Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Mark 1:14-15 Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."
Jesus' message (the gospel of God): Repent, The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, and believe in the gospel!
Most often Jesus was calling people to repent from religion which tried to control God - from trying to force God's hand to get God blessings by keeping a set of rules, beliefs, and good deeds. Christians struggle even now not to become like the religious people (the Pharisees) of Jesus' day. But other times, Jesus called people to repent from an immoral lifestyle - like he did with the Samaritan woman who had multiple partners that were not her husband. Repentance means to turn from old ways towards the way of Jesus.
The Kingdom of Heaven is both a present and future reality. Presently Jesus was with them - his reign was beginning as people began to repent and follow him. Jesus also taught that the Kingdom is within us - a reference to the Holy Spirit's work in believer's lives. But the Kingdom of Heaven is also a future concept when a day will come when Jesus will reign everywhere and forever.
Believe in the gospel is not the same as "believe" in Santa. I think "trust" is a better translation since the word "believe" in Christian cultures has cheapened. "Trust in the gospel" means our belief goes so far that we enter into a relationship with God where we give up our selves and place our selves in God's care and control. It is where we desire Jesus' reign in our lives - to be the servants of God.
Repent, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, put your trust in God's good message!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
Who will save your soul? (Matthew 4:13-16)
Matthew 4:13-16 And leaving Nazareth, Jesus came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, 15 "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-- 16 "The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light, And to those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, Upon them a light dawned."
Galilee was a place that was looked down upon. It was a multicultural port town controlled by the Romans where people lived however they wanted. Think sailors and merchants and pirates! It was also the place where Jesus was from. And in these verses it is where the Messianic light first dawned on the darkness.
I think God sent Jesus to the dark places first, because these people of Galilee didn't need convincing that they were in need of help. They knew they weren't living with integrity and in abundance. Contrast them with the religious rule-following Pharisees in Jerusalem who couldn't imagine they even had a need for Jesus. They thought that they needed a political figure - someone to overthrow the Roman government and get rid of the tax collectors! And Jesus wasn't that guy. Jesus is preaching that his followers should pay their taxes, give away their belongings, and go an extra mile every single time. Mind blowing stuff.
But the people in Galilee, they were different. They knew they needed salvation. They knew they hadn't earned it. So maybe they were ready to see the light when it dawned.
What will save your soul? Your good deeds? Your right theology? The rules you keep?
Galilee was a place that was looked down upon. It was a multicultural port town controlled by the Romans where people lived however they wanted. Think sailors and merchants and pirates! It was also the place where Jesus was from. And in these verses it is where the Messianic light first dawned on the darkness.
I think God sent Jesus to the dark places first, because these people of Galilee didn't need convincing that they were in need of help. They knew they weren't living with integrity and in abundance. Contrast them with the religious rule-following Pharisees in Jerusalem who couldn't imagine they even had a need for Jesus. They thought that they needed a political figure - someone to overthrow the Roman government and get rid of the tax collectors! And Jesus wasn't that guy. Jesus is preaching that his followers should pay their taxes, give away their belongings, and go an extra mile every single time. Mind blowing stuff.
But the people in Galilee, they were different. They knew they needed salvation. They knew they hadn't earned it. So maybe they were ready to see the light when it dawned.
What will save your soul? Your good deeds? Your right theology? The rules you keep?
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Samaritan Woman: Food you know nothing about (John 4:31-38) 5 of 5
Part 5 of a 5 part series on the Samaritan Woman
While the Samaritan woman was fetching her friends...
John 4:31-38 31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, "Rabbi, eat something." 32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." 33 So the disciples said to one another, "Surely no one has brought him something to eat?" 34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work.
Food is what nourishes and sustains the body. So what is Jesus talking about: "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work"? This isn't the first time Jesus has said something odd like this about food. When he was being tested by Satan in the wilderness, Satan told Jesus to turn the stones into food. Jesus refused saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God'" (Matthew 4:4). Jesus is comparing food to hearing God's word and doing God's work. Later Jesus will become this food. He will take the bread, break it and say, "This is my body broken for you."
