32. Like a Good Neighbor (John 4:1-9)
Posted by:
SeLahGirl on
January 3, 2008 at
2:57PM EST
Like a Good Neighbor
(John 4:1-9)
1The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more
disciples than John, 2although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized,
but his disciples. 3When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and
went back once more to Galilee.
Jesus had gone to John
the Baptist to be baptized, and he said it was right for every man to
do the same. So people continued to come to be baptized by the
disciples of both John and Jesus. I think it is interesting that Jesus
didn't actually do the baptizing. I'm not sure why, but perhaps it
comes down to free-will. Being baptized into Christ, dying to yourself,
must be a choice. If Christ did the baptizing, then symbolically it
would suggest that such spiritual death was less out of obedience and
sacrifice.
Either way, it is stated that Jesus never actually baptized anyone.
I also love that when Jesus heard that the Pharisees were concerned
about his ministry as they were John the Baptist, he left for Galilee.
He had seen how the Pharisees hounded John and tried to engage him in
lengthy debate to entrap him. Christ knew that he would also be
challenged by them in verbal debate eventually.
But at the
moment, there was an open door to occupy himself with more important
ministry -- teaching those that were willing to hear about the love of
God. So rather than debating with the Pharisee, he continued to be
about his father's business whenever a door was opened to him. And on
his way to Galilee, a great door was opened to him when he crossed
paths with a Samaritan woman drawing water from a well.
4Now he had to go through Samaria. 5So he came to a town in Samaria
called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son
Joseph. 6Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the
journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
I love that as Christ was led by the Spirit of God from moment to
moment, he finds himself continually walking into ministry
opportunities. He is on his way to Galilee, and here is a very key
encounter along the way. We should learn from his example. Sometimes
it's not necessary to prove a point, or to try to establish our
identity or our calling or our authority. Sometimes, walking away from
unnecessary tensions in order to put ministry first is where the Spirit
of God is leading us to go. Like Christ, our hearts should be looking
past the bickering among those in the church and searching out more
important matters -- broken hearts, bruised lives, hurting people, lost
and dying and not even aware that they are leprous. We must deal with
the bickering eventually, but our heart should be drawn to ministry
first whenever the door is opened to us.
7When a
Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give
me a drink?" 8(His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan
woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with
Samaritans.)
Jesus was tired and thirsty from his
journey. We so often are tired or not feeling well or have some minor
stress to deal with in life, and it causes us to be distracted from
ministry. It is so easy to make excuse or to put ourself before some
hurting soul that God has brought across our path. Yes, there are times
when we need to guard our own health or keep one of our two coats for
ourself. We cannot help others is we allow ourselves to be neglected or
to become a doormat. But all too often, it's easier to throw out that
excuse rather than to truly sacrifice and do what God had called us to
do in that moment. Sometimes we are more able than we care to admit.
Samaritans and Jews were at odds with each other. There was much
prejudice and animosity between the two groups of people. Samaritans
were considered unclean, because they had not kept certain aspects of
the law. But here was a Jewish holy man, not only acting as though this
Samaritan was not unclean, but actually asking her for a drink of
water. He was speaking to her as though he had no prejudice, as though
he wasn't looking down his nose at her, as though he wasn't judging
her. It was shocking.
This one point speaks to so many
things, so many relationships among the people of God and concerning
the people we encounter in the world. We all know that aire of
judgment, that critical twinkle in someone's eye as they smile at us
and greet us so cordially. All too often people in the church do it to
one another. They do it to people that come to visit our sunday school
classes. They go to lunch or the store after service and gaze upon the
people they pass with that same condescending or uncaring glance.
People in the workplace, at school, on the sidewalk, during the bus
ride. They measure your appearance, your mannerisms, your conversation,
even your quietness. Each of us is sized up within the church, and as
we wade thru the world day to day. Some people we know will treat us
based on some insignificant aspect of our appearance. They may have
only introduced themselves a time or two, discussed their children on
some random occasion. But they have already decided that they know
everything about us. No matter how wrong they may be.
Here
was a Samaritan Woman... judged her entire life by Jews and their holy
men because she lived on the wrong side of the tracks. He was
addressing her as tho he was her neighbor, as tho there was any chance
that they had anything in common or any connection that would give him
the right to talk to her -- or even the desire to talk to her.
Immediately, before responding at all, she must have thought, "who is
this guy?"
She was about to find out, and it would not only
affect her in that one distinct moment, but her entire future, her very
being, and the lives of everyone that her life would touch.
What if we were Christ to such people? What if rather than being like
everyone else and sizing people up and measuring everything about them
with some random stick in our hand... we approached them as a neighbor?
Even tho we may be entirely different people with entirely
different pasts from very opposite sides of town or even the
universe... what if we just sat down in our busyness and said, "hey,
what ya got there? mind if I have a little? got a minute to chat? what
ya been up to? you matter in the world? do I matter to you?..."
Whatever comes to mind, whatever the Spirit of God leads you to say to
break the ice and bring down that cold hardened wall that keeps people
distant and separated from one another. For Christ and this Samaritan
woman, the conversation was about a cup of water and a well. There are
conversations that will be just as powerful for you and the people you
encounter, and God will give you the words to start them every time you
put ministry first.
Deal with the trouble of the day...
but when God opens a door and says ministry first, don't be afraid to obey his command and GO.
