The Forbearance of Christ
John 4:9-10
Then said the woman of Samaria to him, How is it that you, being a Jew, ask drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria?…


You may have gone along the road on a hot summer day, tired and thirsty, and have seen the gleam of a cottage in the distance. Suppose you went to the door and asked for a drink of water, exactly as our Lord did; but your speech betrayed you, and you were asked, How do you, being a Protestant, ask drink of me, a Roman Catholic; or, How do you, being Scotch, ask of me who am Irish, for the Scotch have no dealings with the Irish? You would have ground your heel on the gravel, and vowed never to give any one the chance of so speaking to you again. But insults are just as they are taken; and you can't insult a man who won't let you. Jesus bows His head, and lets your ignorant speeches fly past Him.

(John McNeill.)



Parallel Verses
KJV: 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.

WEB: The Samaritan woman therefore said to him, "How is it that you, being a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)




The Evils of Sectarian Bigotry
Top of Page
Top of Page