not fully become united because our understanding of the Kingdom of God is partial. It is time to break down the walls of division!

Subtitle: All Barriers Broken

‘For He himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility. Ephesians 2:14

Division since the Fall

One of the major results from the sin of Adam and Eve was that division in relationships began (Genesis 3:11-13) and spread into every sphere of life in all the succeeding generations. A perfect example of this is the account of the Samaritan woman at the well.

The Samaritan Woman

“Now he [Jesus] had to go through Samaria...Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?’...The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘ You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?’ [For Jews do not associate with Samaritans]” John 4:4-9 (read through to verse 42).

When the disciples came back from buying food in the village they were shocked to see the Lord communicating with the Samaritan woman. This account reveals clearly the strong divisions the disciples saw and the totally different viewpoint of the Lord.

The disciples view

The Samaritans were heavily looked down upon, and scorned, by the Jews. They descended from the mixed population of people placed in the land by the Assyrians after they conquered the North-mern Kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C. The Samaritans had their own political system; they worshipped God but believed His temple was the one on Mount Gerazim instead of Mount Zion in Jerusalem; it was culturally unheard of for a woman to be speaking to a man on her own; Because the woman was at the well alone and

at the wrong time, the disciples knew she was an immoral woman.

In the woman at the well the disciples saw...

• Political Division (verses 19-20)

• Religious Division (verse 19)

• Social Division (verses 9,27)

• Moral Division (verses 6-7)

The Lord’s view

In contrast, Jesus saw a woman who was...

• Thirsty for eternal life (verse 10-15)

• Desiring to worship God (verses 19-24)

• Seeking love (verses 16-18)

• Hoping in the coming Messiah (v.25)

All the divisions that were part of the old world culture because of sin and self-centredness are completely dissolved in the new.

“[In this new creation all distinctions vanish]; there is no room for and there can be neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor un-circumcised, [nor difference between nations whether alien] barbarians or Scythians [who are the most savage of all], nor slave or free man; but Christ is all and in all – everything and everywhere, to all men, without distinction of person” Col.3:11 (Amp.Bible).

In Christ, gone are...

• Cultural barriers (“Greek nor Jew”)

• Religious barriers (“circumcised nor

uncircumcised”)

• Racial barriers (“barbarians or Scythians”)

• Class barriers (“slave or free”)

• Gender barriers (“male or female” - Galatians 3:26-28)

SERIES: THE TREASURES OF THE KINGDOM -- LESSON 12

Copyright © 2010 Paul Collins and Bunty Collins. A ministry of Fountaingate Christian Foundation. May be freely reproduced, except for profit, provided copyright and contact information is kept intact. P.O. Box 1033, Newcastle NSW 2300, Australia. Online at www.kingstable.org Scriptures quoted from the New International Version, unless otherwise stated. Used by permission.