Hearing and doing God's work nourishes and sustains. And Jesus himself nourishes and sustains. On a more mundane note, he seems to be telling the disciples that he can't be bothered with eating dinner right now... this spiritual bread is more important... he has work to do right now.
I wonder, as Jesus is telling the disciples this, if he can see the friends of the Samaritan women coming toward them. Picture Jesus speaking and motioning to a crowd in the distance, coming out of the town, crossing the fields towards the well. Perhaps Jesus sees them coming and says to his disciples...
35 Do you not say, 'Four months more, then comes the harvest'? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. 36 The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, 'One sows and another reaps.' 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."
That is the last thing Jesus says before the Samaritans arrive. This is an unclean group of people - they don't know the right theology and at least some of them are leading immoral lives. And they are descending on Jesus and his disciples because he is who they have been seeking. The Messiah has come to proclaim the truth to them - to set their lives straight. They are the harvest ready to be gathered. Not the Jews - not right now - these unclean Samaritans are ready to proclaim, "Jesus is the savior of the world!"
Who will you run into today that is seeking Jesus? As I wrote this blog today, I sat next to a teenager - dark glasses, longish uncombed hair, scruffy 2-day beard, and smoking a cigarette. We shared a sidewalk table at Starbucks. He smiled at me and wanted to talk. He told me he was waiting for friends. He said he hoped they wouldn't bother me, because sometimes they made a lot of noise. I liked him right away and told him that I worked better with a lot of noise. In fact, I really hoped they would sit at our table and make a lot of noise! And when they came, they were hardly noisy, but I loved listening to them talk. They are the kind of teens seeking to be more than what society tells them they should seek. Success as defined by their parents isn't enough - money isn't that meaningful - they want purpose in life! They are my kind of peeps! They don't care if they fit into a society has let them down - broken homes, abuse, a school system where one size has to fit all. These kids are seeking living water and the food that Jesus offers. They don't know it, but this is what they long for. Say a prayer for them and for me... I didn't even think about telling them of Jesus until I came home. I could have... as smart as they were, they would have enjoyed the conversation. But I will go back on Friday aiming for the same time, same Starbucks and hope they show up at my table again. I will tell them more about what I am working on this time and see if the Holy Spirit is ready for me to talk about Jesus.
Who do you know that is searching for food that nourishes and sustains the spirit?
While the Samaritan woman was fetching her friends...
John 4:31-38 31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, "Rabbi, eat something." 32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." 33 So the disciples said to one another, "Surely no one has brought him something to eat?" 34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work.
Food is what nourishes and sustains the body. So what is Jesus talking about: "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work"? This isn't the first time Jesus has said something odd like this about food. When he was being tested by Satan in the wilderness, Satan told Jesus to turn the stones into food. Jesus refused saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God'" (Matthew 4:4). Jesus is comparing food to hearing God's word and doing God's work. Later Jesus will become this food. He will take the bread, break it and say, "This is my body broken for you."
Hearing and doing God's work nourishes and sustains. And Jesus himself nourishes and sustains. On a more mundane note, he seems to be telling the disciples that he can't be bothered with eating dinner right now... this spiritual bread is more important... he has work to do right now.
I wonder, as Jesus is telling the disciples this, if he can see the friends of the Samaritan women coming toward them. Picture Jesus speaking and motioning to a crowd in the distance, coming out of the town, crossing the fields towards the well. Perhaps Jesus sees them coming and says to his disciples...
35 Do you not say, 'Four months more, then comes the harvest'? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. 36 The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, 'One sows and another reaps.' 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."
That is the last thing Jesus says before the Samaritans arrive. This is an unclean group of people - they don't know the right theology and at least some of them are leading immoral lives. And they are descending on Jesus and his disciples because he is who they have been seeking. The Messiah has come to proclaim the truth to them - to set their lives straight. They are the harvest ready to be gathered. Not the Jews - not right now - these unclean Samaritans are ready to proclaim, "Jesus is the savior of the world!"
