In today’s Gospel Story (John 4:5-42) Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at the well, and they have a conversation which changes the woman’s life forever. The majority opinion sees this story as showing Jesus’ love and care for everyone, regardless of what the religious laws of the day said. Samaritans were seen as outcasts because of they way they understood Yahweh. The minority report can be as personal as each of us wants it to to be in our own life.
The Psalm verse sets a good background for looking at the Gospel, as well as for every part of our daily living: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts”. Or, to paraphrase, “If today I hear your voice, may I not harden my heart”. Abba is always speaking to us in some way, sometimes obviously, other times not so much. Part of our journey through life involves being open to Abba’s word however it comes to us. Many of us do not think Abba is real enough, or that we are important enough to Abba, for him to speak to us.
As is clear from the Story, Samaritans were considered outcasts because they worshipped Yahweh in a different place and with different ideas than did Israel. The Samaritans considered the Hebrews to be outcasts for the same reason. Basically, our way is the only “true” way. Sounds familiar. Parallels among us today are obvious, as is the hardening of hearts. If you don’t pray, worship, and and live as we tell you to, you are wrong. Fortunately there are brave souls who are following Jesus, and taking similar risks to reach out and care, often below the radar.
In the Story a man and a woman take the big risk of talking publicly with each other. They have a conversation about the woman’s personal life.To sum up, the woman says to the townspeople, “Come see a man who told me everything I have done”. And the townspeople, after they had met Jesus themselves, come to believe in him. Jesus took the risk of disregarding the religious laws of his tradition and reached out to the woman. She took the risk of disregarding the religious laws of her tradition and chose to spend time with Jesus and listen to him. The result was monumental.
This begs the question, am I willing to have encounters with Jesus that might change my life? Am I willing to take the chance and be like the woman and let him tell me about my life? Am I willing to look at my life truly and perhaps deeply? You knows everything I have ever done and still love me as I am, offering me wholeness, as you did for the Samaritan woman. As I get to know you, I’m hearing things about myself that I’d rather not hear. Yet, as we chat, realizing that you accept me and love me as I am and where I am is a powerful experience. I would hope that it moves me towards accepting other people and loving them as they are, which is really difficult. You are reminding me of several things: as it took the woman some time and conversation to recognize you, it takes me a lot of time with you to recognize you in the people I encounter every day: you know everything about me, all the dumb things I’ve done and still do, yet you spend time and listen to me. You invite me to let you walk along with me and help me do better, learn to accept and love myself as I am as you do, and go where this takes us. And also to accept and love all the people in my life as you do, and again go where this take us. You are making it clear that everything in my life is of our Abba, as it has always been, whether or not I knew it at the time. I’ve always been where I needed to be, as you were, and as it is for all of us always. This is a hard mystery to understand, but it is our reality in you.
“If I knew the gift of God and who is talking with me.” Everybody I meet every day is a gift of Abba to me, as I am to them. No doubt I get the better part of the deal here. I believe this, but so far it’s just a stated value and not an operational value. Lots to work on here. I have to keep asking how open do I want to be? How much am I willing to let go of my need to feel in control? The gift of nitro experiences is helping me realize I certainly am not in control, nor do I need to be. That is a good load to get rid of, and it feels good. Lying go brings a deepening peace. In our tradition, we don’t trying to understand something so we can believe it, we believe first in order to understand. I need to accept that Abba is in everybody’s life in a manner that Abba chooses, whether or not I agree with it. When I feel I have all the answers for everybody I leave no room for the Abba who is creating me, or for the Holy Spirit, since I am focused instead on the god I create for myself who makes me feel comfortable and in control.
Spending time with Jesus is an ongoing experience, not just a one time happening. Making time to do this even in our in our busiest days is a worthwhile effort, difficult as it might be. We come to see life, and ourselves, in a new and different way. Everyday experiences take on a new depth as we come to know Jesus happening in our own every day. We move toward seeing our every day as a partnership with Abba. I have to keep asking how open I am to letting Jesus into my life as the Samaritan woman let him into hers. Am I so set in my own thoughts and ideas that will not let him show me Abba happening in people and situations I don’t like? Jesus promised to send the Spirit who will help us see what it means for us to live like its Jesus’ disciples in our own everyday life. If we are hearing things that go against what we believe now, are we willing to ask the Spirit to guide us without any conditions? It can be quite a journey, as shocking to us as the encounter with Jesus was for the Samaritan Woman.
With all the evil, suffering, cruelty, duplicity, and nastiness that fills our news headlines these days, we need something in our life that will help us see beyond it all, recall our own original goodness, and know Abba somehow is with us in it all. He knows and loves us as we cannot imagine or “prove”, but we can experience. In other words, we are invited to take the same chance as the Samaritan woman, and be open to Abba’s Word, Jesus, and recognize him among us always and in everything. Just sayin . . .