Samaria 

Samaria, rather than being a specific city in Jesus’ day, was more of a region and home to the Samaritans. Today, Samaria is located in central Israel, bordered by Judea to the south and Galilee to the north. It is believed that the modern-day city of Sebaste is the location of the ancient city of Samaria, after which the territory of Samaria was named.

The Samaritans and the Jews were bitter enemies and this enmity between the two groups was ancient and deep-seated. Consequently, these two groups avoided each other. But Jesus harbored none of the animosity towards Samaria or the Samaritans that his fellow Jews felt. He preached throughout the region, winning many souls for the kingdom and helping his apostles to overcome much of their prejudices towards these people. The people of Samaria accepted the gospel gladly.

Jacob’s Well was located in Samaria in a town called Sychar and was the scene of Jesus’ memorable revelation to Nalda, the Samaritan woman, of his divine nature. Mount Gerizim was the site of the apostolic camp while they tarried in Samaria.

Jesus also delivered some of his most inspiring teachings in Samaria.

During a two-week stay in the region of Samaria in the last part of June, 27 CE, Jesus and the apostles preached the gospel to both Gentiles and Jews. The most memorable occurrence was Jesus' encounter with Nalda, the Samaritan woman of Sychar. It was to Nalda that Jesus declared his divinity for the first time. When Nalda returned to Sychar that day, telling everyone of her experience with Jesus, many in the town returned with her to hear Jesus speak.

Jesus spent the next two days in Sychar successfully preaching the gospel and winning souls for the kingdom. To Jesus, revealing himself to these Samaritans was safe – free of the constraints he had felt in Jerusalem from the authorities. He also knew that this would be his last visit to this “heart of Samaria” again.

During a stay in the region of Samaria, Jesus taught his apostles several important lessons. In Archelais, Jesus responded to a question by Philip about their difficulties in presenting the gospel of the kingdom to certain Greeks and Romans. He gave a memorable lesson about the validity of the gospel, despite some believing it was a religion for weaklings. This lesson came straight from Jesus’ heart and was earnest, emotional, and impassioned.

Jesus told the apostles: “The service of the kingdom on earth will call for all the courageous manhood that you and your coworkers can muster. It is easy to die in the line of physical battle when your courage is strengthened by the presence of your fighting comrades, but it requires a higher and more profound form of human courage and devotion calmly and all alone to lay down your life for the love of a truth enshrined in your mortal heart.”

At another time, Jesus delivered his lesson on self-mastery in which he said “I say to you, he who rules his own self is greater than he who captures a city. Self-mastery is the measure of man’s moral nature and the indicator of his spiritual development.”

This was also the time when Jesus taught the apostles the value of vacation – getting away from pressing problems for a little while and relaxing while clearing their minds. He noted: “Many times your problem is found to have shrunk in size and proportions while you have been resting your mind and body.” This method of diversion and relaxation was invaluable to the apostles. They went together to Mount Sartaba and came back refreshed and renewed.

At their camp in Samaria, in the camp on Mt Gerizim, Jesus gave the apostles the matchless teachings about prayer and worship. “Prayer is self-reminding – sublime thinking; worship is self-forgetting – superthinking. Worship is effortless attention, true and ideal soul rest, a form of restful spiritual exertion.” And he said many other things that were difficult for their minds to grasp. But succeeding generations will absorb these teachings more readily and easily.

Jesus and the apostles camped out on Mt Gerizim until late August, teaching and preaching the gospel of the kingdom in the Samaritan cities. They were very successful with the Samaritans and the work they did paved the way for the Apostle Philip. He ministered here after Jesus' death and resurrection and after the apostles had scattered far and wide.