Who will you run into today that is seeking Jesus? As I wrote this blog today, I sat next to a teenager - dark glasses, longish uncombed hair, scruffy 2-day beard, and smoking a cigarette. We shared a sidewalk table at Starbucks. He smiled at me and wanted to talk. He told me he was waiting for friends. He said he hoped they wouldn't bother me, because sometimes they made a lot of noise. I liked him right away and told him that I worked better with a lot of noise. In fact, I really hoped they would sit at our table and make a lot of noise! And when they came, they were hardly noisy, but I loved listening to them talk. They are the kind of teens seeking to be more than what society tells them they should seek. Success as defined by their parents isn't enough - money isn't that meaningful - they want purpose in life! They are my kind of peeps! They don't care if they fit into a society has let them down - broken homes, abuse, a school system where one size has to fit all. These kids are seeking living water and the food that Jesus offers. They don't know it, but this is what they long for. Say a prayer for them and for me... I didn't even think about telling them of Jesus until I came home. I could have... as smart as they were, they would have enjoyed the conversation. But I will go back on Friday aiming for the same time, same Starbucks and hope they show up at my table again. I will tell them more about what I am working on this time and see if the Holy Spirit is ready for me to talk about Jesus.
Who do you know that is searching for food that nourishes and sustains the spirit?
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Samaritain Woman: Brings her friends to the well (John 4:25-26) 4 of 5
Part 4 of a 5 part series on the Samaritan Woman
Jesus has been talking in private to the Samaritan woman. He has told her that he is the Messiah...
John 4:27-30 27 Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, "What do you want?" or, "Why are you speaking with her?" 28 Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, 29 "Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?" 30 They left the city and were on their way to him...
John 4:39-42 39 Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I have ever done." 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world." The headline might read: "Woman finds living water and brings her friends to the well!"
She runs off - leaving her water jar behind - to find her friends and bring them to see the Messiah. When was the last time you brought someone to the well? She risked people thinking she was nuts. But it was too important to keep to herself.
The whole town comes... and they judge for themselves... "this is truly the Savior of the world." Practically speaking, what would it look like in your life today if you brought someone to the well?
Jesus has been talking in private to the Samaritan woman. He has told her that he is the Messiah...
John 4:27-30 27 Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, "What do you want?" or, "Why are you speaking with her?" 28 Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, 29 "Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?" 30 They left the city and were on their way to him...
John 4:39-42 39 Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I have ever done." 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world." The headline might read: "Woman finds living water and brings her friends to the well!"
She runs off - leaving her water jar behind - to find her friends and bring them to see the Messiah. When was the last time you brought someone to the well? She risked people thinking she was nuts. But it was too important to keep to herself.
The whole town comes... and they judge for themselves... "this is truly the Savior of the world." Practically speaking, what would it look like in your life today if you brought someone to the well?
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Samaritan Woman: Messiah Revealed (John 4:25-26) 3 of 5
Part 3 of a 5 part series on the Samaritan Woman
John 4:25-26 25 The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us." 26 Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you."
Thinking Jesus was a prophet, the woman asks where she should worship - in the Jerusalem Temple or the Samaritan Mountain, Jesus tells her the Jews have the right idea on this one, but that it really doesn't matter because God is seeking those who desire to worship him in spirit and truth.
Then the woman reveals something about herself... she is waiting for the Messiah to come and to tell humanity what is right. In a sense, she is admitting that she doesn't know the answers herself, but is trusting the Messiah to know them. This is an incredible thing. She desires to be led by the Messiah and she trusts that he will have the right answers. Despite her immorality, she is seeking God.
And little does she know... she is talking to the Messiah. It must have been surreal as Jesus reveals this to her. She has morality issues... sleeps around... doesn't honor the relationships she has... maybe its that she just wants to be loved. She isn't the kind of woman Jesus "should" be talking to. And yet he does. Her heart longs for him to set all things right.
