Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Friday, 4 July 2014 "Always willing to change for the mission"Daily Scripture: John 4:19-35
Reflection Questions:
It was a long, well-established reality: Jews and Samaritans didn't talk to one another. Jews and Samaritans shunned one another (cf. John 4:9). But the argument that "We don't do things that way" didn't deter Jesus. He saw a woman, and a city, ready to respond to his kingdom message of love. He was willing to change whatever he needed to change, if it meant reaching people who were "ripe for the harvest."
Jesus' disciples saw Samaria and all of its people as a hopeless, ungodly place. Some of them probably wondered, "Why was Jesus wasting his time there?" As Jesus saw Samaritans making their way toward him, he said to the disciples, "Open your eyes and notice that the fields are already ripe for the harvest." Are there any "harvests" you might be in danger of overlooking, in your own life or near your church, just because they aren't as familiar or comfortable for you?
"The woman" (verses 27-29) was the Samaritan woman Jesus met at the well—she'd had five husbands and was thirsty for "living water." The disciples were surprised Jesus talked to her at all; so was she, at first. But Jesus saw a different potential in her, and she became the first "preacher" of the good news in the gospel of John. Is there someone you see in a negative light who might be worth a fresh look through Jesus' eyes?
Today's Prayer:
Dear Jesus, Brandon Heath's song asks, "Give me Your eyes for just one second, Give me Your eyes so I can see…Give me Your love for humanity." That's my prayer, too. Then give me your willingness to change in order to reach people you love. Amen.
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"Give Me Your Eyes" by Brandon Heath
Looked down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight
Touched down on the cold black top
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breathe in the familiar shock
Of confusion
And chaos
All those people goin' somewhere
Why have I never cared?
Give me Your eyes for just one second
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me Your love for humanity
Give me Your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide what's underneath
There's a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
Too ashamed to tell his wife
He's out of work, he's buyin' time
All those people goin' somewhere
Why have I never cared?
Give me Your eyes for just one second
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me Your love for humanity
Give me Your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
I've been there a million times
A couple of million eyes
Just move and pass me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
Well I want a second glance
So give me a second chance
To see the way You've seen the people all along
Give me Your eyes for just one second
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me Your love for humanity
Give me Your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Give me Your Eyes (Give me Your eyes for just one second)
Lord, give me Your eyes (Give me Your eyes so I can see)
Everything (Everything that I keep missing)
(Give me Your love for humanity)
Give me Your heart (Give me Your arms for the broken-hearted)
For the broken hearted (The ones that are far beyond my reach)
Give me Your heart (Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten)
Lord, give me Your eyes (Give me Your eyes so I can see)
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
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-------Insight from Darren Lippe
Darren Lippe helps facilitate Journey 101 “Loving God” classes, guides a 7th-grade Sunday school class, is a member of a small group & a men’s group, and serves on the Curriculum team.In the 1970s management consultants became enamored with the idea of “thinking outside the box” to encourage creative thinking among employees. (This trend occurred just as more & more employees started working inside boxes/cubicles. Irony can be fun.)
One common anecdote used in sales management textbooks to illustrate this concept was the story of 2 shoes salesmen who were dropped off near the Amazon River:
The first one telegrams back the following: No one wears shoes here! Arrange for trip home.
The second salesman sends his telegram: No one wears shoes here! Arrange for a huge shipment of shoes.
Naturally, when we consider this “color-outside-the-lines” thinking, we’d be hard pressed to find anyone more proficient than Jesus. Today’s snippet of Scripture is full of Jesus’ against-the-grain-actions:
A good Rabbi would not be traveling through Samaria; he would take the usual routes that bypassed the despised territory. A good Rabbi would not speak to a Samaritan; he’d avoid or ignore them. A good Rabbi would not speak to a woman to whom he wasn’t related. And finally, a good Rabbi would certainly not speak to a woman of questionable repute.
Of course throughout the Gospels, we read of Jesus constantly pushing the boundaries of society’s norms. Where would He learn such boorish behavior?
I would submit that like a good Son, He learned it from His Father. During a small group discussion last week, I came across God’s radical idea of the Year of Jubilee.
In Leviticus 25 we learn that after 7 cycles of 7 years (49 years) the 50th year would be launched with a blast of a ram’s horn on the Day of Atonement to mark the Year of Jubilee. All land that had been leased by families to avert poverty would be returned to its original owners. Indentured Israelite servants would be set free. The fields would be given a year of rest. The Year of Jubilee was a year marked by justice, mercy, liberation & joy. (Scholars are uncertain whether the Year of Jubilee was ever practiced by the ancient Israelites, but we do read in Leviticus 26 that their lack of practicing the sabbatical years led to their captivity.)
Understandably, readers may focus on the economic impact of the year of Jubilee. However, it seems likely that all contracts & financial transactions would have been adjusted to account for the Jubilee’s termination.
I would gently submit there might be a larger lesson for today’s readers. Some scholars contend that the timing of the Year of Jubilee cycle coincides with the year Jesus debuted His ministry. Jesus’ 1st sermon (Luke 4) even cites Isaiah’s description of the Year of Jubilee (The Message):
God’s spirit is upon me; He’s chosen me to preach the message of good news to the poor, set me to announce pardon to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the burdened & battered free, to announce, “This is God’s year to act!”
What if we were to take this challenge to heart? What if we were to set free those whom we have held “captive” via our grudges & offer them mercy? What if we were to finally “free” ourselves of our guilt by completely & totally accepting God’s grace? What if we were to celebrate this day as a day of freedom from the shackles of the past & looked at this day as a start of our own new creation in Christ?
Perhaps today is the perfect day to celebrate our freedom. After all, even the inscription on the Liberty Bell cites the Year of Jubilee passage from Leviticus: “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land…” Happy Independence Day, indeed!
PS: By the way, here is a solution to the puzzle. (Hey! That’s not fair. They went outside the box – Editor. Um… – DL.)
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