Daily Scripture:
John 4:7 A woman from Shomron came to draw some water; and Yeshua said to her, “Give me a drink of water.” 8 (His talmidim had gone into town to buy food.) 9 The woman from Shomron said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for water from me, a woman of Shomron?” (For Jews don’t associate with people from Shomron.) 10 Yeshua answered her, “If you knew God’s gift, that is, who it is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink of water,’ then you would have asked him; and he would have given you living water.” (Complete Jewish Bible).
Reflection Questions:
John gave non-Palestinian readers the key background to understand why this conversation was remarkable—"Jews and Samaritans didn’t associate with each other" (verse 9). “According to Jewish tradition, a Samaritan woman was continually unclean; it was therefore impure to drink from her vessel.”* But Jesus initiated contact, asking simply, “Give me some water to drink” (verse 7).
- British author Malcolm Muggeridge wrote that he had achieved some fame, success, pleasure and fulfillment. He went on, “I beg you to believe me, multiply these tiny triumphs by a million, add them all together, and they are nothing… measured against one draught of that living water Christ offers to the spiritually thirsty.”** In what ways has Jesus quenched your inner thirst(s)? In what areas of life are you still thirsty?
- Rabbi Eliezer, who lived not long after Jesus' day, wrote, “He that eats the bread of the Samaritans is like to one that eats the flesh of swine.” Yet in addition to Jesus asking the woman for a drink, his disciples had gone into the city to buy him some food (verse 8). How can asking another person for help of some kind break down barriers that may separate you from them? Are you willing to ask for help when you need it?
* HarperCollins Christian Publishing. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, eBook: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture (Kindle Locations 239921-239922). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
** Malcolm Muggeridge, cited in J. Gladstone, Living with Style (Welch, 1986), p. 85.
Mandy Campbell is serving as the intern for Adult Discipleship this summer. Originally from Clarksville, Tennessee, Mandy is now a student of African American and Southern history at the (wonderful) University of Memphis.
In the middle of Jesus’ ministry, Luke reports that a lawyer approached Jesus wanting to know how to get into Heaven. After prompting the lawyer to recite the two greatest commandments that call us to love God and neighbor, the lawyer asks, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus responds with the much loved parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).
In her book Short Stories by Jesus, scholar Amy-Jill Levine recalls hearing an unusual interpretation of the parable in the 1970s. This unusual interpretation argued that the parable teaches us to accept help from anyone kind enough to offer it—even our enemy. Levine allows that this interpretation may not address the full significance of the story but does admit that “it recognizes the role of the Samaritan as enemy and suggests the possibility of interpreter identification with the wounded man rather than the Samaritan who gives aid.”* (Levine, 79). Certainly, Jesus wanted the lawyer (and us) to try to emulate the helpful and compassionate Samaritan. But, perhaps, He also wants us to identify with the wounded man who trusts the outstretched hand of his enemy. The lesson should go beyond: my neighbor is hurting, and I have the potential to be good to my neighbor. The lesson must extend to: I am hurting, and my neighbor has the potential to be good to me. We must extend to all our neighbors the courtesy of recognizing their good intentions, of recognizing their humanity, instead of only celebrating our own.
In John’s gospel, Jesus models asking for help in a different way. Instead of telling a parable about hurting and helpful neighbors, Jesus asks a Samaritan woman for a drink of water. He asks for her help, accepts her water, and offers His own living water. Jesus does not acknowledge human categories and ranking systems. He shows us how to recognize the inherent goodness, the humanity, in all our neighbors.
I love the unusual interpretation Levine retells in her book because I am so often guilty of believing that I should always be in the position of offering aid and of overlooking the richness others may offer me. I too often put myself in the position of being thanked, and too rarely offer gratitude. But only when I realize that I am not the only person in the position of offering help or advice or ideas can I accept the goodness offered to me by those who I have labeled Samaritan. Only when we can all recognize our shared humanity—when we can all both give and receive readily and generously—will our lives begin to reflect the parables, stories and actions of Jesus.
* Levine, Amy-Jill. Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi. HarperOne, 2015, pp. 79. Levine's entire discussion of the parable is on pp. 77-115 of the book.
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You might also like:
- “Jesus had to go through Samaria”
- Prayer Tip: The Woman at the Well
- Jesus' kingdom is for young and old alike
- A painful contrast to Jesus' view of children
- Jesus assumed children would be treated generously
- Or download this week's printable GPS.
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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