You can have this kind of trust relationship with the Messiah! Instead of having to have all the right theological answers (whether they are actually clear or not)... instead of knowing all the right rules to follow (and making sure everyone else follows them)... or even the right good deeds to do (knowing who deserves your money and time). What if you trusted Jesus to have all the answers for you? What if he was your source of living water? Him. Not the trappings of religion. Would it free you up to seek God in spirit and truth?
John 4:25-26 25 The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us." 26 Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you."
Thinking Jesus was a prophet, the woman asks where she should worship - in the Jerusalem Temple or the Samaritan Mountain, Jesus tells her the Jews have the right idea on this one, but that it really doesn't matter because God is seeking those who desire to worship him in spirit and truth.
Then the woman reveals something about herself... she is waiting for the Messiah to come and to tell humanity what is right. In a sense, she is admitting that she doesn't know the answers herself, but is trusting the Messiah to know them. This is an incredible thing. She desires to be led by the Messiah and she trusts that he will have the right answers. Despite her immorality, she is seeking God.
And little does she know... she is talking to the Messiah. It must have been surreal as Jesus reveals this to her. She has morality issues... sleeps around... doesn't honor the relationships she has... maybe its that she just wants to be loved. She isn't the kind of woman Jesus "should" be talking to. And yet he does. Her heart longs for him to set all things right.
You can have this kind of trust relationship with the Messiah! Instead of having to have all the right theological answers (whether they are actually clear or not)... instead of knowing all the right rules to follow (and making sure everyone else follows them)... or even the right good deeds to do (knowing who deserves your money and time). What if you trusted Jesus to have all the answers for you? What if he was your source of living water? Him. Not the trappings of religion. Would it free you up to seek God in spirit and truth?
Monday, April 4, 2011
Samaritan Woman: Spirit and Truth (John 4:16-24) 2 of 5
Part Two of a Five Part Series on The Samaritan Woman
John 4:16-24 16 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come back." 17 The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!" 19 The woman said to him, "Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem." 21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
Jesus tells the Samaritan woman who she is - which causes her to believe that he is a prophet.
If you had a moment with a prophet, what would be the one question you would ask them? For me, I would want to immediately get to know them... what they are like on the inside... do they laugh easily, what are they passionate about, what is it like to be a prophet? I'd not take my eyes off of them as I asked them question after question - noting every reaction - trying to catch a glimpse of who they really are. I'd want to know them intimately. But for this woman... she had a theological question: "Where is the correct place to worship?"
Seriously? This is her question? The creator of the universe is sitting next to her and she wants to know the equivalent of where to go to church on Sunday?
This is like having an audience with God and asking "How much should liturgists do in church?" Or "Should women be pastors?" Or "Can you be a republican and still go to heaven when you die?" Things - that even if they could be answered with yes and no precision - really don't matter much except to people who can't see the larger picture - the vast eternalness of God's love that has the ability to transform those on all sides of controversy into his followers. But this is where her mind is stuck. These are the answers she wants.
Thankfully, Jesus takes her beyond herself and her question and tells her that "God is seeking those who worship him in spirit and in truth."
God cannot be confined to a set of rules to follow (never will he use a liturgist, never will he use a woman, never will he use a republican - or democrat) any more than the wind can be confined to a space. God is seeking out those who desire to worship him authentically.
How can your life authentically worship God today? How can you worship God in Spirit and in Truth?
John 4:16-24 16 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come back." 17 The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!" 19 The woman said to him, "Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem." 21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
Jesus tells the Samaritan woman who she is - which causes her to believe that he is a prophet.
If you had a moment with a prophet, what would be the one question you would ask them? For me, I would want to immediately get to know them... what they are like on the inside... do they laugh easily, what are they passionate about, what is it like to be a prophet? I'd not take my eyes off of them as I asked them question after question - noting every reaction - trying to catch a glimpse of who they really are. I'd want to know them intimately. But for this woman... she had a theological question: "Where is the correct place to worship?"
Seriously? This is her question? The creator of the universe is sitting next to her and she wants to know the equivalent of where to go to church on Sunday?
