Emmaus Road Ministries

Susan Deschaine posted in JLNministres International Minister's Group

His Branches Run Over The Wall

“Joseph is a fruitful bough, 22 A fruitful bough by a well; His branches run over the wall.....Genesis 49:22

Of all the wonderful OT types, Joseph is more like Jesus than any other. He even married a Gentile bride like Jesus, which is a picture of us, His church.

When Jacob, his father, was nearing the end of his life, he called all his sons to himself and spoke a blessing over each one. A portion of the blessing over Joseph is prophetic of a part of Jesus' life during His time on earth and a beautiful picture of how Jesus seeks us out with His unconditional love, His pure grace and His boundless mercy.

Joseph's descendants were given the territory which later came to be known as Samaria. You could say it was "Gentile central." {After all, Joseph's descendants were part Egyptian.}
Anyway, as you know, the Samaritans were despised by the Jewish people due to their "mixed blood" and questionable ancestry. This was due, in part, by intermarrying with the locals while their relatives were away during the Babylonian captivity. The Jews also were sure that these people of questionable ancestry were probably unable to interpret the scriptures correctly either.

You recall in John chapter 4 that Jesus "had to go through Samaria."
Had to? How uncharacteristically Jewish!
You see, most Jewish people, when they traveled from Jerusalem to Galilee, gave Samaria a wide berth. It was a longer trip but at least they didn't have to be soiled by contact with "them!"

Jesus, however, made it His mission to go there on purpose, stop by this specific well, the well of Sychar, and meet this specific, though unnamed, Samaritan woman. He went there looking for this particular woman, knowing she would be drawing her water at this time of the day.

The name of this well, "Sychar," is derived from the Hebrew word "shekar," which means "intoxicating drink, strong drink."
Long story short, this unnamed Gentile woman, who represents all of us, "drank deeply" and became "intoxicated" by the "strong drink," the "living water" Jesus offered her. Her thirsty soul was completely satisfied and she was forever changed!

Our precious Jesus is that "Vine" Whose "branches run over the wall." He came to seek and save not only His Jewish brethren but reach over the wall to the whole world; to all of us as well, no pun intended, LOL!

His branches ran over the wall to seek out and find you and me and to offer us the same chance to drink from His "Strong drink" of living water. We, like her, became so intoxicated with Jesus and His great love for us that we cannot help but go and share that wine with all the world; to share it with everyone and make them "drunk" on Jesus, too!

I am ETERNALLY GRATEFUL that His Branches ran over the wall and found me!