Acts 8:5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.
After the northern kingdom of Israel was carried off into captivity to Assyria in approximately 722 BC, people of other captive nations were brought in to occupy the land along with the impoverished Jews who were left behind. They mingled and married and became a mixed breed of people known as Samaritans. A Jewish priest was brought back to teach them to worship the God of the Jews. (2 Kings 17) But they accepted only the Pentateuch as scripture and the Jews considered them inferior. The hostility was such that strict Pharisees would not go through Samaria, but would cross the Jordan to avoid walking through that land.
When the Jews wanted to insult Jesus, they called Him a Samaritan (John 8:48)
In John 4, Jesus took His disciples into Samaria where He transformed the life of the woman at the well, and consequently the entire city. But we read no more about the Samaritans during the earthly ministry of Jesus.
On the day of Pentecost when the church was born and for some time afterwards the gospel was preached to the Jews. But with persecution came the scattering of the church. Most of the disciples had to find another place to go. Philip chose Samaria.
He wasn’t forced to go there. He went of his own accord and preached Christ to them. These despised and rejected people embraced the message of the One who was despised and rejected for them.
Since that time the message of the gospel has been preached all over the earth as the Spirit of God has stirred the hearts of men and women to leave everything to bring this gospel to people of different races, languages and customs.
Discrimination and racism were defeated on the cross. If you are a follower of Jesus and those things still live in you, draw a little closer to Jesus and hear His heart yearning for every nation, tribe, people and tongue. Let Him teach you to yearn and to love likewise.
He is my Delight 