This is like having an audience with God and asking "How much should liturgists do in church?" Or "Should women be pastors?" Or "Can you be a republican and still go to heaven when you die?" Things - that even if they could be answered with yes and no precision - really don't matter much except to people who can't see the larger picture - the vast eternalness of God's love that has the ability to transform those on all sides of controversy into his followers. But this is where her mind is stuck. These are the answers she wants.
Thankfully, Jesus takes her beyond herself and her question and tells her that "God is seeking those who worship him in spirit and in truth."
God cannot be confined to a set of rules to follow (never will he use a liturgist, never will he use a woman, never will he use a republican - or democrat) any more than the wind can be confined to a space. God is seeking out those who desire to worship him authentically.
How can your life authentically worship God today? How can you worship God in Spirit and in Truth?
Friday, April 1, 2011
Samaritan Woman: Living Water (John 4:5-15) 1 of 5
Part One of a Five Part Series on The Samaritan Woman
John 4:5-15 5 So Jesus came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. 7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." 8 (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." 11 The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?" 13 Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." 15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water."
The Samaritans were sort of "new-agers" in Jesus' day. They combined Jewish theology with all kinds of other religions. They didn't accept the temple in Jerusalem as their place of worship and, at one time, they had even dedicated a temple to Zeus. The Jews would have nothing to do with Samaritans - in fact, Jesus became unclean in their eyes to even go through this territory - much less to talk to one of them. And being alone and talking with a woman who he was not related to, was again, a whole other issue of defilement depending on which Jewish sect you belonged to.
But having a relationship with the "enemy" doesn't worry Jesus. It doesn't intimidate him in any way. And so they talk about living water. This living water that Jesus has becomes "a spring of water gushing up to eternal life". You just need to drink it - and you won't have need for anything else.
The Samaritans had been searching for something... they'd been really thirsty looking for other gods and philosophies to follow. But Jesus sits before this woman and says, "My water is the real deal - the only thing you will ever need."
I think it is easy to become disillusioned with being a follower of Jesus. His "followers" are anything but real much of the time. Who wouldn't want to look for something better if you base your choice of religion on those who are claiming it, but not really living it out? And the Samaritans had been through a lot - they were descendants of the remnant of Jews who had not been forced to leave Jerusalem during the earlier invasions when other Jews were forced out of the land. Their land was then resettled by foreigners with foreign gods and the Samaritans assimilated.
But Jesus sits there inviting this woman to experience living water. In fact, Jesus invites us all to drink!
The rest of the series on the Samaritan woman continues tomorrow...
John 4:5-15 5 So Jesus came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. 7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." 8 (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." 11 The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?" 13 Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." 15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water."
The Samaritans were sort of "new-agers" in Jesus' day. They combined Jewish theology with all kinds of other religions. They didn't accept the temple in Jerusalem as their place of worship and, at one time, they had even dedicated a temple to Zeus. The Jews would have nothing to do with Samaritans - in fact, Jesus became unclean in their eyes to even go through this territory - much less to talk to one of them. And being alone and talking with a woman who he was not related to, was again, a whole other issue of defilement depending on which Jewish sect you belonged to.
But having a relationship with the "enemy" doesn't worry Jesus. It doesn't intimidate him in any way. And so they talk about living water. This living water that Jesus has becomes "a spring of water gushing up to eternal life". You just need to drink it - and you won't have need for anything else.
The Samaritans had been searching for something... they'd been really thirsty looking for other gods and philosophies to follow. But Jesus sits before this woman and says, "My water is the real deal - the only thing you will ever need."
I think it is easy to become disillusioned with being a follower of Jesus. His "followers" are anything but real much of the time. Who wouldn't want to look for something better if you base your choice of religion on those who are claiming it, but not really living it out? And the Samaritans had been through a lot - they were descendants of the remnant of Jews who had not been forced to leave Jerusalem during the earlier invasions when other Jews were forced out of the land. Their land was then resettled by foreigners with foreign gods and the Samaritans assimilated.
But Jesus sits there inviting this woman to experience living water. In fact, Jesus invites us all to drink!
The rest of the series on the Samaritan woman continues tomorrow...
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