Transcendent Love
In John chapter 4, Jesus departs on this journey from Judea to Galilee.
Now, most Jews in this time would have taken the long route—a route that would have added almost 2 extra days of travel—just to avoid Samaria and the Samaritans.
The Samaritans—for context—were a half-Jew, half-Assyrian people who were developed out of a nation-wide split centuries earlier. Traditional Jews hated Samaritans, hence their desire to avoid traveling through their land at all costs.
But Jesus doesn’t avoid the hated outcasts, he approaches them. Jesus understands that there’s power in being present. And on his journey, he goes through Samaria and stops at a well.
Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The 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) (John 4:6-9, NIV).
Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” (John 4:27, NIV).
No one asked. But they were all thinking it.
Jesus, what are you doing?!
Why are you talking with her?!
Why are you sharing a drink with her?!
She’s not like us! She’s the enemy! She’s an outcast.
What are you doing with her, Jesus?!
See, Jesus understood this fundamental truth that transcends color, race, origin, sexual orientation, wealth, gender, ethnicity, it transcends everything.
Here it is: There is power in presence.
Imagine that people are like Play Doh.
We all come in different shapes, sizes and colors. We all come from different backgrounds and have different stories.
But, when we are in community with one another, when we seek mercy, justice and empathy with one another, a beautiful picture has the potential to be formed—like a rainbow.
However, what happens so often in our world is that one race or one country or one ethnicity or one person begins to believe that they’re the best. That they’re better than all of the other colors. And when that happens, when one tries to dominate the others or convince or connive their way into rightness or power or elitism, when one tries to manipulate its way into superiority, it messes up the whole picture and what’s left is an unrecognizable mess.
Within this story is a practice of Jesus that—if we’re going to lead with the power of presence towards those different than us—we have to cultivate.
It’s the practice of justice.
Jesus didn’t avoid those who looked different, lived different or acted different from him.
He didn’t hole himself up in a church or synagogue and live his life safely in the confines of other Bible-believing Jews.
Jesus went to the margins of society and sought to LOVE those who were deemed different, less than or inferior to him.
Jesus believed in the power of presence.
What about us?
What are we going to do to get outside the bounds of our security and safety?
How are we going to intentionally move outside the bounds of our friend groups composed of people who think like us, act like us, talk like us and dress like us?
That’s not a bad thing in and of itself, but how are we reaching out to, being present with, and loving those who are different than us?
To be a follower of Jesus requires nothing less.
Be encouraged.
