A Word from John 4

Can you think of anybody with whom you'd prefer not to associate today? Is there a coworker whose attitude rubs you the wrong way, or a neighbor whose approach to home maintenance leaves a lot to be desired? Is there a friend whose political opinions really get under your skin, or do you sometimes run into one of "those people" -- folks whose lifestyle, or appearance, or "otherness" simply makes you want to avoid them?

Well naturally, we've all got people with whom we don't easily get along. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. But at the same time, today's word from John Chapter 4 invites us to ask: What are we missing in the people we avoid?

I'm sure you know the story. Jesus and his disciples are hiking through Samaria, and Jesus sits down by a well, while his disciples go into town to get food. Pretty soon, a woman comes along, and Jesus asks her for a drink. But this is a Samaritan woman -- somebody that a Jew like Jesus (and especially a God-fearing rabbi like Jesus) would typically avoid! And in fact, the woman herself is surprised by Jesus's request. But then Jesus says to her, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you're speaking to, you'd  ask me, and I would give you living water.” (4:10)

Of course, the conversation goes on from there. And we might come back to it in the next few days. But for today, it's enough to notice that if Jesus or the woman had decided not to associate with one of "those people," the gift of living water might have never been shared.

So today, may we be a little more open to "the other." And may we, too, discover that we're able to share living water with -- or receive living water from -- the unexpected people God brings across our path. Amen.