Page 8 - March 2026 - Truth & Tidings

" ear to the parcel of ground that grace delivers spiritual refreshment time

and time again. This short series sets out
Jacob gave to his son Joseph”
N(Joh 4:5).
1
even more depth to Sychar’s well. All
This short line, woven as a small thread to prove that considering Joseph adds
into the mosaic masterpiece of John’s articles aim to get us to think outside the
Gospel, is not just a minor detail given to box (but inside the Bible), enhancing our
segue the narrative from Judea to Samaria. appreciation for the Scriptures' delightful,
Nor is it only pointing out the place where dovetailed details.
this weary group of travelers would find In this article, we focus on location.
refreshment. No, this clause is specifically For many preachers, the most significant
designed to get us to stop and consider geography in the chapter is the region.
something. In fact, at this point the writer Sermons have emphasized the nature of
is insisting that we look backward before the Samaritan culture and their strained
we step forward. John is providing us with relationship with the Jews. In the big
a lens to see more clearly the lessons in the picture, Samaria’s genetic impurity and
Lord’s interaction with the Samaritans. religious impiety highlight the compas-
That lens is the character and life of the sionate character of our Lord as He ex-
11th son of Jacob, Joseph. tends an olive branch to the outcasts. But
So many devotional and practical teach- remember, verse 5 gets more specific. By
ings have been drawn from Jacob’s spring narrowing the Samaritan province down
that one might hesitate to take up the pas- to the surveyor's pin, John takes us to a
sage for fear of going to the well once too particular plot of land, full of history and
often. But just as Shechem’s fountain has meaning.
continually bubbled water from Jacob’s
time until today, this divine display of Shechem played a significant role in
2
Joseph’s formative years. During Jacob’s
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV first Bethel experience, as he left home,
unless otherwise noted. he had definite dealings with God. In an
2 D.A. Carson, The Gospel According to John: Pillar
New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Abraham-like blessing, God promised
W.B. Eerdmans, 1991), 217. that Jacob would have a large posterity

72 TRUTH kTidings March 2026