Q5. Provoking Controversy

[Old Jerry]

Once the woman recognized that Jesus was the Messiah she thought it was a good idea to find out where they should be worshipping. I don’t know why people try to generate religious controversies with us. Maybe it’s like that woman, we want to be sure that we are worshipping correctly. So we think that we know best and want everybody to worship the way that we do.

[Godswriter]

Q5. (John 4:19-22) What motives cause the woman to bring up a religious controversy to Jesus? Why do people today try to generate religious controversies with us? What are their motives? 

When I read and reread the story of the woman at the well I believe that she brought it up because she was a mixed blood and not a Jew and he was a Jew. He was a Jew and also she knew that discussing spiritual things with a Samaritan were not to be done. She was also of questionable repute as well. She wanted to know why someone like Him would choose her to talk to. However what she did not know was that the person was talking to was the Messiah until later on the conversation and that this appointment was a divine one. 

I believe they  do it in order to avoid talking about religion in general and learning about their sins. They would rather live in darkness than have their sins revealed to them.

Selfishness.

[Paula Price]

When Jesus spoke to the woman of receiving the "living water", she in turn asked Him for some so that she would thirst no more. Jesus told her of her sin.. In order for her to receive this water she must confess her sin and repent and live a life free of sin.  She did not understand what was being said to her .she did realize that he knew something about her and thought he was a prophet.  Jesus has the opportunity to begin a change in the way all people will worship, one person at a time.  This woman believed in what she had been taught about worship and believed that a Messiah would come and tell all things.  The motive here was Jesus introducing himself as the one who she spoke of, the Messiah.  She asked him how she might receive this living water and He is telling her the way to receive it.  Though she does not understand, he is telling her that people will no longer worship God in a particular place, but will worship Him from the heart, in spirit and in truth.  The heart must be pure from sin and the person must believe in Jesus the Christ.  This is different in the way worship is and has been done.  Jesus is the living water.  Jesus is fulfilling his ministry of including all men, the Gentiles as well as the Jews in the way to Salvation.  This was His mission.  This was His ministry.  I don't focus on what people are trying to do to distract me from doing the will of God.  I just try to do what He tells me to do and leave everything else up to him to handle.

[newwine50]

What motives cause the woman to bring up a religious controversy to Jesus?

She wanted to know the 'right' place to worship God. 

Why do people today try to generate religious controversies with us?

They want to prove their religion is the right one.  .

What are their motives?
They have probably been raised to believe that their religion is right and others are wrong. 

[theoldveteran]

On 8/7/2014 at 2:26 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q5. (John 4:19-22) What motives cause the woman to bring up a religious controversy to Jesus? Why do people today try to generate religious controversies with us? What are their motives?

(1) To change the subject and to deny the fact that she was beginning to see and know that Jesus was no ordinary man!

(2) What people do when confronted with a living God.

(3) Their motives are to deny their need for a Savior, an their need to admit that they have sinned and need to repent and turn to Him and accept Him!

 

 

 

[Lisema Ralitsoele]

1.    What motives cause the woman to bring up a religious controversy to Jesus? She wanted to justify the position of the Samaritans.

2.     Why do people today try to generate religious controversies with us? Out of ignorance, they might be like the rich man who wouldn’t have compassion with the poor man at his gate. I can quote a painful experience I had with a former friend of mine (after this experience I decided he no longer was a friend). This friend of mine is extremely rich by our South African standards. So, I requested him to consider helping my Church, the Methodist Church, hoping that he would be sympathetic because a long time ago I had seen his wife wearing a Methodist women’s uniform. His response was that he would rather help orphans. Encouraged, I told him the Church had an orphanage in the mountains and we would much appreciate his assistance. His response devastated me. He said he would be ready to give a bag or two of oranges and a couple loaves of bread and perhaps when those kids grow up they can forget the Church. The expletive he used to describe the Church I couldn’t even repeat to my wife.

3. What are their motives? Maybe their motives are like my former friend’s, whose motives seem to be to justify his position of being anti-Christ and to advance the destruction of the Church.

[Jonathan Edwards]

The Samaritan woman was evading the call of Christ, avoiding "coming here" to the true Mt Gerizim to draw water.  She had to bring her husband, her Samaritan religion, here to the feet of Christ.   Her religion was not wedded to the one true God.

People today generate such controversy because they have an innate dislike of being born again.  A prime example is Joseph Smith, founder of the LDS church.  In his early years in Palmyra, his pastor warned him about his spurious visions but he continued to fixed on the golden plates on Hill Cumorah.   Very sincere peoples have sincere beliefs, but when they are presented with the Gospel,  the need to accept Christ as personal Saviour, they go into shut down mode and go into religious debates.

Their motives range from not wanting to get right with God, forsaking the world,the flesh and the devil to giving up false religious doctrines.  Like the Samaritan woman, people are enmeshed in religions or churches that are empty cisterns.  Very tragic indeed.   Clergy trained in well renowned seminaries or involved with church ministries that very busy and bringing in tons of donations---empty cisterns !   Professional clergy from different backgrounds have lost their first love and daily altar time; so many went off the highway of holiness.

[Daniel R]

1. What motives cause the woman to bring up a religious controversy to Jesus?

I believe the woman brought up a controversial religious topic because she realized that Jesus was a prophet (He was much more than just a prophet though), a person sent by God, and because He was sent by God and most likely had "greater" religious knowledge, she one, wanted to find out if the Samaritan's beliefs were right instead of the Jews', and two, she wanted to see if she could try to puzzle Jesus, just like how the religious leaders tried to puzzle and trick Jesus.

2. Why do people today try to generate religious controversies with us?

Nowadays, i believe most people generate religious controversies with us to try and prove themselves and their ways right, but to also try to bring us believers down in our faith and cause us to stumble. Then again, some people just want to argue about anything and everything.

3. What are their motives?

In the end, those peoples' motives are to, like i said, prove themselves right, but their ultimate goal is to cause us to second guess our faith, stumble, and fall away from our faith (it's a weapon and attack from the enemy; no weapon formed against us will prosper though -- Isaiah 54:17).

 

THANK YOU JESUS!!!!!!!

 

 

[Irmela]

Q5. (John 4:19-22)

What motives cause the woman to bring up a religious controversy to Jesus?

Why do people today try to generate religious controversies with us?

What are their motives?

I can only assume that it was uncertainty  and she was starting to be uncomfortable and so she was bringing to  remembrance the fact that their places of worship was not even the same. Jews and Samaritans just did not mix. 

I can only think that they feel they are in a corner as it were and need something to come out of that situation. 

I guess the motives would be needing to stop the conversation as one was getting to spots they couldnt handle yet, or something in that line. 

We need to be careful not to loose the opportunity and at the same time not to be over pushy either. It helps to be sensitive to the Spirit's leading.