Beneath the Surface
Faith can withstand anything.
Jesus said to her, ‘Go, call your husband, and come back.’ The woman answered him, ‘I have no husband.’ Jesus said to her, ‘You are right in saying, “I have no husband”; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.’ 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.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am he, the one who is speaking to you.’ - John 4:16-26
Despite all this woman may have done to set her on the wrong path in her life, she continued to hold onto her faith.
She spoke of the Messiah who would explain everything to her. That is not something we would expect from a woman who lives in sin, so what is going on with her?
I think the message here is that no one should be written off, cast aside, assumed to be lost.
We judge people by what we see and hear, and that may only be part of the story. Jesus knew the woman's life, though he sounds judgmental, he did not discount her. He didn't walk away and leave her. He convinced her that he was the way.
We could take the same approach with people, overlooking their flaws and faults to try to see the beauty within. It isn't easy, especially if they don't want us to see the truth inside.
People put up barriers. They don't want to look vulnerable or weak.
So they fight. They challenge the world around them, or they shut down.
Our mission as followers of Christ is to break through the barriers and talk to the heart, soul and mind of the afflicted, the poor, the lonely, the defeated.
Jesus was where he wasn't supposed to be, not for his own sake, but for hers.
That is what life is about, helping the helpless, feeding the hungry, being there for the forgotten.
More to come...