A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. — John 4:7–9
We continue to explore how to share the Gospel with people. Nicodemus came to Jesus by night; but the woman of Samaria came at noon. Jesus initiated the conversation with the woman. The lesson here is that we often have to make the first move when we go out to introduce the Gospel to people.Jesus reached out in a non-threatening manner. The Lord started His conversation with the woman by requesting a drink of water. He who had all things made Himself vulnerable by asking for help. His request made it comfortable for the woman to speak confidently. If the Lord had started the conversation by questioning the woman of Samaria, she would have recoiled from Him.
Jesus broke a number of taboos in speaking to this woman:
1. The Religious taboo — The Samaritans and Jews were perpetually at opposite ends of the religious divide. Samaritans accepted only the Pentateuch – the first five books of the Old Testament – as canon but did not worship in Jerusalem. They believed Mount Gerizim to be the true holy site for worship. The two people’s groups did not often deal with each other.
2. The Sexual/Gender taboo — In their culture at the time, men were not supposed to associate with women. As a rabbi, some would have thought it scandalous for Jesus to start a conversation with a female stranger. Jesus was risking ritual defilement by talking with a Samaritan woman.
3. The Ethnic taboo — As stated above, Jews and Samaritans had no dealings with each other. When there were physical or spiritual needs at hand, to Jesus, social and religious expectations became unimportant.
What are the taboos we have about those we can associate with? Are there people today that Jesus would consider taboo for Him to reach out to?
Jesus removed barriers to connect to the woman. To reach people for Christ, we must not have a sense of superiority over them. We must reach out and connect with them.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, make me a gospel ambassador. Enable me to reach out to those who need Your love. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
Scripture Reading: John 4:1-42
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